Wednesday: So on Wednesday I woke up early to go get my laundry and then went to work. I tried to get there early, but instead only got there on-time. Work was crazy, we have so many reports due for USAID, so I helped work on that. Again I had to leave early but this time to catch a bus to the North. I met Rachel and Lauren at the bus station and we caught a bus to the Golan Heights. The bus ride was nice- I practiced my Hebrew quite a bit. I have it down to a science on how to say why I'm here, what I'm doing, and a little more. It's pretty cool, though I wish I knew more. O well, next time I'll do ulpan. We got off at Yehudea Reserve and walked to the camp site. The ranger for the afternoon/evening met us and showed us where to go and what to do. That night we met so many people- one who even knows people that Rachel is friends with. We had some really interesting conversations about whether or not to go to the army and issues with peace and stuff like that. We slept under the stars because we didnt want to get a tent but that was fine besides bugs, but that was kinda expected.
Thursday: We got up around 6 with the sun and got ready for the hike. We were warned that if we didn't start early enough we would have an issue at one point because lots of Yeshiva boys go on the hike everyday. As we left to start the hike we saw about 6 buses of yeshiva boys get there. When we got to the first stop on the hike they started to catch up with us. They were RUNNING through this hike, which was so beyond dangerous. We would be walk and they would just go through us basically. At one point there is this huge ladder we have to climb down to keep going and there was such a traffic jam. The ranger called for us to pass all of the yeshiva boys though becasue otherwise we'd be stuck there for hours. Basically what I got out of that hike was how rude and disrespectful Yeshiva boys can be. It was the longest hike I have gone on- took about 5ish hours. It was so pretty though, so much water there, so pretty. It was a little difficult because I am so short and so clumsy, but i managed well. After the hike we got a cab to Qatzrin and from there took a bus to the Kineret to go swimming. We went to Lavnun beach which is where Rachel and I were for Macabbia last time we were in Israel- she was on Machon when I was on Shorashim. It felt so good to go swimming, just chill in the water. But all three of us were exhausted and ready to go home, so a little before we were supposed to leave to get our bus we left and were able to find a Shirut to take us to Tiberas where we got another Shirut back to Tel-Aviv. Even though I was exhausted, it was two girls on my trips birthdays we I went out to celebrate. It was a pretty relaxed evening, we went to this basement club which was so hipster- I felt I was in Uptown.
Friday: Charlotte, Rachel, and I went to the art market in Tel Aviv. We ran into Ellery while we were there as well. I got this really cute bracelet and something for my mom that she had wanted. After Rachel and I went to Ramat Aviv to meet up with Ari before heading to Netanya for Shabbat dinner with the Elias family. Dinner was so nice- the food was great and it was great to have dinner there. They are such a nice family and their kids were so much fun to play with. After dinner we got a shirut back to Tel Aviv and then a cab back to Bat Yam. Friday was not a night to go out- I haven't gotten much sleep- so it was time to actually get a good nights sleep.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Rest and Jerusalem
Again sorry this week has been crazy- I'll try to get better for my last weekish
Saturday: The day of rest! I basically didn't leave the apartment until Saturday night. I slept, hand-washed some clothes, slept more and just relaxed. That night I went out with two of my apartment mates into Tel Aviv.
Sunday: Sunday was a short day at work because our group was going to Jerusalem for the afternoon/evening. Sally was in Tel Aviv for the day and I wanted to see her but it got really complicated with her group and everything. So after work I headed back to Bat Yam to meet the group to go to Jerusalem. Our first stop there was the Bazlel Art School. While it was very interesting, I wasn't feeling the best so I left the group and headed to Baka where there Jerusalem Amirim group was and my whole group would be later to take a nap. After I woke up the Bat Yam and Jerusalem group had a little get to know you thing. The 4 weekers from J-lem had just arrived but I still knew all the 8 weekers. After the get to know you games we went to Ben Yehuda for dinner; I got my ring fixed while I was there. When we were leaving I ran into Netta, my staff from my last Israel trip. He was there with his current group. We then went to this modern dance thing- which personally I wasn't a huge fan of. I thought that it was a little too out there, but then again modern dance isn't really my thing.
Monday: Monday I went to work and also had to leave a little early because I was meeting Emily in Jerusalem for a USAID meeting. It was a goodbye party for the head of the USAID- West Bank/Gaza branch. It was very interesting as it was my first meeting of those sorts. After the meeting Emily and her boyfriend took me around Jerusalem a little to some overlooks to see the differences between how to Israelis and Palestinians live in relation to East and West Jerusalem. It was pretty awful to see it all- the Israeli government and making the Palestinians pay but they have no water, no trash collection, and the roads aren't kept up.
Tuesday: Tuesday at work was pretty crazy. We have a lot of reports for USAID due extremely soon. Emily showed me how to fill out a PMP form and we went through all the objectives and what not. I still haven't gone over my grant but that's because there is no due date for that. After work I went to Jaffa to meet Cassandra, Rachel H, and Toby to go to the shuk there. It was about to close but I still managed to spent a little too much money. I bought some presents for people and of course some stuff for me. Earlier I had bought myself a new pair of Naots, they are super comfy and will be great for going out. After the shuk we went to Dr. Shokshuka which is a really good shokshuka restaurant in Jaffa. We then went back to Bat Yam to get ready to go out- Gal's friend does PR for this club and he got us all in for the night. It was a good time.
I'm going to post the rest of the week later when I have more time because it's more interesting then the day-to-day normal stuff.
Saturday: The day of rest! I basically didn't leave the apartment until Saturday night. I slept, hand-washed some clothes, slept more and just relaxed. That night I went out with two of my apartment mates into Tel Aviv.
