Hello blog-readers, it's been awhile.
Where do I begin? Well Thanksgiving was fun. I made some really good gravys. I don't feel bad saying that either. A little fun went down in the kitchen that night, but you can ask Judy about that. All the food was REALLY good and we were all really full afterwards. We even had leftovers! It was all wonderful. We skyped our family too since they were all together for Thanksgiving, only to find out that my aunt had fallen down and broken her wrist right before all her guests had come. So I didn't get to talk to her or my uncle, I felt really bad. But it all worked out I guess.
The next day Judy and I went to visit David, Orly and Elad. It was so good to see them again after so long. It was great. My cousin is finally starting to learn Judy's and my names. He can even kinda tell us apart a little! Judy, Elad's other cousin, Gal, and I took him to a nearby playground. He love the Nadnedot (swings) and Maglesha (slide). He loved the carousel until he accidentally bumped his keppi (head). He still had fun though. He's so cute! On Saturday Orly and David and Elad took us out for burgers at "Black Burger and Bar". They were very very good. My aunt and uncle pretty much refused to let us take the bus home. They decided to drive us all the way back to kibbutz, but only after giving Elad a bath and putting him to sleep. We left Ramat Hasharon at ~11 or so and we didn't get back to kibbutz until ~12:30. It was a sweet gesture and really incredibly nice of them, but it was pretty late when we got back and I was exhausted.
That week we had our Habonim History seminar. Basically we travelled around northern Israel visiting Habonim kibbutzim. We spoke to the founders of the kibbutzim (mostly) and they basically told us that the kibbutz movement is dead because the kibbutzim are now pretty much all privatized. That was the first few days. A couple of Hanoar HaOved (our Israeli sister movement) Kibbutzim were really interesting. One of them had a boarding school for Ethiopian Jews. The big thing about Ethiopian Jews is that they have a lot of trouble integrating into society because the culture that they come from is not as "modern" I guess. It was really cool.
The next few days we went to visit Habos who made Aliyah in Kvutsot. They were really interesting. Their basic idea is that "Irbbutzim" (Urban Kibbutzim) are the new "Kibbutzim". We visited a couple of my madrichim's kvutsot. It was really cool to see.
That weekend I went to visit our family friends in Jerusalem. The Oppenheimers lived in Ann Arbor for a year during my Junior year. We met them how my Mom meets most people- through shul. They're the sweetest family, we had lots of fun. We went on a couple of walks around Jerusalem which was nice. They kept talking about how excited they were that we were there and that they couldn't wait to see our parents when they visit. I love them.
This week is our last week on Kibbutz. My kvutsah is going to be living in Acco and Judy will be living in Karmiel. Judy's kvutsah also chose their name- Advah. It means ripple. My Kvutsah hasn't chosen one yet. My last day of work was fun but sad. We bought our "boss" chocolate as a good-bye gift. I'm going to see my host family for the last time before I leave tomorrow. I have to remember to ask about my family visiting.
That's about it. I'm still hungry. I can't wait until we're cooking our own food.
All My Lovin'
-Phia
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Happy Almost Thanksgiving!!
While everyone back home is probably enjoying their snow and chilly-ness, i would just like to let you all know that the weather is still beautiful here.
We've been very busily planning out our Thanksgiving. It's been a little more stressful than usual, seeing as how our schedule this week has been switched around a couple times. We've finally figured everything out. Each machaneh is in charge of making a few different things. Since Tavor is the biggest, we're in charge of 3-ish pies, the turkey, gravy, vegetarian option, veggies, and whipped cream. It's a lot. Personally I'm in charge of gravy with my friend Adam from Chicago. Since neither of us can cook, we're all in for a fun evening.
We've been going on day trips every Wednesday. This past Wednesday we went to the Golan and wandered around there a little. We were mostly on the borders of Lebanon and Syria. It was really cool standing in one country and looking into another.
We watched the Michigan vs. Ohio State game. It was really embarrassing, but the kids here going to Michigan dressed for the occasion anyways. There's a really cute picture somewhere...
Seeing my host family was fun. They were very interested in meeting my parents when they come to visit. Speaking of that, we were given an assignment of figuring out what we want to do while their here. We've come up with a tentative list, but I think Judy has it somewhere, so I don't really remember what we're said.
I'm visiting Orly and David (my aunt and uncle) this weekend. I'm excited to get off the kibbutz for a bit and also to see them and my cousin. I haven't seen them since September, and I want to hear how their trip to the States was. Next weekend I'm travelling too. I finally got in touch with my friends in Jerusalem and we're going to see them then. I'm really excited. I haven't seen them in a really long time. I just hope that our kupah doesn't take to much of a hit from me travelling two weekends in a row.
Speaking of Kupah, I still have to put money into it... I don't know why I keep writing it here, but I feel like if I write it enough, I'll actually do it one of these days.
I've been writing a lot of letters lately. I haven't been able to mail any yet because we don't currently have stamps, but we're expecting to get them soon.
What else? My Hebrew class is going well. We watched "The Little Mermaid" in Hebrew the other day. It was very confusing, because the subtitles were just basically the English version of the film in written form, but the voices would actually be saying something slightly different. It drove me a little crazy.
The end of Boneh (the part of the program on kibbutz) is almost over. I'm a little sad. This year is going by so quickly!
I miss you all.
All My Lovin'
-Phia
We've been very busily planning out our Thanksgiving. It's been a little more stressful than usual, seeing as how our schedule this week has been switched around a couple times. We've finally figured everything out. Each machaneh is in charge of making a few different things. Since Tavor is the biggest, we're in charge of 3-ish pies, the turkey, gravy, vegetarian option, veggies, and whipped cream. It's a lot. Personally I'm in charge of gravy with my friend Adam from Chicago. Since neither of us can cook, we're all in for a fun evening.
We've been going on day trips every Wednesday. This past Wednesday we went to the Golan and wandered around there a little. We were mostly on the borders of Lebanon and Syria. It was really cool standing in one country and looking into another.
We watched the Michigan vs. Ohio State game. It was really embarrassing, but the kids here going to Michigan dressed for the occasion anyways. There's a really cute picture somewhere...
Seeing my host family was fun. They were very interested in meeting my parents when they come to visit. Speaking of that, we were given an assignment of figuring out what we want to do while their here. We've come up with a tentative list, but I think Judy has it somewhere, so I don't really remember what we're said.
I'm visiting Orly and David (my aunt and uncle) this weekend. I'm excited to get off the kibbutz for a bit and also to see them and my cousin. I haven't seen them since September, and I want to hear how their trip to the States was. Next weekend I'm travelling too. I finally got in touch with my friends in Jerusalem and we're going to see them then. I'm really excited. I haven't seen them in a really long time. I just hope that our kupah doesn't take to much of a hit from me travelling two weekends in a row.
Speaking of Kupah, I still have to put money into it... I don't know why I keep writing it here, but I feel like if I write it enough, I'll actually do it one of these days.
I've been writing a lot of letters lately. I haven't been able to mail any yet because we don't currently have stamps, but we're expecting to get them soon.
