You think I was grateful before?

   Something happened last night (saturday March 14th) that really affected me. Like I explained in the last post I had a fantastic weekend. We got back to the central bus station in Jerusalem, got right on the number 13 bus to where we needed to go to get back to the Hostel. We got off at the right stop and got back to our home in Malha, Jerusalem. I was hanging out in my room when I got a call from my Madricha (my counselor)...now please try not to judge my responsibility qualities too harshly when reading this... 

"Stephanie, did you lose you wallet?" 

Me- "Uhh. [I look in my purse] OH MY GOSH! YES!"

"Well you must have kept that emergency contact list I gave you in the beginning of the semester in your wallet because some man just called me, he has it. He doesn't speak english but I'm going to text you his name and number call him then call me back."

   While she is telling me this I'm running up the stairs to my friend Nufar's room (she speaks fluent hebrew). I quickly explain to her the story and that I'm far to nervous to try and talk to this guy in hebrew. So, she calls him. 

"Shai? zot Nufar, chaverah shel stephanie!" (I'm Stephanie's friend)

"Ken...ken....ken...kennnn? okay, yoffi, BYE!"

   She tells me that he seems very nice and that he told her he was at the central bus station in Jerusalem and would be there for an hour or so. Without even thinking twice I call my madricha and she decides to come with me because she's worried. So, I borrow some money from a friend seeing as all of my money is in my wallet, jump in a cab with Nufar and my madricha and am on my way to the central station within 5 minutes of talking to him. He called a couple of times to nicely tell me where he was going to be. As we got out of the cab I said okay what now, as i get my phone out to call him again. Nufar jokingly goes 

"SHAI!?"

"uhh ken...anochnu chavereem shel Shai." (we are Shai's friends), "He went to the bathroom"

   They looked at me and handed me my wallet. I said in hebrew, I have no words...in english even, I can't believe you just gave me this back. Thank you so so so much. 

   They looked at me again like it was nothing and said no problem, I'll tell Shai thanks for you! By the way, make Aaliyah! Bye!

   Two seconds later I got a call from Shai again. "I just passed you were you wearing the red coat?" "Glad you got your wallet back, sorry if I moved things around, I was just looking for I.D. and a number to call." I couldn't believe he was apologizing, I said thank you a thousand times over and hung up after a little more talking.

   In my wallet was everything, I had just gone to the ATM so I had money, 1 credit card, 1 debit card, a copy of the first page of my passport, my ID, so many important things that I don't know what I would have done without. And, a man that I have never met gave it back without question. Everything was there, for the most part in the place that I left it. I actually couldn't believe it. I still have a hard time believing it. In some ways it's sad that my first instinct to losing my wallet would be that someone would find it, take everything and never return it. Though, in another way I was able to be pleasantly surprised and reminded what great people come out of this country, and other countries I'm sure for that matter. There are good people in the world, a lot of them- if you look hard, and I met one, or his friends at least, last night.

Thank you Shai!

Weekend with Bruce

  This past weekend was great. Thursday night (like friday night in the states) our scout friends (the israelis on my program) had a meeting in the Hostel (where we live in Jerusalem). Afterwards they decided not to go back to Holon and stay with us for the night in the Hostel. We all went out to a bar in downtown Jerusalem. It was a great night of just hanging around with friends and talking. Already since I've moved I've seen the friends we left behind in Holon 3 times in 2 weeks. It's like nothings really changed. 

  Friday afternoon before Shabbat came in, 3 friends and I got on the bus to Tel Aviv to meet Uncle Larry. Uncle Larry put us up in the same hotel as he that night. It was great. I have honestly never felt so grateful in my life. We felt like we were in Heaven. There was a T.V., something we don't have. There was a big comfortable bed, a great big clean bathroom. That night we went to a great dinner. The next day we walked around one of my favorite cities in the world and had a more than filling and satisfying lunch. It was truly incredible. One thing I've learned in this past year is how much my parents did/do for me growing up. And, this year has made me more grateful than ever for those things. I guess when you suddenly don't have those things, it's then that you realize how great they were/are. Uncle Larry was amazing. The whole weekend was great from the food to the accommodation and everything. But honestly, my favorite part was just being with him. Being with family is a feeling you just can't get with anyone else. I felt like I was home in Baltimore, it's funny how at home certain people can make you feel. He certainly did that.

   We left the hotel to get the 6:30 bus from the central station in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Our fairy tale weekend was definitely brought back to reality when I faced the reality that is Israelis desperately trying to get home after shabbat. Getting on that bus was like a concert. People were pushing and shoving, sliding under arms. It was ridiculous. My friends and I stepped aside from the first bus because we simply didn't have the energy nor care to push and shove like animals, when we knew there was another coming in 15 minutes. It's when the next one came and we saw the huge line of angry Israelis behind us that our new found "Israeli-ness" kicked in. We just laughed the whole way through it, and somehow, and I mean it, somehow made our way on to the bus. 

פורים שמח-HAPPY PURIM!

  Purim- a holiday that retells the story of Mordechia, Ester, King Achashverous, Vashti, and (get ready to make noise), Haman! I hope everyone's quickly remembering the story, if not- look it up, it's a great story. 