Sunday: Sunday was a short day at work because our group was going to Jerusalem for the afternoon/evening. Sally was in Tel Aviv for the day and I wanted to see her but it got really complicated with her group and everything. So after work I headed back to Bat Yam to meet the group to go to Jerusalem. Our first stop there was the Bazlel Art School. While it was very interesting, I wasn't feeling the best so I left the group and headed to Baka where there Jerusalem Amirim group was and my whole group would be later to take a nap. After I woke up the Bat Yam and Jerusalem group had a little get to know you thing. The 4 weekers from J-lem had just arrived but I still knew all the 8 weekers. After the get to know you games we went to Ben Yehuda for dinner; I got my ring fixed while I was there. When we were leaving I ran into Netta, my staff from my last Israel trip. He was there with his current group. We then went to this modern dance thing- which personally I wasn't a huge fan of. I thought that it was a little too out there, but then again modern dance isn't really my thing.
Monday: Monday I went to work and also had to leave a little early because I was meeting Emily in Jerusalem for a USAID meeting. It was a goodbye party for the head of the USAID- West Bank/Gaza branch. It was very interesting as it was my first meeting of those sorts. After the meeting Emily and her boyfriend took me around Jerusalem a little to some overlooks to see the differences between how to Israelis and Palestinians live in relation to East and West Jerusalem. It was pretty awful to see it all- the Israeli government and making the Palestinians pay but they have no water, no trash collection, and the roads aren't kept up.
Tuesday: Tuesday at work was pretty crazy. We have a lot of reports for USAID due extremely soon. Emily showed me how to fill out a PMP form and we went through all the objectives and what not. I still haven't gone over my grant but that's because there is no due date for that. After work I went to Jaffa to meet Cassandra, Rachel H, and Toby to go to the shuk there. It was about to close but I still managed to spent a little too much money. I bought some presents for people and of course some stuff for me. Earlier I had bought myself a new pair of Naots, they are super comfy and will be great for going out. After the shuk we went to Dr. Shokshuka which is a really good shokshuka restaurant in Jaffa. We then went back to Bat Yam to get ready to go out- Gal's friend does PR for this club and he got us all in for the night. It was a good time.
I'm going to post the rest of the week later when I have more time because it's more interesting then the day-to-day normal stuff.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
A week in Israel
Sorry it's been so long since I've posted, i've been very busy all week and any sleep I can get is taking priority over this at the moment.
So Sunday Sally and I got up and headed to the Eratz Yisrael Museum to meet up with all the trips. I didn't think that I was going to be staying very long but she wanted me to wait for all the buses to arrive to meet her group and staff. While I was there I saw so many Emtzanicks- so to all parents who kids on USY that I know they all are having a great time. After that I headed to work for the day. After work I went home to nap before going into to Tel Aviv to meet up with Ari for dinner. After dinner I went to find people from my trip to chill in Tel Aviv for the night.
Monday I went to work and I wrote my first grant by myself. That was terrifying for the most part. It's for a grant from the US Consulate for the Magazine. I got about half of what I was supposed to get done because I was so confused and Emily wasn't in the office Monday, so I did some more work on the website. Hopefully by the end of next week we'll have the new website launched- it's much better than the old one. After work I went back to Bat Yam and relaxed before making dinner and then Ellery and I went to walk around Bat Yam looking for a store that sold cleats, which turned into a quest for ANYTHING open. It was Erev Tisha B'Av and so everything closed at 7. After that basically failed quest we went to Ulpan for activities. Gal had some announcements for us about the upcoming week and then after Neil Lazarus came and spoke to us about Israel advocacy and stuff like that bad press Israel gets from incidents such as the flotilla thing earlier this summer. After that I went to sleep because I haven't been getting much sleep at all.
Tuesday Ellery and I went to Park Ha'Yarkon to play in an Ultimate Peace hat tournament. The week leading up to Tuesday had been the Ultimate Peace Camp in Acco so all the coaches from UP were there and a bunch of locals or Americans just in Israel for some time were there as well. Some of the best Ultimate players were there- many of them has just come from Prague from Club Worlds. The tournament was a lot of fun. I haven't played in about 2 months so it was really nice to be able to play again. It was some of the most fun I've had in Israel yet. After that Ellery and I attempted to be presentable because we were going to meet the group to go see a performance of Yentel. Yentel was ok- they had English translations but I was so exhausted from the tournament I could barely stay awake. After the show, some of us went out for a short amount of time.
Wednesday at work Emily went over the grant with me and helped me finish writing it out. We have to have it connect with America in some way so we are connecting it to the civil rights movement- we also got a new intern. After work I went to do some grocery shopping and relaxed and then took a nap before getting ready to go out. Some of the guys from 1st session are still in Israel so a bunch of us met up with them at the beach in Tel Aviv.
Thursday we went to Sderot- which is the largest city next to Gaza. Since 2001 over 12,000 rockets have landed in or around Sderot. Our first stop was the police station where we saw a small collection of all the rockets. The rockets were either painter red/green for Hamas or yellow for Fatah. Our next stop on our trip was this play ground that had a shelter in it, which allowed for children to be able to go to the park and play with the safety of a bomb shelter right there. We also drove around to see the synagogue that was destroyed. The very interesting thing about Sderot is that for the most part the destruction isn't noticeable because they rebuild very fast. All through the tour everywhere we looked there were bomb shelters- most than I have ever seen in my life. Our final stop was an overlook where we could see Gaza from Israel. It was so interesting how the border was just a road- compared to the border with the West Bank. Prior to the bombings, Israeli would freely go into Gaza City to go to the market or just to be there. And we could also see Ashkolon, I city in Israel that supplies most of the power to Gaza. We then went to this volunteer place to get talked to about the Jewish fund- which was extremely boring and then went to paint a wall. It was really strange because we were supposed to paint a white wall white- which made no sense. After that we went to have lunch. We then went to this kibbutz to see how fruit and veggies were produced in the Negev. It was sorta interesting but the Negev was so extremely hot and I hadn't really dressed in clothes that would be cool enough. We got to release carrier pigeons which was extremely cool and then we got to make our own pita. After we headed back to Bat Yam and then got ready to go out. We went out for Avia's birthday in Tel Aviv at a new club.
