And we're off to the Golan..

I just returned from my last weekend trip of the semester and this was by far one of my favorite trips. At 8 am Friday morning, the group boarded the bus and headed north towards the Golan Heights. Careful with his sleeping passengers, our trusted driver, Shlomo, handled the roads with ease and provided a nice ride in which the majority of us retreated back to sleep. At around 11 am I woke up to find the bus stopped in front of the Golan Heights Winery; our first stop of the trip. We met our fantastic tour guide, Shalom (yes, his name was Shalom), and began our very short tour of the winery. He explained the region and the optimum areas for growing certain grapes and then brought us into the barrel room to explain the aging process.

And now it was time for the best part of the tour- the wine tasting! I'm sure it had to be noon somewhere, but we were all ready to taste some wine and Shalom really delivered a great selection. We started off with a white (of which I cannot remember the variety), then moved to a merlot, and finished off with a dessert wine. And I didn't hate the complimentary pretzels either. Shalom then surprised us by handing out nifty cardboard wine glass holders so we could all take our glasses home. 

Sad to leave the winery and perhaps a little tipsy, we continued onto the next stop of our trip, a nice lookout where Reut explained to us the controversy of the Golan Heights. The Golan Heights was captured by Israel in '67 from Syria and has since then been a highly sought after area of land. The Golan now provides home to kibbutzim, moshavs, and Druze villages. When the lines were drawn, separating the Golan from Syria, a lot of families were split up and between the two counties. A nearby Druze, selling his local cherries, shed light on situation. He, like many other Druze, doesn't particular care which country the land belongs to, but rather he wants to live where there is peace. Digesting his words, we continued north in the Golan to the Druze village of Majdal Shams, the largest Druze village in the Golan. We arrived at the house of Fauzia to find a traditional homemade Druze meal awaiting us.

Fauzia

Fauzia told us that she made a lot of food, so trying not to disappoint her, we all had numerous servings until we literally could not eat anymore. I don't know what she puts in that rice, but it is actually amazing. I wonder if I can get the recipe from her. After her husband retired and her children grew up, Fauzia started cooking for her friends and with much praise and a lot of word of mouth, she found herself hosting groups at her home. Fauzia told us how she is only a resident of Israel, but does not hold an Israeli passport. When the borders were drawn in '67, she was in Israel and her sister in Syria, forcing them to live apart. Fauzia does not complain about her life in Israel and has provided great education for her four children. She explained her upbringing and that of her children living in a modern Druze village. This was much different from the visit to the Druze village back in November and provided a new perspective to what I perceive as a somewhat complicated religion. After conquering the Hebrew language, Fauzia has high hopes as a woman in her sixties to master the English language next. With an open invitation, I plan to visit her in the future (hopefully getting the recipe for her delicious food).

It was finally time to reach the campsite located right on the Kinneret. I definitely don't hate this! We unloaded the bus with all the food packed for the weekend and set up our camp. Although we ate a very satisfying lunch, we are growing young adults and don't stay satiated for too long. Once the sun went down we lit a fire and as tradition, starting making fresh pita. I don't know why it has taken me 23 years to learn the simple pita recipe, but let me tell you, I will be making it all the time. With the fresh pita cooking on the fire on top what looks to be an upside down pan, the name is escaping me, we prepared fresh labenah for topping. A day cannot be bad when ended with fresh pita and labaneh...oh yes, and a the spotting of a wild cow running around the campsites. With that, we all curled up into our sleeping bags under the night sky and ended our first day of the trip.

WAKE UPPPPPPPPP!!!!! It was crucial that we woke up on time on Saturday for we had some big plans for the day. After breakfast it was back to the bus and off to...get ready... a chocolate factory!! Now, I'm sure most of you know of my obsession with Willy Wonka and the entire bus ride I was convinced that I would finally get to meet Mr. Wonka. Well, that wasn't exactly the case and despite my crushed dreams, it was still a pretty amazing time. We visited a chocolate factory on a kibbutz (again, can't remember the name) and walked into a room to find two long tables with chairs and as we got closer we saw plastic aprons and paper hats. With this outfit, we were ready to play with some chocolate.

Benji and I ready for chocolate!

white chocolate anyone?

Then we met Demetri- our chocolate connoisseur for the day. (He was absolutely no Willy Wonka and there was no purple velvet involved at all in his outfit). First Demetri passed out a bunch of laminated pictures and after choosing one, we outlined the shape in dark chocolate and then filled it in with white chocolate, but Demetri insisted that we don't try the white chocolate. I thought this a little strange since we were in a chocolate "factory" but Demetri had a method to his madness. He then proceeded to go around the table squeezing white chocolate into the mouths of those who were brave enough, but Demetri needs to work on his aim because he not only got it in your mouth, but all over your face. When he came to be my turn I tried to tell Demetri that I wasn't having any of this but he was very persistent, and having already learned by name he really gave me no choice. Next thing I know, I am sitting in a chair, looking up to see not only one chocolate spout, but two! Demetri really had it out for me.  So after rinsing the white chocolate off, I sat back at the table and proceeded to cover delicious chocolate truffles in roasted coconuts and peanuts. Have I ever mentioned how much I love chocolate? Then we got indulge in a chocolate fondu. My nice friends decided it was appropriate to then cover my face in chocolate. (Pictures soon to come).

my chocolate masterpiece

With our bellies full of chocolate, it was next to rafting on the Jordan River. Tiffany and I chose a nice kayak/raft type and the next thing I know we are in the kayak and headed down a slide-like contraption into the river. There could not have been a better day to kayak the Jordan. It was hot, but not too hot and perfect for water fights with passing rafts. For me, the best part had to be as we kayaked we kept passing different campsites all blasting Israeli music. Sorry there are no pictures, but I did not want to risk my camera getting wet. I guess you guys will just have to use your imaginations. 

After kayaking some of the group went back to relax at the Kinneret while some of us went for a short hike. We were dropped off on the side of the road and to be honest, I wasn't sure what we were in for, but the past 10 months has taught me that in Israel, anything is possible. After about 25 minutes of walking we found ourselves at a beautiful flour mill that over time had become somewhat of a waterfall. 