  Basically, Purim is the Israeli version of Halloween- everyone dresses up, there's not "trick or treating", but there is another thing. On Purim, it is considered a Mitzvah to get so drunk that you cannot tell the difference between the evil guy in the story, and the good guy. Purim was on monday night in the whole state of Israel. So, I went back to Holon to stay with my old roommate. That night we all went out dressed up in our costumes. Everyone on the streets were taking shots saying "TO COMMITTING A MITZVAH!", it was truly another experience. The following morning I woke up and headed to downtown Holon. Ironically, the biggest Purim Parade in the whole state of Israel is in Holon. I have to admit it made me a little homesick seeing all of the little kids in their adorable costumes holding mom or dad's hands. Seeing the older kids with their friends just out to have a good time. It's amazing to see the families and kids here, and how around the world, we're not all that different from one another. The parade was great and around 5 p.m. we headed back to Jerusalem. Here's the thing- i said that Purim was on monday for the whole state of Israel, the whole state except for Jerusalem. So, I got to celebrate it twice.

   Tuesday night I went to downtown Jerusalem for some celebration. We were on Ben Yehuda street (the party street in Jerusalem), everyone dressed up in costumes. At one point I was with all of my British friends singing Beatles songs at the top of our lungs, with tons of Israelis and people from other countries joining in. There were fire crackers going off everyone 5 minutes. Drunk people making a mess- it was quite the experience. I guess you would say Purim is almost like New Orleans' Mardi Gras. The following morning I went back to downtown Jerusalem to enjoy my day of classes. Again, I saw all of the kids in their costumes, different performers and celebrations, everyone you passed would say with a smile "Chag Samache" (happy holiday). Purim was definitely the most festive holiday I've experienced here in Israel so far- and I've been here for a lot of holidays. The holiday culminated for me when I got on the bus to go back to the Hostel around 5 (around the when holiday ends). As I walked on the bus, I got to the center of it, and there I saw a boy- couldn't have been older than 13- religious on the floor of the bus throwing up in the trash-can. Mazel Tov? I guess he committed a mitzvah!

Idan Rachel

  About a week ago, we all moved into our new home here in Jerusalem. We moved in last wednesday, March the 4th. After less than a week of being away from our scout friends in Holon, luckily for us there was a concert right in Jerusalem that everyone wanted to go to. Idan Rachel is a very famous music artist here in Israel so all of the israeli scouts from Holon came to the concert. The concert was amazing. Idan Rachel is half Israeli and have Uruguayan (i'm not quite sure what the demonym on that one is). While he is the main artist, he has other people in his group from Ethiopia and Israel, and they're all extremely talented. That night pretty much the whole of my section plus our friends the scouts we left in Holon, danced and sang along with Idan Rachel and group. It was a good reassurance to us that we won't lose touch with our friends that we don't live with anymore, and it was also an easy way to get used to Jerusalem life.

  

  Because it was our first weekend in Jerusalem we had what was called a "closed shabbat", all of my section (Section 3) was in the Hostel (where we currently live) for the weekend. It was a bit boring, but nice none the less to all be together. During the day it was beautiful out and we all just sat outside playing card games and reading magazines. Although, this section is very different and includes a lot less israeli interactivity and more school work, I'm quickly learning (through experience) that it's a chance for our section to become a lot closer- and it's nice that we will end the program this way. 

Goodbye Holon, Hello Eilat?

   

    It has been a "Typical Year Course" as i would say crazy week. Sunday I moved out of my home of the past 3 months in Holon. The scouts (the israeli's on my program that are doing a year of volunteering before the army) stay in Holon the whole year, so saying goodbye to them was very sad. One of them was my roommate which made it even harder. We were either near tears, or like my scout roommate Yali, sobbing as we said good-bye to them. It was hard to leave Holon. It was amazing living in a place that not many tourists go see. It's definitely a different experience to go visit a place for a couple of days, and to live there, know which stores are cheap, know the names of the people working at certain stores and have them know your's, and work at a school know all the kids and their parents. I'm very grateful that I'm able to have such an experience, because realistically, if you want to see a place, the only way to see it is as a tourist, we can't all just drop everything and move to a foreign land for 9 months. Which is why I'm so grateful. 

   Saying goodbye to the scouts and the kids at the school i worked at was very hard, but knowing I have 3 more months here makes it much easier, because I know I will be back to visit. I know that in June is when I will be faced with a much harder situation, because honestly who know's when I will be able to come back to the this place and visit the people I've created such strong bonds with. 

   After moving out of Holon we had a 3 day "Chofesh" (break). Myself and 10 of my other friends, Nufar, Jamie, Alyana, Emma, Mimi, Sylvia, Ori, Noam, Adam, and Tobi took the opportunity to go travel. We woke up at 5 45 monday morning so that we could catch the 7 A.M. bus down all the way to Eilat. The bus ride was the expected 5 hours and when we got there we were greeted by sun, a beautiful beach, the Red Sea, and warm weather. It was incredible. Being the cheap 18 year old Jews that we are we didn't go straight to our hotel, we went straight to our camp site- that's right, tents and everything. We got to camp, locked our stuff up, and again being the cheap 18 year old Jews we are, we didn't pay for a cab into the city, we walked 2 hours to the Tayelet (the "boardwalk" of Eilat). We spent the day there on the beach, hanging out on private beaches and getting kicked off of them. During the day we passed a ride that looked like fun, (shown above) basically the people were strapped into a metal ball and shot up like a slingshot very high, flipping over the city of Eilat on the edge of the Red Sea. My friend and I asked how much it was, "60 shekels" he said, we were camping and couldn't even pay for a cab to the Tayelet, "hah, thanks" we said and walked off.  After our day on the beach we were walking by the ride and a man ran up to us and said in broken english to us "2 people, no money...ride." Well, my friend and I got a free ride on the ball (again, shown above). The city of Eilat is quite a site, especially when you're far, farrr above it plunging head-first toward the ground. 