Friday I woke up early and Marisa and I headed to Haifa to visit Amy and Shani from first session. Started out with us missing our bus, but then we met a solider who was trying to get to Haifa as well and showed us how to get to the train station. The train was much faster than the bus would have been. We then took the bus to the University of Haifa where they are taking Ulpan and then headed to this Druze village near by. The Village was very cool. While it was very touristy it was still interesting to see the Druze culture. They dress very differently than Arabs or Jews. A lot of the men were this white skull cap and the women where a thin white shawl over their head, but besides that their clothing styles vary a lot from person to person. We got lunch there and did a little shopping. After we started the LONG quest to get back to Haifa. We waiting for at least an hour and buses were going to the village but not the other direction, which made no sense because it wasn't that late yet. We had to call Gal to have him get us a cab. We had already missed our bus to Tel Aviv so we needed to get a ride to the shiruts and then get one to Tel Aviv. After we got a cab and headed back to Bat Yam to make dinner. I fell asleep so quickly- I was so tired from not sleeping all week.
There is so much I still want to do and I'm only here for about a week and a half. I still haven't really explored Yaffo, and I just feel like my time is running short. So again- probably no sleep to see people I want to see and do things I still haven't done.
So Sunday Sally and I got up and headed to the Eratz Yisrael Museum to meet up with all the trips. I didn't think that I was going to be staying very long but she wanted me to wait for all the buses to arrive to meet her group and staff. While I was there I saw so many Emtzanicks- so to all parents who kids on USY that I know they all are having a great time. After that I headed to work for the day. After work I went home to nap before going into to Tel Aviv to meet up with Ari for dinner. After dinner I went to find people from my trip to chill in Tel Aviv for the night.
Monday I went to work and I wrote my first grant by myself. That was terrifying for the most part. It's for a grant from the US Consulate for the Magazine. I got about half of what I was supposed to get done because I was so confused and Emily wasn't in the office Monday, so I did some more work on the website. Hopefully by the end of next week we'll have the new website launched- it's much better than the old one. After work I went back to Bat Yam and relaxed before making dinner and then Ellery and I went to walk around Bat Yam looking for a store that sold cleats, which turned into a quest for ANYTHING open. It was Erev Tisha B'Av and so everything closed at 7. After that basically failed quest we went to Ulpan for activities. Gal had some announcements for us about the upcoming week and then after Neil Lazarus came and spoke to us about Israel advocacy and stuff like that bad press Israel gets from incidents such as the flotilla thing earlier this summer. After that I went to sleep because I haven't been getting much sleep at all.
Tuesday Ellery and I went to Park Ha'Yarkon to play in an Ultimate Peace hat tournament. The week leading up to Tuesday had been the Ultimate Peace Camp in Acco so all the coaches from UP were there and a bunch of locals or Americans just in Israel for some time were there as well. Some of the best Ultimate players were there- many of them has just come from Prague from Club Worlds. The tournament was a lot of fun. I haven't played in about 2 months so it was really nice to be able to play again. It was some of the most fun I've had in Israel yet. After that Ellery and I attempted to be presentable because we were going to meet the group to go see a performance of Yentel. Yentel was ok- they had English translations but I was so exhausted from the tournament I could barely stay awake. After the show, some of us went out for a short amount of time.
Wednesday at work Emily went over the grant with me and helped me finish writing it out. We have to have it connect with America in some way so we are connecting it to the civil rights movement- we also got a new intern. After work I went to do some grocery shopping and relaxed and then took a nap before getting ready to go out. Some of the guys from 1st session are still in Israel so a bunch of us met up with them at the beach in Tel Aviv.
Thursday we went to Sderot- which is the largest city next to Gaza. Since 2001 over 12,000 rockets have landed in or around Sderot. Our first stop was the police station where we saw a small collection of all the rockets. The rockets were either painter red/green for Hamas or yellow for Fatah. Our next stop on our trip was this play ground that had a shelter in it, which allowed for children to be able to go to the park and play with the safety of a bomb shelter right there. We also drove around to see the synagogue that was destroyed. The very interesting thing about Sderot is that for the most part the destruction isn't noticeable because they rebuild very fast. All through the tour everywhere we looked there were bomb shelters- most than I have ever seen in my life. Our final stop was an overlook where we could see Gaza from Israel. It was so interesting how the border was just a road- compared to the border with the West Bank. Prior to the bombings, Israeli would freely go into Gaza City to go to the market or just to be there. And we could also see Ashkolon, I city in Israel that supplies most of the power to Gaza. We then went to this volunteer place to get talked to about the Jewish fund- which was extremely boring and then went to paint a wall. It was really strange because we were supposed to paint a white wall white- which made no sense. After that we went to have lunch. We then went to this kibbutz to see how fruit and veggies were produced in the Negev. It was sorta interesting but the Negev was so extremely hot and I hadn't really dressed in clothes that would be cool enough. We got to release carrier pigeons which was extremely cool and then we got to make our own pita. After we headed back to Bat Yam and then got ready to go out. We went out for Avia's birthday in Tel Aviv at a new club.
