Le'hitraot Yisrael...

Sunday, June 13, 2010

I thought today would be my last day at school but I texted my teacher last night and not to my surprise did she tell me that the students would not be there today. I spent the day running errands and hanging out with Anna before she left today. We had Ulpan where everyone said goodbye to Anna. Its crazy how far we have all come as a group and now it quickly ending.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Today I decided to get out of Ashdod and do some last minute exploring of Tel Aviv I went to see Sex and the City 2, to be honest it is so embarrassing watching these American movies abroad, what a horrible way to represent Americans. Afterwards I went to eat some interesting chummus for lunch then headed to Azrielli Tower. It is one of the tallest buildings in Tel Aviv. On the ground floor it is a huge mall and if you go to the top there is a restaurant with a beautiful view of the city. I headed back to Ashdod and began organizing and packing to go home.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Today was our Mega Event to close out our program. We had a ceremony where our host families, teachers and friends were invited to come celebrate our time and work here. The head of the Department of Education in Ashdod spoke, a host mother, my friend Aron and a student. We also had a nice slide show and Amalia made a music video of all of us. It was a nice event. Miri and Zahavah came so it was nice to have their support. After wards we all went out in Ashdod. It was nice to be together with everyone, there are some crazy personalities in our group, there is never a dull moment.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Today Jordan and I went to say goodbye at school, not surprisingly many students not there. It was a wonderful experience working there but a bit frustrating that for the last month we were really not needed. I met up for lunch with Molly and Sarah and we headed to the shuk. Gabby and I got small gifts for our host families and we went over to give it to them and say goodbye. Of course as soon as we walked in Miri was preparing drinks and desserts for us and they loved the gifts, they may have even liked our homemade wrapping paper better than the presents.

We stayed for a while and all talked and all of a sudden Zahavah was like, its time to do your hair, isn’t that why you came over. So before I knew it I was in her work room and she was giving me a hair cut. I admit she did a pretty good job but it is a bit shorter than I would have liked.  It was time to say goodbye, it was hard for everyone but it means we really enjoyed getting to know each other and spending time together. They are really sweet women and Gabby and I are so thankful for all they have done for us. I hope to be in touch with Zahavah and see her when she comes to the states to see her daughters.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Today we had our last group meeting. There was a big map of Israel in the room and we all had 2 stickers with our names on it. One by one we all shared 2 places that we found to be meaningful or fun places to us. I chose Haifa because I think it is a unique city purely because there does not seem to be any dramatic culture or religious clashes going on there that occur in the other big cities in Isreal. The Jews and Muslims get along pretty well, it’s the Bahai capitol of the world, there are great universities there and it’s a technology hub which creates great jobs for Israelis. My second sticker I put in the Negev. It seems so simple and cliché but it was nice spending so much time there during Passover, hiking, exploring, cooking, singing and sleeping in the desert.

After the meeting I headed to Tel Aviv which ended up being more than I bargained for. I decided to take a sherut (shared cab service) so I could avoid security with my bags in the Ashdod and Tel Aviv central bus stations. When I showed up to the pick up area a man told me he has been waiting for an hour and he thinks no one has come because of the World Cup game. Meanwhile its boiling hot outside and I want to collapse. I little while later I talk to a man who you would assume his job would be to organize the cabs who says, they will come soon, later he says, they are in the way, later ten minutes. Meanwhile an old lady is bugging me to use my phone to call her mom and when I let her she drops my phone and says nevermind then proceeds to keep asking me for my phone, there is a man with one eye who I cannot really communicate with and many other people are speaking Russian to each other so I have no idea what is going on. Eventually I convince 2 men to share a cab with me, the one with one eye is playing child games on his iphone the whole time with obnoxious noises and the driver and other man are speaking Russian so its not even like I can pretend to know what they are taking about. Travelling with luggage (in the heat) is never fun but this, really was not fun. Hopefully soon I can look back and laugh.

I went out with a few friends for a delicious dinner and most of our Oranim group was heading out to celebrate some birthdays together and the end of our time in Israel. It was so nice that so many people showed up. We all usually traveled outside of Ashdod with the same few people so it was nice to be in Tel Aviv together. The night was a success.