What else? My Hebrew class is going well. We watched "The Little Mermaid" in Hebrew the other day. It was very confusing, because the subtitles were just basically the English version of the film in written form, but the voices would actually be saying something slightly different. It drove me a little crazy.
The end of Boneh (the part of the program on kibbutz) is almost over. I'm a little sad. This year is going by so quickly!
I miss you all.
All My Lovin'
-Phia
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Potuguese+Spanish+English= Hebrew
Hi Again...
A few things have happened since last week. The biggest of them being the Yitzchak Rabin seminar and rally. We headed out on Friday to Nes Harim, next to Jerusalem, for the seminar. We got there, moved in and then split up into the groups. These groups were being taught in different languages, so earlier in the week you had to request which language you wanted to learn in. I chose Hebrew, along with the rest of my Hebrew class. We were six Americans, two Australians, two South Africans and a lot of South Americans. I feel a little naive because I don't really know which ones were from Brazil, which were from Uruguay, which were from Mexico and which were from Argentina. It was interesting because for all of us, Hebrew was a second language. Which meant that our Madrichim had to speak to us in Hebrew that we could all understand. We also all spoke to each other in understandable Hebrew. It was also good practice, because we pretty much had to speak in Hebrew because we all spoke different languages.
During the Seminar we discussed mostly democracy and whether Israel was a democracy. I'm still not completely sure how this topic is relevant to Rabin, but it was interesting. My group was very enthusiastic and we all really enjoyed each other's company. Coincidentally one of the girls in my group told us she had cousins in Ann Arbor and it turned out to be people that I knew. It's a small world.
I really enjoyed the rally itself overall. We got to see Shimon Peres, Tzipi Livni, Ehud Barack, and Rabin's daughter speak. Since this year is election year, most of the speeches had to do with campaigning of one kind or another. Probably my least favorite speech was the one given by James Hoffa, the leader of the Teamsters Union. He was sent by the Barack Obama's campaign to give a speech at the Rabin rally. I have to say it was pretty embarrassing. It was completely unnecessary and irrelevant. He tried to get the crowd to start a chant of "Yes, we can!" but they were largely unresponsive. We were all slightly humiliated. Apparently my Madrichim weren't impressed with the rally this year. They say there were less people and the speeches were weaker. I still enjoyed it, probably because it was my first one.
The rest of the week has been relatively normal. I went to work for the first time at the cable drum factory on Tuesday. It was fun. It's basically a factory set up in a building that used to be a chicken coop. It wasn't like the last chicken coop and I didn't get a rash from this building like I did in the last one. We were working with two guys who were from one of the neighboring Arab villages. They didn't speak English, but I don't know if that's because they didn't know how or didn't want to. But it was OK, because they gave us instructions in Hebrew which we were able to follow. There wasn't as much lifting involved as I thought there would be. We got ice cream as a reward, so that was fun.
Today we took a field trip to see Har Herzl and Ammunition Hill. Har Herzl is the Israeli political cemetery. A vast majority of Israel's political leaders, soldiers and terror attack victims are buried there. It's really a beautiful cemetery. We visited the graves of a lot of Israeli big-shots. We saw the Rabins, Golda Meir, Herzl, Yoni Natanyahu, Chana Senesh...lots of people.
We also heard a story I really liked about a soldier who was killed in one of the wars (I don't remember which). An Israeli visited an Arab village and one of the Arabs told him about a cave called "Kever Yehudi" or "Grave of the Jew" but he wasn't sure why. So the two of them went there and found the remains of this soldier that had died. They knew it was this particular soldier for two reasons; One reason was that they took his remains in to be identified by the government, and the other reason was that this soldier really liked eating dates and would put the date pits in his pocket, and by the place where they found him, a date tree was growing because he had died with a date pit in his pocket.
We went to Ammunition Hill next which is a hill that was controlled by the Jordanians during the Six Day War. The Israelis had a really hard time conquering it and lots of people died there while they were trying to take over Jerusalem. We would've stayed longer and looked at the trenches, but it started to rain so we only really got to see the museum.
Last night we heard a talk from one of the survivors of the Entebbe hijacking. It was an American woman and her Israeli husband and they had a very thrilling story to tell. In addition to the interesting story, I loved listening to this lady speak because she reminded me of a mix of my mother's friends which in turn reminded me of Ann Arbor. It was very comforting to me.
Well, supposedly I'm visiting my host family on Friday. That should be good. I still have to wire money into my kvutsah's kupah account.
And, of course, my camera is still broken.
But I had a good week regardless.
All My Lovin'
-Phia
A few things have happened since last week. The biggest of them being the Yitzchak Rabin seminar and rally. We headed out on Friday to Nes Harim, next to Jerusalem, for the seminar. We got there, moved in and then split up into the groups. These groups were being taught in different languages, so earlier in the week you had to request which language you wanted to learn in. I chose Hebrew, along with the rest of my Hebrew class. We were six Americans, two Australians, two South Africans and a lot of South Americans. I feel a little naive because I don't really know which ones were from Brazil, which were from Uruguay, which were from Mexico and which were from Argentina. It was interesting because for all of us, Hebrew was a second language. Which meant that our Madrichim had to speak to us in Hebrew that we could all understand. We also all spoke to each other in understandable Hebrew. It was also good practice, because we pretty much had to speak in Hebrew because we all spoke different languages.
During the Seminar we discussed mostly democracy and whether Israel was a democracy. I'm still not completely sure how this topic is relevant to Rabin, but it was interesting. My group was very enthusiastic and we all really enjoyed each other's company. Coincidentally one of the girls in my group told us she had cousins in Ann Arbor and it turned out to be people that I knew. It's a small world.
I really enjoyed the rally itself overall. We got to see Shimon Peres, Tzipi Livni, Ehud Barack, and Rabin's daughter speak. Since this year is election year, most of the speeches had to do with campaigning of one kind or another. Probably my least favorite speech was the one given by James Hoffa, the leader of the Teamsters Union. He was sent by the Barack Obama's campaign to give a speech at the Rabin rally. I have to say it was pretty embarrassing. It was completely unnecessary and irrelevant. He tried to get the crowd to start a chant of "Yes, we can!" but they were largely unresponsive. We were all slightly humiliated. Apparently my Madrichim weren't impressed with the rally this year. They say there were less people and the speeches were weaker. I still enjoyed it, probably because it was my first one.
The rest of the week has been relatively normal. I went to work for the first time at the cable drum factory on Tuesday. It was fun. It's basically a factory set up in a building that used to be a chicken coop. It wasn't like the last chicken coop and I didn't get a rash from this building like I did in the last one. We were working with two guys who were from one of the neighboring Arab villages. They didn't speak English, but I don't know if that's because they didn't know how or didn't want to. But it was OK, because they gave us instructions in Hebrew which we were able to follow. There wasn't as much lifting involved as I thought there would be. We got ice cream as a reward, so that was fun.
Today we took a field trip to see Har Herzl and Ammunition Hill. Har Herzl is the Israeli political cemetery. A vast majority of Israel's political leaders, soldiers and terror attack victims are buried there. It's really a beautiful cemetery. We visited the graves of a lot of Israeli big-shots. We saw the Rabins, Golda Meir, Herzl, Yoni Natanyahu, Chana Senesh...lots of people.
