Hit the mark!

We did it!
No! YOU did it!

Tonight Oberbrandig hit the 1000 page views mark. And all that in less than a week's time. Let us tell you this: we are not only happy but overwhelmed by how much interest people from all over the globe have found in our site. Apart from Israel and Palestinian Territories we've had entries from the United States, Spain, Great Britain, Norway, New Zealand, Moldova and even Singapore.

Even though we haven't had any comments so far, our twitter and facebook pages are shooting up like crazy. The latter hitting the 30-follower mark Saturday afternoon.

Obviously we've long become megalomaniac and spend every second or so night on the net, blogging and emailing while we sit across from each other at the same table. And when it's 4:30 or 5:30 a.m. we start finding inexplicable entertainment in pressing the F5-button every two seconds and watching the counter going up.
So keep up the sharing, keep up the liking, keep up the following and keep enjoying.
(KM)

Most pressed key of the Oberbrandig team

In the desert

A small oasis in the desert

We walk down a stony path as we see an oasis, a small spring starting a narrow stream. Two Muslim women watch their children as they play in the water. We manage enough Arabic to greet them respectfully and ask some men, lying in the shadow of a palm tree, for the way. They seem delighted by the chunks of Arabic we throw at them. After asking where we are from, they kindly invited us for coffee. We declined thankfully. "Our time is limited, we need to go back to Al Quds!" (Jerusalem), we tell them. Reaching an aqueduct up the hill, we still talk about the encounter: Rarely have we seen such welcoming and relaxed people. They seemed untouched by our society of wealth and consumption, sitting relaxed under the palm tree, drinking coffee. Afterwards they would probably go home to their huts, living under conditions unimaginable to us. Next to these huts there is usually something one might reckon as a stable, but are really just a couple of rusty barrels put next to each other and a small palm-leaf shelter for chickens or goats. The question arises, whether they are happier than we are, but the following discussion, which rekindles a couple of times during our walk, brings no clear answer. Maybe the better question to ask would be, whether we would be happier living a Bedouin life. Honestly, I don't think so. While we have to be aware that affluence is not the way to happiness, living in poverty in a remote area would be really hard after growing up in a European city. I personally drew one conclusion: my palm tree, my way to relax is too often through consumption and that is something I want to change.
(DW)

Is it Friday?

The Eastern Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem awakes to a busy morning. A low and distant buzzing noise is coming from the streets. It climbs walls, crosses fences and penetrates windows. It fills rooms and entire houses. The streets are beginning to flood with people. Women with veils. Men with prayer mats on their shoulders. Some wear Hilfiger and Nike, others came in their traditional Bedouin dresses. They are hard working people. Farmers from the Westbank with rugged hands. Others from the north in their suits with shirt and tie. Old and young. Fit and frail. They squeeze through the narrow alleyways of this holy place. Vendors yell the prices of their goods through the streets. Heavily armed security at every corner. Children scuttle behind their parents, eager not to lose them in the crowd and helicopter blades cut through the air above the city. Everyone is heading into the same direction. Al Aqsa Mosque.
I think it’s Friday. The Muslims’ day of worship. But wait! Isn't it Friday? The day of the Passion of Christ. Or is it Friday? The beginning of the Jewish Shabbat.

© Dominic Prüßner

Making peace has proved unsuccessful in this country for so many years and sometimes I wonder: how about we all just allow peace for a minute?
(KM)

notes on this country

I actually intended to call this entry "notes on Israel or notes on Palestine", but the second I thought of this title I automatically stopped. Which of the two names should I write first? How can I be "politically correct". It seems like anything you do or say, which language you use, what you buy and where, who your friends are, is a political statement. You can go to buy at the Jewish Market or the Arab Suq, go to an arab or jewish barbier, learn Hebrew or Arabic and some people are going to judge you just because of that. It was hard for me to learn not to take comments by either side too seriously. Today, however, I am confident in my opinion of not supporting one side or the other. I support peace, which means for me that everybody can live as free as possible, without hurting others. Quite frankly, it's not my conflict and I will never be able to fully understand it. So here is to every outsider who thinks he/she does:

Western Wall & Dome of the Rock

First of all everything is not as easy as you think. I've heard many "If just this or that". No, it's not just. The two peoples who live in this country have to find a way to get together, first on a political and second on a cultural way, because they are deeply divided. I don't want to say that foreign and especially international bodys, like the UN, can't help, but the willingness for peace on both sides has to come from within I guess.
Anyway I'll continue learning Hebrew, going to an arab barbier, buying bread at the Jewish Market and other stuff at the Suq and I don't care about any interpretation of these actions. I go to wherever I think I get the best value for my money.

DW

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The winner of our logo contest is Sophie. Thank you very much for all your suggestions, keep sharing whatever you find worthwhile. 

Sunset from Al Qastal

Spring is coming to Israel and the Palestinian Territories. A couple of days ago it was so hot in Tel Aviv that people had to fire up their air conditions. In Jerusalem temperatures are around 23°C (72°F) these days. Crazy if you consider that countries in Central Europe are still covered with thick layers of snow.
A mild breeze was blowing this afternoon when we went up to Al Qastal to see the sunset. It's the ruin of a castle that was built by the Crusaders and later served as a military base for the Arab Liberation Army. Today it's a popular tourist attraction located in the midst of a small national park in the township of Mevaseret Zion, about 8 km west from Jerusalem. The park was already closed when we finally got there but we found a small footpath that led through an abandoned olive grove up to the viewpoint, where we shot this picture for you ...

sunset from Al Qastal

Who we are

As two students who decided to take a gap year abroad we have currently based ourselves in Jerusalem from where we are exploring the Middle Eastern region. Amidst all the political and religious conflicts in this country we often find ourselves looking for ways to escape from this sometimes brutal reality. Our working experience with locals has been absorbing and inspiring, but also gave us deep insight into how much divided society is. 
This blog is a new attempt for us to break out, take a step back and reflect on what we are seeing here by sharing it. This may not make a lot of sense to others, but Oberbrandig has proven to us as a useful tool to get new insight into serious topics and at the same time distract us in an entertaining way. 
As europeans we can try to understand the difficult situation of this region without having to get envolved emotionally. Our way of doing that is through serious comedy.

the rooftops of Jerusalem