Friday I woke up early and Marisa and I headed to Haifa to visit Amy and Shani from first session. Started out with us missing our bus, but then we met a solider who was trying to get to Haifa as well and showed us how to get to the train station. The train was much faster than the bus would have been. We then took the bus to the University of Haifa where they are taking Ulpan and then headed to this Druze village near by. The Village was very cool. While it was very touristy it was still interesting to see the Druze culture. They dress very differently than Arabs or Jews. A lot of the men were this white skull cap and the women where a thin white shawl over their head, but besides that their clothing styles vary a lot from person to person. We got lunch there and did a little shopping. After we started the LONG quest to get back to Haifa. We waiting for at least an hour and buses were going to the village but not the other direction, which made no sense because it wasn't that late yet. We had to call Gal to have him get us a cab. We had already missed our bus to Tel Aviv so we needed to get a ride to the shiruts and then get one to Tel Aviv. After we got a cab and headed back to Bat Yam to make dinner. I fell asleep so quickly- I was so tired from not sleeping all week.
There is so much I still want to do and I'm only here for about a week and a half. I still haven't really explored Yaffo, and I just feel like my time is running short. So again- probably no sleep to see people I want to see and do things I still haven't done.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
The North and Sally in Bat Yam
So Wednesday we headed up to the North and the first place we did the hike at Tel Dan, it was fine but it was pretty boring. I had already done the hike before and I wanted to do a little more hiking. We had a very interesting conversation though about peace with Syria and the Golan Heights. Then we went to this cemetery to hear about the people that lived there in the 1920s. After that we went to a place for lunch and then got a tour of Rosh Pina. After we went to the field school where we were going to be staying for the night. Then we relaxed before dinner and after dinner we had some activities with the scouts.
The next day we got up and went to this kibbutz to go blueberry picking. They tasted so good and it was so fun to be able to pick our own and then eat them right a way. I felt like I was part of the book Blueberries for Sal or that other book (I cant remember the name.) After that we went to this brewery for lunch- I didn't like any of the beer though. We then went to this place called Madgrase stream, which was a complete water hike. It was pretty nice but it was slippery because they stream had mostly rocks at the bottom. After that we went to the Kinerret cemetery to see some famous peoples graves. After we headed back to Bat Yam. At the rest stop I saw Maya Richman and she was headed to her home stay. While we were in the North it was one of the girls on my trips birthday so once we got back to Bat Yam most of us headed to Tel Aviv for the night to celebrate.
Friday I woke up early and grabbed a cab to go pick up Sally in Ramat Aviv. After we went back to Bat Yam and did some grocery shopping for the weekend with my apartment-mates. Then we grabbed a cab to head into Tel Aviv. We spent the day walking around near Shook haCarmel. Sally got a hair wrap and a dress and I got some clothes and spices for the apartment. When we were getting the hairwrap for Sally, I noticed my cell phone was missing. I had left it in the cab but thankfully the cab driver picked it up and he was able to get it back to me. After we met up with Jamie, Marisa, Avia, Ellery, and Gali at the mall. We just sat there basking in the air conditioning and then went to walk around a little more. We walked to the beach and sat at a cafe watching the sun set and then we went to get dinner at this place called King George. After that Sally and I went back to Bat Yam. I hadn't gotten much sleep yet so I was so happy to be able to get sleep Friday night.
Saturday we slept in and then went to the beach for the day. It was wicked hot but amazing to be able to just lay in the sun and occasionally go into the water. Jellyfish season is basically over so I was less hesitant to go in the water. After we went back to the apartment to just relax. After we met up with Ellery and Marisa at the supermarket to get food for dinner and then cooked it at their apartment. After we chilled there for a bit and then went back to my apartment so Sally could pack her stuff for tomorrow.
The next day we got up and went to this kibbutz to go blueberry picking. They tasted so good and it was so fun to be able to pick our own and then eat them right a way. I felt like I was part of the book Blueberries for Sal or that other book (I cant remember the name.) After that we went to this brewery for lunch- I didn't like any of the beer though. We then went to this place called Madgrase stream, which was a complete water hike. It was pretty nice but it was slippery because they stream had mostly rocks at the bottom. After that we went to the Kinerret cemetery to see some famous peoples graves. After we headed back to Bat Yam. At the rest stop I saw Maya Richman and she was headed to her home stay. While we were in the North it was one of the girls on my trips birthday so once we got back to Bat Yam most of us headed to Tel Aviv for the night to celebrate.
Friday I woke up early and grabbed a cab to go pick up Sally in Ramat Aviv. After we went back to Bat Yam and did some grocery shopping for the weekend with my apartment-mates. Then we grabbed a cab to head into Tel Aviv. We spent the day walking around near Shook haCarmel. Sally got a hair wrap and a dress and I got some clothes and spices for the apartment. When we were getting the hairwrap for Sally, I noticed my cell phone was missing. I had left it in the cab but thankfully the cab driver picked it up and he was able to get it back to me. After we met up with Jamie, Marisa, Avia, Ellery, and Gali at the mall. We just sat there basking in the air conditioning and then went to walk around a little more. We walked to the beach and sat at a cafe watching the sun set and then we went to get dinner at this place called King George. After that Sally and I went back to Bat Yam. I hadn't gotten much sleep yet so I was so happy to be able to get sleep Friday night.
Saturday we slept in and then went to the beach for the day. It was wicked hot but amazing to be able to just lay in the sun and occasionally go into the water. Jellyfish season is basically over so I was less hesitant to go in the water. After we went back to the apartment to just relax. After we met up with Ellery and Marisa at the supermarket to get food for dinner and then cooked it at their apartment. After we chilled there for a bit and then went back to my apartment so Sally could pack her stuff for tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
first 2 days of second session
So the first 2 days have been very uneventful. Monday I went to work, and came back to meet my new apartmentmates. They are Gillian from Georia, and Annie and Sara both from Ohio. They all knew eachother beforehand. Then we met up with everyone that had already arrived at the mall for lunch. After wards we got some groceries then went back to the apartment to chill and unpack. Later we walked to ulpan to meet the whole group for dinner, rules, and icebreakers. I went with some people to a park to just relax after the meeting. Everyone was so jet lagged and tired. The group is about 10 people bigger and most people are a lot older- around 21/22 is probably the average age of this group.