Friday, June 18, 2010

This morning I met up for brunch with some of my friends, relaxed and headed to the airport. It’s been a crazy ride and I cannot believe its finally ending. I have made some wonderful friends, I have a new perspective and appreciation for Israel and its people and I have many new memories to bring home to the States. I am sure this experience will play a role in the decisions I make and the opinions I form the rest of my life.

The Begining of the End

 

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

This morning I was sent to work in a warehouse type building sorting these things that I asked many people what they were and never really got an answer that made sense. They are stored in these bean bag sacks in wood chests. We opened up the chests and tossed the bags into huge bins around the room, it was basically and never ending game of basketball\bean bag toss. I was with a nice group of girls and we had a great time doing it. We took a break and went to this little hut where people meet up for coffee, tea and snacks and then back to work until lunch.

We did the same work in the afternoon and it felt nice to really see some progress. We were told that the US was going to deliver ammunition to Israel Saturday night and so this is why we were organizing and cleaning up to make room for whatever was coming. In the evening we had a lecture regarding capture soldiers and how Judaism and the army handle these situation and what they must consider. It was unreal to see the ratio of captured prisoners or terrorists that Israel gives up just for a few soldiers. We debated how we thought Israel should handle such a situation and one interesting idea that I thought was interesting but had never heard before was that if the army will not do everything in its power to get is soldiers back than why should they be risking their lives for the army and country. It is definetly not an easy situation either way.
 

Wednesday, June 9, 2010
 

Today we were sent back to continue our job from yesterday. The usual breaks, tea, water, hot desert weather. By this time in the week we were all getting pretty sick of the food and used to the routine of the base. We had an evening activity where we were presented with awards and wrapped up the week. Overall everyone had a really nice time and it was a worthwhile experience.
 

Thursday, June 10, 2010
 

Today we only had a half day at the base so our commanders got permission to take us to the Dead Sea in the morning. It was a nice surprise and a nice ending to the week. We got back in the afternoon and went to Tel Aviv to celebrate Molly’s birthday and Anna’s last weekend and Polina joined us. It was so nice to see her but it was sad to say goodbye, she really did a lot for Anna and I and enriched our experience while we were here. After wards we met up with our friend Eyal who worked with us last summer at camp and who is returning this year. He was traveling all year so it was so nice to finally see him in his country. Many of our Israeli friends came out; it was so nice to see people before we head home.

 

Friday, June 11, 2010
 

This after noon I headed back to Ashdod for my last Shabbat dinner with Amram and Zahavah. They had a lot of company over so it was quite the feast but a lot of people speaking Hebrew quickly so it was hard for me to follow. I am surely going to miss her cooking, the first chance I get I will try to copy some of her recipes.
 

We headed back to Tel Aviv and Anna, Molly and I went out with Nitzan who is coming to camp with us. Its been great getting to know the Isrealis that are coming. It will be a nice transition for all of us. 

Saturday, June 12, 2010

This morning the girls and I had brunch on beach together. We sat for hours enjoying the food, weather and company. We headed back in the afternoon to prepare a group dinner for our house and some of the other people from the program came by to hand out. We reminisced about the past 5 months and the crazy adventures and emotions we have all experienced. As my time here comes to a close I am thankful I had the patience to blog and make it until the end and I thank the few of you that may actually still be reading...

Airplane Ride & Volunteering for the IDF

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Today I went to the beach with Anna and Molly, it was so relaxing to be there and enjoy water and each others company. In the evening our whole group went on a boat ride around the port of Ashdod, it was nice to be able to spend time together and see great views of the city. At night I went for a walk with Anna to a huge playground in the city. After almost 5 months in it still amazes me the diversity you can see when you walk around this country, young teenage couples, religious women with tons of children, and anything else you could imagine.

I really began to feel the end coming and to think about what it will be like to go home. It will be difficult to express what I have been through here.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

This afternoon we had another advocacy enrichment, teaching us how to represent Isreal when we get home, I am starting to feel as though we are being bambarded with these lectures but it’s almost over. We then had Ulpan and headed to Tel Aviv. Molly, Sarah, Anna and I went out for a nice dinner and drinks, its been wonderful spending time talking with them as we went through this crazy adventure together and I cannot believe its all starting to wind down.

