Welcome Home

I was going to try to get through all of birthright before posting about Ramla, but I realized then I wouldn't be up-to-date, and since I'm already forgetting BR stuff, I would rather try to at least stay on top of something (I cant help that I didn't have internet during the BR trip, but I can just do things out of order now...sorry if it gets confusing)

Anyway, yesterday was the last day of birthright, and today was everyone's flight home. We woke up at 5.30 am and were on our way to the airport by 6.30. The ride was very celebratory of the trip, recapping all the places and adventures we had had, and giving praise to rafi, our excepetional tour guide who really was more like a father to us during the ten days, our crazy driver, and Sagi, our very hot, very laid back, security gaurd/medic who took excellent care of us.

When we arrived at the airport it was kind of a scramble. Rafi was calling people to get to the terminal, while people who were extending their trips were trying to say goodbye. Meanwhile I was trying to figure out how I was getting to Ramla.

INTERLUDE: I should mention here that one of the "Madrichim" or staff members of the trip (kids around the same age who are there to do organization stuff and just keep an extra eye on everything) was a girl named Naomi, who did the first installment of ISC. We became good friends over the ten days. She also had to come to Ramla to get her stuff before moving tonight to Jerusalem.

Back to the story. So I was trying to find Naoi and figure out if we were going with the group or what. Turns out she had a plan and I had to start saying goodbyes-fast. Sadly half the people were already following Rafi so I never got to say goodbye to them...thank goodness for facebook! But I hugged the ones who were there and promised to keep in touch, and then Naomi and I jumped into a cab, as naomi furiously started talking to the driver. It quickly became obvious that they knew each other. As it turned out, this was Yakov, a driver for Oranim, who often would drive ISC members between the office and the house late at night, and he had brought something to our bus before the group's flight, and Naomi had seen him and asked him for a ride to the house. just our luck!

Anyway, we get to the house. It is apparently in a good neighborhood. All the houses around it are lovely. and big. Our house is hard to tell because it is shaded by trees. But I get inside and it is so big!!! It is a really great house. It's the definition of having "great bones" in that with decorative help, it would just be a magnificent house, but as is it's very bland. It is very empty, and devoid of any decoration or design at all. It is the kind of house that makes me wish I were rich so I could go designer crazy on it. But it really is cool. And it has a beautiful stone floor, a big open kitchen, and these cool stairs that are totally open with a landing overlooking everything.

I got there at 8.30 am and my roomates weren't due in until 3 ish, and I wanted to not be a bitch and just take a room, so I started laundry (we have free laundry! It's so great!) and took a nap. I wanted to go to the town shook (marketplace) but I didn't wake up until 1, and by then I didn't want to chance missing my roommates arrival. I seriously begin feeling like I am on the real world without the cameras.

At 2 Jessica arrives. She is a new addition, having just agreed to the program yesterday after Erez's famous convincing. She is 26 (I am no longer the oldest girl!). She has more info...It turns out two of the guys dropped out so now there are only 7 people enrlled, and that leaves only one guy and 6 girls. But we're hoping to get more trickling in soon. We hang around the house. Around 5.30 everyone else arrives. We have a meeting with Chava, our "mom" for the program. We say Sh'hechianu. Erez cuts his face opening the wine bottle and has to go to the hospital and get stitches. (What a way to start). Chava takes over and tells us our deal for the week...tomorrow first thing we are going for evaluations for our Ulpan classes (hebrew language) which will determine our availablity. She then tells us we should divide rooms. I end up getting the suite, which has it's own bathroon (although because there are only two showers in the house, half the people will be using it, as well) and the biggest closet I have ever had in my life. It is walk in and has SO much storage. I am honestly sad that I didn't bring more shoes. Or more clothes. But mostly more shoes.

The way it works out I don't have a roommate (which is insane since I'm in the biggest room) but we are expecting to get more participants, so The next girl who comes in will be my rommate, and I am fine with that. In the meantime, though, I am TOTALLY enjoying this setup!!!

After the meeting, everyone goes in seperate directions. Some go to liquor store and get a kind of sambuca, but after a few people taste it, the crazy drinking they had planned is put to an end. The members of ISC 1 who are with us allude to a hookah that has been bequeathed to us. The set up begins. The neighbors come over, along with all of their childrens friends (about ten people). We are all talking and getting to know each other. It is very welcoming. Then Erez returns with a nice bandage and we go inside for our Erez meeting. He dispenses the monthly allowance for food/supplies to each of us, gives us the safety/security speech, and about a million more housewarming things. Momo calls during his talk and he puts him on speakerphone. Sadly, I do not get a chance to ask Momo what's coo-king. Instead, Momo gives a very serious, heartelt welcome to us. We get keys.

When Erez leaves, I go upstairs to unpack, thinking, I'm very tired, and still pretty sick, if i clear all the laundry off my bed and make it, I will go to sleep. Before I get ta chance to do this, Jessica comes in and says that everyone is going out for Falafel, and wants to know if I want to come. Bear in mind that as a part of BR, they have very little options of cheap, fast food for lunches, so I have had falafel every day for the past ten days. I do not want it now. Plus, I'm not hungry. But I go out with them just to explore the area. We end up at a pizza place. On the way home, Angie, Jon, Julie, and Laura (my roommates. The last one is Marissa, but she was having computer trouble and did not come with us) find a very large tree branch and decide that we should take it home. It takes three of them to carry it, but for some reason they do. They bring it up to our front porch "for decoration". We decide to adorn it with one of the "Oranim" hats that erez gave us (imagine Will smith in the "Parents just don't understand" video...the hat he wore..that's what they look like only less neon) and name it Hugo. Maybe we didn't need the nasty Licorice alcohol after all if this is what we do sober...

I continue unpacking while the others have some hookah action (it's Israel, it's what they do here). My closet looks completely bare even though my first suitcase is almost empty. I'm going to need to get some more clothes....