Today I went to work, but left early because I wasn't feeling the best. I got home and took a nap, then got my laundry and just relaxed before the rest of my roommates came back. They had orientation stuff all day that I didn't have to do because I did it last month. Charlotte, Toby, and Simone came over for dinner and we chilled a little. And then I packed for the trip to the North tomorrow.
Sorry for the boring post- nothing super exciting going on currently.
I'll update when I get back from the North
Today I went to work, but left early because I wasn't feeling the best. I got home and took a nap, then got my laundry and just relaxed before the rest of my roommates came back. They had orientation stuff all day that I didn't have to do because I did it last month. Charlotte, Toby, and Simone came over for dinner and we chilled a little. And then I packed for the trip to the North tomorrow.
Sorry for the boring post- nothing super exciting going on currently.
I'll update when I get back from the North
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Jordan- Petra/Wadi Rum
I'm really hoping to not forget anything from the weekend, so this post hopefully will be extremely long.
So after we got our apartments reviewed, Marisa, Adam, and I headed to the Central Bus station in Tel Aviv. I was kinda grumpy in the morning and didn't listen to Marisa about what bus we should take... so we took the 46, which is extremely slow. Eventually I was like we need to get off this bus and take a taxi, so we did and made it in time. Though we almost missed the bus because I needed to get food for the ride. We made the bus though and then were on our way to Eilat. We got in around 4ish and were so exhausted that as soon as we got to our hostel we passed out. Charlotte and Becca got in around 7 and then we went to get money for Jordan and then went near the water to get dinner. We went to this place called Boston, Mass... I felt right at home :). Then we hung out at the beach for a little just looking out at the water and talking. Then we went back and went to sleep because we were getting picked up around 7am Friday morning to leave for Jordan.
Friday morning we got picked up in the open air jeep to take us to the border- it was a little odd that we were driving around the streets of Eilat not in a normal car. Once we got to the border we had to wait until 8am for the border to open for the day. After we went through customs and walked across to Jordan. It was so cool to be able to just walk right across to another country. We met up with our tour guide and all headed to Petra. The view on the way there was so beautiful. The landscape in Jordan is a lot like the landscape in Israel, desert in the south and less so in the north. When we got to Petra, we basically just walked through stopping about every 5-10 min to get an explaination of it. It's crazy to think that Petra used to be such a vibrant city during the Roman Empire. One of the ladies on our tour was 78 and she was talking about how she had to go now because she wouldn't be able to walk through it later in life due to her age. It made me think of Grandma Dottie- she didn't look that old, and Grandma it seems like something you would love. The most exivated place is the treasury, which our tour guide made us turn around before we got our first glimpse of it. After we got a little past the treasury the 1 day tour people turned around and our tour guide took us another kilometer to where we were having lunch. It was really good- a lot like Israeli food; meats and salads and of course watermelon. While I was there I ran into Daniel Chiat, a guy from home who used to work at Herzl when I was a camper there way back when. After lunch we walked back to the start of Petra and took lots of pictures on the way. It was so cool walking through one of the wonders of the world. After we got out we had to get to where our stuff was left earlier. We didn't really know where to go though- so we asked the tourist police and they just kept saying that way, get a cab. Instead we walked and when we turned the corner it was less than a block away. We then got a cab to the Bedouin tents where we were staying for the night. The roads were so curvey and up and down I felt like I was on a roller coaster, which for those who know me well... know I hate roller coasters with a passion and the whole ride there I felt pretty nauseous. Besides the 5 of us there was this Jewish Flemish couple who was staying at the tents with us. The tents weren't like they were when I stayed in ones in Israel. Here there were 2 beds in a room, and so we made one of them a room of 3 so no one had to sleep alone. After we got situated, one of the Bedouins took us on a short walk to see some extremely ancient carvings. After that we went and had dinner which was extremely tastey. I went exploring by myself after that just to star gaze and think a little. There are so many stars out there. I then walked back and as I was going over there one of the Bedouins was walking looking for me. Though I had only gone about 5 min from camp. After that Marisa, Adam, and I went with 2 of the Bedouins to climb a sand dune and star gaze. It was amazing and so relaxing. I saw at least 6 shooting stars. The whole time we were there they tried to teach us Arabic, because they spoke VERY little English. Communication was pretty difficult while in Jordan. After we star gazed we all rolled down the sand dunes. It was so much fun- I felt like I was little again and so care free. I have never felt as relaxed, calm, and at peace as I did that night just looking at the stars. After we went back and got tea. We were served more tea in our time at the Bedouin tents than I have drank this whole time in Isarel and I drink A LOT of tea.
The next morning we got up, had breakfast and then our driver picked us up to take us to Wadi Rum nature preserve. It was about a 2 hour drive. Once we got there the 7 of us got into a 4x4 open air jeep to head into the desert. Our first stop was a rocky ridge that we were supposed to climb and at the top was a stream where most of their water comes from. I only made it about half way up because of my fear of heights, so Charlotte went back with me and we sat in a tent just relaxing. It was so hot out though. Our next stop was a sand dune. We climbed and then just looked at the amazingness surrounding us. The colors in Wadi Rum are mindblowing. The sand changes colors so quickly from greys to oranges to reds and browns. The sand was really hot and burned our feet as we went back down, and we all basically had the desert chillen in our shoes afterwards. Our next stop was a picnic lunch, that has rice with potatoes and veggies, some of the best chicken I've ever had, salad, and flat bread. It was so good and after most of us fell asleep for a bit. We then went to this place that I think was kinda excavated, I wasn't exactly sure. Our driver basically went places and then said go explore, so we weren't really sure what we were looking at, but it was really cool none the less. Our last stop was a natural bridge and a few people went to climb up it, but Adam, Becca, and I stayed back due to the heights. We went back to the visitor center to get water and our driver got us some ice cream as well. Then was the long drive back to Aqaba to get a short tour of the city. After we got back across the border we got a ride to the central bus station. We changed our tickets so we got an earlier bus ride back and then headed to get some food. Even though it's Eilat not much was open because it was Shabbat. After some Burger Ranch we got on the bus and headed back.
