The Holiday season like never before

Hey all,

I know it's been awhile. It's crazy. I have, For the most part, begun checking my e-mails on a weekly basis, if that. Compared to my CMU days of at least once an hour.....it's quite a change. WHile at times I feel very disconnected...It's kind of nice. ALthough the few times I do get on a computer, my e-mail box is a bit overwhelming.

On the language side, I can already tell an improvement in my hebrew. While my speaking is certainly not going to be vastly improved by the classroom atmosphere, After 2 days with my adoptive family over this holiday, I was going pretty fast, but then every time I come back I regress. I am working on ways of getting more speaking experience, but I can already see the improvement in my vocabulary. SO that's pretty sweet.

Speaking of the holidays...This month has been INSANE. Every week there is a new holiday. IN america, we have "the holiday season". AKA christmas and new years. People spends months preparing for essentially one holiday with one following it. THye have NO idea. Here, we have one month JAM PACKED with holidays. Every week it's a new one. First it was rosh hashana, 2 days, then yom kippur, 25 hour fast, then sukkot, weeklong, and we're in the final stretch now, but then there's simchat torah and shmini atzeret. all the while mixed in with shabbat, although this year has been particularly hard because everyone falls in with the sabbath or butting up to it. Basically, every week there's a new one, and it's like two days no holiday, then holiday, no holiday, holiday. While it sounds nice and all, by now, it starts to get a little exhausting! BUt it's been fun to see all the holidays in Israel! I've enjoyed it!

ANyway, as usual, someone is waiting for the computer so I have to run, but I hope all of you are well.

Much love and Shana Tova U'Metuca v' Chag Sameach!

American invasion

60 new people came today. Most are living here. Most are LOUD Americans. And chances are, there is going to be even LESS of a chance of me getting on a computer from now on, so we will see how often i get to post.

I had a most lovely weekend in Ramla. I stayed with my host family from ISC. It was strange how it felt more like home now than it did when it was actually home. There was so much good food, and lots of catching up with the family. There was a girl they were hosting from the new group, and she knew very little hebrew, so I felt really special being able to translate, remembering myself at the beginning. I met the new ISC kiddies-seems like a more coheisive house which is nice. ANd htey have a new TV and light in the living room which is really quite a big change-can't lie, I'm kinda jealous. We spent a lot of time at Evelyn and Robert's (the next door neighbors-imagine the 50's when you would go next door for a cup of sugar...well, it happens in this neighborhood. SO COOL!) and I met the neighbor on the other side who was wonderful too. I used a TON of hebrew, I think more so than ever before at their house, and I realized how far I have come....and how far I have to go!!! Oh, and we ate. And ate. And ate and ate and ate and ate. ANd did I mention we ate? ;)

SO it's back to the schooling for 3 days and then off for Rosh HAshana YAY. Going back to Ramla and I'm excited. I see Rosh Hashana as being an essential food holiday, and since the food in RAmla is so good...

Tonight the special activity is Israeli dancing, so i must run. Of course most people laugh at it and think it's lame. I can't lie. I'm a total nerd and am thrilled. I may be the only one there (which will make Israeli dancing, since it requires a number of people, difficult) but I don't care cause I'm jsut cool like that. Maybe it's the CMU in me that I embrace my inner nerd. who knows?

OMG, the new kids are SO LOUD! And this is coming from loud me.

TGI-Yom Chamishi

• OMG COMMUNAL COMPUTERS SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!

I haven't been able to get on the computer all week. Every time I try it is taken. SO ANNOYING! So I am probably going to be even LESS frequent than planned...and for those of you who e-mail me, don't expect a quick turnaround cause now I'm averaging checking once every 3 days. SUCH a change from the CMU way of life.