   That night we decided to put in 10 shekels each ($2.50) and take a cab back to the camp site. We pitched our tents, and were out. The following morning we woke up pretty early and got started. We started our hike. Our hike was definitely not easy. It was pretty much straight up a mountain, for a long time. We hiked up very steep mountains, hoping to reach the peak. Like in every case, it was worth it when we got to the top. The view was amazing. If i stood facing west to the left of me was the city of Eilat, and Israel, in front of me was the Red Sea and Jordan (shown by a huuuge flag the country waves on it's beach across from Eilat's Red Sea beach), to my upper right was Saudi Arabia, and to my right was Egypt. I stood there hearing nothing but the wind. It was amazing, I could see 3 countries and was in another. It was amazing how peaceful i felt and yet I knew that the 3 countries I could see clearly in the not so far distance want so badly for the country that I am in to be gone. I guess it was a false feeling of peace, but isn't it always? It was beautiful, and that's all that I cared about at that moment. Hiking down wasn't easy, going up a steep mountain isn't easy, but going down is just down-right scary. 

   When we got to the bottom we were at the beach. The beach that we were on offered snorkeling. Well, we all coughed up 32 shekels for a snorkle and mask ($7.60) and went snorkeling. For those of you that don't know me well I have a strong fear of fish- it's embarrassing, i know. The 2 times I've tried to snorkel in my life in the past I have created a scene by either running out like a little girl, or having to get pulled back on the boat by the random Caribbean guy running the boat. I guess you could say snorkeling isn't my thing. Well, I was surrounded by my best friends all there to support me and I decided it wouldn't hurt to try again. Well, I jumped into the freezing cold water. Luckily for me, people thought i was just hypo-ventilating from the cold water and not from the fear. When i finally got to breathing normally I put on the $7.60 googles and snorkel that looked like they hadn't been washed for months. When I felt entirely ready I put my head in the water. Well, I saw a couple of fish and this time instead of jumping right out of the water I just ripped off the mask and began to tread. I stayed in the water for a record 7 minutes and saw quite a few fish before I decided I had had enough. Needless to say, I was content and proud of my self as were my friends, maybe next time I'll stay in for 10 minutes, that would be crazy.

   That night we didn't want to walk back to the city of pay for a cab so we started walking to see if there was a small restaurant or market near by. Well we passed authentic looking beduoin tent and decided to check it out. "Students? welcome! BO!" said the beduouin guy working there. We sat down and asked how much it was for food. "meat? ohhh meat nice, meat expensive, everyone 70 shekel" ($17). So what do you think we did? "NO THANKS". "Okay okay, 40 shekel each , I give you chumus, nargila, pita, good time". He really did show us a good time, there was tons of chumus, homemade pita, a special cheese they make there, french fries, tea, it was amazing. Then we got up and danced. My friend Tobi from Nigeria won everyone over with her good dancing, so much to the point that the Beduoin guy jokingly (we hope) asked to buy her for 1000 camels. It was a great night.

    The next morning we got on the bus back to Jerusalem, our new home for the next 3 months. I'll write about what I've been doing here in the past week soon, I think it will be another good 3 months.

   

Almost time to leave Holon

   For those of you who don't know, my program is divided into trimesters. I've already completed my first trimester where I worked at an after school program for children from very broken homes (you can read about that in some of my earlier blogs). In the second trimester I've been living in Holon (a town south of Tel Aviv) working with kids during the afternoon and attending Ulpan (or hebrew class) in the mornings. Well, the second trimester is coming to an end. It's so hard to believe that I'm about to enter my final trimester here in Israel and soon enough I'll be on a plane back to reality and the U.S. 

   

  This week basically consists of finishing up class, saying good-bye to the kids at the place I volunteer at, and cleaning every corner of my apartment, and packing 6 months worth of stuff into 2 little bags. 

   Sunday evening- the night before the test. I've always been told it's easier to learn something you're interested in, well I'm very interested in Hebrew and yet it's still hard- but it's considerably easier because of my want to learn. Sunday evening we had our "End of the section talent show". The show consisted of some good musical performances, some very good short videos. The israeli scouts who are also participants in my program and live along side of us- one lives in my apartment did a dance to "In the Jungle." All of the madrichim (counselors on our program) did a rendition of the song "I kissed a Girl" called "I kissed an Ars." A little bit of education- Ars, the plural Arseem, is the term for 15-21 (roughly) year old Israeli boys that I guess you could say are near the equivalent of "Guidos" in America. They're basically very creepy guys who smoke and drink and wear a lot of gel in their hair, and if you're a girl, you want to stay away from them. It was a fun evening. When it ended we walked home in the pouring rain. One of the scouts- Aviel came back to our apartment because his was another 10 minute walk in the rain. As nice as he is he helped me study for my hebrew exam for a while. The next morning I took the test. It consisted of reading a story and answering questions about it to see if we understood. It was a very interesting story about a couple who were deciding how to celebrate one's birthday so they decided to go on a vacation to the Negev (the desert here in Israel)...sarcasm, it wasn't all that interesting. Then I had some more questions and then the essay part where I had to write about whether or not I liked to travel, and where and what I like to do and go while traveling. Then the oral, I talked with my hebrew teacher for a while. After the test was over she told me that she wasn't to grade it, another teacher was to grade it, but she looked at it and said if I were to grade it I'd say you're going to get an A. I was very happy. She told me she noticed a huge improvement in my hebrew from the beginning of the Section to the end and she was very proud. I walked out of Ulpan very satisfied and happy, and of course called Aviel to thank him for helping me study.

   Sunday during the day was my last day of volunteering. That morning I was up all morning finishing my things for the kids. I made them all individual cards, on the front it had their names in Hebrew and English. On the inside it said- 

היה ממש כיף איתך. אני אתגעגע אליך ואני לא אשכח אותך לעולם. אני אוהבת אותך -סטפאני!!

