Hello hello,
All is well with me. I had a new roommate for about two days last week (she decided to leave the program early). So, I'm back to having my own room and enjoying it.
Important website to note: http://destinationisrael.com/
When at that website--the bar on the top of the page has two things worth noting.
1) Calendar: if you click this, you'll get to a list of programs. The one I'm on is referred to as "Oranim 22, Community Involvement, Kibbutz Yehiam".
This calender is being updated constantly but can give you and idea about what my group is upto.
2) Photos: you can also access this site by going to http://www.flickr.com/photos/israelservicecorps/collections/
Click on Community Involvement.
Then look for any album with "Oranim 22, Kibbutz Yehiam"
there are many albums, all taken by yours truely...only the first album, pictures from our arrival on the kibbutz were not taken by me. i'm hoping to add captions to the photographs, but that could be another week before i actually get around to it.
Oh, something exciting not on that group calender is my upcoming trip to SPAIN! I'll be meeting my dad & cindy there on christmas, to spend about five days exploring Barcelona. I'm very excited and, if anyone has been, please give me tips on good places to eat and see.
Thanksgiving day we didn't do anything. However, the next day, Friday, was the group's thanksgiving. I decided not to take part, as I already had an invitation to my host family's house for dinner and choose to go there instead. I stopped by their thanksgiving dinner at the end, the food looked very traditional and everyone seemed to be having a great time. (I wasn't the only one who didn't go.)
I had a very nice afternoon off the kibbutz today, in Naharyia. I got money out of the atm, ate a decent falafel (it was great at the time cause i was so hungry and looking forward to it, but i won't go back to that particular stand again), then we walked around for a while. i bought a 6 in 1 game set thing for about $3 which i'm very happy to have found. it includes chess and baggammon. we also went to the grocery store. oh and i went into my usual two bakeries, bakery #1 for potato pastries/patties and to get some with mushrooms inside. then i go to bakery #2 to buy donuts.
actually bakery #1 has the better donut, but the bakery #2 has more interesting ones with chocolate and coconut and nuts on top, so i keep buying different kinds there anyway.
so that's that. with the cold weather, i've noticed an increase of daddy long legs bugs around my place. the dont bother me since they are on the ceiling or high on the walls. i've seen a few of those centipede's since my horrible bed incident, but they have been little and are always found by the door. (now i either kill them or sweep them out)
unfortunately, i've been waking up in the middle of the night, startled, thinking i felt a bug on me. there is a reading light above each bed, so i turn it on, check for bugs, and seem to fall back asleep immediately.
anyway, that's that. on wednesday we have two lectures. the first, not really a lecture, is a woman from MASA. MASA is the organization funding my grant to be here and works closely with Oranim to run the program. the second lecture, will be about politics in israel. this will be run by Offer, a man who works for Oranim and has lectured for us in the past.
thursday, we have a trip to Acco and a village. it should be interesting and i'll be sure to take lots of pictures.
anyway, it's nearly 1am. i am still volunteering on the kibbutz at the afterschool center, so thankfully i don't start until mid-day. i really like it and find that my hebrew and interactions with the children seem to be improving. i've recently discussed options to volunteer elsewhere, but i will continue working where i am (at least through december). i enjoy the people and kids i work with, and i am a useful extra set of hands when dealing with the kids, serving lunch, creating and preparing activites, etc.
don't forget to check the website and see pictures of everything or the calender of our trips & lectures.
hope everyone had a happy thanksgiving and all is well stateside.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
eight weeks into the program...
i think i still have more to write about Eilat...that will become a separate post later.
last week::
monday: we had an israeli food event, ran by our program coordinator, Oshra. we made fresh-squeezed orange juice, falafel, tahini, spruced up some hummus with oil and paprika, israeli salad (which is mostly tomatoes and cucumber, with mint and other things), fruit salad, whipped cream and i think that's it?
it was delicious. unfortunately none of us really remember what ingredients we used and the recipies, but we're hoping to get copies soon.
wednesday: took a day trip to Haifa. we went there to go to the Bahaii Gardens. we had a great, long, lunch then went to the gardens. unfortunately, we'd missed the tour and were only allowed to go to a small portion of the gardens. it was still a nice day trip and through the program, we already have a trip to the gardens planned. we went because some of the people leave today for the states, and they hadn't been yet.
thursday: our group and the group in gaton (including the girl i know from home) went on a hike to klil--lead by our program. it was only about a two mile hike, down into a valley, but given our stop to make tea, eat snacks, talk about different plants and places, it took about four hours. it was a really nice hike.
i spent last weekend trying to upload photos to the Oranim website. no such luck. the internet was horrible, it was slow uploading and would cut-out at times. anyway, i'm gonna send my pictures (via disk with my program coordinator) to the Oranim main office, for someone there to upload. so i'll be sure to keep everyone posted.
yesterday, i went into Naharyia (the nearby city) to get bagel toast with some friends. Bagel Toast is like a panini sandwich---I had mine with cream cheese, mushrooms, peppers, tomato, cucumber, pesto...it was delicious. then we just walked around the city, i also bought some delicious patties and pastries from a bakery.
today, my roommate and the four other people who joined our group recently after living in Ramle, are leaving for the states. we're supposed to be getting two new people, one girl (to be my new roommate) and a boy. they should be arriving sometime tonight. i don't know anything about them.
okay, time to go back to work. on mondays i start later because the kids get out of school later (i don't know why....they just do).
thanks to everyone that posts comments. i'll try to update more soon.
last week::
monday: we had an israeli food event, ran by our program coordinator, Oshra. we made fresh-squeezed orange juice, falafel, tahini, spruced up some hummus with oil and paprika, israeli salad (which is mostly tomatoes and cucumber, with mint and other things), fruit salad, whipped cream and i think that's it?
it was delicious. unfortunately none of us really remember what ingredients we used and the recipies, but we're hoping to get copies soon.
wednesday: took a day trip to Haifa. we went there to go to the Bahaii Gardens. we had a great, long, lunch then went to the gardens. unfortunately, we'd missed the tour and were only allowed to go to a small portion of the gardens. it was still a nice day trip and through the program, we already have a trip to the gardens planned. we went because some of the people leave today for the states, and they hadn't been yet.
thursday: our group and the group in gaton (including the girl i know from home) went on a hike to klil--lead by our program. it was only about a two mile hike, down into a valley, but given our stop to make tea, eat snacks, talk about different plants and places, it took about four hours. it was a really nice hike.