We continued up a little bit more to find a ruin of a building with a little pond underneath. A few people climbed down and with their feet dangling into the water they soon found out that they were not the only ones enjoying the water. In the water there were tons of little bottom feeder fish that took much delight in feeding on the dead skin of our feet. Pedicure for free? Can't say no to that. We all found our way down to the pool of water and after overcoming the initial tickle of the fish, sat there talking enjoying our free pampering session. It's crazy to think how much money people pay for such a service and here we were in the middle of the Golan enjoying it for free. 

enjoying the pedicure

We returned to the campsite to join the rest of our group and some of us took advantage of the last few hours of sun and jumped right into the Kinneret. Sometimes I forget how little I am, but the few boys on the program love to remind me...especially in the water. It is just so much easier for them to throw me. Good thing I have two brothers who prepared me for such things. After the swim we dried off and it was time to make dinner....well first we had to make some pita. I think I might be forming an addiction. For dinner we had delicious chicken burgers and vegetables. I don't hate eating on the programs dime. It was back under the sleeping bags for our last nights sleep in the Kinneret. With an even earlier morning wake up it was necessary for a good night sleep. 

The last day was spent on an amazing water hike on the Yehudia trail. This hike involved a lot of rock climbing and an occasional swim, so sorry but there are no pictures. Again, I couldn't risk getting my camera wet. I guess you need to just believe when I say how beautiful the hike was and an amazing end to the last trip of the program. (If you really want to you can look up pictures of the hike online). I can't believe that this was the last trip I will take with Tikkun Olam and I couldn't have imagined a better one. Okay, now is not the time to get sappy. That will come later. Needless to say this was a fantastic trip and I hope I did it justice. 

We're free. We're free, bitches! Tel Aviv Gay Pride Parade

Parties. DJ's. Extravagant floats. Little to no clothing. A lot of sun. A fabulous beach party: this is how Tel Aviv celebrates Gay Pride. 

I feel that this is a necessary event to blog on. I had been hearing about the gay pride week in Tel Aviv pretty much from the moment I arrived, so naturally I was pretty excited. In the week leading up to the actual parade, there are nightly celebrations at clubs and daily dj sessions at the so-called "gay" beach. I was unable to make it to any of the parties during the week, but I had mentally prepared myself for the parade. My friend Rachel was visiting for the day (I met her at the leadership conference) and we, along with a few other of my friends, were ready for what was to come. We enjoyed a delicious buffet at a local vegan restaurant and then walked up the beach hoping to run into the parade...and run into the parade we did. As we reached Bograshov St., we found ourselves literally smack in the middle of the gay pride parade. As half of the parade headed south down Ben Yenhuda, we chose to follow the parade north. Good decision. 

Up ahead we saw an amazing pink float that lured us in with it's blasting music (most likely Lady Gaga- this was a constant theme throughout the day). When we got close to the float we understood the large crowd. A pink float, donned in only pink, hosting a constant dance party of men and drag queens. What is not to love? We followed the float to the north of the city, dancing to it's music and celebrating the day. My favorite part had to be when a guy was frolicking through the parade yelling out "Hag Sameach!!" to the parade-goers. (Happy Holiday!!). Not only did I yell this back to him, but I have to say that this is my new favorite holiday of the year. 

You know you would follow this float...

a few of my friends enjoying the parade

The parade was absolutely amazing. I have never seen so many men dancing so fabulously in high heels. They need to give me some pointers on how to dance without falling on my face. The parade ended with the floats going one way and the crowd of people heading down to the beach. What would a parade be if it didn't end at a giant party on the beach? I don't hate it! After quickly changing into my bathing suit, I followed suit and jumped into the sea. Definitely the best way to cool off after being in the sun. After some time in the water, my friends Dante and Tiffany, decided that it was time to dance. Luckily Tiffany lives close to the beach and we made a pit stop at her apartment to drop off our belongings so we could dance care free. I have discovered that it is completely normal to walk around the streets of Tel Aviv wearing only a bathing suit. This city ceases to amaze me. With nothing to worry about, the three of us claimed a great spot on the "dance floor" and danced to the numerous performers that strutted across the stage. Let me just say that I have never been surrounded by so many beautiful men. Is it wrong that I wanted to be a gay man that day? 

beach party anyone?

Yes, this was another excuse to party, but it was actually amazing to see the crowd that showed up to celebrate. People were celebrating from there apartments as the parade went by- they were even nice enough to throw buckets of water on the paraders. In a lot of cities (especially in Israel), gay pride does not receive such a big celebration, and I felt honored to be there. One of the best things had to be that as the music blasted on the beach, the MC announced only 30 min left due to the start of Shabbat. In what other city would a beach party end due to the start of Shabbat? Sometimes I wish that Shabbat wasn't observed so strictly, but it added another element of Israeli society to the already ridiculous day. Tiffany, Dante, and I went back to her apartment where we cooked up an amazing Shabbat dinner. As I walked back down the beach at the end of the night, I was shocked and impressed to see that the beach that had been host to a fabulous party had been cleaned and there were only a few remains of the days happenings. I mean, not every rainbow flag could be picked up....

I think he ate all of the sunflower seeds in Israel....

SPOTTED!!

Papa Tank arriving at Ben Gurion Airport.

He came. He saw. And he ate a lot of sunflower seeds: Papa Tank's journey in Israel.

On Wednesday May 18, a little after 6pm, my dad successfully passed customs and immigration and stepped back onto Isreali soil after a 38 year absence. After a few tears and some big hugs, we caught a cab and headed into Tel Aviv to check into the hotel. I must say, my dad picked a good hotel right on the water and not too far from where I live. Once in his hotel room, my dad got right down to business unloading the "booty" he brought for me from the states. My eyes were wide with excitement as I stared down at the bags of chex mix, pretzels, turkey jerkey, and mac & cheese. I know what you are thinking. That is a lot of food, but sometimes its necessary and he also brought me a new adapter for my computer. A dad really knows how to spoil his daughter. The first night I took my dad to HaTachana- the old train station of Tel Aviv-Jaffa that has been renovated into a quaint shopping and eating area. We said cheers over our first beers together and enjoyed the fresh breeze coming off of the sea. It was clear that my dad was happy to be back in Israel, but I don't think he understood how much change can happen in 30+ years. 

Day 2- A tour of Tel Aviv....by foot. 