Got all that? just kidding, it said- "I had a lot of fun with you. I will miss you and I will never forget you. I love you!! -Stephanie.

   To my surprise all of the kids had written me cards as well in the shape of hearts. One girl colored in a picture for me. The lady in charge, Rivka who basically acted as my boss wrote me a very warm letter, as i did to her. It was hard to leave the kids, but I did it once in Petach Tikva so this time i was prepared. I know I will be back there to visit before the year is over. 

   Yesterday I spent the day packing and cleaning the apartment. As an end of the trimester thing my Madrich (counselor) took all of his chanichim (not quite sure how to translate this one, students/program participants) to a Hookah bar. We got on the bus, and got off in a place i didn't recognize. We followed our Madrich behind some building with trees and rocks, and absolutely nothing around. "Uh, Josh, is this when you kill us all?" I said. He laughed and said that's what I said the first time i was taken here. Then we walked to the entrance of the very shady looking building. As we entered we were greeted by very very happy Israelis. We walked into what looked just like a beduoin tent. The only seats were on mattresses on the ground with little tables 4 inches high. There was music and dancing employees, it was a very hidden local spot, a lot of good fun. 

   Today we're just cleaning and getting ready to move out, Sunday I'll be leaving Holon and heading over to Jerusalem. I'll be very sad to leave Holon. The first day we got here my roommate and I decided to run to the grocery store to get some essentials. On the short 5 minute walk there we came in contact with the homeless man that lives on our tiny street. Then, some Arseem on a bike, yes SOME on one bike rode toward us while yelling and scared the Sh---- out of us dodging us at the last second. It was a warm welcome to the new city. While, nothing has changed here, I have. I've come to love this city and the youth here. I will truly miss it and my apartment, the scout I live with, Yali and all of the other scouts who are always there for us. Off to the next trimester!! 

  

Frustration

   I love where I am, and I am 99% of the time one of the most positive people out there. Today I had a moment of complete frustration and just felt like breaking down.

 

   Everyday I got to volunteer. From 1 to 4 30 I go to the same school and work with the same kids. It's an after school program for about 15 kids. In the last 3 months I've grown to love the kids. My hebrew has gotten to an acceptable level (with 6 year old kids that is) so that i can communicate with them. 

   Today I was outside with the kids. When it got to be around 4 Rivka, the lady basically in charge of the program, called me and told me to bring the kids in. I got all up them to start moving toward the door and into the building but one decided LO, she didn't want to. So i started playing with her and telling her that we need to go in. After what i thought was good convincing she still wouldn't budge. I knew what she wanted because i know the girl. Danielle wanted to be picked up like normal and played with. So i picked her up in my hands and started moving toward the door expecting the normal laugh and smiling face from her. Suddenly as i put her down she was crying hysterically and yelling. I could not figure out what I had done wrong. She then ran up the stairs to Rivka and started explaining that Stephanie hurt her while she let the tears poor. I looked at Rivka and for the first time I couldn't find the words not only in English but definitely not in Hebrew. I did not know what to say.

   We continued into the classroom while Rivka explained to Danielle (the little girl) that all the time she asks to be picked up and how am i supposed to know that this one time I was hurting her, that i didn't understand. That was the key word, I didn't understand. Never has the language barrier been so much of an issue for me that i felt like giving up, but today it came close. Luckily I was able to understand Rivka defending me, but I couldn't find the words to say what I wanted to say. I wanted so badly to look at the girl and tell her that I would never ever want to hurt her, that all i was trying to do was play with her. But i couldn't. So i looked at her and i used the words I knew. I told her I was sorry, and that everyday I'm here trying to speak with them and play with them, that i love her and that I was very sorry. I couldn't even say i didn't mean to hurt you. 

   Language barriers are the most frustrating things in the world to me. At home, I take the ability of being able to fully communicate so for granted. I have learned here the hard way that the ability of speech really is important. But I've also learned new and creative ways of communicating when the language barrier is presented. 

   How much easier would the world be if we all just spoke the same language, right? 

Machtesh Ramon

My roommates and I attempting a jumping picture.

    This past friday morning my roommates and I were awoken by our alarms that went off much too early. By 5:30 A.M. we were already on a bus on our way down south. We left a chilly Holon and were all awoken around 10 A.M. to find ourselves driving on dirt paths, the ONLY ones of the road, and in hot sunny weather. When we got out of the bus i looked around my, did a 360 degree turn and all i could see was the ramon crater. The Ramon crater is in the Negev, or the desert of Israel and is one of the largest craters in the World. The crater was created by erosion and is not an impact crater.

    We decided to take the first day easy so we did some nice scenic hikes- or walks- all around the crater. The Israeli scouts on our program (israelis our age who take a year off to volunteer before the army and do so through my program) organized the trip. It was about 30 of us in all that decided to go. At one point we all decided to stop and one of the scouts told us all to find our own place to sit away from everyone else but so that we could still hear him. I found myself sitting on a rock while he told us to try and look around and take in the image in front of us. I listened to him but it was so peaceful out there that all i could hear was the wind in my ears. I am a fan of pictures, and i love them, but i always say, no picture can truly capture an image. There really is no way i could show a picture or describe exactly what i was seeing or feeling at that moment. The image in front of me though is forever in my mind. It was absolutely beautiful.

   Around 5 P.M. after a long day of walking and taking in the sites, we settled into our home for the night. A nice Bedouin tent. All 30 of us got into one of them and set up. That night we cooked dinner, sat around and ate it. We looked at the stars so clear, the kind that most people don't normally get to see. Then headed off to our own sleeping bags for a veryyy cold desert night.