It was so nice to get bcak to our apartments in Bat Yam. I was so exhausted but wound up at the same time from all the excitment of the weekend.
Today I went to work a little late so I could sleep in and get some laundry dealt with, and after work I'm going to meet up with Marisa for dinner and then we are going to watch the Holland v Spain soccer game. After tonight, I'm DONE with watching soccer!! Sorry for all you huge soccer fans our there (dad).
Tomorrow the new group arrives, so I'll have some new posts up probably Tuesday before we go on the beginning trip hike.
Sorry for the simplicity- but I could talk about this weekend for ages. And if you ever get the chance GO TO JORDAN! It's the safest of the Arab countries and so amazing. I hope I get the chance to go back sometime in the future to see more of the country.
So after we got our apartments reviewed, Marisa, Adam, and I headed to the Central Bus station in Tel Aviv. I was kinda grumpy in the morning and didn't listen to Marisa about what bus we should take... so we took the 46, which is extremely slow. Eventually I was like we need to get off this bus and take a taxi, so we did and made it in time. Though we almost missed the bus because I needed to get food for the ride. We made the bus though and then were on our way to Eilat. We got in around 4ish and were so exhausted that as soon as we got to our hostel we passed out. Charlotte and Becca got in around 7 and then we went to get money for Jordan and then went near the water to get dinner. We went to this place called Boston, Mass... I felt right at home :). Then we hung out at the beach for a little just looking out at the water and talking. Then we went back and went to sleep because we were getting picked up around 7am Friday morning to leave for Jordan.
Friday morning we got picked up in the open air jeep to take us to the border- it was a little odd that we were driving around the streets of Eilat not in a normal car. Once we got to the border we had to wait until 8am for the border to open for the day. After we went through customs and walked across to Jordan. It was so cool to be able to just walk right across to another country. We met up with our tour guide and all headed to Petra. The view on the way there was so beautiful. The landscape in Jordan is a lot like the landscape in Israel, desert in the south and less so in the north. When we got to Petra, we basically just walked through stopping about every 5-10 min to get an explaination of it. It's crazy to think that Petra used to be such a vibrant city during the Roman Empire. One of the ladies on our tour was 78 and she was talking about how she had to go now because she wouldn't be able to walk through it later in life due to her age. It made me think of Grandma Dottie- she didn't look that old, and Grandma it seems like something you would love. The most exivated place is the treasury, which our tour guide made us turn around before we got our first glimpse of it. After we got a little past the treasury the 1 day tour people turned around and our tour guide took us another kilometer to where we were having lunch. It was really good- a lot like Israeli food; meats and salads and of course watermelon. While I was there I ran into Daniel Chiat, a guy from home who used to work at Herzl when I was a camper there way back when. After lunch we walked back to the start of Petra and took lots of pictures on the way. It was so cool walking through one of the wonders of the world. After we got out we had to get to where our stuff was left earlier. We didn't really know where to go though- so we asked the tourist police and they just kept saying that way, get a cab. Instead we walked and when we turned the corner it was less than a block away. We then got a cab to the Bedouin tents where we were staying for the night. The roads were so curvey and up and down I felt like I was on a roller coaster, which for those who know me well... know I hate roller coasters with a passion and the whole ride there I felt pretty nauseous. Besides the 5 of us there was this Jewish Flemish couple who was staying at the tents with us. The tents weren't like they were when I stayed in ones in Israel. Here there were 2 beds in a room, and so we made one of them a room of 3 so no one had to sleep alone. After we got situated, one of the Bedouins took us on a short walk to see some extremely ancient carvings. After that we went and had dinner which was extremely tastey. I went exploring by myself after that just to star gaze and think a little. There are so many stars out there. I then walked back and as I was going over there one of the Bedouins was walking looking for me. Though I had only gone about 5 min from camp. After that Marisa, Adam, and I went with 2 of the Bedouins to climb a sand dune and star gaze. It was amazing and so relaxing. I saw at least 6 shooting stars. The whole time we were there they tried to teach us Arabic, because they spoke VERY little English. Communication was pretty difficult while in Jordan. After we star gazed we all rolled down the sand dunes. It was so much fun- I felt like I was little again and so care free. I have never felt as relaxed, calm, and at peace as I did that night just looking at the stars. After we went back and got tea. We were served more tea in our time at the Bedouin tents than I have drank this whole time in Isarel and I drink A LOT of tea.
The next morning we got up, had breakfast and then our driver picked us up to take us to Wadi Rum nature preserve. It was about a 2 hour drive. Once we got there the 7 of us got into a 4x4 open air jeep to head into the desert. Our first stop was a rocky ridge that we were supposed to climb and at the top was a stream where most of their water comes from. I only made it about half way up because of my fear of heights, so Charlotte went back with me and we sat in a tent just relaxing. It was so hot out though. Our next stop was a sand dune. We climbed and then just looked at the amazingness surrounding us. The colors in Wadi Rum are mindblowing. The sand changes colors so quickly from greys to oranges to reds and browns. The sand was really hot and burned our feet as we went back down, and we all basically had the desert chillen in our shoes afterwards. Our next stop was a picnic lunch, that has rice with potatoes and veggies, some of the best chicken I've ever had, salad, and flat bread. It was so good and after most of us fell asleep for a bit. We then went to this place that I think was kinda excavated, I wasn't exactly sure. Our driver basically went places and then said go explore, so we weren't really sure what we were looking at, but it was really cool none the less. Our last stop was a natural bridge and a few people went to climb up it, but Adam, Becca, and I stayed back due to the heights. We went back to the visitor center to get water and our driver got us some ice cream as well. Then was the long drive back to Aqaba to get a short tour of the city. After we got back across the border we got a ride to the central bus station. We changed our tickets so we got an earlier bus ride back and then headed to get some food. Even though it's Eilat not much was open because it was Shabbat. After some Burger Ranch we got on the bus and headed back.