I guess I never realized how far I actually walk on a daily basis, but my dad was quick to point this out. I'm not used to the luxury of taking cabs from point A to point B and I figured I should let dad experience Tel Aviv the way I do. I know for next time that cabs are essential. I must say, that the little man kept up didn't complain too much about the walk. We walked through the Shuk HaCarmel where dad marveled at all of the candy stalls. If I hadn't been there, he probably would have bought the whole store so he could have had his pick at all of the candy. We then walked over to the Dizengoff area and headed north to the "classier" neighborhoods of the city. After making it to the train station (which I have to admit, was a lot farther than I suspected), we took the train farther north to check out Tel Aviv University. We walked around campus a bit and checked out the social work school (a place I may become very familiar with in the near future). Cabbing it back to the hotel, we took a few minutes rest and then headed to the central bus station area so dad could sit in on one of my classes. My students were so excited to meet my dad and told me that I had to bring him to class. You could say he was kinda like my show and tell for the night, fitting since the lesson revolved around the song "We are Family". From class, I took dad the 15 minutes to my apartment and showed him just how I live in Israel. I think the words that came out of his mouth were something along the lines of "It could be worse" or "Yea... this is better than I expected." Not everyone can live in a seaside hotel! Well it had been a little over 24 hours since he entered the country so it was about time for our first little fight. What would a father/daughter relationship be without a little clash here and there and of course ours was centered around food. At least we argue about something meaningful. We still managed to eat a good dinner and realized that there was no more time for fighting. Next stop....Jerusalem!

heading to Jaffa gate

Meeting at 8am the next morning at the central bus station, we, along with a few of my friends, boarded a sheirut headed to Jerusalem. Arriving on Jaffa St., we walked along the newly formed tram line in the direction of the Old City. I don't think my dad could have imagined a tram system running the streets of Jerusalem. Entering the Old City through Jaffa gate, my dad was happy to see the familiar street cart selling the circular rolls which, no offense dad, I think are nasty. Maybe they were better back in the 70s.  Once in the Old City, we followed my friends to the Jewish quarter and into the Hadaya store. Hadaya is a jewelry company that engraves Hebrew onto pieces of jewelry and has become quite popular. Aka, you are nobody unless you have a Hadaya. That's a little extreme, but they are beautiful and thanks to my father I will soon have an engraved ring. It's really cool because you can put anything you want on it. It's not a shock that mine has a quote about a tree on it. After the Hadaya store, we said goodbye to my friends as they headed off to visit a museum while we continued our walk through the Old City. We successfully made it to the Western Wall, despite the constant heckling to buy "harah" (shit) that lines the paths of the Old City. My dad had his moment at the wall and we were back on the paths of the Old City, exiting at Jaffa gate headed to the central market of Jerusalem. I had only one destination in mind: Marzipan, aka. the best bakery ever. You really can't fool around in there. After grabbing two challahs for that nights Shabbat dinner, I B-lined it to the rugelach and awaited a fresh tray to be put down so I could get first pick on the delicious treat. My dad actually managed to get a picture of me filling the plastic container with the drug-like dessert. After spending some serious shekels at the bakery, we hopped on a sheirut and found ourselves back in Tel Aviv where my dad and I split at the central bus station, he in the direction of his beachside hotel as I walked deeper into the neighborhoods of South Tel Aviv. I must give props to my dad for fearlessly getting on a sheirut into the city. For those who need a reminder, a sheirut is a cab-like car that fits about 10 people and follows the routes of the major bus lines. Aka a much cheaper option to travel the city.

I headed home to help my roommates cook for that nights shabbat dinner and at around 7 oclock, I opened the door to find my dad carrying a hefty backpack full of four bottles of wine. That man does not fool around. Shabbat dinner was fantastic, as always, and there was a great spread of food pairing fantastically with the wine. My dad even gave a little speech to start off the night. I think I heard him choke back tears as he commended all of us for our great work in the past months. I must say that my dad kinda stole my spotlight and told some pretty fantastic stories. I see more and more how alike we are.    My dad said goodbye to my lovely roommates and caught a cab back to his hotel. The next day, after spending the morning doing a mass clean of the apartment, I met my dad at his hotel for a lazy Saturday. We walked up the beach to the port and enjoyed a delicious lunch while looking out at the beautiful Mediterranean. There is nothing like spending a day walking along the beach. I love this city. We were too full for dinner, so I said goodbye but on the way home I ran into my friend and her boyfriend who were headed to the beach to watch the sunset. So we walked back down the street and found my dad relaxing on his porch eating his sunflower seeds. He joined us on the boardwalk where we sat enjoying a  refreshing beer and a beautiful sunset. Such a perfect end to the day.

Caesrea

the secret to gardening. 

At 7am Sunday morning, my friend Morgan and I showed up at the hotel ready for the trip of the day: a tour of Caesarea, Haifa, Rosh HaNikra, and Akko. Despite our quite frantic tour the guide, it was a great day. Caesarea is a town that was basically conquered in every different period through history and now stands as a beautiful port city, with details of it's ancient past shining through. We left Caesarea to travel up the coast to Haifa, specifically to the Bahai Gardens. This was my first time to see the gardens and honestly, they are beautiful. Imagine gardens that tier down from a mountain that are completely up-kept. My dad even said that since his last visit to Israel in the 70s, the only thing that has stayed exactly the same were the Bahai Gardens. You need to book a special tour to actually go into the gardens, but the view we saw was still amazing. We even got to watch as two men mowed a slanted patch of the garden, making use of a lawn mower and a rope. Pretty entertaining to watch. After the gardens, we drove to the most eastern part of the north of Israel to the geological formation, Rosh HaNikra. Due to it's placement on the cliff and thousands of years of sea water, Rosh HaNikra is now home to a hidden gem of breathtaking grottos. Despite my dad's "fear" of rides, we piled into the cable car to go down to get a closer look. Walking through the caves it is unbelievable the sound of the water crashing onto the rocks and then you come to a lookout where you see the unbelievable grotto. The grotto at the Playboy mansion has nothing on these. After taking pictures at the Israeli/Lebanese border, we once again boarded the bus and after resting my eyes, I woke up to the city of Akko. I had been to Akko recently on a tour with my program, but this tour was definitely a little different. First of all, we were all so hungry and our tour guide so smartly guided us to a specific restaurant that charged way more than normal, a detail that we didn't find out until after we ate. Just to spite the restaurant owners, a took all of the olives to go in a plastic cup. I can't pass up a chance to stick it to the man. So after we ate, we toured the old city of Akko, with our tour guide insisting that the group stay together because he kept losing people. Hm, I'm pretty sure the first responsibility of a tour guide is to keep the group together, but I could be mistaken. Dad took it upon himself to take the position of caboose to make sure the group was somewhat together. He got a little distracted from his self-appointed position by his constant craving for a cold beer. He couldn't believe that he hadn't consumed at least one beer prior to the point on the tour. He remedied the situation by stopping at the first bar-like establishment where he bought a Goldstar on tap in a take-away cup. Classiness at its finest. All in all the day was a success and the tour really embodied Israeli culture; from ballagan (craziness) of separating into buses, losing some of the tour, a sparse amount of bathroom breaks, and a high priced lunch. I mean, what more could you ask for? Even though we had an early morning wake up, dad and I enjoyed a lovely seafood dinner at a restaurant on the beach.