   The following morning we were up very early. As i said we took it easy the first day, the second day we did just the opposite. The Ramon Crater is shaped like a heart. If you were to cut a heart in half, vertically, the part where it meets at the top, like the middle of a 3, there is a big cliff that if you get to the top of it, you can see nearly the entire crater. Well, we climbed to the top of the cliff, and it was not easy. When we reached the top we were all panting, red, and ready to binge drink water. I looked around and the view was breathtaking, literally and figuratively. For a while i sat there at the edge of the cliff, listening to, hearing, nothing but the wind in my ears. I saw nothing but the crater and desert in front of me. I felt like the only person on earth, like there were no problems in the world. It was truly one of the most peaceful feelings I've ever had in my life. 

  One of the scouts had an idea. We all stood around the edge of the cliff and he talked to us about how beautiful and peaceful it was up there. He then said, I too feel like we are the only people in the world right now, and since there is no one around i thought of a really great type of therapy. He explained that like everyone- he has certain emotions of anger and sadness in them and that for one minute he was going to channel them. Then he walked to the edge of the cliff- we all held our breath, 'uhhh what the hell is he doing'. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" he screamed from the edge of the cliff. Then turned around and let our a sigh of relief. "Who's next?"

   We all took our turns looking ridiculous, walking to the edge and just screaming bloody mary. When it came my turn I thought of all the things that make me angry, of the things i can't even control and just screamed. I have to say, it is a much more satisfying feeling than one would thing. I felt relieved, refreshed. While everyone was taking their turns I looked around. In our small group of 30 we had people from all over the U.S., people from Sweden, people from England, a boy from Mexico, a girl from Nigeria, 8 people from all over Israel. All of us such different people, and yet i never felt so unified up there on that cliff. 

   After a long day of hard hiking this time we got on a bus and headed home to Holon. As we drove out of the Machtesh- the crater- i kept the window shade open even though all the others were closed, my eyes were glued to the outside of the window. My friend who i was sitting with at the time was Israeli and he asked me what i was looking at. I said the crater, and he said you've seen it for the last 48 hours, take a nap like everyone else. I then explained and realized myself why i couldn't just close the shade, I told him how I don't know the next time I'm going to be there, and how i don't know the next time that I'll get that feeling of such serenity of peacefulness again, so i want to hold on to it. Even though his response was 'what is serenity' he then followed with 'good point.' and decided to look out the window with me. 

Voting time

     

-My roommates and i waiting for the bus to Ramat Hasharon, the hometown of my roommate Yali (the second from the right).

About a week ago, israeli citizens participated in a vote for their new Prime minister. Just like in America, schools were closed for voting day, which meant I had the day off. So, I went with my Israeli roommate to her hometown of Ramat Hasharon- town right outside of Tel Aviv- so that she could vote.

    I went with my other roommates, it was an apartment trip i guess you would say. The 'Ziv' family welcomed us into our home and i truly felt at home there. We all sat around and watched TV for the first time in months. We ate an amazing lunch at their home without having to cook it or clean it up. We felt on top of the world. We love living on our own here, in our own apartment, managing our own money and cleaning ourselves, but once in a while it is truly nice to just feel at home with no worries- that's how we all felt at Yali's home. 

   When it came time for Yali to vote it was pouring down rain as we walked from the car to the voting building. Most people would say well that ruins a day. But seeing as I can count on one hand how many times it's rained here since i've been here, we're thankful for all the rain we can get here. So, it was just another fun memory made of us running through the rain with broken umbrellas. 

   Voting in America as I'm sure everyone reads this knows, is very proper. You walk into the building, go into your own booth, cast your vote electronically and leave. In Israel it is very different. I walked into a room with my roommate Yali (the one voting). In the room was a scienceboard piece of cardboard. She walked behind it and i went along with to take pictures- something that would never ever be allowed in the States. Behind the cardboard cut out were pieces of paper with each party name on it. She then picked the party that she wanted, put it in an envelope with her information on it and dropped it in a box. Simple as that. Take a look- 

Sderot

Today we had a Siyur (a field trip). Normally on Siyurim we go to Jerusalem, Ceasaria, places in the country with history and education. Today wasn't any different in the sense that we went to a place with significance and history- but it was an entirely different place that we went to. Today we traveled south to the city of Sderot. 

Sderot is a city that is about 2 kilometers from Gaza and is a favorite target for Gaza. For 8 years now, it has been hit with Quassam rockets daily, with only 15 seconds to find shelter and safety. As we entered the city today I was amazed at its size and the beautiful homes. It looked

 like a totally normal city, but when I looked more closely I saw just how different it is unfortunately. For example- the pictures up above- looks like a normal playground for young kids to go and play. What people don't see is this- 

-The pictures says in case of a "Tzeva Adom" (red alert) this is a shelter. This sign is right on the outside of the Caterpillar in the picture up-top. When we first got off the bus and went to the playground I felt as if it were a normal playground, but then i realized, what other city in America- on earth has bomb shelters on every playground. I think this is what hit me the hardest, the fact that a playground- the place where innocent children are supposed to play and enjoy their childhood has to have a bomb shelter in the case of a "Tzeva Adom". I looked around the playground and imagined the kids at the top of the castle getting ready to go down the slide, then hearing a "Tzeva Adom" and knowing that they need to get down from that castle and into the caterpillar in less that 15 seconds. The sentence sounds bizarre even, but not to the people of Sderot, to the people of Sderot it's unfortunately the way of life. 