It was so nice to get bcak to our apartments in Bat Yam. I was so exhausted but wound up at the same time from all the excitment of the weekend.
Today I went to work a little late so I could sleep in and get some laundry dealt with, and after work I'm going to meet up with Marisa for dinner and then we are going to watch the Holland v Spain soccer game. After tonight, I'm DONE with watching soccer!! Sorry for all you huge soccer fans our there (dad).
Tomorrow the new group arrives, so I'll have some new posts up probably Tuesday before we go on the beginning trip hike.
Sorry for the simplicity- but I could talk about this weekend for ages. And if you ever get the chance GO TO JORDAN! It's the safest of the Arab countries and so amazing. I hope I get the chance to go back sometime in the future to see more of the country.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Ein Gedi- last day of first session
So today we left Bat Yam at 6:30 am. It was so early, but we had to because the march for Gilad Shalit was going to be blocking off our route. So we left and picked up the Jerusalem group and then headed to Ein Gedi. It was wicked hot out when we started our hike and it was only about 9 or 10 in the morning. Most of the hike consisted of walking through streams which felt awesome. That was the first and probably the only time that I will be okay with walking with wet sneakers. Our stopping place was a pool of water with a water fall. It was so amazing to see and beyond refreshing to go in the water. We then hiked back a way that wasn't in water, but was extremely high up and pretty scary. After the hike we went to the Dead Sea for lunch and well dead sea activities. I wasn't too interested in going into the water or getting the mud because I was dehydrated like normal and didn't feel the best. I wish I didn't need so much water. I had had over 3 liters of water and still felt awful! We then went back to Bat Yam and we all started to pack. Then we met as a group to a summary and review of the trip and had falafel for dinner. It's very strange having it be the last day of the trip. Tomorrow me and some people are going to Eilat and Jordan and then session two starts on Monday.
I'll update this either Sunday or Monday, so keep posted and stay cool!
I'll update this either Sunday or Monday, so keep posted and stay cool!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
4th of July, 5th of July, and 6th of July
So on the 4th of July I went to work- which was a little odd for me because at home it's vacation, but here it's just any other day. So after work I took a little nap, and then Eric came over and we cooked dinner. When he arrived, so did both of his apartment mates Jordan and Joel... in their towels. The water wasn't working in their apartments so they walked across the street in their towels to shower here. Joel was in for a little surprise a few seconds after he got into the shower... we didn't have water either. So Eric and I had to improvise a little with dinner but we made it work. After Eric, Amy, and I met at the bus stop to head to Tel Aviv. There we were meeting up with Shay, Marisa, Rachel Davis, Ari Orenstein, Emily (who I work with), and her bf at Mike's Place- which is an American bar. Probably the only place in the whole country the cared about the 4th of July. It was pretty fun, a band played some American music and we all just hung out. After Rachel, Eric, Ari, Emily, Yair, and I went to the beach to just hang out and wish there were fireworks. We then got gelatto and then everyone went home.
Yesterday was relatively boring. I went to work, walked around a little in Tel Aviv. I'm trying to find a comfy pair of going out shoes, but no one really speaks enough English to really help me. It's frustrating. I then got a hair wrap. It's pretty cool and will last about 3 months. After I met up with Rachel and Eric and we went to this secular Torah study. Personally I wasn't a fan, but others liked it. Then Eric, Rachel, and I went to Japanika for dinner- sushi is amazing in Israel. Afterwards I went back to Bat Yam and they went to the beach. I went to Marisa's apt to plan our trip to Jordan. We got it all figured out which is awesome. We are going on the Desert Eco Tours and doing a 2 day 1 night. One day in Petra, one in Wadi Rum, and the overnight is with Bedouin hospitality.
Today was also pretty uneventful. I went to work. For lunch I met up with Shelly who worked in the art center at Chi last summer- she works about 2 blocks from where I do so that was nice to see her. After work I came home and did a little more work because I dont have a key and everyone left early. Then we had a meeting about the last 2 days. After Rachel and I went to the supermarket to buy food for dinner and for lunch tomorrow. We're now going to go meet Ari at the beach in Tel Aviv to just hang out.
I'll post before I leave for Jordan. Feel free to comment with any questions or what not about previous or this current post.
Yesterday was relatively boring. I went to work, walked around a little in Tel Aviv. I'm trying to find a comfy pair of going out shoes, but no one really speaks enough English to really help me. It's frustrating. I then got a hair wrap. It's pretty cool and will last about 3 months. After I met up with Rachel and Eric and we went to this secular Torah study. Personally I wasn't a fan, but others liked it. Then Eric, Rachel, and I went to Japanika for dinner- sushi is amazing in Israel. Afterwards I went back to Bat Yam and they went to the beach. I went to Marisa's apt to plan our trip to Jordan. We got it all figured out which is awesome. We are going on the Desert Eco Tours and doing a 2 day 1 night. One day in Petra, one in Wadi Rum, and the overnight is with Bedouin hospitality.