On Monday, dad met me at the central bus station and I brought him to the secular yeshiva where I study. He was lucky enough to catch the end of Hebrew class and meet a few more of my friends. We then ventured back to Jerusalem to visit the sections of the Old City that we have missed on Friday. We explored the Armenian quarter where dad bought beautiful tiles donned withe Lord's prayer and the Armenian cross. I think his plumber will be very happy to receive those. I was told to get my dad to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher located in the Christian quarter, but I had to do it in a way that avoided all contact with the Arab markets. Let's just say that to my dad's surprise, we arrived at the church without making any wrong turns. As we walked toward the entrance of the church, we found ourselves among a large...very large group of Russian tourists. It's a miracle that my dad and I managed to stay together as we ventured into the church. The interior of the church, donned in shimmering gold and silver was an amazing site to see and was definitely worth the trip back to Jerusalem. Now, I was faced with my second task: finding a tobacco shop. I have been to the Old City a few times now and I know that the best place to buy hookah tobacco is in the Arab quarter and so I took my dad to a shop that literally only sold tobacco. Task two accomplished, but now I had the final task of finding my dad turkish coffee. I'm pretty sure the place I found surpassed all his expectations. In the middle of the Christian quarter, we stumbled upon a coffee shop who's windows were lined with the most inviting trays of desserts that we couldn't resist. As we walked in and after ordering our turkish coffee, the owner escorted us upstairs to the Moroccan-themed drinking room.

Pinkys up!

          

 

That night, as promised, my dad took out a small group of my friends for dinner. I picked a Georgian restaurant that I had heard good things about. How can you hate a restaurant that serves wine in clay-like bottles that you can take home!? But in actuality, the food was delicious and the company was amazing. My dad even wore his white button up shirt in true "Georgian" style. It's pretty clear that my friends are now obsessed with my father. As tradition, my dad informed my friends that when they make it big, they owe him dinner. I think at this point my dad has a pretty long list of people that owe him meals. 

On Tuesday, the last full day of his trip, my dad and I (after our respective morning workouts) visited the art fair on Nachalat Benyamin to by some gifts and other items. After the shopping, I took him to one of my favorite humus places. Seriously, once you eat humus here, you will never be able to eat it in the states. I think it's safe to say that he was pretty impressed by my choice. After lunch we flagged a cab to take us to the north of the city for our visit at the Palmach museum. You know that a museum requiring a reservation has to be pretty good....and it was. The exhibit targets all of your senses and you are transported back to forties to experience the Palmach, an elite fighting force of the Hagana, from its creation to its end at the war of Independence. We were both very impressed by the museum. Back at the hotel we rested for a little (something I had not been allowing my dad to do), ate some sunflower seeds, and decided it was time for some food. We spent out last night sitting outside at a cafe on Sheinken street, watching passersby and talking about the past week, while enjoying a light Israeli meal. The night ended with a little ice cream on the way back to the hotel. Because his flight was at the crack ass of dawn the following day, my dad and I said our goodbyes.

All in all, it was an amazing week that flew by. I had been talking about his visit for so long and I can't believe it already happened. Once my dad discovered that almost every corner store sells sunflower seeds, at an amount of your choosing, I think it was a done deal. Every time I walked to his hotel I could spot him form the street sitting on his porch eating sunflower seeds staring out at the sea. If there had been a carrot juicer up there and an endless supply of carrots I don't think he would have ever left...maybe just to get a fresh cold beer. It was amazing how fast his Hebrew came back and the two of us together could really piece together conversations. (Don't listen to what he says, I know a fair amount of Hebrew). Unfortunately, we didn't make it to the Kibbutz where he used to volunteer because it was just too far and not so easy to get to. Maybe we can fit that into another trip....

I think we look alike...

מא פתאום?ּ!? It's May Already!?!

the "chevreh"

Wow, I actually can't believe that it is the middle of May already. So let me try to catch up on the events since my visit to the Hai Bar. Well, unfortunately, the month started off with two of my good friends leaving Israel to head back to the states (poor decision on their part, I must say). As some of the participants in my program headed off to travel during the Passover break, I stayed in Tel Aviv and "lived it up" with my friends. Over the past 8 1/2 months, there has been a group of 5 of us that have really bonded and so in true Israeli fashion, we have started to refer to ourselves as a chevreh (a group of close friends). I can confidently say that this chevreh had a good last few weeks together in Israel. With beach days, dinners, parties, and of course nights out hitting the Tel Aviv bar scene, the chevreh traveled in style. It was definitely hard to say goodbye to my friends, but thanks to the advances in technology, aka skype and email, we have been able to stay in contact despite incredible annoying time differences.

Jodi and I at the air show

May has also been a month marked by holidays. It took me a long time to learn, but now I know that Israeli holidays go from sundown to sundown. From the night of May 1st to the night of May 2nd, Israel observed Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. On the morning of May 2nd, my friends and I went outside to the busy Rothschild Boulevard to witness the minute long siren the resonates throughout the city. It was unbelievable to see people stop their cars and get out to bow their heads in respect to the memory of the Holocaust. Kinda comparable to the 24 hour play of A Christmas Story, the only television shown on this holiday were those programs related to the Holocaust (not exactly the same message as Christmas). Tel Aviv has become a thriving metropolis, but to see the effect of one minute of silence was really eye opening. It really is unbelievable to live in a city where the majority of people share a common bond. The week following Yom Hashoah was marked by Yom Hazikaron, Memorial Day, which led into the festivities of Yom Hazmaout, Independence Day. It may seem quite strange to observe Memorial Day and then completely switch mindsets in a matter of hours to celebrate the independence of the state. I have talked to many people about this, and the common theme I concluded is that people need to mourn those who died in order to fully celebrate the independence of the State of Israel (to be honest, I think it is a Jewish thing). On Sunday, the start to Yom Hashoah, I headed over to Rabin Square (named after Yitzhak Rabin) to observe a memorial service. The memorial service really shed light on the realities of the army and the pain that it can cause to families. The mood was really set with a variety of musical performances focused on the occasion and a screening of videos depicting family testimonies. Although the videos were in Hebrew, I found it impossible not be touched by the stories being displayed. The somber atmosphere was apparent by all the tears and absence of clapping throughout the ceremony, despite the musical performances. On my way to the market on Monday morning, I stopped by the daycare where I volunteer and I experienced the holiday on a different level. As with Yom Hashoah, there is a minute long siren to commemorate those who passed in Israeli battles. It was so interesting to be in daycare watching the 3 year olds listen to the siren and hand their head, but not exactly sure why there were doing so. As soon as the siren stopped it was back to running around the playground and climbing all over me. On Monday night it was clear that Yom Hashoah had come to an end and the real party of Yom Hazmaout had started. Now, since I have been in Israel I have seen my fair share of street parties, but honestly, nothing compared to this. In every neighborhood that you walked into, you found yourself in a middle of a street party being fueled by the beats of at least one DJ. It was actually liked I had walked into a different city. As much as I love a good party, I thought the day time celebrations were a little bit more my speed. Yom Hazmaout is typically celebrated by a bbq....in the middle of the city. All the parks and open spaces in Tel Aviv were filled with families celebrating the 63rd birthday of this state. I started the morning with a trip to the beach to see an air show, put on the air force. I then headed back home to cook for the bbq that would soon take over my house. We might not have the best kitchen supplies, but we sure know how to make some fine bbq. It was great to spend the day with my friends here who have basically become my family (cliche, I know).