We also heard a story I really liked about a soldier who was killed in one of the wars (I don't remember which). An Israeli visited an Arab village and one of the Arabs told him about a cave called "Kever Yehudi" or "Grave of the Jew" but he wasn't sure why. So the two of them went there and found the remains of this soldier that had died. They knew it was this particular soldier for two reasons; One reason was that they took his remains in to be identified by the government, and the other reason was that this soldier really liked eating dates and would put the date pits in his pocket, and by the place where they found him, a date tree was growing because he had died with a date pit in his pocket.
We went to Ammunition Hill next which is a hill that was controlled by the Jordanians during the Six Day War. The Israelis had a really hard time conquering it and lots of people died there while they were trying to take over Jerusalem. We would've stayed longer and looked at the trenches, but it started to rain so we only really got to see the museum.
Last night we heard a talk from one of the survivors of the Entebbe hijacking. It was an American woman and her Israeli husband and they had a very thrilling story to tell. In addition to the interesting story, I loved listening to this lady speak because she reminded me of a mix of my mother's friends which in turn reminded me of Ann Arbor. It was very comforting to me.
Well, supposedly I'm visiting my host family on Friday. That should be good. I still have to wire money into my kvutsah's kupah account.
And, of course, my camera is still broken.
But I had a good week regardless.
All My Lovin'
-Phia
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The times, they are a-changin'
Hi everyone!! I'm sure everyone is excited about our new president. Everyone I'm living with is (except maybe the Canadians aren't as excited). People stayed up all night last night to watch the elections and started screaming with joy at about 5:30 in the morning. It was certainly an interesting way to wake up.
Unfortunately for the people who stayed up all night last night, we had a field trip today to a couple of different museums concerning aliyah. I really liked it, and I think that those who were awake for it really enjoyable. It was a big contrast, going from one display of patriotism to another. It was very interesting to be here while so much is going on at home. But I'm still really happy I'm here.
The past week's been fun. We celebrated Halloween all weekend. On Thursday night, we started off the weekend with "Rocky Horror Picture Show" night (weekends start on Thursday for us). You can look for the pictures on Facebook, once my sister finds the chord that will let me put my pictures on the computer. The next night, the Brits we were living with planned a very elaborate murder mystery that involved some of the villains of American horror movies. It was a lot of fun...very scary, but fun. After the mystery had been solved, we (the American/Canadians) went back to our house and had trick or treating. Our house has two separate hallways and each room set up their room with a different theme. You went from room to room (with the people from your own room) and got candy and played games. Then we just had a party.
A couple of days ago we went on a short bike trip in the Golan Heights. We learned about the Yom Kippur War and went to one of the battlefields of the war. It was right on the border of Syria. We could see several Syrian villages from where we were sitting. We Also got to go inside a tank. I think you all can count on me not signing up for the army- I was scared just sitting in that tank. After looking at the battlefield, we went to this rally that was set up by the Israeli Army for teenagers who were in their last year in high school and would be entering the army the next year. They fired off some of their tanks, which really scared the people I was with, but it seemed to empower all the Israelis who were standing around us. You could clearly see the cultural differences.
On Friday my group is heading to a youth hostel near Jerusalem to have a seminar on Yitzchak Rabin. He was assassinated around this time of year 13 (?) years ago. There's a rally in his honor every year around this time in Kikar Rabin (the place in Tel Aviv where he was assassinated). We're going to that on Saturday.
That's all I really have for right now. Hopefully next time I write, I'll be able to put up pictures (meaning that my sister had better get on finding that chord...)
All My Lovin'
-Phia
Unfortunately for the people who stayed up all night last night, we had a field trip today to a couple of different museums concerning aliyah. I really liked it, and I think that those who were awake for it really enjoyable. It was a big contrast, going from one display of patriotism to another. It was very interesting to be here while so much is going on at home. But I'm still really happy I'm here.
The past week's been fun. We celebrated Halloween all weekend. On Thursday night, we started off the weekend with "Rocky Horror Picture Show" night (weekends start on Thursday for us). You can look for the pictures on Facebook, once my sister finds the chord that will let me put my pictures on the computer. The next night, the Brits we were living with planned a very elaborate murder mystery that involved some of the villains of American horror movies. It was a lot of fun...very scary, but fun. After the mystery had been solved, we (the American/Canadians) went back to our house and had trick or treating. Our house has two separate hallways and each room set up their room with a different theme. You went from room to room (with the people from your own room) and got candy and played games. Then we just had a party.
A couple of days ago we went on a short bike trip in the Golan Heights. We learned about the Yom Kippur War and went to one of the battlefields of the war. It was right on the border of Syria. We could see several Syrian villages from where we were sitting. We Also got to go inside a tank. I think you all can count on me not signing up for the army- I was scared just sitting in that tank. After looking at the battlefield, we went to this rally that was set up by the Israeli Army for teenagers who were in their last year in high school and would be entering the army the next year. They fired off some of their tanks, which really scared the people I was with, but it seemed to empower all the Israelis who were standing around us. You could clearly see the cultural differences.
On Friday my group is heading to a youth hostel near Jerusalem to have a seminar on Yitzchak Rabin. He was assassinated around this time of year 13 (?) years ago. There's a rally in his honor every year around this time in Kikar Rabin (the place in Tel Aviv where he was assassinated). We're going to that on Saturday.
That's all I really have for right now. Hopefully next time I write, I'll be able to put up pictures (meaning that my sister had better get on finding that chord...)
All My Lovin'
-Phia
Saturday, October 25, 2008
From Sea to Shining Sea
Hi...
This week was eventful. The week before it not so much. Basically the week before this one we had our classes as usual and hung out a lot. That week's theme was the Diaspora, basically we started out learning about the Bar Kochva rebellion and built up to learning about the shtetyls and the reform movement and things like that.
On Sunday we headed out on another tiyul. This one was called "Yam L'Yam" which means sea to sea. This hike we did with the Brits, Australians/New Zelanders and South Africans. We woke up on Sunday morning and drove to the Mediterranean Sea and filled a bottle with water. Then we started our hike. We hiked up and down mountains and across streams and through valleys. The terrain was prettier than last time, in my opinion. There were more colors for one. We could look around and see green. We hiked up the second tallest mountain in Israel (I think it's called Mt. Meron). On the way up the mountain I was in the back and to motivate me up the mountain my madricha (counselor) kept talking about Thanksgiving. Surprisingly it worked.
Along the way we learned about the Second Lebanon War and Israel's water shortage problem. Since I was in Israel for the Second Lebanon War, everything seemed kind of repetitive to me. We learned a lot about it while we were here and a lot of peulot about it were run for us when we got back. The things they told us about Israel's water shortage kinda scared me a little bit...as a result I've started only showering every other day to conserve water.
At 1 on the third day we made it to the Kinneret. We hung out at a park next to the beach for a few hours and then prepared to ceremoniously dump the water from the Mediterranean into the Kinneret. Unfortunately before we could do that, one of the Australian boys grabbed the bottle of Mediterranean water and drank it. All. A bottle full of sea water. It was kinda gross.