i spent last weekend trying to upload photos to the Oranim website. no such luck. the internet was horrible, it was slow uploading and would cut-out at times. anyway, i'm gonna send my pictures (via disk with my program coordinator) to the Oranim main office, for someone there to upload. so i'll be sure to keep everyone posted.
yesterday, i went into Naharyia (the nearby city) to get bagel toast with some friends. Bagel Toast is like a panini sandwich---I had mine with cream cheese, mushrooms, peppers, tomato, cucumber, pesto...it was delicious. then we just walked around the city, i also bought some delicious patties and pastries from a bakery.
today, my roommate and the four other people who joined our group recently after living in Ramle, are leaving for the states. we're supposed to be getting two new people, one girl (to be my new roommate) and a boy. they should be arriving sometime tonight. i don't know anything about them.
okay, time to go back to work. on mondays i start later because the kids get out of school later (i don't know why....they just do).
thanks to everyone that posts comments. i'll try to update more soon.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
bed bug.
I will give a proper Eilat/daily life update soon. In the meantime, I've attempted to respond to some questions/comments I've received and tell you about last night's horrible bedfellow.
Eilat is a large city located at the most southern point of Israel. Egypt and Jordan can be seen from Eilat. It was a fun, but short, weekend--full of some amazing hikes. I'm still working out the kinks in my volunteering. I also don't think I'm being utilized to the best of my abilities. I'm finding that in order to be better utilized I really need to just tell them where I want to volunteer...so I'm seeing if there are any 'new' opportunities before, or if, I decide to head back to the high school (where I seemed to be of better use). Meanwhile, my Hebrew is thankfully improving--but I still have a long way to go. I feel healthy and well. The cold and rainy weather has started again. This is already, and continues to be predicted as, a horrible Israeli winter.
Only other news to report is of my the centipede that was in my bed last night. Shortly after getting into bed I felt something crawling on me. I hesitated for a few seconds thinking it maybe was my hair or blanket brushing against me, but soon jumped up, turned on the light, and found that there had been a centipede crawling on me. Needless to say I was completely grossed out and creeped out, so I called for reinforcements. By the way, this centipede was five-six inches. My roommate and an Israeli friend from the Kibbutz came to my rescue. We tore apart my bedding and looked everywhere, which isn't very much considering my room is extremely clean and organized (and small). I'm sure we spent about 45 minutes looking and not finding the centipede--I was starting to look foolish, the little girl who cried spider. As I finally decided to give up and go to bed, I took my sweatshirt off of the radiator--which was previously laying on my bed--and shook it out. Sure enough the centipede flew from the sweatshirt onto the floor.
Our friend from the Kibbutz says it is called a Nadal and, noticing the yellow on it's back, warned me this kind is poisonous. (They took it outside and killed it.) Tonight at dinner with my host family I asked them about the Nadal. Orr, the dad, said that the poisonous ones around here aren't nearly as poisonous as those located in southern Israel (don't ask me why). He said that you would know if you got bit, it would hurt, and upon protocol you'd want to go to the hospital. He said that basically it'd hurt but the poison could affect your heart and put you at risk for a stroke (thus the necessity to go to the hospital).
So anyway, that was disgusting. Just to reiterate, I am fine and was definitely not bit. The consensus is that it probably crawled in while our front door was open. (That or the little baby centipede I saw crawling around inside a few weeks ago grew into the five inch monstrosity that I saw.) Nobody thinks there are more in my place/bedroom.
That's all for now. Time for me to go to bed.
Eilat is a large city located at the most southern point of Israel. Egypt and Jordan can be seen from Eilat. It was a fun, but short, weekend--full of some amazing hikes. I'm still working out the kinks in my volunteering. I also don't think I'm being utilized to the best of my abilities. I'm finding that in order to be better utilized I really need to just tell them where I want to volunteer...so I'm seeing if there are any 'new' opportunities before, or if, I decide to head back to the high school (where I seemed to be of better use). Meanwhile, my Hebrew is thankfully improving--but I still have a long way to go. I feel healthy and well. The cold and rainy weather has started again. This is already, and continues to be predicted as, a horrible Israeli winter.
Only other news to report is of my the centipede that was in my bed last night. Shortly after getting into bed I felt something crawling on me. I hesitated for a few seconds thinking it maybe was my hair or blanket brushing against me, but soon jumped up, turned on the light, and found that there had been a centipede crawling on me. Needless to say I was completely grossed out and creeped out, so I called for reinforcements. By the way, this centipede was five-six inches. My roommate and an Israeli friend from the Kibbutz came to my rescue. We tore apart my bedding and looked everywhere, which isn't very much considering my room is extremely clean and organized (and small). I'm sure we spent about 45 minutes looking and not finding the centipede--I was starting to look foolish, the little girl who cried spider. As I finally decided to give up and go to bed, I took my sweatshirt off of the radiator--which was previously laying on my bed--and shook it out. Sure enough the centipede flew from the sweatshirt onto the floor.
Our friend from the Kibbutz says it is called a Nadal and, noticing the yellow on it's back, warned me this kind is poisonous. (They took it outside and killed it.) Tonight at dinner with my host family I asked them about the Nadal. Orr, the dad, said that the poisonous ones around here aren't nearly as poisonous as those located in southern Israel (don't ask me why). He said that you would know if you got bit, it would hurt, and upon protocol you'd want to go to the hospital. He said that basically it'd hurt but the poison could affect your heart and put you at risk for a stroke (thus the necessity to go to the hospital).
So anyway, that was disgusting. Just to reiterate, I am fine and was definitely not bit. The consensus is that it probably crawled in while our front door was open. (That or the little baby centipede I saw crawling around inside a few weeks ago grew into the five inch monstrosity that I saw.) Nobody thinks there are more in my place/bedroom.
That's all for now. Time for me to go to bed.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
4am wake-up call
Tomorrow morning we have a 4:15am wake-up call. We're headed to Eilat for the weekend and our bus leaves at 4:45am. We'll be spending the weekend hiking, sight seeing, relaxing by the beach, etc. Look for updates around Monday or Tuesday.