Friday, June 4, 2010

We strolled around Tel Aviv, exploring some new streets today and then headed home for Shabbat. My host family was out of town so I joined Anna with her family. It was a lovely evening, very different from my usual Shabbat. It was a very lively family with 3 daughters, and a friend. We laughed and sang the whole meal together. It was nice to have a new Shabbat experience here and see how everyone makes it special in their own way.

Afterwards we headed to Tel Aviv for the evening, as our time here comes to a close the celebrations begin.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Today I was invited to share the very unique experience of flying over Israel. My friend Aron was got a tour in a private plane from his parents for his birthday and invited Anna and I to join. We met the pilot at his house and headed to Dov airport, a local airport in Tel Aviv. We went through some surprisingly tight security at the deserted airport.

We helped prepare the plane and before long we were up in the air flying over the Tel Aviv coast line. It was a beautiful sight. Its nice that I have been here long enough and experienced enough to recognize much of what I was seeing. We flew a bit south over Rishon LeZion and a few other smaller cities. Before we knew it we had already hit the Judean Mountains, its unreal how quickly the terrain changes. Jerusalem was quite the sight from the sky. We could see Yad Vashem, Har Hertzl, the Knesset, the Old City, Western Wall, temple mount, East Jerusalem and the Jewish settlements.  I hope the pictures do it justice. 

Afterwards we headed further southeast to the Dead Sea. The colors were incredible. We landed at what they call the Masada airport but it was nothing more than a runway and Bedouin tent. The pilot had a friend in the area who picked us up and took us to the Dead Sea for a quick swim then we headed back to the airport for some delicious labane, hummus and pita. We were supposed to fly back over Be’er Shevah and Ashdod but because of the mess going on with the flotilla and everything the airspace was closed. We headed back the way we came and landed in Hertzellya on the way home.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

This week our program is going to spend on the military base called Hatira in the south. We are doing a program called Sar El where Israelis and non-Israelis alike volunteer with the Israeli army. Hatira is an ammunition base about an hour south of Be’er Shevah. In Ashdod we met one of the officers who would be with us for the week and we headed to the base.

Overall today was a pretty boring and relaxing day, depending on when you ask me. We arrived at the base, had lunch which was not too bad and unpacked in our rooms. We are 18 girls, staying 9 and 9 in to rooms. It feels very much like camp and its nice to be living with people that were in other houses during the program. After we settled in we met up at the building where they keep the uniforms to pick ours up along with sleeping bags and pillows if you were lucky enough to get one. Putting on that uniform was a really interesting experience. It was nice to not think about what to wear and to look the same as everyone but on the other hand you are wearing a uniform that comes with a lot of emotions. People are very passionate about the military and their pride to their country and Israel is obviously nothing different, in actuality there may be even more controversy and emotions when discussing the Israeli army.

We just hung around the rest of the afternoon and went to dinner together. Its amazing how much of a routine exists on the base. After dinner we did some activities as a group, relay races and such. It was a nice day getting to know our group in a new way and I am looking forward to the rest of our time on base.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Today was our first day actually working on base. We were all sent to do different work. Many of us were bussed out of the main area of the base where the soldiers eat and live and we drove for about 10 minutes through the Negev. Many of the roads were lines with manmade hills where on one end there were doors where they stored a lot of the army’s artillery. I went with a few other girls to a lot where they have different containers for storing things. We sorted through containers to see if they sealed well or not. After about just an hour we sat and enjoyed coffee with Aaron, the man who worked there as a civilian, and 2 of the soldiers. It was pretty hot out but we were a bit shocked how quickly we took a break. Just before 12 a shuttle came to pick us up and take us to lunch. Now that we had been there for a day we started to understand how army meals and food work, the same food over and over again, meat lunches, dairy dinners.

We had a break after lunch and then back to the container area. Aaron seemed to be very tired that day and just hung out with us and told us stories. I always thought the country was really relaxed but the army seems to be run in some ways in the same fashion, at least this base is very laid back, I am would imagine that they are each different. We had dinner than a commander of Sar El came to talk to us. It was nice that he took the time to come, he talked to us, as many have before, about how we are the best representatives of Israel and its important we go home and share our experiences to shed a different light on the situation that is here.