I was so exhausted when I got back I barely had enough energy to shower. But I did because it would be gross if I didn't, but also I felt a lot better afterwards because I wasn't covered in dirt and sweat. I wanted nothing more than to collapse into sleep, but I had a Skype date with my friend Kathryn at home and I wouldn't miss it for the world. It was SO good to talk to her and she filled me in on all the things that were happening in Ann Arbor. I miss everyone so much.
The next day we piled on a bus and went to Beit Hatfutsot (The Diaspora Museum) in Tel Aviv. The last time I was there it was with my Mom, Dad and Brother. At least Judy was there with me (although she was in a different tour group). After the Museum we went to a park to eat lunch in Tel Aviv. It was really nice. We just hung out and played games and relaxed for a while.
The rest of the week was pretty chill. I think they're giving us a chance to recover from our two tiyulim in one month. Apparently those were the two more extreme hikes and the rest are a lot easier. Personally I felt as though it was an apology. I'm not much of a hiker, even though everything I saw was beautiful and slightly rewarding.
Yesterday I went to my host family's house for Shabbat dinner. I love going there and feeling like I'm a part of a family again. Before Shabbat we go over to their neighbor, Barry's, house and socialized. He's funny. He kinda reminds me of both my Uncle Jim and my parent's friend Yossi. He used to be a redhead so he's always very enthusiastic whenever I come over. It's also nice when I can eat home cooked meals once in a while. I haven't had one since Yom Kippur break 2 weeks ago.
I realise that I complain about food a lot on this blog...I don't mean to sound whiny. Really it's the only thing that I have to complain about on this program. I guess you could consider that a good thing.
I'm kinda just rambling now. But my camera is still broken and I still need suggestions of what to do about that... any ideas welcome.
Btw, I loved the comments I got last time...thank you! Keep leaving 'em I love hearing from you all.
All My Lovin'
Phia
P.S. I can't put up more pictures until my camera is fixed...
This week was eventful. The week before it not so much. Basically the week before this one we had our classes as usual and hung out a lot. That week's theme was the Diaspora, basically we started out learning about the Bar Kochva rebellion and built up to learning about the shtetyls and the reform movement and things like that.
On Sunday we headed out on another tiyul. This one was called "Yam L'Yam" which means sea to sea. This hike we did with the Brits, Australians/New Zelanders and South Africans. We woke up on Sunday morning and drove to the Mediterranean Sea and filled a bottle with water. Then we started our hike. We hiked up and down mountains and across streams and through valleys. The terrain was prettier than last time, in my opinion. There were more colors for one. We could look around and see green. We hiked up the second tallest mountain in Israel (I think it's called Mt. Meron). On the way up the mountain I was in the back and to motivate me up the mountain my madricha (counselor) kept talking about Thanksgiving. Surprisingly it worked.
Along the way we learned about the Second Lebanon War and Israel's water shortage problem. Since I was in Israel for the Second Lebanon War, everything seemed kind of repetitive to me. We learned a lot about it while we were here and a lot of peulot about it were run for us when we got back. The things they told us about Israel's water shortage kinda scared me a little bit...as a result I've started only showering every other day to conserve water.
At 1 on the third day we made it to the Kinneret. We hung out at a park next to the beach for a few hours and then prepared to ceremoniously dump the water from the Mediterranean into the Kinneret. Unfortunately before we could do that, one of the Australian boys grabbed the bottle of Mediterranean water and drank it. All. A bottle full of sea water. It was kinda gross.
I was so exhausted when I got back I barely had enough energy to shower. But I did because it would be gross if I didn't, but also I felt a lot better afterwards because I wasn't covered in dirt and sweat. I wanted nothing more than to collapse into sleep, but I had a Skype date with my friend Kathryn at home and I wouldn't miss it for the world. It was SO good to talk to her and she filled me in on all the things that were happening in Ann Arbor. I miss everyone so much.
The next day we piled on a bus and went to Beit Hatfutsot (The Diaspora Museum) in Tel Aviv. The last time I was there it was with my Mom, Dad and Brother. At least Judy was there with me (although she was in a different tour group). After the Museum we went to a park to eat lunch in Tel Aviv. It was really nice. We just hung out and played games and relaxed for a while.
The rest of the week was pretty chill. I think they're giving us a chance to recover from our two tiyulim in one month. Apparently those were the two more extreme hikes and the rest are a lot easier. Personally I felt as though it was an apology. I'm not much of a hiker, even though everything I saw was beautiful and slightly rewarding.
Yesterday I went to my host family's house for Shabbat dinner. I love going there and feeling like I'm a part of a family again. Before Shabbat we go over to their neighbor, Barry's, house and socialized. He's funny. He kinda reminds me of both my Uncle Jim and my parent's friend Yossi. He used to be a redhead so he's always very enthusiastic whenever I come over. It's also nice when I can eat home cooked meals once in a while. I haven't had one since Yom Kippur break 2 weeks ago.
I realise that I complain about food a lot on this blog...I don't mean to sound whiny. Really it's the only thing that I have to complain about on this program. I guess you could consider that a good thing.
I'm kinda just rambling now. But my camera is still broken and I still need suggestions of what to do about that... any ideas welcome.
Btw, I loved the comments I got last time...thank you! Keep leaving 'em I love hearing from you all.
All My Lovin'
Phia
P.S. I can't put up more pictures until my camera is fixed...
Monday, October 13, 2008
New Years, Shooting Stars and Repenting
Hey guys! Sorry I've been slightly inactive with this for awhile. I don't remember where I left off, but I have a feeling it was right before Rosh Hashana. So I'll tell you all about my life since then.
My sister and I spend Rosh Hashana on our Kibbutz with 13 other members of our kvutsah. We got to know each other pretty well and it was a much needed rest where I caught up on my sleeping. On Erev Rosh Hashana the kibbutz had a ceremony to welcome in the new year. Basically there was a lot of singing and dancing. Fun stuff. There was a choir that reminded me of my parents' choir back home. The food at this ceremony far surpassed anything else that they've ever given us to eat on kibbutz. We stocked up and took all the leftovers home.
After dinner there was a video that summed up the kibbutz's year. It was very funny and cute. They had a small segment about our movement being there, which was very sweet. Apparently my host mom's brother put the video together so she said she'd try to get me a copy. The kibbutznicks then walked over to their chadar ochel and turned on music for us to dance to. We knew a couple of them and learned a couple new ones and had to force ourselves early so as not to disturb our monk neighbors on our way back home.
We couldn't really find services on kibbutz, so I did my own version of Taslich and meditation. Although we were hard-pressed to find services, the forceful kibbutz rabbi came barging in to our house once or twice to try and recriute boys for a minyan. He wouldn't take girls. He did blow the shofar outside of our house for us though...