 my roommates (minus one_

The weekend in between the holidays marked the second to last group trip of the program- "A Wandering Hike." Basically, a wandering hike means that we get of a bus which happened to be  in the Galilee, give all of our overnight stuff to a logistics team and start walking hoping to find the logistics team and are stuff sometime before nightfall. With a trust guide Reut back in the front, there was no chance we could get lost. After hiking for about 6 hours, we made it to the logistics team to find our tents already set up and hot soup waiting for arrival. This pretty much seems to be the only way to hike. As tradition, we held a kabbalat shabbat and treated ourselves to a great dinner. Walking all day sure makes you hungry. Despite a little bit of rainfall, the tents were actually quite comfortable. Thankfully, my tent was one of the ones with a tarp on the top. The next day we continued our hike following marks of the Israel trail (a trail that goes the whole length of the country which I hope to see more of in the future...).

Katie, Million, David and I

A few months ago, I began tutoring a woman from Eritrea. One of my roommates works with her and helps her with childcare. Tutoring Million has become a highlight of my week. First of all, she works in an Eritrean restaurant and this is where I go to help her. We go over English for about an hour or so and then we eat lunch together. We usually have injera, a sponge like bread, topped with what she calls tahina (not at all like the Israeli tahina). I have perfected eating with only my right hand and using the bread to soak up the tahina. I think Million is getting a little sick of the tahina because it doesn't fill her meat craving, but I just can't get myself to eat red meat. So, a few weeks ago, while we were eating, Million switched the tv to wrestling. Um, hello Lisa in middle school! It must be hilarious for people to walk by and see two women watching wrestling. Surprisingly it's a great way for Million to learn English and for me to regress back to being 13. I did learn that The Rock is still involved in the wresting world. About a month ago, Million and her son David come over to our house for a home cooked meal and in return, Million said she is going to teach us how to cook Eritrean food.

This past Saturday I met up with Cheryl and Herb at their swanky hotel and had a great lunch with them. We then walked along the beach and enjoyed the beautiful Tel Aviv day. They even brought me honey wheat pretzels- they really know how to get to my heart. It was crazy for me to see family in Israel. Speaking of which, the countdown has now reached 2 days until my dad arrives. Israel better watch out...

The Nature

This past week I encountered the creme dela creme of Israeli life: volunteering on a nature reserve. The five days that I spent in Yotvata, an area of the Negev about 25 minutes from Eilat, at the חי בר (Hai Bar) Nature Reserve made me realize just how accustomed I have become to Israeli culture, and therefore deserves it's own blog post. In order to capture the whole essence of the story, I will do my best not to leave any detail out. If you can, try to imagine my intonation at certain point of the story.

Day 1: Sunday April 10, 2011

um, anyone want to go to Yotvata?

Ok, so first of all, the trip to the nature reserve was set up for all the 10 month participants of my program. Out of the group of 15, only 4 of us ending up going on the trip and I have to say that the other people lost out big time. With 1000 shekels for food, paid bus tickets, and no idea what to expect, the four of us hopped on busses at the central bus station and started the 4 hours journey to the reserve. As usual, there are always complications, so Jodi and I were on one bus while Dante and Amy were on another. No biggie....except that Jodi and I really had no idea where to get off the bus. Let me add here that Israeli buses don't stop at every stop. You want to get off in the middle of the desert? You better be awake to press the stop button. That being said, it's no surprise that Jodi and I missed the not so well marked stop for Yotvata and ending up riding the bus a bit too far. No worries. We just got off the bus, literally in the middle of nowhere, and decided that we would either hitchhike back to Yotvata or wait for another bus to come along. Fortunately a bus ended up coming by and we successfully met Dante and Amy in Yotvata. We were told that we would be picked up around 2 by our "liason" (Zohar) at the reserve. At around 3:30, we finally get picked up and driven to the reserve and showed to where we were staying. Having no idea where we were, what was going on, what we were supposed to do, the four of us recognized that in true Israeli-fashion we probably wouldn't find out any details so we resorted to playing bananagrams and making dinner. At around 9 Zohar finally showed up informing us that tomorrow would be a normal day (meaning absolutely nothing to us) and so to be ready at 7. Awesome. We still had no idea what was going on.

Day 2: Monday

the four of us in front of our "apt"

Unfortunately, my first day at the reserve wasn't exactly what I had planned. I became way to close of friends with the toilet the whole night and all of Monday morning. Funny because the night before I came face to face with my worst fear, a snake, and when I went to tell Zohar about the situation, he informed me that if I am so sick that I start throwing up, he would be sure to take me to the hospital in the morning. Well, I did throw up, a lot, and Zohar did not take me to the hospital, but he did notice that I was in a state of distress. So while I was trying not to throw up everywhere, the rest of my group got to feed the predators, clean cages, and explore the many varieties of mice on the reserve. By the afternoon, I was pretty much back to my normal self and I got right down to business helping to rake and clean the pathways set out for the visitors of the reserve. At some point in the day, Amy, Dante, and the 1000 shekels made their way to a nearby supermarket to pick up the list of food we had decided was appropriate for the week. Now, 1000 shekels is a little excessive for 4 people and considering our organization doesn't make too much money, we didn't spend it all, but we did eat like kings for the next 4 days. Thank you, Tikkun Olam. So the first full day at  חי בר was an interesting one, and definitely an indicator of what the next few days would be like. Along with the 4 of us, there were 6 other volunteers that were there for longer periods of time working closely with the Israeli staff. So with 10 volunteers, there really wasn't a whole lot of work to do and I think that the staff was scraping the bottom of the barrel at some points. Oh, I forgot to mention, after the first night, the four of us realized that the next few nights would be a constant battle with the million of mosquitoes flying around our apartment. I am still covered in bites.