This past week has been cold and rainy. My roommate and I have spent the week, when not volunteering, curled up in our beds--staying away from the outside. The one time we did leave the room was for a pancake meal at the pub. Once a week at the pub the Israeli's arrange a communal meal, bbq or something. The pub is about four minutes walking from my room. There is usually a good turn-out of the young Israeli's on the kibbbutz and the people from my program. Well this week they made pancakes. There was chocolate sauce, maple syrup, ice cream, nuts, candies, etc. to top the pancakes with. It was amazing
Anyway, the rain leaked into our kitchen from the roof and the wall in our bedroom also has water damage (but no water leaked in, on the floor, like it did in the kitchen). Thankfully a man came promptly to fix this. They will have to come one more time to fix the water damage on the wall, to prevent, and clear, mold. Also this week, our refrigerator broke- it too was leaking on the floor of the kitchen. Thankfully this too is already fixed.
This week I continued to work at the after school center. It is okay there. I can't mediate problems with the kids, or understand them, or discipline them, because of my lack of Hebrew. There have been several problems this week, with kids not listening and fighting and I feel useless. I enjoy it but want to figure out a way to split my week working there and at the high school.
Tonight I went to my host families house for the second time. We had a nice, light, dinner with ice cream for dessert. The kids were cute but they are all either sick or getting over being sick, so I was kind of happy to be out of there. But I had a nice time, I enjoy the company of the dad, Orr, his English is very good and he's a good conversationalist.
Oh, I'll hopefully have a website for you to see pictures. Oranim is giving me access codes to upload pictures for my group. I don't know any details yet but when I do I'll share them.
Okay, nothing else new here. I was feeling a little sniffly this week but I am feeling better now. I should go to bed because we will wake up in a few hours.
This past week has been cold and rainy. My roommate and I have spent the week, when not volunteering, curled up in our beds--staying away from the outside. The one time we did leave the room was for a pancake meal at the pub. Once a week at the pub the Israeli's arrange a communal meal, bbq or something. The pub is about four minutes walking from my room. There is usually a good turn-out of the young Israeli's on the kibbbutz and the people from my program. Well this week they made pancakes. There was chocolate sauce, maple syrup, ice cream, nuts, candies, etc. to top the pancakes with. It was amazing
Anyway, the rain leaked into our kitchen from the roof and the wall in our bedroom also has water damage (but no water leaked in, on the floor, like it did in the kitchen). Thankfully a man came promptly to fix this. They will have to come one more time to fix the water damage on the wall, to prevent, and clear, mold. Also this week, our refrigerator broke- it too was leaking on the floor of the kitchen. Thankfully this too is already fixed.
This week I continued to work at the after school center. It is okay there. I can't mediate problems with the kids, or understand them, or discipline them, because of my lack of Hebrew. There have been several problems this week, with kids not listening and fighting and I feel useless. I enjoy it but want to figure out a way to split my week working there and at the high school.
Tonight I went to my host families house for the second time. We had a nice, light, dinner with ice cream for dessert. The kids were cute but they are all either sick or getting over being sick, so I was kind of happy to be out of there. But I had a nice time, I enjoy the company of the dad, Orr, his English is very good and he's a good conversationalist.
Oh, I'll hopefully have a website for you to see pictures. Oranim is giving me access codes to upload pictures for my group. I don't know any details yet but when I do I'll share them.
Okay, nothing else new here. I was feeling a little sniffly this week but I am feeling better now. I should go to bed because we will wake up in a few hours.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
rainy rainy cold rainy
friday: slept slept slept. it was a very rainy and cold thursday night & friday. for a bit i worked on a 1000 piece puzzle we've started. other than that, i really slept most of the day. some of the participants from my trip combined forces with people on the kibbutz to throw a halloween party friday night. there was candy, spider webs, americans and israelis in costume (i didn't dress up)..it was like the real deal.
yesterday i slept a lot, seeing as its still cold and rainy. for dinner i went to Tarshika, an arabic village near here and got a schnitzle sandwich. quite delicious and has proven to be tasty left overs as well.
this morning our hike to klil was post poned for the second time due to rain. i will go to work in the afterschool program in a few minutes. i believe we start our hebrew lessons again tonight. tomorrow night we'll have a lecture about minorities in israel.
i'm enjoying my time here. the weekends are slow but i've never been one to complain about laying around. i'm going to try to work it out so i can spend some days in the high school and some days working in the afterschool program--this might not work, trying to split the week, but i'm at least hoping to look at the schedules and try.
yesterday i slept a lot, seeing as its still cold and rainy. for dinner i went to Tarshika, an arabic village near here and got a schnitzle sandwich. quite delicious and has proven to be tasty left overs as well.
this morning our hike to klil was post poned for the second time due to rain. i will go to work in the afterschool program in a few minutes. i believe we start our hebrew lessons again tonight. tomorrow night we'll have a lecture about minorities in israel.
i'm enjoying my time here. the weekends are slow but i've never been one to complain about laying around. i'm going to try to work it out so i can spend some days in the high school and some days working in the afterschool program--this might not work, trying to split the week, but i'm at least hoping to look at the schedules and try.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
4+ weeks in Israel...
last Thursday: we had a lecture about security in the middle east by Ofir (a man who works for Oranim). he talked about the history of Israel, recapping the wars and boundary changes over the years. he talked a bit about the west bank and Gaza strip, mostly discussing history and not very much current affairs.
last weekend was hot and slow. i didn't go anywhere. on Sunday i went with people from my program and international people living in Kibbutz Gaton and in Akko to a huge event in Jerusalem. it was a concert by the Idan Rachel Project for MASA participants. i originally wasn't planning to go but my program coordinator was given an extra ticket. (so i went for free, shh it's a secret) the concert was all right. i enjoyed going but wouldn't have been disappointed if i missed it. although, i did bump into four people i knew! three from the camp alonim (in California) and one who worked at Capital Camps for a few summers (she's from England). so that was exciting and I'll likely meet up with some of them again during my stay here.
this week i did not return to the high school, to work in the English classes. instead I've been working in an after school program here on my kibbutz (my program coordinator runs it). the kids are 6-12 and very cute. I've enjoyed working here, but am still not sure were to settle in for the next few months.
on Monday we had a nighttime program at the yehiam castle. a man from the kibbutz took us on a tour through the castle with lanterns. he'd stop from time to time telling stories of the first pioneers at kibbutz yehiam. following the talk, we had a bonfire with tea and sweet treats. the whole evening was great.
