"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]