Day 3: Tuesday, Sand Sifting Day

Amy and I scooping poop

Apparently I am somewhat of a drill sergeant in the morning. When I hear that alarm, I am up and ready to go and I am relentless in waking everyone else up. I think that all those times my parents woke me up for school paid off- turning on the lights is so cruel. By 7 am we were dressed, breakfast-ed, and ready to work. Only one tiny problem- we were the only ones ready. Seriously people, 7 am is 7 am. So by 730 we followed עומרי (Omri), our leader for the day, to the night creatures room. Now, Tuesday is sand sifting day: aka scooping poop day! Get excited for this one! In the night creatures room there are small cages of mice and then bigger, almost like rooms, for bats, owls, birds, and other small rodents. Assigned to the owl cage, Dante fearlessly entered with a sifter and plastic bag and really showed champion skills in sifting poop while not looking the animal in the eye. Jodi and I had a bit easier task of cleaning one of the small rodent cages. Now when I say cleaning the cage, I mean were we literally in the cage. Gloves, face masks, dust pans, and sifters. That poop was not staying in the cage. So after one cage was conquered, I had no hesitation jumping into another cage to help Amy. I take my volunteer work seriously, even when it is scooping poop.
After our rigorous morning of volunteer work, we were informed that there was a fire drill that afternoon so we should probably just go to Eilat (imagine that in a thick Israeli accent). So with nothing else to do we hopped on the bus to Eilat, aka the Vegas of Israel (not so much, but apparently that's what it is called). As Amy and Jodi walked around the streets of Eilat, Dante and I got right down to business, first with frozen yogurt and french fries from McDonalds (it's ok to eat that when you are abroad) and then sat our asses right down on the beach. I mean I know that we live really close to Mediterranean Sea, but something about laying next to Red Sea was a nice change in environment. After a relaxing day in Eilat, the four of us caught one of the only buses headed back in the direction of the nature reserve. Now this is where the story reaches a new level. While on the bus, I called Zohar to let him know that we were on our way back and to see if he could pick us up at the bus stop. This was his response- "Oh uh, you guys don't know this because you are new, but we are all at the היף (beach) in Eilat, so uh yea.... -Oh ok, well don't worry we will just walk. -Ok no problem, bye." Ummm, wow Zohar, that's information that would have been helpful a few hours ago. Now the bus stop wasn't exactly far from the reserve, but it was dark, it was getting cold, and there are snakes and I am not ok with that. So as we walked down the dirt road and approached the reserve, we stood there to face a locked gate. Super! Only one way to get in now. Up and over the gate it was. So with two people over the gate (kudos to Jodi, climbing is not her forte), we stopped as the headlights of 2 cars shined upon us. No no, don't worry, definitely not the police. Of course it was a super religious family camping in the reserve for the night. One of the kids ran out to open the gate and the cars drove through, allowing Amy and I to just walk in. Now try to picture the setting here. Two people on one side of the fence in the reserve, two on the other, a religious family approaching the gate and all they asked was if we needed help. We told them that we were volunteers on the reserve, which I don't really think they cared about, and we were on our way. Sometimes I just love Israelis. Day 3= success

Day 4: Wednesday, Become friends with the predators.

oh hello bird. 

Dante and I hard at work

Having been there for 2 full days, we were pretty much professionals, so it was off to the predator cages we went. Some of the predators in the reserve include hyenas, wolves, foxes, leopards, owls, falcons, just to name a few. Obviously we weren't allowed in the all the cages, but in the ones that we did go into our main jobs were to rake the sand, clean up any remaining food, aka animal pieces, and replenish the food and water bowls. And in some cases we had to count the animals to make sure none had escaped. Standing in the bird cage, I kept noticing the the birds were landing on my head and trying to eat my hat. I mean it's understandable since there is a picture of a giant cookie on it, but seriously birds, I need that hat! After leaving no cage unturned, the four of us went back to the main area of the reserve to see what other work we could get our hands on. Oh, what's that? You want us to help the tortoise lady to sort pieces of grass. I mean, why not. So on the reserve there are a few different species of tortoises, so naturally there needs to be a specialist, especially around breeding time. I now have too much knowledge on tortoise relations, but don't worry I will spare all of you the details. After sorting through yellow hay looking for the few remaining green pieces, it was then that we realized  that the staff didn't exactly plan for our visit. Granted it was only 4 work days, shorter than most volunteers, but we still could have worked on a project for them or something. Anyways, by 2 pm we were done with work and told to go back to our apartment. In any other work situation this would be great, who doesn't like leaving early? But in this particular situation, we were there to volunteer and believe it or not, there isn't exactly a plethora of other things to do on the reserve. We spent a few hours reading and relaxing, trying to fight the pull of boredom and restlessness, but we finally hit the breaking point. A motto that developed for the week was that of "we're broken" meaning that we had comprehended the situation, knew we couldn't leave, and were just so confused most of the time. (An appropriate time to insert the phrase, "Welcome to Israel"). With nothing else to do, Dante and I decided to take a walk around. Finding nothing but chewed up animal legs, some bones, and a lot of unidentified animal holes in the sand, we retreated back to the apartment. After another round of bananagrams and a delicious dinner we cozied into our sleeping bags for our early wake up the next morning.

Day 5: Thursday, Is it noon yet? We need to get back to Tel Aviv!

worms? no problem

We made it to the last day! We were given the option to have free time to just wander around or to help out for the morning. Let's be real, we had basically spent the majority of the past 4 days with free time, so we spent our last morning back with our predator friends. I mean, who wouldn't want to spend their last morning cleaning up poop? But in all seriousness, it's really not that bad. I was told that it's better to clean up all that shit with just your bare hands, you really get to know the animal that way. While I didn't exactly want to bare hand poop, I do have to say that the last day I was pretty fearless (after I started screaming in the freezer because I almost touched a frozen animal leg, but I moved past that). I wasn't even grossed out to pick up leftover animal parts in the cage or cute the heads off of some worms- brought me back to the good old days when we used to go fishing. I think my highlight of the day had to be while cleaning one of the fox cages. As we cleaned, a group of Asian tourists were touring the tunnel and in their excitement to look through the glass to see some animals, they saw us cleaning the cage. Now, you would think that they would see us, maybe look for the animals for a second, and then move on, but oh no, they proceeded to videotape us. I don't think I could have asked for anything better. I did my best to throw out the peace sign as much as I could while I did my work. Now that I think about it, it concerns me a little that we were such an attraction, but as I told you, we were "broken" so I can only imagine what we looked like to the observers on the other side of the glass. I don't want anyone to think that I am saying anything against tourists, Asians ones in specific, but they do have a certain way about them. The rest of the morning pretty much fooled around and in true American style, made as many jokes as we could, obviously throwing in some crude humor for our Israeli friend to chuckle at. The jokes are even better when they are half Hebrew and half English. Zohar, who had pretty much been MIA this whole time, informed us that he would be there at noon to take us to the Yotvata bus stop....yea, we didn't exactly count on him to be there. Our bus wasn't until one, but we really didn't want to take any chances, or stay there longer than we had to. So when noon came and went, the nice tortoise lady offered to give us a ride. Rather than wait for Zohar to randomly show up, we piled into her small rental car and waved goodbye to חי בר.