Tuesday we met our new ulpan, Hebrew, teacher. we only spent an hour with her, so i don't an opinion yet. we'll be splitting into two classes for Hebrew lessons. they will start next week.
today we went to the high school to see a memorial assembly created by 10th grade students, for yitzak rabin. (every year the 10th graders organize the assembly) the students were talented- they sang, played instruments, and also had a dance component. overall i found the assembly to lack any emotion towards Rabin and was kind of choppy, as it was made up of a lot of short segments.
on Sunday, we're having a hike to Klil. this hike was scheduled for a few weeks ago, but was postponed due to rain. other than that, my weekend will likely be free.
last weekend was hot and slow. i didn't go anywhere. on Sunday i went with people from my program and international people living in Kibbutz Gaton and in Akko to a huge event in Jerusalem. it was a concert by the Idan Rachel Project for MASA participants. i originally wasn't planning to go but my program coordinator was given an extra ticket. (so i went for free, shh it's a secret) the concert was all right. i enjoyed going but wouldn't have been disappointed if i missed it. although, i did bump into four people i knew! three from the camp alonim (in California) and one who worked at Capital Camps for a few summers (she's from England). so that was exciting and I'll likely meet up with some of them again during my stay here.
this week i did not return to the high school, to work in the English classes. instead I've been working in an after school program here on my kibbutz (my program coordinator runs it). the kids are 6-12 and very cute. I've enjoyed working here, but am still not sure were to settle in for the next few months.
on Monday we had a nighttime program at the yehiam castle. a man from the kibbutz took us on a tour through the castle with lanterns. he'd stop from time to time telling stories of the first pioneers at kibbutz yehiam. following the talk, we had a bonfire with tea and sweet treats. the whole evening was great.
Tuesday we met our new ulpan, Hebrew, teacher. we only spent an hour with her, so i don't an opinion yet. we'll be splitting into two classes for Hebrew lessons. they will start next week.
today we went to the high school to see a memorial assembly created by 10th grade students, for yitzak rabin. (every year the 10th graders organize the assembly) the students were talented- they sang, played instruments, and also had a dance component. overall i found the assembly to lack any emotion towards Rabin and was kind of choppy, as it was made up of a lot of short segments.
on Sunday, we're having a hike to Klil. this hike was scheduled for a few weeks ago, but was postponed due to rain. other than that, my weekend will likely be free.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
wednesday, october 21
Monday: went back to the high school. it was okay. i felt useless in some of my classes, either because of lack of Hebrew or because the kids were in advanced English and didn't need my help. in the evening, back at the kibbutz, our group had a lecture from a man who has lived on the kibbutz for 30-40 years. it was interesting but many of the information, about the changes in the kibbutz, weren't new to us.
Tuesday: i worked with the construction man on our kibbutz. i lacquered wooden benches, tables, etc. afterwards, i went to Oshra's house. (our program coordinator, she lives on the kibbutz and has three girls ages 15-12-8) Her refrigerator went out so Jackie, another girl on my program, and i helped oshra move the food into a neighbors fridge and then we went with her to buy another. afterwards, we were headed home for the day when people from the kibbutz invited us to the beach. we went and had a lovely late afternoon swim.
Leaving the beach parking lot, we realized we had a flat tire. we were there about, or over, an hour before the tire was fixed. we knew how to change the tire, but we couldn't get the spare from it's spot- under the bottom of the van. our fourth helper, fourth person we waved down, was finally able to show us which pin to pull to get out the spare tire.
today: i went back to work in the high school. i worked with one 9th grade class, that I've been in before. the kids are very smart and in a pretty high level of English. then i went to a class with 8th grade boys; there were only five of them because they're all, more or less, delinquents. this class was less successful because i was a distraction to the boys. not because of my teaching/helping abilities, or lack there of, but because i was an American girl and they just wanted to ask me questions.
then i went back to a 12th grade class i have been to before. they are in the lowest level of English and are also trouble makers. this class went well as there were nearly the number of teachers to students- which seems to be the key to success with these rowdy boys. (there are five boys in the class)
afterwards i went to a 7th grade class. I'd never been there before and particularly liked it. they in the first year of learning English and, in this class, focus on grammar. i found the kids surprisingly smart considering they are new to the language.
meanwhile, i just got home from playing with kids 6-11 years old in a kibbutz after school program. (Oshra, my program coordinator, runs the program) some of the kids new English, which was very helpful and the others tried teaching me. oshra asked if i want to come everyday and do my volunteering with her, but this would mean not going back to the high school. (the after school program is on our kibbutz) I'm still thinking about what i will do. i really enjoy some of my classes in the high school but find myself bored or frustrated in others.
we haven't started our Hebrew lessons again. they are still looking for a part-time teacher, since we will only have it 1-2 times a week. tomorrow we will have another lecture- this one is about the "security situation in the Middle East". I don't know specifically what this means. I know Ofir, a man who works in the Oranim office and has a law background, will be coming to give the talk. Also, volunteers from Kibbutz Gaton (the nearby dancing kibbutz) will be coming to listen as well.
that is all with me. i am healthy and well. we've had a heatwave the past few days, with temperatures in the mid-90's. thankfully this is breaking and today has been humid/muggy but much cooler.
Tuesday: i worked with the construction man on our kibbutz. i lacquered wooden benches, tables, etc. afterwards, i went to Oshra's house. (our program coordinator, she lives on the kibbutz and has three girls ages 15-12-8) Her refrigerator went out so Jackie, another girl on my program, and i helped oshra move the food into a neighbors fridge and then we went with her to buy another. afterwards, we were headed home for the day when people from the kibbutz invited us to the beach. we went and had a lovely late afternoon swim.