Anyway...it's ok I can't get on the computer much because they're keeping us VERY busy. We have class 8-1, lunch 1-2, an activity 2-3 or 4, a break, an activity 6-7, and dinner 7-8. ANd then there's homework! Certainly not as bad as purnellian life, but still...pretty nuts! But it's really good. I am so exhausted from all the hebrew, but I think it's seeping in little by little. THe placement test put me in Bet+. THey number class levels by the alphabet, so I'm in the advanced version of the second level. But it was a little easier than I like it (I like it when I'm challenged) so I moved up to Gimel today (GIMEL! Shout out to the outhaus) and it's really hard, but in the good, rise to face it kind of way. The rooms are WAY too small. Luckily I didn't bring that much stuff, but there's still no room for it! And I got a roommate....long story that ends in my roommate is not Ukrainian, but Dutch. Essentailly, my intended roomie won't be here till next week, a girl wanted to switch rooms, mine was the only free one, she asked me, now I have a roommate from Holland. Amsterdam, actually. She's pretty cool...everyone on this program is. But after Ramla I'm still on my gaurd about meeting new people. So we will see. And if all else fails, I have the most fantastic view I get to see every time I walk out my door (pictures to come). Essentialy, I can see the beach, and the water and waves, a deep, GORGROUS blue, which fades into a mountain that's right behind our place. When I say mountain it's really more of a hill, but a biggish one. ANyway....knowing i have that right out my door....makes complaining hard.

The teachers here are really fantastic, and there are all kinds of things they do other than generic teaching to help us learn the language. They use music a lot, in 3 days of class I've already had two singing sessions! WHich most people find lame but I of course, being a huge nerd, LOVE. And there are oportunities to do nothing but speak (no reading or writing like what takes up most of the class time) with a teacher, and they have an audio room with tapes and things to listen to, and weird computer "games" for learning. Think "Reader rabbit" for hebrew. And the classes are situated in a psuedo square, with a big courtyard place in the middle, and it's really a nice place to just hang out during breaks and chill out. So all in all, things are going well. Except for the size of the room....(but the view...and the a/c and cable tv help. A LOT)

OH! And one of the other participants, Noga (hebrew for "Venus") and I went to Israel's IKEA today!!! It's about a 10 minute drive from where we are....so awesome. I know they're the same everywhere, but it was nice...and very helpful for outfitting the small room...although I really wish there was a container store. Anyway. We were tlaking about how Israeli's say it weird-pronounced "ee-kea", and the guy from Sweden scoffs and goes "I'm the only one who can say it right!" A good laugh was had by all. It's pretty neat talking to people from all these different places and learning abotu other cultures, all around the dinner table. We have about 19 people at the moment, and at least 9 countries represented. Not something I get everyday!

Oh, and for the record...I told Noga about the no limes in Israel thing the first day (many of you heard me talk about how I find it crazy and kind of missed them). So we go to lunch that day and Noga goes "look, they have limes!" and lo and behold there was a bowl of limes. Go figure....6 months without and the first day there's a big ol bowl.

Fun times in the IS.

A return to stardom

Hey everyone! Long time no see!

I know, I know, I am lame and haven't updated in two months. And this was the craziest part of my travels! But it was SOOOO crazy, I hardly had time to do anything, let alone write in a blog. I have been on 20 different flights in the past 2 months. I went to Australia, ALL OVER the US, and had a very brief stint in both London and Bangkok. It's been a whirlwind but I am happy to say that it is finally over! I have returned to the great country of Israel for another five month program-this time focusing on learning Hebrew. I have class for five hours a day, then there are other activities after that. Hopefully I'll finally be fluent by the end of this!!! As an added plus, the participants on this program are from all over the world. So far I have met people from: Brazil, Denmark, Sweden, Brussels, and my roommate is from Ukraine (but she's not here yet). I'm excited.

Anyway, I would love to say more, but I have to run to take a placement test. For the record, posts willl not be as frequent as they were in Ramla because I only have access to a communal computer, and there is only one...so we will see, but I will definitely try for once a week.

TTYL!

Boo

Hi.

I bet you're wondering where I've been. Well, I've finally closed things up in Ramla. It was hard saying goodbye to the kids, more so to the old people, very difficult leaving the madrichot at Tabage and the old folks home...each place gave me a very touching goodbye, but I know I am going to miss them. Although I am definitely happy to be done with this particular chapter of my life.

I took a bit more time than I should have packing up, but those who know me well (or have ever lived in the vacinity of me) know that this is just how I roll. However, this allwed me a lot of extra time with my host family, which was wonderful. I really feel like I am sort of part of their extended family or something. They are so sweet and have without a doubt been the best thing about my 5 months in Ramla. The volunteering was nice, made me feel good, but the Israeli family I have gained...priceless.