Dante, Amy, and I ready to work (Jodi is taking the picture)

The bus ride back to Tel Aviv was pretty brutal and seemed to be a lot longer than the ride down, but we finally made it back to the city. All in all, the trip to חי בר was awesome. If I had a done a trip like that within the first few months of being in Israel, I definitely would have been freaking out by the end of the first day. So I guess you can say that I have grown a lot. I don't think I captured all of the insanity of this trip, but I did my best. I hope it was enjoyable.

Take that, half marathon!

As cars stopped in the middle of the street, not bothered by any traffic still continuing on their way, you could hear the sound of car doors opening as drivers stood out of their cars to pay their 5 minutes of respect to Gilad Shalit. On June 25, 2006, Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was captured by Hamas and has since been held hostage in the Gaza Stip. Hamas has refused any requests for visitation and the only communication so far has been three letters, an audio tape and a video that was released in exchange for the release of 20 Palestinian female prisoners. Currently, the parents of Gilad have set up camp outside PM Netanyahu's office, pressuring the government for the return of their son. The spirit of Gilad Shalit is held strong through the bright yellow ribbons waving throughout Israel and that I proudly have tied to my purse. The five minutes of silence campaign was held to represent the five years that Gilad has been held captive. I can't explain the feeling as I watched people get out of their cars and stand in complete silence to honor the now 24 year old soldier.

Sorry to start the blog of on a somber note, but witnessing this campaign, especially in the semi-religious neighborhood that I live in, had a great impact on me. 

After the trip to Maktesh Ramon, the group once again boarded back onto a bus to head down to Be'er Sheva and the surrounding areas. In this area of the Negev there is an abundance of Bedouin villages, both recognized and unrecognized. Standing on top of a hill, hearing the distant sounds of Bedouin children herding animals, I looked out to see the difference in surrounding villages. Our tour guide from the organization Bustan, explained to us the hardships faced by Bedouin people. An  unrecognized Bedouin village is a settlement that the Israeli government doesn't recognize as legal and therefore has no qualms with entering such a village and demolishing property. Unrecognized villages, not being part of the municipality, are unable to be connected to electricity grid, water lines or trash pick up. For those of us who grew up in Western society, it's pretty easy to see the benefits of being affiliated with the municipality and wonder why anyone would want to live without, what we consider, to be basic necessities. Speaking with members of these unrecognized villages shed light onto the Bedouin lifestyle and the importance of the nomadic aspects intertwined in their lifestyle.  

soap anyone?

We left the unrecognized village, bellies full of tea and coffee, and headed off to Tel Sheva to visit a recognized village and see the differences between the two. Now, I had mentioned before that a perk of becoming recognized was the availability of trash pickup. Unfortunately, most Bedouins have the mentality that if it's not on my property, it's not mine. Just imagine how much trash there was on the road... It was actually unsettling. Driving through the streets on the way to our meeting point, I felt conflicted that these people have the advantage of living on recognized land and the access to trash pickup, but do very little to make it happen. This is not to say that the fault is all on the residents, I can't imagine that the Israeli municipality is rushing to pick up trash in a Bedouin village. Anyways, our purpose at the village was to meet a local woman, Maria, who broke away from the typical gender roles and created her own cosmetics business. While waiting for Maria to arrive, transportation in the village isn't exactly reliable, we witnessed just how one milks a camel. And not only that, but we got to try fresh camel milk......yuck. Not my style, at all! To wash down the camel milk we were offered another round of tea. Don't mind if I do! Maria arrived and unfolded the hardships and rewards of her project. If you are an avid reader of my blog, you will notice the trend of speaking to empowered women. It's definitely amazing to hear their stories and it's especially amazing how candid they have all been with us. Creating a business or running for office in a male dominated society is not easy and it's awakening to hear their narratives. 

1.Crossing the finish line
2.Mari and I
3.The group and I after the race

Well, now it's the moment that you have all been waiting for....the half marathon!! Despite the recent happenings in Jerusalem, the first marathon in the fine city still occurred. Since the marathon started at 8 am, my friend Marissa and I decided it was best to spend the night in Jerusalem. Fortunately, I met an amazing friend at the leadership conference (Felix- pictured in the previous post) and he was so nice to let us stay at his apartment. In fact, he had a trip to go on, so when I arrived at his place I found a note welcoming me to the "Felix Guesthouse" accompanied with a nice arrangement of chocolate. I am certain that this is how every hotel should operate. Thanks Felix! Marissa and I woke up to a dark sky and the freezing Jerusalem weather, I guess you could say it woke us up before the run. Let me skip to the good part... the run was absolutely amazing. Jerusalem may be the hilliest place I have ever been. Considering that I trained in the predominately flat Tel Aviv, the hills definitely kicked my ass. At least the track was interesting! It was amazing to run through the city, but at the 2 hour mark, I decided it was time to hit the finish line. Running the 21 km (13.1 miles) in 2 hours and 4 minutes, I was pretty impressed with myself. Coming up to the finish line, I saw my friends waiting on the sidelines which gave me the final push that I needed to sprint the last few meters. Now Jerusalem isn't the most active city, but let me tell you, I was running next to some fierce religious women, donned in leggings and skirts. Talk about being bad ass! Finishing the race was actually an incredible feeling. May I just add that I did not walk once during the race, even when facing the toughest hill. As I waited at the finish line for the rest of my friends, I saw Mari Rubin cross the finish line. Mari and I have known each other since 6th grade- this just shows you how small Israel is. I haven't seen her in a few years, so of course I would run (literally) into her in Israel.  Along with Marissa, 2 other of my friends ran the half marathon. We celebrated with a trip to Holy Bagels- finally real bagels!! Let me just say, that walking to Holy Bagels was the most miserable experience. My legs actually hated me. In fact, they continued to rebel all weekend. The day after the marathon, after getting out of bed, I constantly found myself eating! What an excuse to eat! I couldn't deny my body food after burning off so many calories. All in all, running the half marathon was a great experience and although I won't be running one in the real near future, I'm sure I will run one again.

any resemblance?