After people came back from Rosh Hashana vacation we had a hurried packing session for our three day tiyul of the Judean Desert (Tiyul is a field trip). The desert was pretty, but it was hard for me to enjoy it when I was struggling to stay hydrated, and keep up with everyone else. Also I'm pretty sure my pulse hasn't been that high in a few years. I think over all we covered about 20 kilometers in 3 days. We were dropped off in the middle of nowhere and spent the better part of two days walking twords Masada. We tried not to hike from 12-3 because it was just too hot to do anything during that time of the day. We sought refuge in various wadis (dried riverbeds) and shady cliffs. It was beautiful. We slept outside under the stars and ate very camp-y meals (which were ALSO better than kibbutz food). There were SO many stars. I had a hard time getting myself to go to sleep because I was busy admiring the stars. I think that I saw about three shooting stars a night.
We woke up just before the sun each day so we could start hiking without it bothering us too much. On the morning of the last day we got up right before the sun and climed up Masada via the Roman route. We watched the sunrise over the Jordanian Mountains. That was also very pretty, but I personally liked the stars better and I've done the whole Masada sunrise before... I don't actually have too many fond memories of Masada. I appriciate it's history and it's certainly a fascinating place, but personally I would probably appriciate it more if I took the Cable Car. This was my third time at Masada and I've walked the trails all three times. Next time I'm not walking...especially not the snake trail. But don't get me wrong, it's a fasinating place.
We spend most of the rest of the day by the Dead Sea. At noon-ish Judy, my friend Celeste and I hopped on a bus to Jerusalem to visit our friend Ma'ayan. We met her mom (after some slight difficulty) and she took us back to their house where we all took much-needed showers. Ma'ayan wasn't home when we got there because she's taking the year off before the army to study in a Midrasha. (Btw- We know Ma'ayan from elementary school. She was in the states for our 4th and 5th grade years). We had pre-dinner (which was actually a complete meal) and sort of chilled out for a while while we were waiting for Ma'ayan's school to get out so we could go pick her up.
We picked up Ma'ayan really late and brought her dinner. We went to slichot services at one of the temples her family goes to. We spent most of the next day wandering around Jerusalem, letting Ma'ayan catch up on her sleep. We ran into some other people from our program who were staying in Jerusalem. we hung out with them for a while and a bunch of them got various piercings. We had to go home kind of early beacuse the fast started early. We had a great meal and then hurried off to shul.
In the morning we went to their other shul because their services started later. It was a really hard day. I don't think I've ever been in temple all day before. But really, I was in temple ALL DAY. I can't decide if that made fasting easier or harder, but I remember appriciating everything I put in my mouth that night during breaking the fast. We went to Ma'ayan's aunt's house and she had tons of food. She also wouldn't believe you when you said "I'm full". I could bareley move by the time we left her house.
I think the highlight of breaking the fast was when my family called. I miss them all SO ridiculously much and I can't wait to talk to them again.
We stayed in Jerusalem for Shabbat. On Saturday we went to have lunch with a lady from our temple who happened to be in Jerusalem for the Chaggim. It was one of the biggest, most beautiful apartment I've ever seen. It was a in the Californian style and had a beautiful garden. This family was the lady from Shul, her husband, her daughter-in-law and her 7 grandchildren (1 biy, 6 girls. All siblings). It was all very loaded, but it made me very aware of just how much money some people have.
We got back to kibbutz late that night and were greeted enthusiatically by our kvutsah. I was really happy to see them, and the kibbutz has definatley started to feel like home.
Um...yeah. I hope that updates all of you. Also my camera broke on tiyul, so if anyone has any suggestions on how to fix it, I'd be much obliged. I really need a camera...
Ok, that's all for now. Happy Sukkot!
All My Lovin'
-Phia
P.S. I'm serious about the camera thing...
My sister and I spend Rosh Hashana on our Kibbutz with 13 other members of our kvutsah. We got to know each other pretty well and it was a much needed rest where I caught up on my sleeping. On Erev Rosh Hashana the kibbutz had a ceremony to welcome in the new year. Basically there was a lot of singing and dancing. Fun stuff. There was a choir that reminded me of my parents' choir back home. The food at this ceremony far surpassed anything else that they've ever given us to eat on kibbutz. We stocked up and took all the leftovers home.
After dinner there was a video that summed up the kibbutz's year. It was very funny and cute. They had a small segment about our movement being there, which was very sweet. Apparently my host mom's brother put the video together so she said she'd try to get me a copy. The kibbutznicks then walked over to their chadar ochel and turned on music for us to dance to. We knew a couple of them and learned a couple new ones and had to force ourselves early so as not to disturb our monk neighbors on our way back home.
We couldn't really find services on kibbutz, so I did my own version of Taslich and meditation. Although we were hard-pressed to find services, the forceful kibbutz rabbi came barging in to our house once or twice to try and recriute boys for a minyan. He wouldn't take girls. He did blow the shofar outside of our house for us though...
After people came back from Rosh Hashana vacation we had a hurried packing session for our three day tiyul of the Judean Desert (Tiyul is a field trip). The desert was pretty, but it was hard for me to enjoy it when I was struggling to stay hydrated, and keep up with everyone else. Also I'm pretty sure my pulse hasn't been that high in a few years. I think over all we covered about 20 kilometers in 3 days. We were dropped off in the middle of nowhere and spent the better part of two days walking twords Masada. We tried not to hike from 12-3 because it was just too hot to do anything during that time of the day. We sought refuge in various wadis (dried riverbeds) and shady cliffs. It was beautiful. We slept outside under the stars and ate very camp-y meals (which were ALSO better than kibbutz food). There were SO many stars. I had a hard time getting myself to go to sleep because I was busy admiring the stars. I think that I saw about three shooting stars a night.
We woke up just before the sun each day so we could start hiking without it bothering us too much. On the morning of the last day we got up right before the sun and climed up Masada via the Roman route. We watched the sunrise over the Jordanian Mountains. That was also very pretty, but I personally liked the stars better and I've done the whole Masada sunrise before... I don't actually have too many fond memories of Masada. I appriciate it's history and it's certainly a fascinating place, but personally I would probably appriciate it more if I took the Cable Car. This was my third time at Masada and I've walked the trails all three times. Next time I'm not walking...especially not the snake trail. But don't get me wrong, it's a fasinating place.
We spend most of the rest of the day by the Dead Sea. At noon-ish Judy, my friend Celeste and I hopped on a bus to Jerusalem to visit our friend Ma'ayan. We met her mom (after some slight difficulty) and she took us back to their house where we all took much-needed showers. Ma'ayan wasn't home when we got there because she's taking the year off before the army to study in a Midrasha. (Btw- We know Ma'ayan from elementary school. She was in the states for our 4th and 5th grade years). We had pre-dinner (which was actually a complete meal) and sort of chilled out for a while while we were waiting for Ma'ayan's school to get out so we could go pick her up.
We picked up Ma'ayan really late and brought her dinner. We went to slichot services at one of the temples her family goes to. We spent most of the next day wandering around Jerusalem, letting Ma'ayan catch up on her sleep. We ran into some other people from our program who were staying in Jerusalem. we hung out with them for a while and a bunch of them got various piercings. We had to go home kind of early beacuse the fast started early. We had a great meal and then hurried off to shul.