I know I am yet again cheating you out of the post you all deserve, but it is almost 12 midnight here and I have to leave for Ben Gurion Airport at 6 am....I am meeting my birthright group there! for those of you that don't know, I am staffing a Birthright trip, and it begins tomorrow. So I wanted to make sure I got a post in as I am about to go on birthright and not have access to the internet for the next ten days. So although I haven't been very good abotu updating anyway, there is no chance of an update for at least 10 days, ok? However...as this is my third trip, by now you should know the drill! Go to www.israelfree.com , click on "group center", then scroll down to the june trips, go to june 10-ny, my group number is BR683. Don't waste your time on the photos as my mohter has already complained about spending tons of time wading through millions to see one of me, and this time around i'm going to be the one behind the camera, so there is even LESS of a chance of me being in the pictures. However, i would LOVE to get e-mails from friends (there's a section for this.) so please hit me up!!!

Ok, i am quite literally being poked in the arm to get off the computer so I have to go now. See you in ten days!

Like a library book, this too is overdue

I know it's been a bit of time, and I am sorry. It is a very weird time over here. My program ends a week from today, so things are winding down. It is weird continuing to go to things as normal, when I know I am leaving these people in a week. Plus, half of the people have already left and gone home early, so there are only 3 of us still in the house. It is very quiet and odd. There was some drama/problems in the house...more so than the norm, which made being here difficult and annoying, but, such is life in a situation like this. All of these factors have made posting a bit difficult because it has been a bit of a chore/difficulty just getting through the days. When a 5 month journey is ending, even if it was a difficult one (as this one has been) it is still hard to come to terms with the conclusion of it all. Not to mention I have never dealt well with change. However...I have been looking into the program I want to do next (I have decided I want to find a program that focuses on Hebrew) and I found one called Maof which is located in Netanya, a BEAUTIFUL place north of Tel Aviv, right on the beach. It is really a fantastic program and I am kinda enthralled with it. There is much to figure out, but it is all in the works. Through discussions with my parents about finding the programs and navigating the country and such, I have discovered that I have grown up a lot more than I realized on this program. I have become much more independent and self sufficient, and realized how not-so-much I was before (despite thinking I was!) So that's a plus. All in all, it's a weird time for blogging, so I'm sorry I can't be more helpful.

Good news-I went to Tel Aviv yesterday to pick up my ticket around the world-quite literally-which includes the trip home. For those of you who don't know, my cousin, John, is becoming a bar mitzvah at the end of June!! But it just so happens that he lives in Australia. Which means I have to go to Australia for the event. Oh, DAAAAAAAAAAAAARN ;). Following this is a little vacay with the fam (camping in the outback!), some time in Sydney with my aunt's niece (not my cousin...My mom's brother's wife's niece...get it?) and then a CRAZY trip around America with i believe 7 cities in 2 weeks...but if I get in the Maof program I will be staying in DC for an extra month, too. Anyhoo...after two hours in the British Airways office, I finally left with a STACK of paper tickets (because there were too many destinations to e-ticket...no, I'm serious. The computer pretty much laughed at us and said E-tickets weren't issuable) and an itinerary reminiscent of those scrolls in movies that they let drop and just go on for miles. I am definitely going to be taking a picture...In all, I will be hitting 4 Continents, 5 Countries, 11 States, and at least 16 Cities. In one month. HUZZAH!

Anyhoo, that's it for now. But more importantly, how are YOU?

You look thin...you should eat

Typical Israel:

So tonight I attended this crazy party that was some odd cross between a wedding and a bar mitzvah party, but was to celebrate a new born baby. It involved the traditional (Jewish) female baby naming ceremony as far as I could tell since it was all in Hebrew, but that seemed to be such an afterthought of the evening. It was at this MASSIVE wedding reception place (which was BEAUTIFUL for the record....) and there were probably about 250 people there...That just gives you the general set up. I was there with my Israeli host family. My family is headed up by Felix and Yaffa, although in all the time I've spent with them I think I've spoken maybe 30 minutes total with Felix. MAYBE. They have five children-4 girls and 1 boy. The youngest, Shir, is 14, then Maietal-22, Zehavit-26, then Itzik, the lone boy-28, and the oldest is Susie, whose age I have never asked, but she's probably no more than thirty. The party tonight was celebrating Hili, the first born child to Itzik and his wife Cindy, who was born at the end of February.

So we get there and the first phase is hanging out in the outdoor area which from the looks of things is where the actual wedding service normally is, since there's this really cool looking permanent hupa chillin there:

(btw, to check the place out, I went up the steps, and there was totally a broken glass just chillaxing on the platform.)