Now, the week after the half marathon was Purim aka. complete madness in Tel Aviv. Naturally for such an occasion I chose to dress up as Goldstar- the pbr of Israeli beers. I have to give props to myself for actually making my costume by hand. One pillowcase, some gold fabric, a magic marker, and some pieces of paper later I had myself a goldstar costume. Not too shabby. Purim was crazy. It honestly is an excuse for the whole city to party. The main night, Saturday, was celebrated with a ginormous party taking over the streets of Florentin. I chose this night to not go out, but instead I watched the festivities from a friend's apartment. It was a lot nicer to be on a porch up above the madness then to be down trying to find my way through. Being 5 ft. tall doesn't exactly help someone in a huge crowd. I have never seen so many people parading through the streets in the most unusual costumes, some way more original than others. I have to say, that my friends stepped it up with their costumes. We represented housewives, minny mouse, the joker, thing 1 & thing 2, flappers, and of course sex, drugs, and rock & roll. I think the last time that I celebrated Purim was when I was 7 and I dressed up as Wednesday from the Addam's Family or the year that I was little red riding hood. Either way, it's been a pretty long time since I partook in the Purim celebrations. I do love me some humantashen though, or as Israeli's say it Ozne Hama (Haman's ears). My roommates and I perfected the recipe and had a constant flow of fresh cookies throughout the week leading up to Purim. I don't hate it!

Also, all my pictures are up on my picasa website, so reference those for any visuals that you may need. 

"Leadering"

Waiting at the airport train station at 5:30 in the morning to catch the once-an-hour train into the city, I yet at again pondered the poor public transportation of Tel Aviv. I looked up just in time to catch a group of Israeli soldiers making their way down to the platform and I remembered why I love this country so much. I have to say- that olive green can do wonders for anyone.

Nassor and I

Since back in Israel, it has been a complete ballagan (craziness) and it's been great. There are five new faces in the apartment, making this a full house of ten. Say goodbye to any quiet time, except for house nap time, but say hello to a lot of family dinners and cooking sessions. My volunteering schedule has pretty much stayed the same. I have started to help out in the office at Save A Child's Heart, which is basically just another excuse for me to head over to the house and play with all the kids. The Valentine's Day fundraiser filled up the bar of Mama Drama and helped SACH surpass the $30,000 goal, making it possible for 5 children to be provided with all-expenses paid heart surgery. At the end of February, my 15-year old friend, Nassor, said goodbye to the SACH house and was given the okay to head back to Zanzibar. Like the majority of older children, Nassor arrived in Israel accompanied solely by a nurse and any other children selected for heart surgery. I saw Nassor throughout his stay in Israel and was able to visit him in the hospital after his surgery. It amazes me how strong these children are. Being alone in a hospital after open heart surgery in a place where you barely speak the language would scare the shit out of me (excuse my language). Completely recovered and after almost three months of being in Israel, Nassor said goodbye to the SACH house and traveled back to Zanzibar. Feeling the loss of Nassor's personality in the house, it was to my great surprise that I received not only a text message, but a phone call from a number completely unknown to me. I don't exactly have the country code of Zanzibar recognized. Needless to say, Nassor and I have continued to talk via text and occasional phone calls (this may explain why my phone bill was higher than normal this past month). It is just amazing to me, that despite the language barrier and distance between us, Nassor and I have continued to stay friends.

Felix and I at Neot Kedumim

On the Sunday the 6th, myself and three other participants of the program went to represented our program in MASA's Building Future Leadership Conference. This week-long conference was held in the Jerusalem at the Young Judean Hostel aka. picture 500 gap-year and post college participants taking over an entire hostel complex. I don't think the kitchen staff was prepared for the gluttonous ways of Americans. I mean, free food for entire week? A full-time volunteer knows how to take advantage of such things. Throughout the week I learned useful tools to implement when turning my vision into a reality. The conference also provided an opportunity to sit in on different speakers and panel discussions. For anyone that knows MASA (and for those of you who don't- it is a super-Jewish organization focused on the instilling Jewish youth with tools to become Jewish leaders), you can understand me when I say that I tried my hardest not to drink the kool-aid and I think that I succeeded. I have to say, that the best day, despite the freezing weather, was the trip to Neot Kedumim aka Bible Land!! Neot Kedumin is a biblical land reserve located not too far from Tel Aviv, focused on recreated the physical setting of the Bible. The purpose of our visit was not only to take in the scenery, but to focus on team building skills. As part of Group 18 (the group I stayed with throughout the conference), I roamed around Neot Kedumim trying my skills at archery, candle making, and eating delicious "Bible" cookies. As heartbreaking as it sounds, I don't think I am cut out to be the next Robin Hood. After 5 days of the conference, I am proud to say that I am a future leader- I have a plaque to prove it for all those doubters out there. In all seriousness, it was unbelievable to see how much time, effort, and serious cash money that Masa put into this conference. It is nice to be believed in (and to be fed).

Leaving the conference on Thursday, instead of Friday, I got a good nights sleep in preparation for the first overnight trip of the semester: Makhtesh Ramon. On the drive to the beautiful crater of Makhtesh Ramon, located in the Negev, we stopped at...wait for it...get ready..... a llama and alpaca farm!!!!! Who doesn't love llamas? I don't know if anyone remembers, but when I went to camp back in the day, I had a minor obsession with the llama in the petting zoo, and the visit to the farm brought all those emotions back in full force. We also visited a lone farmer who settled in the Negev a few years back to create his dream of owning a goat farm. Let me just say that goat milk and I are not friends. I don't understand how people can drink it! After our farm-filled day, we finally made it to the Bedouin tent located in the center of the crater. After a delicious meal of fresh-made pita, poike, and a chocolate fondu dessert, we sat around the guitar for some soothing pre-slumber jams. Calling it a night early, we all crawled into our sleeping bags in preparation for the hike in the morning- this time, I strategically placed myself far from any known snorers. With our trusted leader, Reut, back in the front, the hike was a success.

Per usual, the internet has a mind of it's own and is not allowing me to upload any pictures. Another post soon to come!

[Sorry for the delay in writing, I had to spend the day at the beach]