A woman by the name of Chava came to speak to us today on the playground. Her first words were- if there is a tzeva adom get in the caterpillars, you know that right? We all nodded. Okay she said, now we can talk. She was a typical mother of 3 living in Sderot. She told us about her kids' lives. Imagine growing up this way- your mother walks you to school, even when you're still 18, you go to a school that looks for like a jail because it is so well protected. You are assigned to a class and cannot leave that classroom until school is over. In you class you have two teachers and one soldier. If you want to go to the bathroom the soldier must go with you, wait for you in the bathroom, and then walk you back to class. Chava told us about her life- how she is on so many anti-anxiety pills, how she changes her teenagers sheets every morning because they are wet every morning.

Chava told us about how when she takes the 2 minute walk from dropping her son off at school to her home, it is a very scary 2 minutes with no shelter. She told us of one time when she was walking home and heard a "Tzeva Adom" with little to no time she ran to the nearest bus stop, of course in Sderot at every bus stop there is a bomb shelter, and hid there. Then she had a 1 more minute walk home, as she got back on her way she heard another alert, she tried to run to her home but 15 seconds is no time to do that, with no where to go she laid down on the ground, and just wished for the best, sh

e told us how she looked up and saw a rocket coming toward her, and that is the last thing she remembered as she went unconscious. She told us about the time that her son was 8 and they went for a walk on a nice day. They were in a field when they heard a "Tzeva Adom" so all she could do was push her son to the ground and lay on top of him. 

Typical life in Sderot is not like life anywhere in America- living under constant fear. 8 year olds who have grown up their whole lives with "Tzeva Adoms". We were told about a psychologist who asked an 8 year old from Sderot "why do you think Ladybugs have shells around them" and his answer immediately was "to protect them from the Quassam rockets". It's so sad to think that to the kids of Sderot all they know is bomb-shelters and tzeva adoms. 

We went to the edge of Sderot where we walked to a look-out point. As we were walking up this hill I thought to myself, 'wow if an alert goes off now, 15 seconds? where would I possibly go'. We walked up the hill and oversaw all of Gaza. It looked no further than a football field or two away. We could see the Palestinian flags, the Mediterranean Sea, Gaza City.

 It was very surreal to see it with our own eyes. 

Picture 1 (the blue tunnel with red writing) is a bomb shelter, they have these types of shelters everywhere says in hebrew, "it's not possible to end this melody".

Picture 2 is the inside of the tunnel, or bomb shelter

Picture 3 is something that was written on the inside of one of the Bomb Shelters in hebrew it says "Sderot we are with you"

Picture 4 is something that was written on the outside of every bomb shelter in Sderot, it has a "Magen David" (star of David) and it says "Am Yisrael Chi" which basically means, Israel will live on

Picture 5 is another written on the inside of one a bomb shelter which is basically an add for a psychologist, it says hard? bad? call this number if you need help.

I guess all one can say to things like Sderot is עם ישראל חי

on a MUCH lighter note i do want to acknowledge the birthday of my favorite mom ever. HAPPPPY BIRTHDAY MOM LOVE YOU!!

-steph

Superbowl Monday?

So a lot of big American events have happened while i've been in israel- the election, ravens games, playoffs, the inauguration. And, I've spent them all (a bit pathetic, i know) at the same place- an American sports bar- Mike's Place. At all the events there have been Americans who come out to see them. The Superbowl, by FAR had the biggest turn-out, even though it didn't start until 1 A.M. so it was technically superbowl monday.

Although it's not my first time, or second, or third, or fourth, experiencing and American event in Israel, it's still always an experience. I sat at the sports bar on Superbowl sunday surrounded by Americans- probably all the Americans currently in the Tel-Aviv and surrounding areas and cheered on the teams we wanted. When the National anthem came on we all stood up. It was weird as for the past 5 months I've stood for the "Ha Tikva" (Israel's National Anthem), and I was now standing for The Star Spangled Banner. 

I love being here in Israel and sometimes I get scared and sad when i think about even going back to the states, but Sunday was a fun reminder of home and my pride for the states.

Dialogue in the dark

who would have thought that there was snow in israel? well there is...sort of. At the very top of the hightest mountain in Israel there is a little snow. My israeli friend on the program put it the best way, he my friend jamie and i were talking and he was telling us about the snow in Mount Hermon, he asked her 'where are you from?' 'North Carolina' she said. 'ohhh there's TONS of snow in the Hermon, Steph you're from Baltimore right?' i said yes

...'yah there's no snow...' So seeing as most of the people reading this are probably from Baltimore- or maybe a few from out west in Idaho :-D, you get the idea of how much snow there was. Still, to a bunch of excited 18 and 19 year olds- it doesn't matter. 

Saturday we traveled 4 hours up north to the Hermon (Mount Hermon). A 4 hour drive in the state to a mountain isn't considered too ridiculous of a drive- for the small country of Israel- well let's just say we stopped 4 times to get off the bus for a break in our 4 hour drive. I think with adapting to the cultures and lifestyles here, my bladder has also shrunken in my attempts to be more like the Israeli people. The Hermon was a lot of fun- after we went to see an old Fort- Nimrod's Fort with a lot of history in it. Then we all went and had a BBQ. The part that was the most interesting to me was driving up to the Hermon- when we got close we were soo far up north, close to Syria. As we drove through the towns I almost felt like I wasn't even in Israel anymore, but still I looked around at the signs in hebrew and knew that I was, but only a few Kilometers away was only arabic. I felt like way up north where we were near the Hermon was like the remote places in the States that people sort of forget- like Iowa, New Mexico, Driggs Idaho--:). I also felt the same about the remote location of the Hermon as I do about the remote locations in the U.S.- they are the hidden jewels- the most beautiful and pure locations of the country. 

