An Ode to YouTubers

When I began my longish break from work last year I had no idea how I would be spending my time here in Tel Aviv. I did wallow in self-pity and thought if I could sleep all day, I would somehow get through the day. It was a struggle to find purpose beyond just dusting the house and doing the laundry. Even though I had the general idea that I wanted to spend my time learning new things, I had no will to begin. I also did not know where to begin until I began trawling YouTube for a direction and inspiration. I started with learning to crochet from videos on YouTube and went from a novice to making stuffed toys in a matter of two months! Around the same time I discovered some more YouTubers whom I now totally consider pals.

Amigurumi Minion

I do not remember when, but one day early this year I discovered Hank Green. Hank (Yeah, I am on first name basis with him now. Sshh! He does not know) is an Internetainerpreneur. He is the creator and host of multiple shows on YouTube that focus on science education. But that is not how I first found him, I happened upon his vlog channel vlogbrothers, where Hank and his brother talk about everything under the sun, from Goat birthing and 15 hours in Target to the 2016 US elections and the refugee crisis. They are committed to spreading awesomeness in the world. I was hooked to Hank and his 'in four minutes or less' take on life and everything else. I may be exaggerating, but Hank is like a friend and mentor to me. I have learnt so much from him and he has consistently been the person who articulates my innermost thoughts on every issue every time.

Once I discovered Hank, I was hurtling through SciShow and CrashCourse videos every day. I was taught many things in school, but learning was limited. There was so much to catch up on. It was an overload of information at first, but once I was up to speed with the Green brothers and their co-creators like Phil Plait (another favourite) I could revisit some old videos and improve my learning.

It is a bonus that Hank's brother happens to be John Green. Yes, John Green of Paper Towns and The Fault in Our Stars fame. John creates and hosts videos on World History, Politics, Culture and Literature on CrashCourse. John is cut from the same cloth as his brother when it comes to being a responsible human being but for his uber cool hair. I cannot tell you how much the Brothers inspire me. They both have chronic illnesses that could potentially interfere with their daily lives, holding them back from doing all the awesome things they do, but they have each found ways to deal with it. That is no measure of their awesomeness but it is just one of those things that makes you realise how small your problems are in comparison and that a break in one's career is hardly a pin prick.

Before Hank Green, I was (still am) an ardent follower of Derek Muller. Derek, the man behind Veritasium a channel that looks at teaching science using demonstrations and mostly interviews with public through which he tries to deconstruct scientific phenomena and dispel common misconceptions. In his PhD paper entitled Designing Effective Multimedia For Physics Education he describes how students who were taught using the lecture style found it effective but did not perform well in the test that followed whereas students who were subjected to a dialogue with a tutor where the tutor addresses several alternative conceptions found the method confusing but performed better that the first group of students. You must watch him in action to understand how the dialogue method works for the learner.

There are many other educational YouTubers I have learnt from in the past year -- Smarter Every Day, ViHart, MinutePhysics. When I was struggling with getting out of bed and doing something, each of these guys taught me something new everyday. I also picked up an entire hobby from YouTube creators - Crochet. Who would have thunk?

A scarf I made this year

Christmas Eve in Bethlehem

Christmas is the only festival I remember celebrating as a child. I remember a star going up on our front porch every year even if we never lit a single lamp for Deepavali. My Christian neighbours would create a cozy corner where they would set up the nativity scene. After school it was a ritual for me to visit their home to check the progress of the mustard seed sprouts that were spread out thickly around the crib a few days prior to Christmas day. If they had sprouted, it had to be Christmas.

Since then, I have pictured Bethlehem to be a quaint town that is always merry for Christmas. A town where every family recreates the manger scene for Christmas, lights up the home and joins the Christmas procession to the Church of the Nativity on the eve of Christmas. This year I visited Bethlehem to witness the merriment I had always imagined Christmas to be. 

A bus dropped me off around two kilometers from the Church of the Nativity. Ridding myself of persistent cabbies, I joined Christmas revelers donning Santa hats who were walking down to the church. I had pictured a sea of red hatted people making merry on the streets. Here, I was mistaken. I saw three groups of 4-5 people each. The number of Palestinian cops manning the street outnumbered the tourists/pilgrims. The street was decorated for Christmas but it looked like the town was downplaying the festival. Ornamentation was skeletal and posters and banners at frequent intervals called for a peaceful Christmas. 

The West Bank has been going through a phase of unrest since September and Bethlehem has been no exception. In the middle of the high season here in Bethlehem hotels are not even half full. Christmas fireworks were cancelled and only a few streets have been decorated for the festival. Pilgrims and tourists like me are scared to travel to the West Bank. I too was undecided about visiting Bethlehem until I woke up last morning and was on the bus to Jerusalem. Though my trip was without incident, unrest continued in towns and cities neighbouring Bethlehem. One of the cabbies in his appeal to me said, "This is Palestine, we don't have business like in Israel, come with me. This is the season for my business." He was right. It is only tourists like me who come on our own and not with pre-booked tours in big buses who are his potential customers.

Mosque of Omar at Manger Square

Christmas tree at Manger Square

 When I finally reached Manger Square, the public space adjoining the Church of the Nativity, I found the merriment I was looking for. A huge tree stood in the centre of the square, a live band was singing carols and Christmas revelers sipped on hot tea to keep themselves warm in the Bethlehem winter. The tight security around the square did moderate the Christmas spirit though.
All said and done, Christmas in Bethlehem is like no other. Only here will you listen to the solemn azaan ring in your ears as a band sets up to start singing Christmas carols. I could not have asked for a better Christmas eve this year. 

A Palestinian girl poses with a poster
seeking the freedom of a
Palestinian youth

While a big tree sparkled at the centre of the square, at the back of the square an uprooted olive tree joined the festivities albeit on a somber note. "This tree we decorate today has come all the way from Beit Jala after it has been uprooted by the occupation forces a few months ago, from its land in Beir Auneh to build the apartheid wall and expropriate Palestinian land for the interest of illegal settlements," read the note about the tree. The tree was decorated with barbed wire, tear gas canisters were nailed into it. This alternative resistance Christmas tree is set up by a group that identifies itself with the Committee of Popular Resistance in Palestine. The group began the tradition three years ago. 

If you have been to the West Bank you will know that conversations here can easily turn political. Everyone wants to tell you their story because they know you must be coming from Israel, the country that is eating into their land everyday and smothering their lives. The cabbie attributes traffic jams to the IDF check posts. "Israeli," he says as we slow down near a check post. That is all he needs to communicate to me and the rest is left unsaid. As we drive past Herodian, I notice the star of David fluttering above the entrance gate. "Israeli," the cabbie points to the flag. Indeed, it is the flag of Israel flying high in Palestine. Somehow an archaeological site inside the Palestinian Territories is part of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. The shop keeper in a souvenir store while explaining the significance of a particular image makes sure he tells me that the Church where the particular image is from was torched by Israeli vandals in June 2015. 

Before I knew anything about Israel and Palestine, I associated just one thing to Bethlehem - the birth of Jesus. Then I learnt about the the conflict and there more I learnt the more curious I got. Now Bethlehem for me is a city with immense history but more importantly it is like any other West Bank city surviving the Occupation in hope for sustained peace. 

Graffiti on the Separation Wall around Bethlehem