Israel and its Neighbors

Sunday, May 30, 2010

School in the morning as usual, half of the classes cancelled. Things are really starting to unwind as the year ends. You think kids in America get distracted at the end of the year... Because of the exam
schedule here the last month is basically impossible for me to follow what is going on.

Monday, May 31, 2010
 
Today I had off from school so I decided to head to Jerusalem to run some errands before I left. I went in with my friend Aron, first we walked by the Israeli Supreme Court and Knesset (Parliament) and then we went shopping in the Old City.

While we were there I got an email from the NYTimes Update that there had been 10 people killed when Israeli soldiers boarded a boat headed for Gaza with foreign aid. I did not know what to make if this and we had heard recently in the news Israel was encouraging the boats to stop in Ashdod to be check out first on their way in but that did not happen. (Egypt gave the same offer). We continued on and headed to the Western Wall. It was interesting to think back to my first experience at the Wall this trip. I was thinking how it was one of the first times I was going to the wall knowing I would be back in the near future so I did not necessarily need to feel rushed. This time, I went thinking this probably is my last time. I had a nice time being there alone and its nice to leave on a good, content note.

Afterwards I went to meet up with my friend Rachel Kosoff who is in Israel with her family. We were about to head into the Muslim quarter of the Old City and we noticed most of the stores were closed. We went in to one to see what was happening and we learned that they were all closing down for 3 days in solidarity with what happened with the boat headed to Gaza. That is when I knew things were a bit more serious than I expected. I walked around a bit longer with Rachel and then Aron and I headed back to Ashdod for afternoon volunteering.

As we drove back into Ashdod we noticed a lot of traffic and got a text from a friend that there was some commotion going on at the port.

I got to my volunteering and we had a new student today. We were nervous about his English level and all of a sudden he started speaking to us in English. He was born in Argentina, learned English there, moved to Israel a while ago for 2 years in Eilat, then moved back to Argentina and now was back in Israel for the past 6 months. He was a very interesting, bright young boy. I asked him about what was going on in the news today and the possibility of war. He answered saying that he really enjoys summer and is looking forward to it so he hopes if there has to be a war its in the fall. It continues to amaze me of the realities of this country. This boy who has not even lived here for that long has to think about such problems as war and how it will effect him. These kids are not sheltered from anything here.

I went home and we watched the news a bit and all shared our opinions and experiences of the day. A few of my housemates were at the port witnessing the Pro-Israel protests going on. I heard there were 2 Muslim women sitting there watching what was happening. They spotted a Muslim man wearing a Free Gilad shirt and pin (the soldier who is still captured) and they started to get in an argument with him, probably saying, how can you be a Muslim and stick up for Israel and its military and then all of a sudden the pretty quite protesters were chanting and singing around all of this. I am sure this was quite crazy to witness. There was also tons of media crews in Ashdod because the boats were brought here to be searched and they took many of the people from the ships from here to jail, I heard many went to Be’er Sheva, others opted to be sent back to their countries.

For those of you following the media, you obviously here different things from different people, you can learn for yourselves and make your own opinions. I really do not know what will happen from here but to be honest, it does not feel like much had changed around me. Maybe its my American bubble or maybe I am right and things are going on as usual, who knows. We have not received an email from the program or anything and things are continuing on as normal.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

This morning I woke up to write my family an email about the situation here and I immediately noticed that I heard planes flying overhead. We hear them every once in a while and its just usual military procedures and I am sure people checking up on Gaza but its been pretty constant today. I am not really sure what is going on and you all probably know just as much as me.

I went to school today and worked with a new class of 9th grade girls. They were very sweet and we just spent the period introducing ourselves. 4 out of the 5 girls were born in France and lived there until they were between the ages of 7-10, the other girl was born in Israel but of Indian background. The diversity and stories of the students from this school and the Jewish people as a whole never ceases to amaze me.

This afternoon we had an enrichment regarding the Israeli Army which happened to come at a good time but I wish we had talked more about current events. After I went with some of the people in my house to jump in to the Mediterranean, we are only here for so much longer and I do not want to take these last few weeks for granted.

Our Israeli friend Ohad drove in for dinner and we made him a big (semi- American feast). We cooked eggplant parm, garlic bread, salad and quinoa. We made sure to be really Israeli and make sure he was stuffed before he left.