This week has been a normal week of work and class. Had a test in Hebrew on Monday which I believe went very well- we will see the result though. Tuesday we had a mandatory all day seminar. The seminar basically explained that when we returned to our college campuses in the states how to deal with the people who are anti-israel. It got very repetitive and personally even if i do agree with the things that the speakers were saying seeing as I am of course a supporter of Israel, I'm not a fan of the "brain-washing Zionism" although some great points were made and i do feel like i learned a lot. The climax of the day was in the end- the head of one of the organizations leading my program brought in an old friend from College who was a Jew and supporter of Palestinians. We sat there for 30 minutes while he explained how Israel is a terrorist state and why he supports the Palestinians. 

Everyone has their own way of dealing with things. Some people left the room, some people got very very emotionally upset and you could see it physically, some people yelled out and were disrespectful. I am a firm believer in "once you 'lose it' you lose the argument". So i sat and paid my respects and listened to the points and only calmly argued with him, never raising my voice. As his time was up he surprised us all my telling us that he in-fact is a Zionist and does this type of thing often in order to give students like us an idea of the people we'll face in life. As much and i'm not sure whether or not I agree with the whole deceiving fake presentation, it definitely gave me a scary idea of the people i hopefully won't have to face- but may. I also realized something about myself- i'm not so much of a fighter because i know that my opinion won't change as won't other peoples, all we can do is move on a look to the future.

This brings me to my experiences today. This morning was amazing- as I was awoken very early for something that I voluntarily signed up for I asked myself- "why did I decide to do this!?" I got on the bus and headed to my destination. Got a little lost on the way- of course. My friends and I that signed up arrived around 8 A.M. to the Blind and Deaf museum. We were taken in, put our bags away, anything that could produce any light. Then we were taken into a dark hallway where we met- and when i say met i mean heard the voice of, our tour guide for the morning. Liran, who was blind himself, took us for a 1 and a half hour, as they call it "dialogue in the dark". It was so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of you- in fact once i decided to test myself- i put my hand in front of my face and slowly moved it toward my face to see when i would be able to see it, well what i saw didn't change, but i did to my surprise soon felt my hand hit my face. 

On the tour we were taught to use our other senses. We went into one room that was like a rain-forest- the reason i know this is because of the sounds of the birds and animals I heard, the smell and feeling of the misty air, the feeling of the trees and water from the waterfall. After and hour and a half of going through rain-forests, going on motor boats, going through markets and into a music room we had lunch in the dark. I went to the counter, ordered, paid and ate in the dark. We all sat around and talked with Liran, a man who 3 years ago went from having full eyesight to none whatsoever in no longer than a week. This is where my idea of moving on and not fighting was reinforced. Someone posed him with the question, do you remember what people look like? And when you meet new people do you imagine what they look like? He explained, yes of course i still have a little memory of what people look like, but i try not to. Part of adapting to my new life is moving on, and if i sit and imagine things from my old life, how am i supposed to move on. No, i don't think about what people look like, I'm moving on. 

Niran was truly inspiring- he explained that within 3 months of his new condition he was back to living independently, cooking and cleaning on his own. He explained how he is even also an english teacher at a public high school, and how he deals with his students in different ways because of his "minor limitations". 

A little bit of America in Israel

It's been a crazy week. 

On Sunday night for the ravens game some friends and i went to the American Sports bar, Mike's Place. Well the game here didn't start until 1 30 A.M....needless to say I walked out of the place sadly around 5 A.M. Two nights later I was back at Mike's for the inauguration- it is the only public place that really broadcasts all important american events. There were some reporters there from NBC and a bunch of israeli reporters recording and taking pictures of our reactions. It was very interesting being all the way over here in Israel and being surrounded by Americans all watching the same screen. When he was sworn in everyone started clapping and cheering. It was great to witness such a historic event, even if i was half way across the world from it. Obama's speech was great and my personally favorite line- especially after having lived here in Israel I would say was "Your country will judge you by what you build, not what you destroy." 

 

Last night was great. Some friends and I went to a dance show here in Israel. The concept of the show was very interesting. We walked in and the stage was elevated above us. The stage itself is filled with holes and we- the audience stand under the stage and pop our heads up through those holes. It was hilarious when we first did- all you saw was your friends little heads popping up as if everyone was decapitated. It was truly and interesting perspective of the show. At times the dancers got right up in your face and looked right at you (by the way everyone had two metal bars around the head to protect you). Towards the end we moved and sat in front of the stage. Although as I said it was elevated so sitting you couldn't really see the top of the stage- instead we watched the dancers weave in and out of the holes in the stage- the things they did with those holes and that stage were ridiculous. The show was all about relationships and it was very moving. 

This evening some friends and I went into Tel-Aviv to see a movie- Slumdog Millionaire- it was verrrrry good. We all really enjoyed ourselves. Heading home something happened that made me laugh. In the cab home my friend who is going through a tough time turned to me and said "isn't it ironic when the song that happens to be on the radio seems to be telling you everything you need to hear?" The song was fitting for her situation and was seeming to give her the 'pick-me-up' she needed. We both started smiling. At that exact moment the cab driver changed the station to some horrible childrens music, or something we're not quite sure what it was. My roommate and I just burst out laughing. It was as if we were in a movie and in the moment where the character seems to find resolution, and then the driver switched us [literally] back into reality. It almost reminds me of Israel, there are great times of peace, but reality will come back and each time Israel will defend herself. 

Tomorrow a group of us are heading wayyyyy up north to Mount Hermon- pretty much the only mountain in this little country that has snow, it should be a good time. 