In the morning we went to their other shul because their services started later. It was a really hard day. I don't think I've ever been in temple all day before. But really, I was in temple ALL DAY. I can't decide if that made fasting easier or harder, but I remember appriciating everything I put in my mouth that night during breaking the fast. We went to Ma'ayan's aunt's house and she had tons of food. She also wouldn't believe you when you said "I'm full". I could bareley move by the time we left her house.
I think the highlight of breaking the fast was when my family called. I miss them all SO ridiculously much and I can't wait to talk to them again.
We stayed in Jerusalem for Shabbat. On Saturday we went to have lunch with a lady from our temple who happened to be in Jerusalem for the Chaggim. It was one of the biggest, most beautiful apartment I've ever seen. It was a in the Californian style and had a beautiful garden. This family was the lady from Shul, her husband, her daughter-in-law and her 7 grandchildren (1 biy, 6 girls. All siblings). It was all very loaded, but it made me very aware of just how much money some people have.
We got back to kibbutz late that night and were greeted enthusiatically by our kvutsah. I was really happy to see them, and the kibbutz has definatley started to feel like home.
Um...yeah. I hope that updates all of you. Also my camera broke on tiyul, so if anyone has any suggestions on how to fix it, I'd be much obliged. I really need a camera...
Ok, that's all for now. Happy Sukkot!
All My Lovin'
-Phia
P.S. I'm serious about the camera thing...
Monday, September 29, 2008
Happy New Year!
I'd like to dedicate this post to Beth Reinstein who reminded me to update this week. I love you girl, and miss you so much. I'd also like to wish a Mazal Tov to my Dad's cousin, Carol, who just got married. Mazal Tov Booger-cheeks!
This week my kvutsah was preparing for Rosh Hashana when we weren't sulking about the fact that we couldn't go see Paul McCartney preform in Tel Aviv on Thursday (ok, maybe I was the only one sulking). We ran a series of activities for everyone else that day and made them lunch as well. I can easily say that it was the best food I'd had since I left my aunt and uncle 2 weeks ago.
So my kvutsah just started Rosh Hashana break. So far it's been really chill and quiet. People have mostly just been taking anps and eating and not interacting much all day. We're mostly recovering from the fact that we've all not been sleeping very much. Also a lot of us have colds. I really didn't do anything all day. I did try to teach myself guitar, but I got so frustrated that I stopped after 4-5 hours. But I plan on starting up again soon.
We had really good group activities this week. We played a variation of "Family Feud" called "Kvutsah Feud". It was fun. My room did a musicale act this week as well.
I met my host family last friday. My host mom, Shlomit, is the daughter of two of the kibbutz founders and she knows a lot about the history of the kibbutz. She was also a shlicha for Hashomer Hatzair and worked in the same office as the mazkirut from when I was in Chalutzim. She even knew Bat-Ami, who was the shlicha at machaneh during my first 2 years there. My host dad, Alan, made aliyah in 1972 from South Africa, so the whole family is fluent in English. I only met two of their three kids, but they were both very nice. Daniel, 22, finished some sort of unit in the airforce and was home for the weekend. Their younger daughter, Yael, is my age and just passed her pilot's test. She goes to the airforce in January. They were having a sort-of celebration dinner for the two of them and they pressed me to stay. It was very nice of them and the food was very good, but it was very quiet. As the members of my household in Ann Arbor can tell you, I hate silence at the table.
Our house is slightly gross. But even when it's clean we still have a lot of flies...I hate flies. Other than that I love our house. I think I've said this before, but the whole kibbutz is really gorgeous. Here are some pictures that I took from outside my window. The first one is a neighboring Arab village who's Moazzin (I think that's what it's called) we can hear quite clearly. It's such a cool thing to hear.
Anyways, I have to go. It's Erev Rosh Hashana and I have to go find out where services are tomorrow.
Shana Tova to you all. I love and miss you dearly and may you have a sweet and healthy and happy new year!
All my Lovin'
-Phia
P.S. Mom/Dad- if you're reading this, will one of you remind me that I still have to e-mail the rabbis/ everyone else at shul who requested one from me? I keep forgetting
This week my kvutsah was preparing for Rosh Hashana when we weren't sulking about the fact that we couldn't go see Paul McCartney preform in Tel Aviv on Thursday (ok, maybe I was the only one sulking). We ran a series of activities for everyone else that day and made them lunch as well. I can easily say that it was the best food I'd had since I left my aunt and uncle 2 weeks ago.
So my kvutsah just started Rosh Hashana break. So far it's been really chill and quiet. People have mostly just been taking anps and eating and not interacting much all day. We're mostly recovering from the fact that we've all not been sleeping very much. Also a lot of us have colds. I really didn't do anything all day. I did try to teach myself guitar, but I got so frustrated that I stopped after 4-5 hours. But I plan on starting up again soon.
We had really good group activities this week. We played a variation of "Family Feud" called "Kvutsah Feud". It was fun. My room did a musicale act this week as well.
I met my host family last friday. My host mom, Shlomit, is the daughter of two of the kibbutz founders and she knows a lot about the history of the kibbutz. She was also a shlicha for Hashomer Hatzair and worked in the same office as the mazkirut from when I was in Chalutzim. She even knew Bat-Ami, who was the shlicha at machaneh during my first 2 years there. My host dad, Alan, made aliyah in 1972 from South Africa, so the whole family is fluent in English. I only met two of their three kids, but they were both very nice. Daniel, 22, finished some sort of unit in the airforce and was home for the weekend. Their younger daughter, Yael, is my age and just passed her pilot's test. She goes to the airforce in January. They were having a sort-of celebration dinner for the two of them and they pressed me to stay. It was very nice of them and the food was very good, but it was very quiet. As the members of my household in Ann Arbor can tell you, I hate silence at the table.
Our house is slightly gross. But even when it's clean we still have a lot of flies...I hate flies. Other than that I love our house. I think I've said this before, but the whole kibbutz is really gorgeous. Here are some pictures that I took from outside my window. The first one is a neighboring Arab village who's Moazzin (I think that's what it's called) we can hear quite clearly. It's such a cool thing to hear.
Anyways, I have to go. It's Erev Rosh Hashana and I have to go find out where services are tomorrow.
Shana Tova to you all. I love and miss you dearly and may you have a sweet and healthy and happy new year!
All my Lovin'
-Phia
P.S. Mom/Dad- if you're reading this, will one of you remind me that I still have to e-mail the rabbis/ everyone else at shul who requested one from me? I keep forgetting
Sunday, September 21, 2008
And then While I'm Away...
We've been on kibbutz for a week now, but it feels like I've been here for months! It's really great here. We started all of our classes and our jobs so I'll tell you about them in turn.
For Shiur (lessons) we learn about matters concerning Judaica. We're focusing on the Chaggim right now since they're coming up soon. Today we learned about the Temples (and their destruction). One of the kids in my group's dad reaserches this as a profession and he had a lot to contribute. In fact, his dad was one of the speakers in the video we were watching about it. I think the whole thing is really fascinating and the lessons have been taking a great turn. At first I was falling asleep during them because I already knew everything that they were teaching me. Now I'm falling asleep because I'm tired. But they're still fun to be in!