Today was also pretty uneventful. I went to work. For lunch I met up with Shelly who worked in the art center at Chi last summer- she works about 2 blocks from where I do so that was nice to see her. After work I came home and did a little more work because I dont have a key and everyone left early. Then we had a meeting about the last 2 days. After Rachel and I went to the supermarket to buy food for dinner and for lunch tomorrow. We're now going to go meet Ari at the beach in Tel Aviv to just hang out.
I'll post before I leave for Jordan. Feel free to comment with any questions or what not about previous or this current post.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Hebron, White Night, and Jlem
So Thursday July 1st, we went to the West Bank to go to Hebron. When we got to the West Bank it didn't really seem like much had changed from Israel- except for the wall. In some places the wall is a wall and in most places the wall is just a fence. I'm not sure if I had ever seen that much barbed wired as I did Thursday. We toured H2- we weren't allowed in H1 which is ruled by the PA. While most of us technically could, no one that is an Israeli citizen can. H2, looked basically like a ghost town. So many people have left there. Our first tour in Hebron was called Breaking the Silence. They are soldiers that are radical lefties and did not like what they were seeing while they were in the army. Here is a link for their website http://www.shovrimshtika.org/index_e.asp. It was very interesting to see it from their point of view. We ended the Breaking the Silence tour at the boarder between H1 and H2 and we were allowed to go near the gate and take pictures. The difference was beyond ridiculous. I saw cabs, shops open, people walking around, trees- it seemed like a completely different country. After the Breaking the Silence tour we had lunch and then met with a Jewish representative from the Hebron community. We went to the tomb/temple whatever it's called of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs. The building was pretty but thats all I really thought about it. We then went to this building owned by Hadassah, which used to be a hospital prior to the Hebron massacre Arabs and Jews both used it before then. After we met with the spokesmen for the Hebron Jewish community. He basically just answered questions we had- dancing around most of the true answers. Both the Jews were radical righties. Then we took the bus back to Jlem/Bat Yam.
That night was an "event" called White Night or Lila Lavan in Hebrew. White night is basically one big Tel Aviv wide party. There were things going on everywhere- all over the city. We took the bus in, got off around Shook haCarmel and then got dinner. After we started to walk to the Namal (Tel Aviv port). It was a really long walk, so some of us ended up taking a cab. We got to the Namal and waited around for the two that had walked. We ran into some more Amirim people while waiting. We were trying to get over the bridge to get to the power station for a concert/rave thing but it was full so they weren't letting people over. We walked around for a little trying to figure out what to do and then eventually was able to get over the bridge. We pushed our way through the crowd to get to the very front, one more song played and then that show was over. Some techno DJ played after though. We stayed for a bit and then started to head home. A usual 45ish min bus ride/20ish min taxi ride took 2 and a half hours. First we sat on a bus for 45 min before it left, then we thought we were on the wrong one, tried to get a cab unsuccessfully, and then got on another bus and sat in traffic. While White night was fun, I wish we had had some list of all events going on, because we walked around for most of the night aimlessly for the most part.
Friday we slept in and then decided to go to the beach for a bit, though we never ended up making it to the beach because we ate lunch instead. Then Rachel and I headed to Jlem with some people from the Jlem group. A kid threw up on the bus, which was extremely gross but we all made it to Jerusalem in one piece. Once we got there we relaxed for a bit and got ready for Shabbat. Rachel and I went with this girl Lani from Milwaukee to her family friends for Shabbat. We first went to services and then went to their house for dinner. It was really relaxing. I got so much sleep that night. Saturday we went to the Kotel and the Arab Shook. I bought so much at the shook. We then went back to the Jlem amirim place to relax. I went to Waffle bar with Yelana, Robbie, and Ian for dinner. It was so good. Then went to Ben Yehuda street for the night. The weekend overall was a lot of fun.
Sorry for the delay, but I will catch up with this hopefully tomorrow.
לילא תוב
That night was an "event" called White Night or Lila Lavan in Hebrew. White night is basically one big Tel Aviv wide party. There were things going on everywhere- all over the city. We took the bus in, got off around Shook haCarmel and then got dinner. After we started to walk to the Namal (Tel Aviv port). It was a really long walk, so some of us ended up taking a cab. We got to the Namal and waited around for the two that had walked. We ran into some more Amirim people while waiting. We were trying to get over the bridge to get to the power station for a concert/rave thing but it was full so they weren't letting people over. We walked around for a little trying to figure out what to do and then eventually was able to get over the bridge. We pushed our way through the crowd to get to the very front, one more song played and then that show was over. Some techno DJ played after though. We stayed for a bit and then started to head home. A usual 45ish min bus ride/20ish min taxi ride took 2 and a half hours. First we sat on a bus for 45 min before it left, then we thought we were on the wrong one, tried to get a cab unsuccessfully, and then got on another bus and sat in traffic. While White night was fun, I wish we had had some list of all events going on, because we walked around for most of the night aimlessly for the most part.
Friday we slept in and then decided to go to the beach for a bit, though we never ended up making it to the beach because we ate lunch instead. Then Rachel and I headed to Jlem with some people from the Jlem group. A kid threw up on the bus, which was extremely gross but we all made it to Jerusalem in one piece. Once we got there we relaxed for a bit and got ready for Shabbat. Rachel and I went with this girl Lani from Milwaukee to her family friends for Shabbat. We first went to services and then went to their house for dinner. It was really relaxing. I got so much sleep that night. Saturday we went to the Kotel and the Arab Shook. I bought so much at the shook. We then went back to the Jlem amirim place to relax. I went to Waffle bar with Yelana, Robbie, and Ian for dinner. It was so good. Then went to Ben Yehuda street for the night. The weekend overall was a lot of fun.
Sorry for the delay, but I will catch up with this hopefully tomorrow.
לילא תוב
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