Leaving the beach parking lot, we realized we had a flat tire. we were there about, or over, an hour before the tire was fixed. we knew how to change the tire, but we couldn't get the spare from it's spot- under the bottom of the van. our fourth helper, fourth person we waved down, was finally able to show us which pin to pull to get out the spare tire.
today: i went back to work in the high school. i worked with one 9th grade class, that I've been in before. the kids are very smart and in a pretty high level of English. then i went to a class with 8th grade boys; there were only five of them because they're all, more or less, delinquents. this class was less successful because i was a distraction to the boys. not because of my teaching/helping abilities, or lack there of, but because i was an American girl and they just wanted to ask me questions.
then i went back to a 12th grade class i have been to before. they are in the lowest level of English and are also trouble makers. this class went well as there were nearly the number of teachers to students- which seems to be the key to success with these rowdy boys. (there are five boys in the class)
afterwards i went to a 7th grade class. I'd never been there before and particularly liked it. they in the first year of learning English and, in this class, focus on grammar. i found the kids surprisingly smart considering they are new to the language.
meanwhile, i just got home from playing with kids 6-11 years old in a kibbutz after school program. (Oshra, my program coordinator, runs the program) some of the kids new English, which was very helpful and the others tried teaching me. oshra asked if i want to come everyday and do my volunteering with her, but this would mean not going back to the high school. (the after school program is on our kibbutz) I'm still thinking about what i will do. i really enjoy some of my classes in the high school but find myself bored or frustrated in others.
we haven't started our Hebrew lessons again. they are still looking for a part-time teacher, since we will only have it 1-2 times a week. tomorrow we will have another lecture- this one is about the "security situation in the Middle East". I don't know specifically what this means. I know Ofir, a man who works in the Oranim office and has a law background, will be coming to give the talk. Also, volunteers from Kibbutz Gaton (the nearby dancing kibbutz) will be coming to listen as well.
that is all with me. i am healthy and well. we've had a heatwave the past few days, with temperatures in the mid-90's. thankfully this is breaking and today has been humid/muggy but much cooler.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
back to school
saturday: early morning beach trip with my friend on the trip Jackie and her host family. they are health nutty parents with an eleven year old girl. we went to a lovely beach north of our kibbutz, very near to the lebanese border. she, the host mother, fed us brown rice and tuna fish--upset she forgot the seaweed, which, she says, would have tasted delicious and brought the meal together. i enjoyed the rice and tuna (i was so hot and hungry after the hour at the beach that i would've eaten anything).
we returned to our kibbutz and joined our group to an outing at Kibbutz Gaton (a nearby kibbutz that produces medical supplies, i think, and has a huge dance program). we watched a beautiful and innovative modern dance performance. i really enjoyed it. the dancers were part of the company, so they were the teachers not students. the audience, however, was clearly filled with dancers. one of which was a daughter of a family friend of cindy/my dad's. i sought her out for a conversation--she is doing a five month dance program at Gaton and arrived about a month ago. she seems to love her program thus far.
in the evening i went, for the first time, to my host family's house. Maayan and Orr are the parents, with Carmel (she's 6) Gilad (he's 3) and Arabel (she's 14 months). Carmel was very excited for me to come and is anxious for me to quickly learn english. she immediately became my teacher--bringing me things and naming them in hebrew, running me around their apartment to name more things, opening up books and pointing to the pictures, etc. she knows only a few words in english, not enough for a conversation. after a little while, gilad opened up and he too began teaching me by naming things. the parents were very nice and spoke good english. i stayed there for about three hours just talking and playing with the kids.
today we had our first day of volunteering. we went to a high school on Kibbutz Evron. Kibbutz Evron is a kibbutz about fifteen minutes southwest of yehiam. the high school, grades six through twelfth, has students from other kibbutz's and the nearby towns/cities. it used to be that the high school was all, then mostly, children from various kibbutz's but not anymore. now the kids from kibbutz's are the minority.
we toured the school, which is made up of several separate small buildings, all with doors leading to the outside (like a motel, none with indoor hallways). we also saw a bit of the kibbutz, including their dining hall. the dining hall was large and set up like a cafeteria where you get a tray and have a variety of choices then go to the cashier. (we didn't eat, just looked)
the head of the english department is Betsy. she has been living in israel for nearly 25 years and hails from chicago (a northern suburb i believe, she told me which one but i forget). another english teacher is from philadelphia and the other two english teachers we met were from israel. (perhaps there are other english teachers we did not meet, i don't know).
i worked one period in a class with Betsy, alongside another volunteer in my group. she had each of us sit in specific places in the classroom, next to children who usually need help and extra attention. the kids were in 9th grade, so about thirteen years old. there were about 25-30 kids in the class. they were studying past progressive and past simple. thankfully i actually knew a bit about this and was able to help the students with their worksheet. i was not looking forward to teaching english, but it did go much better than i expected. although, i am still doubtful that i will enjoy teaching english nearly everyday for five months. tonight we have a meeting about volunteering and creating a schedule, perhaps a rotation, so we'll see how that goes.
we returned to our kibbutz and joined our group to an outing at Kibbutz Gaton (a nearby kibbutz that produces medical supplies, i think, and has a huge dance program). we watched a beautiful and innovative modern dance performance. i really enjoyed it. the dancers were part of the company, so they were the teachers not students. the audience, however, was clearly filled with dancers. one of which was a daughter of a family friend of cindy/my dad's. i sought her out for a conversation--she is doing a five month dance program at Gaton and arrived about a month ago. she seems to love her program thus far.
in the evening i went, for the first time, to my host family's house. Maayan and Orr are the parents, with Carmel (she's 6) Gilad (he's 3) and Arabel (she's 14 months). Carmel was very excited for me to come and is anxious for me to quickly learn english. she immediately became my teacher--bringing me things and naming them in hebrew, running me around their apartment to name more things, opening up books and pointing to the pictures, etc. she knows only a few words in english, not enough for a conversation. after a little while, gilad opened up and he too began teaching me by naming things. the parents were very nice and spoke good english. i stayed there for about three hours just talking and playing with the kids.
today we had our first day of volunteering. we went to a high school on Kibbutz Evron. Kibbutz Evron is a kibbutz about fifteen minutes southwest of yehiam. the high school, grades six through twelfth, has students from other kibbutz's and the nearby towns/cities. it used to be that the high school was all, then mostly, children from various kibbutz's but not anymore. now the kids from kibbutz's are the minority.
we toured the school, which is made up of several separate small buildings, all with doors leading to the outside (like a motel, none with indoor hallways). we also saw a bit of the kibbutz, including their dining hall. the dining hall was large and set up like a cafeteria where you get a tray and have a variety of choices then go to the cashier. (we didn't eat, just looked)
the head of the english department is Betsy. she has been living in israel for nearly 25 years and hails from chicago (a northern suburb i believe, she told me which one but i forget). another english teacher is from philadelphia and the other two english teachers we met were from israel. (perhaps there are other english teachers we did not meet, i don't know).
i worked one period in a class with Betsy, alongside another volunteer in my group. she had each of us sit in specific places in the classroom, next to children who usually need help and extra attention. the kids were in 9th grade, so about thirteen years old. there were about 25-30 kids in the class. they were studying past progressive and past simple. thankfully i actually knew a bit about this and was able to help the students with their worksheet. i was not looking forward to teaching english, but it did go much better than i expected. although, i am still doubtful that i will enjoy teaching english nearly everyday for five months. tonight we have a meeting about volunteering and creating a schedule, perhaps a rotation, so we'll see how that goes.