Hebrew lessons are twice a week for 4 hours a day. I'm in the advanced group with 5 other people. In fact all of us who are going to U of M next year are in the same class. So is Judy. I'm still not sure how I feel about Hebrew yet. I think I like it, but so far I haven't been feeling very challenged. Also there have been times where we'll have come out of class only to discover that the beginners learned pretty much the same thing we did. That's always a little upsetting. But I think I like it.
My Avodah (Job) is working in the Archeological Museum that they have here on Kibbutz. I work there once a week with another kid from my kvutsah from 9-12. There are a couple of Kibbutznicks that work with us as well. Last week we were cleaning out the Museum's storage closet which is in an old chicken coop. We found all sorts of fun things in there. In fact, a rather amusing thing happened as a result of our cleaning.
So we got back from cleaning at 12-ish. We felt completley fine and dandy all day. Then we started to play cards at 11-ish and we looked down and noticed that our arms we starting to form these small red dots that itched. We looked a little concerned but didn't think much about it and we went to sleep. We woke up the next morning to find that the dots had spread up our arms, to our legs and around our necks. They itched a lot. One of our program organizers took one look at us and sent us the the kibbutz doctor.
We got there and the doctor looked us over for 2 seconds and said "You have a rash". I was skeptical because they looked more like bug bites than a rash, but he gave us some cream and a couple of pills and told us to come back tomorrow. The pills helped but they didn't stop the rash from spreading.
We went back in the morning and the doctor said "oh you're getting better. Take more pills and don't come back". That was a little disturbing, but we did what he said and the rash went away.
While this whole epidemic was happening we found out that all the kibbutznicks that we were working with got the dots too, but theirs all went away in a day. Slightly frustrating.
Other than that we've been hanging out with each other and the Brits. We arrange activities for each other that are usually pretty fun. My kvutsah is in the middle of planning a really cool Rosh Hashana for everyone else. We went to the Kibbutz's kabbalat shabbat service where they dedicated a prayer to us. That same night, we went to the kibbutz's club, which they had opened especially for us. Kind of a contrast, but it was fun and it really made us feel welcome. We also got host families. My host mom actually went on Year Course (the Young Judea year program) with a friend of my mom's (my old boss). So that's cool.
My kvuts-mates play guitar and love playing Beatles so we have jam sessions...they're my favorite thing ever! Also I was walking around our house the other day and I thought I heard the Loreleis' "Lollipop" and I walked into the room and my friend's roommates were using to his iPod and listening to our CD!!! They didn't know what it was and they were like "this is so good.." then they played "Julio" and my friend came in and goes, "Hey Phia, it's your song!" and his roomates were like "that's YOU?? this is YOUR group?!" Good moment. My room is probably the most musical room. We have a guitar player, a guitar player/singer and a singer. We sing each other lullabies.
I just watched the Godfather for the first time, during my down time. Now all the SNL sketches with John Belushi as Vito Corleone are so much funnier. So is the movie "Mafia!".
I'm a little upset that I won't be with my family on Rosh Hashana. And that I won't be able to see Paul McCartney when he coems to Tel Aviv. And the food here is absolutley terrible. Also I miss everyone. But other than that, I'm having a really really great time and I love it a lot.
All My Lovin'
-Phia
For Shiur (lessons) we learn about matters concerning Judaica. We're focusing on the Chaggim right now since they're coming up soon. Today we learned about the Temples (and their destruction). One of the kids in my group's dad reaserches this as a profession and he had a lot to contribute. In fact, his dad was one of the speakers in the video we were watching about it. I think the whole thing is really fascinating and the lessons have been taking a great turn. At first I was falling asleep during them because I already knew everything that they were teaching me. Now I'm falling asleep because I'm tired. But they're still fun to be in!
Hebrew lessons are twice a week for 4 hours a day. I'm in the advanced group with 5 other people. In fact all of us who are going to U of M next year are in the same class. So is Judy. I'm still not sure how I feel about Hebrew yet. I think I like it, but so far I haven't been feeling very challenged. Also there have been times where we'll have come out of class only to discover that the beginners learned pretty much the same thing we did. That's always a little upsetting. But I think I like it.
My Avodah (Job) is working in the Archeological Museum that they have here on Kibbutz. I work there once a week with another kid from my kvutsah from 9-12. There are a couple of Kibbutznicks that work with us as well. Last week we were cleaning out the Museum's storage closet which is in an old chicken coop. We found all sorts of fun things in there. In fact, a rather amusing thing happened as a result of our cleaning.
So we got back from cleaning at 12-ish. We felt completley fine and dandy all day. Then we started to play cards at 11-ish and we looked down and noticed that our arms we starting to form these small red dots that itched. We looked a little concerned but didn't think much about it and we went to sleep. We woke up the next morning to find that the dots had spread up our arms, to our legs and around our necks. They itched a lot. One of our program organizers took one look at us and sent us the the kibbutz doctor.
We got there and the doctor looked us over for 2 seconds and said "You have a rash". I was skeptical because they looked more like bug bites than a rash, but he gave us some cream and a couple of pills and told us to come back tomorrow. The pills helped but they didn't stop the rash from spreading.
We went back in the morning and the doctor said "oh you're getting better. Take more pills and don't come back". That was a little disturbing, but we did what he said and the rash went away.
While this whole epidemic was happening we found out that all the kibbutznicks that we were working with got the dots too, but theirs all went away in a day. Slightly frustrating.
Other than that we've been hanging out with each other and the Brits. We arrange activities for each other that are usually pretty fun. My kvutsah is in the middle of planning a really cool Rosh Hashana for everyone else. We went to the Kibbutz's kabbalat shabbat service where they dedicated a prayer to us. That same night, we went to the kibbutz's club, which they had opened especially for us. Kind of a contrast, but it was fun and it really made us feel welcome. We also got host families. My host mom actually went on Year Course (the Young Judea year program) with a friend of my mom's (my old boss). So that's cool.
My kvuts-mates play guitar and love playing Beatles so we have jam sessions...they're my favorite thing ever! Also I was walking around our house the other day and I thought I heard the Loreleis' "Lollipop" and I walked into the room and my friend's roommates were using to his iPod and listening to our CD!!! They didn't know what it was and they were like "this is so good.." then they played "Julio" and my friend came in and goes, "Hey Phia, it's your song!" and his roomates were like "that's YOU?? this is YOUR group?!" Good moment. My room is probably the most musical room. We have a guitar player, a guitar player/singer and a singer. We sing each other lullabies.
I just watched the Godfather for the first time, during my down time. Now all the SNL sketches with John Belushi as Vito Corleone are so much funnier. So is the movie "Mafia!".
I'm a little upset that I won't be with my family on Rosh Hashana. And that I won't be able to see Paul McCartney when he coems to Tel Aviv. And the food here is absolutley terrible. Also I miss everyone. But other than that, I'm having a really really great time and I love it a lot.