The set up of this places has some nice lounging couches and the periphery is all these bars,
and there are different food stations-burritos, stir fry, cous cous...lots of food. I get there and Itzik tells me to go eat. I am sitting at some point and Zehavit asks me if I've eaten and tells me to go eat......if only i knew what was in store!

So then after about 2 hours....(yea...Israelis and time...that's a WHOLE other post) we go inside. There are the appetizer salads I have gotten quite used to with Shabbat dinners at the Madar family house....tasty veggie treats and hummus and such that could be a meal but you have to save room! And then the waiter comes around and asks me if I want fish or something I couldn't understand, but I didn't want fish so I took the other option (opting to say "no fish"). It turned out to be a taco salad looking shell with some things inside it that looked like falafel balls but tasted like chopped liver and after the tasty (and odd because it included hummus) burrito I had outside, I really was perfectly content. You'd think the next course would be dessert right?

Seriously, you'd think in 4 months I would learn that just when I am just full enough and good for dessert, that's when they bring out the surprise extra course. And yet, it still gets me EVERY TIME.

So it turned out that there was still ANOTHER dinner to be had, about an hour later after much dancing. Here's how it went down: I was outside taking a breather since Israeli's smoke like fish breath through their non-necks, and they do it inside in spite of technically it being against the law (no one really cares or stops anyone) so it smelled TERRIBLE inside the hall and I need some fresh air. When I came back, it turned out that the surprise course had been served, and because I wasn't there, there was no plate in my place. I was thinking I got off scot free and didn't have to pretend to eat something when I was full. Again, you'd think by now I would have learned, but no. Remember that I was OUTSIDE when the food was served:

Party Guest 1: What, you're not eating?
Me (looking confused, partially because I'm translating in my head): I'm sorry, what?
PG1: Why aren't you eating?
Me: OH! I wasn't here.

(there's a break here. At some point a waiter comes by and asks me if I want steak or chicken and I tell him I am not hungry so he leaves me alone. Then after a spell...)
Party Guest 2: What's wrong?
PG1: She doesn't have food.
Me: Really, I'm OK. I don't want food.
(At this point PG1 is getting up to find a waiter)
PG1: it's OK, I will get you a plate.
Me: No, really, I'm not hungry.

Maietal (it's very loud in the room so she missed the action from PG 1 and 2): Why aren't you eating?
Me: Because I'm not hungry. And I wasn't here.
(PG1 returns. There is a lull until a waiter comes by)
PG1: She needs a plate.
Me: Really, I'm not hungry.

(Yaffa comes over to the table...and sees i don't have a plate)
Yaffa: Why aren't you eating?
Me: Because-
PG1: She doesn't have a plate. I'm trying to get her a plate. (motions to waiter) She needs a plate.
Waiter (from across the table): Do you want steak or chicken?
Me: Can you say that again?
Yaffa and Maietal: Do you want steak or chicken.
Me: Whatever.
Yaffa: Well, what do you want? There's steak and there's chicken.
Me: It doesn't matter because I am not going to eat it.
Yaffa: So do you want steak or chicken?

Then, after taking maybe one bite, because seriously, I was VERY full from the other two dinners...I just pushed the food around and cut it up a bit. After awhile, Yaffa comes over and sees my plate:
Yaffa: You didn't eat
Me: Yes I did
Yaffa: You didn't eat anything on this plate.
Me (quite sarcastic but in that loving kind of way): No, but I at the first dinner. And then there was the second dinner, and then the third dinner...I just opted out of this one!

When she busted out laughing I think she got the point.

Anyway I feel this story is worth sharing not only because it was quite funny, but also because it is SO typical. I cannot tell you how many times almost this exact same thing has happened to me, although maybe not to such an extreme degree because it wasn't in a banquet style with lots of people (for the record, the above story is totally true, only words themselves are paraphrased due to me not having a tape recorder for a memory. The general idea is exactly as it was, no exaggeration.) Maybe it's because we have so many Jewish mothers in such a confined area...they're all getting together telling everyone they look thin they should eat, and it just becomes a cultural thing? Anyway....it's like being at Eddie Friedman's all the time. But it's kinda nice knowing they care. Also for the record, I didn't even know PG1, he was just the guy sitting next to me. (don't get any ideas...PG2 was his wife. And they were orthodox)

P.S. when we finally got through all the courses and made it to dessert, it was a chocolate cake with ice cream. And after all those dinners I couldn't even eat it! :(