National Drills & Natural Pools

Sunday, May 23, 2010

This morning we walked to Jaffa to eat at Mr Shakshukah, a famous Shakshukah place. For those of you who do not know what shakshukah is, it is a stew of tomatoes, onions, peppers and they cook a few eggs sunny side up inside and eat it with bread. I went to ask for a menu and she said “breakfast” in Hebrew and I said yes. After a few seconds I realized there is not a menu, breakfast means they will bring out several salads and bread and eventually shakshuka will come. It was pretty good, fun experience. We walked back to get our stuff and headed back to Ashdod for Ulpan. Tonight I took a walk with Aron around the city. There is this big play ground with slides taller than anything we would ever have in the US. I have been meaning to go on it and my time here is coming to an end so we enjoyed ourselves on the playground for a but and then got some frozen yogurt. It is always nice to get 

out at night. 
 

Monday, May 24, 2010

Today I went to the alternative school and cooked with one of the teachers. We made a cake and mini bureka type pastries with olives inside. It was nice cooking with her but I wish more stuents had showed up so I could spend some time with them. In the afternoon I ent to volunteer at the Marshall center with Allison. We taught the kids animals and did review a review of all of our previous lessons, they are fun with tons of energy, especially 2 new students who showed up today.

 

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Today I once again had off from school. It was nice to have some time to myself and catch up on things I have been neglecting. This afternoon we had a group meeting and afterwards Anna, Aron, Eric and I decided to go out to dinner in the Industrial Port area of Ashdod, it was a fun night out with friends. 
 

Wednesday, May 26, 2010
 

Today there was a practice drill with a siren through out the country at 11 am. Everyone had a plan of what they are supposed to do and supposedly every knows their responsibilities. We were in the classrooms and were instructed to go into on specific classroom in each building that has this heavy, bolted door. Lets just say cramming in several classes of crazy Israeli boys is not so pleasant or quiet but it was an experience non the less. As simply and routine that this was for them, you kind of have to take a step back and think about it. They have a nationwide drill practicing incase of bombs or a war or whatever you could imagine. My teacher was telling me that in Ashdod in the 2009 Gaza War the kids had weeks off of school and the sirens would go off often. I could not imagining living a life with that reality. As unserious as the kids seemed to be taking the drill, they do understand it and know that it is a must. 

 

Thursday, May 27, 2010
 

Today Oramin took all of the groups on a trip up north. We first went to a lookout point up north and learned about Alexander Zaid, who was a man who brought his family to Israel in the early 1900’s to stake out and protect the land that the JNF had been buying up until more Jews would move here. The view was a bit hazy because there was tons of sediment in the air. It was a weird storm that was happening. In America you would have thought it was about to downpour at any second but it was just this crazy hazy day all over the country.

After we drove to the mountains just north of the West Bank for a small hike and view but it was incredible how little visibility there actually was, it was a bit disappointing because I heard it was supposed to be beautiful.
 

Our last stop was Gan Hashlosha National Park where there were huge natural pool. It was beautiful, I think it was the closest I have ever felt to being in paradise. There were these pools connected by mini waterfalls and the area was surrounded by green grass and palm trees. Truly beautiful.
 

This evening our friend Polina came to visit us in Ashdod! It was so nice to have a visitor. We took her out for dinner on the beach and had a wonderful evening catching up with her.
 

Friday, May 28, 2010
 

We decided to make an Israeli breakfast of our own this morning. Everything turned out well, especially the omlettes that Anna made us. We decided to go to Ashkelon for the afternoon  and met up with one of Anna’s childhood friends who made aliyah. It was interesting talking to him and getting his perspectives on life in the country now that he has been here for a little while.
 

We headed back for Shabbat dinner. This week my host family at with Gabby’s. It was really nice eat as a large group and try Miri’s cooking food.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

This morning we met up with Alon, Nitzan and Ohad, 3 of the Israelis coming to camp this summer. They drove us to these little natural pools outside of Jerusalem. We sat there for a few hours snacking, talking and enjoying each others company, it was a very Israeli experience. After we drive to Abu Gosh, a predominantly Arab city outside of Jerusalem that is famous for its chummus. We shared chummus, pita and falafel. It was nice to have them show us around for the day so we were able to see things we could not get to as easily ourselves, especially on Shabbat when there is no transportation.