- Goodnight all- Steph

"ani metnadevet"

So, I am just getting to write in this thing because I have not been back in my regular routine since i got back to Israel until now.

When the situation with Gaza broke out, a branch of the I.D.F. called "Sar-El" contacted Young Judaea Year Course (my program that i'm currently on). "Sar-El" is basically a program for volunteers from around the world to come work on an army base for however much time they'd like (one week minimum). Sar-El has worked with my program before and with the situation in Gaza they asked for some volunteers as they were really needed. 

It was amazing how many people from my program were ready to just drop everything for the chance to give back to the country. Last week from the 11th- to the 16th I was on a base between Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem called Nachshoanim. As you can see from the pictures we were required to wear uniforms at all times other than in our barracks. During the day we either cleaned guns, packed packages for soldiers in Gaza, sorted bullets- things of that sort. Most of the days I cleaned guns along with many other soldiers my age.  Now think to yourself how many guns you think you could clean in one day. The average was about 4- it was hard work and i found my self saying "libduk?"- (check) and having the answer be "lo naki" (not clean) a LOT.  We worked with the soldiers, ate the same food, had the same break times and slept in the same buildings. It was a very real experience.

The most amazing part to me was that I was there in the middle of the Gaza situation. My "Sar- El Madricha" (counselor for the week) who is currently working for Sar-El as her army service once said to us, I guarantee you that every soldier on this base knows at least 5 people in Gaza right now. After hearing that you would expect the general attitude to be very down on the base. This is what I love about the Israeli people- everyone know's the reality but doesn't let it control their lives- if they did no one would ever be happy. The soldiers I cleaned guns with used the open and non loaded guns as slingshots and they goofed off and shot cleaning supplies around the room. I could just see young Dad and Larry like those goofy soldiers just trying to make their cleaning job a bit more enjoyable. I could see Michael as my commander for the week who had to tell the soldiers to stop using the guns as slingshots, but turned around and started cracking up at the humility of their actions. I could see Marjie in my cheerful Sar-El counselor, who while her boyfriend was fighting in Gaza, she was making friends with us and kept a smile on her face the whole time. 

The thing with Israel is that while the constant fighting hurts the country and the rest of the world's perspective, the people here are unlike any other people in the world. The country continues, up here in Tel Aviv you would never know about the war on the South on the streets in peoples attitudes, but there are signs of support everywhere. Right now I even wear a bracelet that says "Levi bedarom" (my heart is in the south). 

Each morning the soldiers lined up for flag raising- as we did alongside with them. One morning i was given the opportunity to raise the flag (shown in a picture above). It was a very amazing experience standing up there in front of a group of soldiers about my age in my uniform and madricha's buret, raising the flag and the saluting the commander. 

I am back to my normal schedule of working in a school and going to school myself and I am still a metnadevet (a volunteer) here in Israel everyday. Every citizen here serves their country in some form of the army- and while I can't just drop everything and go to the army like Israelis my age it feels good knowing that I am at least serving the country as much as I can in this one year being a "metnadevet". 

Hello Holon Again

I find myself saying hello to Holon again coming back from my break. It was very nice to be home for a week and a half, great to see family and friends. After being spoiled for a week with tons of food and a nice shower, I somehow find myself still in love with my crappy shower tiny stipend for food, and am happy to be back in Israel. 

Bus drivers are always either very nice, or completely mean. Today i had encounters with both types. Walking to the bus on my way to class today i was on the phone with Michael. When the people i was walking with saw the bus already at the stop they began to run. Distracted by my conversation i didn't notice at first. Then as i began to run i realized i wasn't going anywhere with shoes with no backs quickly, so i took them off and began to run in my socks. The people i was walking with jump on the bus and as i approach the driver is closing the door, i can hear the people yelling at him to wait, and he looks at me and drives off. He was a great example of a MEAN bus driver. 

So as i put my shoes on, with 15 minutes to get to class i began to walk to a street close by where busses come every 5 minutes. Well, it just wouldn't be a great morning without getting lost. After nearly 10 min of power walking i realized i didn't know where i was and decided to walk back to the original bus stop and just be really late- what else could I do? At that moment a bus pulled up. Well here comes the silver-lining of this otherwise pointless story. I got on and asked the driver if he was going where i needed him to go. He was extremely nice and not only told me no and let me get off the bus but told me to make a right and the number 18 will take me where i needed to go. While it was a horrible start to the morning it quickly brightened up when i found my way completely on my own, speaking only hebrew and somehow got to class only 5 minutes late. 

I'm sure everyone is really interested in the war and how it is affecting the people of Israel. I work with an 18 year old girl and today we were talking about our families and siblings. She told me that she has 3 older brothers, she followed that with "they're all in Gaza". I said "Wow i'm so sorry, i hope they'll be alright and i'll pray for them". She nearly interrupted me saying "why are you sorry, we should have gone in there years ago." My israeli roommate also feels this way as do most israelis. The general consensus here is that it's just another war that we have to face and it's absolutely necessary. For those that don't know places like Sderot (right next to Gaza) have had rockets on a regular basis for too long coming into their towns and homes on a daily basis- with only 15 seconds to find shelter. Israel really just said "Maspeek- (enough)." While the country doesn't feel all that different up here in north of Gaza, a friend of mine who was recently in Ashdod told me the city is basically dead and that multiple times a day they have to find shelter. Israel is strong and as most people agree, it is doing the right thing. I don't feel more threatened or scared than i did when i left the country 13 short days ago. 

Check this out and get a quick idea of how Israelis feel-

http://sderot.aish.com/SderotPetitions/15Seconds.php