Friday, October 16, 2009
new people
nothing much to report of the last few days. we finished our intensive hebrew program and will only have hebrew upto two afternoons a week for the remainder of the program. new people arrived yesterday, including one who is my roommate. the 5 additional people will only be here for one month (then they'll go home). everyone seems nice and our groups are meshing well.
today i finally did laundry- by hand, instead of sending it through the kibbutz laundry. (cheaper) it was easy and since we're having a heat wave, my clothes dried quickly.
today i finally did laundry- by hand, instead of sending it through the kibbutz laundry. (cheaper) it was easy and since we're having a heat wave, my clothes dried quickly.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
two weeks in israel
friday: we went into Naharyia for the afternoon. it was great weather to walk around and we spent a lot of time walking along the beach. i bought some delicious patties and pastries at a bakery. one kid of our group wanted a burger so we ate at a restaurant overlooking the ocean. his burger came with veggies & tehina, pita, and then the hamburger with french fries--oh and his bun was pieces of pita! the rest of us bought sides of french fries, which totally hit the spot.
saturday: we went back to Banana Beach, near Aschiv, which is the same beach we spent the day at last saturday. again it was lovely, the water seemed cooler and less inviting to me. i packed a nice lunch with me and didn't leave my towel once. it was great.
sunday and monday: hebrew lessons, free time, nothing special. an addition to our program arrived yesterday. we haven't spent much time with him yet, so i couldn't even tell you his age or anything. on thursday 5 people from another oranim program will be joining us for the last month of their trip- one of whom will be my roommate for the month.
today i went with friends into Naharyia to the grocery store. it was overwhelming but a successful trip in the end. we also stopped into a bakery for some delicious patties and pastries. tomorrow we start our community service with Elan, a man on the kibbutz who builds/fixes/maintains things. tomorrow we will help him by picking up trash, i think. in the future we will help him on a variety of projects: painting, cleaning, etc. next week we will start our volunteering. our placements have not been arranged yet, so i still don't know what i will be doing. oh also we each got host families. i have their contact information and know they have three kids (ages 6, 3, and a baby who is a few months old). i tried calling them tonight but nobody answered. i'll try again tomorrow perhaps. they are supposed to invite me over for dinner, so i'm excited at the prospect of somebody cooking for me. (and for meeting new people of course).
thanks for those who comment. leora, if i'm back in Akko i'll be sure to look up those places.
saturday: we went back to Banana Beach, near Aschiv, which is the same beach we spent the day at last saturday. again it was lovely, the water seemed cooler and less inviting to me. i packed a nice lunch with me and didn't leave my towel once. it was great.
sunday and monday: hebrew lessons, free time, nothing special. an addition to our program arrived yesterday. we haven't spent much time with him yet, so i couldn't even tell you his age or anything. on thursday 5 people from another oranim program will be joining us for the last month of their trip- one of whom will be my roommate for the month.
today i went with friends into Naharyia to the grocery store. it was overwhelming but a successful trip in the end. we also stopped into a bakery for some delicious patties and pastries. tomorrow we start our community service with Elan, a man on the kibbutz who builds/fixes/maintains things. tomorrow we will help him by picking up trash, i think. in the future we will help him on a variety of projects: painting, cleaning, etc. next week we will start our volunteering. our placements have not been arranged yet, so i still don't know what i will be doing. oh also we each got host families. i have their contact information and know they have three kids (ages 6, 3, and a baby who is a few months old). i tried calling them tonight but nobody answered. i'll try again tomorrow perhaps. they are supposed to invite me over for dinner, so i'm excited at the prospect of somebody cooking for me. (and for meeting new people of course).
thanks for those who comment. leora, if i'm back in Akko i'll be sure to look up those places.
Friday, October 9, 2009
slow days
tuesday: we were supposed to have an 8am hike to/in Klil. instead we woke up to a bit of rain and so we happily went back to bed and postponed the hike. at 1030 we had a lecture about israel's geography and the history behind israel's map (the way land has been divided). we also learned about the history of the Kibbutz movement and the changes that have gone on with the structure of the Kibbutz. we learned about the history of Kibbutz Yehiam and went to small musuem they have showing the development of the kibbutz and displaying the kibbutz history (on-site of course).
wednesday: we a field trip in our hebrew class! there is a renissance festival occuring in the Yehiam Castle, which is on the kibbutz property and barely a five minute walk from our housing. we went with our class to walk around the castle and learn more hebrew words and history. there were people dressed up in clothes like we see in the renissance fairs in the states. there were craft activities, stands of food to buy (and taste! like cheese, wine, crackers), and of course food to eat. i shared a pita that was baked with tomatos, onions and spices on top. it was good although i would've loved to have added some hummus or even sour cream on it.
yesterday we had hebrew lessons, went to the kibbutz market for groceries....that's about it.
today and tomorrow we have off from hebrew lessons. we're hoping to go into Naharyia today and the beach tomorrow.
wednesday: we a field trip in our hebrew class! there is a renissance festival occuring in the Yehiam Castle, which is on the kibbutz property and barely a five minute walk from our housing. we went with our class to walk around the castle and learn more hebrew words and history. there were people dressed up in clothes like we see in the renissance fairs in the states. there were craft activities, stands of food to buy (and taste! like cheese, wine, crackers), and of course food to eat. i shared a pita that was baked with tomatos, onions and spices on top. it was good although i would've loved to have added some hummus or even sour cream on it.
yesterday we had hebrew lessons, went to the kibbutz market for groceries....that's about it.
today and tomorrow we have off from hebrew lessons. we're hoping to go into Naharyia today and the beach tomorrow.
My Israeli Cell
The number of the cellphone is: 0525668304
My cell can be reached from the United States by dialing 011972525668304
I recieve incoming calls and texts for free, but I honestly do not carry my phone around very much.
I am able to check my voicemail. Listening to the voicemail does charge me, but hearing a short message is better than wondering who called.
My cell can be reached from the United States by dialing 011972525668304
I recieve incoming calls and texts for free, but I honestly do not carry my phone around very much.
I am able to check my voicemail. Listening to the voicemail does charge me, but hearing a short message is better than wondering who called.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Mailing Address
here is the mailing address to the kibbutz. all mail will go to our program coordinator, Oshra, who will then give it to us. so it's very important to remember to write both names in the address.