Shavuot and More...

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Normal day here in Ashdod. In on of my classes I was talking with one of my Ethiopian students and she was telling me how sometimes she is worried to travel outside of Israel because many people are unaware of the Jewish Ethiopian population. It is interesting to get their perspectives on even the simplest things in life that many other people take for granted. 

Monday, May 17, 2010
 

Ashdod held the weekend Shuk today because on Wednesday it is a holiday. I rode my bike there and did some shopping. I officially realize how hot it is getting because a not so difficult bike ride left me very tired. In the afternoon was the English Bagrut exam, what we have been helping the students prepare for months. The teacher asked me to come in from 1 in the afternoon until 6 to help with the test. I sat there for a while watching the teachers run around yelling at each other as they tried to organize all of the different tests, componenets and students.
 

After a while I went sent to read a few passages out loud to one of the lower level classes. Jordan and I waited around for a while until they just sent us home in the afternoon. Turns out we were not much help that day after all.  

Anna and I decided to go to Tel Aviv for dinner, we found a recommendation online and it turned out to be delicious. We split lamb kabobs and a couscous dish. The waiter said the restaurant is famous for these cooked sweet potatoes in a sauce and brought us some to try. It was obviously delicious. Afterwards we walked to Rothschild street and enjoyed a glass of wine and chocolate balls together.

 Tuesday, May 18, 2010

This evening my program went to a local kibbutz to celebrate Shavuot together. It was a unique experience, most people wear white and are celebrating the harvest season beginning but there are actually a lot of reasons we celebrate and the meaning has evolved a lot over the years. Its celebrated on the kibbutzim because that’s where the harvest is extremely important to people. There was a performance put on by different groups of people living there, the children and adults included. At one point they also bring all of the babies born in the last year to the stage to honor them. It was a fun experience.

Afterwards I went to have dinner with my host family. Its traditional to have a dairy meal. I could not believe how much food there was pizza, pastries, fish, salads, eggs, fritattas, baklavah, cheese cake. It was quite the celebration.
 

Wednesday, May 19, 2010
 

This morning we had off from school so I went to the beach with people from the program. Then in the evening we headed to Tel Aviv for a nice dinner. Afterwards we went to this bar where they had “bira v’shira,” beer and singing. Its kind of like group Karaoke where they project the words up to famous Israeli songs on the wall and everyone in the bar sings together. I have never seen anything like it but everyone seemed to be having a great time.
 

Thursday, May 20, 2010
 

This morning I went out to breakfast with Anna and Molly, it was one of the best Israeli breakfasts yet. We had no place to leave our bags and sat there at the restaurant debating for a while until I said lets just ask the waitress if we can leave them here for a few hours, when I asked her she agreed without hesitation, only in Israel. Anna and I walked around Tel Aviv for a while and then met up Polina. We went to this trendy jewelry and arts festival in Tel Aviv. Then we strolled around a bit and Polina gave us a mini tour of the area. After wards we met up with Amir, who is coming to camp this summer, the 4 of us hung out for a while and went out to dinner to celebrate Polina’s birthday at a place called King George, the food was great and cheep, its always fun going out with Israelis because they know where the best spots are.
 

Friday, May 21, 2010
 

Anna went shopping this morning and then I spent Shabbat in Ashdod with my host family. Zahavah’s sister was there and Amram’s sister in law and Shlomit, their daughter was there for a few minutes, getting ready for a flight back to the US. It was nice having a dinner with a few more people.
 

Saturday, May 22, 2010
 

Anna and I both found out we didn’t have school on Monday and were meeting up with our Israeli friends for a party tonight so we decided to spend the night in Tel Aviv. We had a wonderful, relaxing day on the beach. We wanted to try something new for dinner so we asked a few Argentinean olim (immigrants)  for a suggestion and they told us about a cheap Middle Eastern restaurant so we took their advice and it was not a disappointment. After we went to a party Alon was throwing for all of the Israelis heading to camps this summer. It was on the roof of a building with amazing views of the city, all 4 of the Israelis came and we had a good time together.