Oshra Rosenberg
Elana Kanter
Kibbutz Yehiam
D. N. Oshrat
Israel
25125
Oshra Rosenberg
Elana Kanter
Kibbutz Yehiam
D. N. Oshrat
Israel
25125
akko festival
last night we had a bonfire with most of the people on my program and several of the young israelis on the kibbutz. (yours truly built the fire) the israelis were much more elaborate in their bonfire materials- bringing mattresses and cushions and even a small table.
we had ulpan, our hebrew class, again today. nothing special to report there.
afterwards, we went to the Deli Yehiam store, which featured a variety of our local meat products. also in the same building was a cute gift store- with mugs, jewelry, perfumed soaps, etc.
this evening was an amazing excursion to Akko. yearly, there is an alternative theatre festival outdoors on the streets of Akko (overlooking, and sometimes incorporating, the beach). there were markets of food and gifts. all along the streets were different performances. one act we saw was like acrobats- on ropes/trapeze.
another show was in the water, not too far off the coastline. this show merged two pieces: a woman lying on rocks in the water and someone walking on stilts along a wall. the person on the wall went into the water, meeting the woman already there and another person popped up as well.
the shows are hard to explain. overall were very interesting, modern, many were interactive. around the festival it surprised me to see cotton candy and popcorn. however, the food stands also included crepes (which looked delicious, although i didn't buy anything).
we had ulpan, our hebrew class, again today. nothing special to report there.
afterwards, we went to the Deli Yehiam store, which featured a variety of our local meat products. also in the same building was a cute gift store- with mugs, jewelry, perfumed soaps, etc.
this evening was an amazing excursion to Akko. yearly, there is an alternative theatre festival outdoors on the streets of Akko (overlooking, and sometimes incorporating, the beach). there were markets of food and gifts. all along the streets were different performances. one act we saw was like acrobats- on ropes/trapeze.
another show was in the water, not too far off the coastline. this show merged two pieces: a woman lying on rocks in the water and someone walking on stilts along a wall. the person on the wall went into the water, meeting the woman already there and another person popped up as well.
the shows are hard to explain. overall were very interesting, modern, many were interactive. around the festival it surprised me to see cotton candy and popcorn. however, the food stands also included crepes (which looked delicious, although i didn't buy anything).
Sunday, October 4, 2009
exploration to naharyia
well, ulpan, our hebrew program, started today. all twelve of us had class together- with our hebrew experiences ranging from absolutely none to some who can read/write and others who speak fluently but cannot read/write in hebrew. the class was pretty good for me.
afterwards we ventured to the nearby town of naharyia. i caught a ride into town with our hebrew teacher, lital, and her 11 month old son. (her husband is nigerian, so we had a nice chat about the countries she's travelled to in africa)
we walked around naharyia for about three hours. there were small markets and food stands, as well as nicer cafes and restaurants. we went to one cafe for iced coffee. bought postcards (no stamps yet) also walked down to the water and saw the end of the sunset. there is a nice pier leading up to the water with smoothie stands, ice cream, etc. also a large outdoor sporting area: skate park, basketball courts, etc. (this area reminded me of venice beach)
tomorrow we have our first group outing to Akko Festival. i know we leave at 7:30pm. don't know what the festival is about, but i know that akko is a town about thirty minutes south of the kibbutz.
afterwards we ventured to the nearby town of naharyia. i caught a ride into town with our hebrew teacher, lital, and her 11 month old son. (her husband is nigerian, so we had a nice chat about the countries she's travelled to in africa)
we walked around naharyia for about three hours. there were small markets and food stands, as well as nicer cafes and restaurants. we went to one cafe for iced coffee. bought postcards (no stamps yet) also walked down to the water and saw the end of the sunset. there is a nice pier leading up to the water with smoothie stands, ice cream, etc. also a large outdoor sporting area: skate park, basketball courts, etc. (this area reminded me of venice beach)
tomorrow we have our first group outing to Akko Festival. i know we leave at 7:30pm. don't know what the festival is about, but i know that akko is a town about thirty minutes south of the kibbutz.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
banana beach
we made it to the beach today and thankfully we all left without getting burned. we went past the town of nahariya to a town of achsiv, near the lebonese border. it was a lovely beach. there were a lot of families. we arrived around 1pm and it was quite hot. the water was wonderful! warm, clear, small waves. we also enjoyed a great lunch, which, for some, included iced coffee, pepsi, french fries & hamburgers- all very different from our usual diet of hummus & pita.
i tried hummus shankshuka (?) which was made of a sunny side up egg (runny on the inside) with tomatoes and spices--surrounded by hummus and served with pita. it was good, spicy, didn't know whether or not to stir it all together with the hummus. and i ate the egg kinda seperate, didn't know if i should've stirred that in as well...but it was tasty and nice to try something new. (the waitress reccomended it)
last night's sukkot song went....well. it was the twelve of us and maybe six children. the "audience" didn't really know whether or not to clap when we were finished. we were the opening act. after us adults on the kibbutz did some skit that i couldn't understand and a child and his grandmother sang a song together. then we had hot dogs and i learned that israeli's don't do lines. they will walk in front of you, no respect or care for a line. later there were two comedians in the pub. we went to the show, which wasn't very fun since none of us know hebrew.
i tried hummus shankshuka (?) which was made of a sunny side up egg (runny on the inside) with tomatoes and spices--surrounded by hummus and served with pita. it was good, spicy, didn't know whether or not to stir it all together with the hummus. and i ate the egg kinda seperate, didn't know if i should've stirred that in as well...but it was tasty and nice to try something new. (the waitress reccomended it)
last night's sukkot song went....well. it was the twelve of us and maybe six children. the "audience" didn't really know whether or not to clap when we were finished. we were the opening act. after us adults on the kibbutz did some skit that i couldn't understand and a child and his grandmother sang a song together. then we had hot dogs and i learned that israeli's don't do lines. they will walk in front of you, no respect or care for a line. later there were two comedians in the pub. we went to the show, which wasn't very fun since none of us know hebrew.
Friday, October 2, 2009
sukkot songs
So tonight we'll be singing some sukkot song with the kids on the kibbutz. We spent the morning hearing people talk about sukkot and learning this kid song.
Other than that, we're all bored and restless. I think we won't start our volunteer work for another two weeks. Until then, we'll become creative for activites- since transportation is limited after a certain time. Although last night we did venture to the pub on the kibbutz, about a five minute walk from our housing. The people were nice and all in our age range. The person running the pub is 23 and a volunteer. Other people were home from the army for the weekend.
It gets dark very early here, by 6pm. The weather has been sunny and warm/hot. We're hoping to get to the beach at Naharyia tomorrow- but it's hard to get a taxi to drive on Saturday, so we'll see.
Other than that, we're all bored and restless. I think we won't start our volunteer work for another two weeks. Until then, we'll become creative for activites- since transportation is limited after a certain time. Although last night we did venture to the pub on the kibbutz, about a five minute walk from our housing. The people were nice and all in our age range. The person running the pub is 23 and a volunteer. Other people were home from the army for the weekend.
It gets dark very early here, by 6pm. The weather has been sunny and warm/hot. We're hoping to get to the beach at Naharyia tomorrow- but it's hard to get a taxi to drive on Saturday, so we'll see.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
first day, very fruitful
We've spent the morning walking around the Kibbutz, attempting to get oriented. The best part of the walk was all of the beautiful views and all of the glorious fruit! Pomegranents, grapefruit, passionfruit, pomelo! Also pecan trees and such. We saw the horses, elderly living area, kindergarden, etc. The views allow us to see the Lebonese border, Nahariya and even Haifa. (Excuse my spelling...)
I'm off to eat some more lunch- hummus and pita. I'll likely write more later.
I'm off to eat some more lunch- hummus and pita. I'll likely write more later.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Arrived to the Kibbutz
So I'm safely at the Kibbutz, via two trains and a taxi...
Yesterday, my friend Einat took me to Tel Aviv. We walked around the arts markets and shopping area, drinking a great pomegranent smoothie. For dinner last night, we went out for sushi. The pieces were large and yummy. Then we went back home where I slept for 14+ hours last night.
This afternoon, before starting my journey to the north, Einat & Shimon took me to the pier (not port) in Herzeliya. The view of the boats and water was quite beautiful. We had a nice small lunch and coffee before heading to the train station.
I arrived to the Kibbutz around 8:45pm. We just had a little 'meet n greet' with pizza. I'm writing from the computer in our common area- a room with a tv, couch, dining room table and kitchen (fridge, stove, etc.). Everyone seems nice, there are about 12 of us, ages ranging from 18-26..with one canadian and one person from england.
Tomorrow we start orientation and such around 10am. Sunday we'll start hebrew lessons. That's about all I know for now.
My room has a small kitchen, bathroom and two beds. Thus far I have no roommate, I don't think I'll be getting one but it's possible. (The other people on the trip all have one roommate, but I'll gladly live alone.)
I'll do my best to updat this often. I find the blog a lot quicker than writing seperate e-mails.
Yesterday, my friend Einat took me to Tel Aviv. We walked around the arts markets and shopping area, drinking a great pomegranent smoothie. For dinner last night, we went out for sushi. The pieces were large and yummy. Then we went back home where I slept for 14+ hours last night.
This afternoon, before starting my journey to the north, Einat & Shimon took me to the pier (not port) in Herzeliya. The view of the boats and water was quite beautiful. We had a nice small lunch and coffee before heading to the train station.
I arrived to the Kibbutz around 8:45pm. We just had a little 'meet n greet' with pizza. I'm writing from the computer in our common area- a room with a tv, couch, dining room table and kitchen (fridge, stove, etc.). Everyone seems nice, there are about 12 of us, ages ranging from 18-26..with one canadian and one person from england.
Tomorrow we start orientation and such around 10am. Sunday we'll start hebrew lessons. That's about all I know for now.
My room has a small kitchen, bathroom and two beds. Thus far I have no roommate, I don't think I'll be getting one but it's possible. (The other people on the trip all have one roommate, but I'll gladly live alone.)
I'll do my best to updat this often. I find the blog a lot quicker than writing seperate e-mails.
First Days in Israel
I landed safely in Israel yesterday at 2:30pm (8:30am in Washington, D.C.). However, I had quite the adventure getting to my 9:15pm flight leaving Philadelphia. I arrived to National airport with an hour and a half before my flight. They switched my flight to one leaving immediately, saying my orginal flight would be delayed.
So I go directly to my new gate, to find out that this flight too is delayed (all due to weather). I find out it's delayed 2 hours and go to the desk to switch my flight again. This new flight, my third flight now, was set to leave at 6:15pm. 6:15 rollls around and I start to panic that I missed boarding for my flight, since I'd been busy making phone calls. Then an announcement sounds about this flight also being delayed. Meanwhile, my original flight actually left on-time at 6pm.
So all in all, the flight finally left around 7:40pm. The stewardess was odd and the plane small. We were asked to spread out on the plane because we were nose heavy and couldn't take off until more people moved to the back. I landed at the Philly airport when my plane was boarding. I got there in enough time to continue making a few 'last calls' which annoyed a stewardess and, I believe, scared away the man who was supposed to sit next to me.
So I had the two seats, window/aisle, to myself. It was great. The back of the seat in front of you had a screen to choose movies, tv shows, etc.
I've stayed with my friends Einat & Shimon in Herzeliya, about 15 minutes outside Tel Aviv. I'll write more about that later. I'm off to change money, go to the Port, get on a train up to my Kibbutz.
So I go directly to my new gate, to find out that this flight too is delayed (all due to weather). I find out it's delayed 2 hours and go to the desk to switch my flight again. This new flight, my third flight now, was set to leave at 6:15pm. 6:15 rollls around and I start to panic that I missed boarding for my flight, since I'd been busy making phone calls. Then an announcement sounds about this flight also being delayed. Meanwhile, my original flight actually left on-time at 6pm.
So all in all, the flight finally left around 7:40pm. The stewardess was odd and the plane small. We were asked to spread out on the plane because we were nose heavy and couldn't take off until more people moved to the back. I landed at the Philly airport when my plane was boarding. I got there in enough time to continue making a few 'last calls' which annoyed a stewardess and, I believe, scared away the man who was supposed to sit next to me.
So I had the two seats, window/aisle, to myself. It was great. The back of the seat in front of you had a screen to choose movies, tv shows, etc.
I've stayed with my friends Einat & Shimon in Herzeliya, about 15 minutes outside Tel Aviv. I'll write more about that later. I'm off to change money, go to the Port, get on a train up to my Kibbutz.
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