All My Lovin'
-Phia
Saturday, September 13, 2008
You Say Goodbye...and I say Hello
SO I realize it has been more than a week, like I said, but I have my excuses I promise...
My departure from Detroit was tearful and painful. It helped a little to be on the plane next to Judy on our way to JFK. We pretty much hung out at JFK all freaking day once we got there. Everyone else arrived at around 8 ish and we left. I'm not really going to go into this too much, because I hate all things to do with flying. To make a long story short, the flight was pretty good compared to other flights I've had.
We spent the first week at a youth hostel on the coast of the Kinneret called "Karei Desheh". It was pretty beautiful. It was great reconnecting with everyone and hanging out. We woke up at 8-ish everyday, and discussed ideology all day long. It's more fun than it sounds I promise. We split into the groups we're going to be living in and I love my group SO much.
We moved to Kibbutz after a week and had a two-day seminar about it. We met our British kvutsah and they're pretty cool.
I went to go visit my aunt, uncle and cousin in Tel Aviv this past weekend. It was a lot of fun and even though I love the kids I'm living with, it was nice to get out for a while.
It's wierd because despite the fact that I've been doing things non-stop since I got here, it hasn't really been that eventful. I guess that's kind-of a let down after two weeks of waiting, but don't worry, things'll pick up.
I just want you all to know that I'm fine and I'm having the most amazing time...it's so wonderful. But I miss all of you so SO much as well.
That's all for know, I promise next entry will be more exciting.
All My Lovin'
-Phia
My departure from Detroit was tearful and painful. It helped a little to be on the plane next to Judy on our way to JFK. We pretty much hung out at JFK all freaking day once we got there. Everyone else arrived at around 8 ish and we left. I'm not really going to go into this too much, because I hate all things to do with flying. To make a long story short, the flight was pretty good compared to other flights I've had.
We spent the first week at a youth hostel on the coast of the Kinneret called "Karei Desheh". It was pretty beautiful. It was great reconnecting with everyone and hanging out. We woke up at 8-ish everyday, and discussed ideology all day long. It's more fun than it sounds I promise. We split into the groups we're going to be living in and I love my group SO much.
We moved to Kibbutz after a week and had a two-day seminar about it. We met our British kvutsah and they're pretty cool.
I went to go visit my aunt, uncle and cousin in Tel Aviv this past weekend. It was a lot of fun and even though I love the kids I'm living with, it was nice to get out for a while.
It's wierd because despite the fact that I've been doing things non-stop since I got here, it hasn't really been that eventful. I guess that's kind-of a let down after two weeks of waiting, but don't worry, things'll pick up.
I just want you all to know that I'm fine and I'm having the most amazing time...it's so wonderful. But I miss all of you so SO much as well.
That's all for know, I promise next entry will be more exciting.
All My Lovin'
-Phia
Monday, August 25, 2008
Half of what I say is meaningless, still I say it just to reach you...
I'm starting this blog now so that I don't forget to do it later. I don't have much to say about Workshop right now, as it doesn't actually start for 9 days. But I'm starting now to give you all my version of an overview. This is what I'm doing next year from the way I understand things...
This entry's purpose is to give you all a little background on what I'm doing and the lingo involved. Let's start there shall we?
As you all know, I've been going to the same Jewish Summer Camp since I was 8. The name of the camp is Camp Tavor and it's a part of the Jewish youth movement Habonim Dror.
Habonim Dror is active in countries all over the world. Habonim Dror North America (HDNA) runs seven summer camps across the U.S. and Canada. The names of the camps (or machanot, as they're called) are; Miriam (West Coast of Canada, kinda by Vancouver I think), Gesher (Toronto area), Gilboa (West Coast America), Moshava (Mosh for short, in the Maryland area), Galil (Philly), Na'aleh (New York) and Tavor (Midwest). They all have names related to things or places in Israel.
So, Workshop. As you may have gathered, that's the name of the program I'm going on. All the participants are members of Habonim Dror. This is the 58th Workshop being run, so that's what Workshop 58 means.
There are two main parts of Workshop; Boneh and Kaveret. Boneh (which means build) begins in September. During Boneh we live on Kibbutz and learn various things about jewish/Israeli history and we get Hebrew lessons. I guess that we'll actually be doing stuff on kibbutz, but at this point I couldn't tell you what.
Kaveret starts in the winter and that's when the Workshoppers are split into two groups or "kvutsot". The kvutsot live in different cities that are about 20 minutes away from eachother. There we do "Messimot" or "missions". Baisically those are community service-type things. Last year the Workshoppers spend time teaching kids in English as their Messimah. I'm assuming that we'll be doing the same thing, but again, I couldn't say for sure at this point.
This all lasts until May when I come home.
I'll try and keep updating regularly, but I have this bad habit of forgetting/procrastinating. My goal is to update once a week so that you all can spend the majority of your time Facebook-ing, which is what I know you all will do.
Speaking of Facebook, my blog address will be on mine if you ever forget it. I'll also be able to use Facebook and e-mail in Israel, so feel free to use either of those to get in contact with me. If you want to call me, just keep in mind that I won't be using my American phone AND that Israel is 7 hours ahead of EST and I'm not that much fun to talk to when I'm half awake.
I think you can post comments on these blog entries too, so go ahead and do it.
Ok, that's all I got for now. My next post will be from Israel!!!!
-Phia
This entry's purpose is to give you all a little background on what I'm doing and the lingo involved. Let's start there shall we?
As you all know, I've been going to the same Jewish Summer Camp since I was 8. The name of the camp is Camp Tavor and it's a part of the Jewish youth movement Habonim Dror.
Habonim Dror is active in countries all over the world. Habonim Dror North America (HDNA) runs seven summer camps across the U.S. and Canada. The names of the camps (or machanot, as they're called) are; Miriam (West Coast of Canada, kinda by Vancouver I think), Gesher (Toronto area), Gilboa (West Coast America), Moshava (Mosh for short, in the Maryland area), Galil (Philly), Na'aleh (New York) and Tavor (Midwest). They all have names related to things or places in Israel.
So, Workshop. As you may have gathered, that's the name of the program I'm going on. All the participants are members of Habonim Dror. This is the 58th Workshop being run, so that's what Workshop 58 means.
There are two main parts of Workshop; Boneh and Kaveret. Boneh (which means build) begins in September. During Boneh we live on Kibbutz and learn various things about jewish/Israeli history and we get Hebrew lessons. I guess that we'll actually be doing stuff on kibbutz, but at this point I couldn't tell you what.
Kaveret starts in the winter and that's when the Workshoppers are split into two groups or "kvutsot". The kvutsot live in different cities that are about 20 minutes away from eachother. There we do "Messimot" or "missions". Baisically those are community service-type things. Last year the Workshoppers spend time teaching kids in English as their Messimah. I'm assuming that we'll be doing the same thing, but again, I couldn't say for sure at this point.
This all lasts until May when I come home.
I'll try and keep updating regularly, but I have this bad habit of forgetting/procrastinating. My goal is to update once a week so that you all can spend the majority of your time Facebook-ing, which is what I know you all will do.
Speaking of Facebook, my blog address will be on mine if you ever forget it. I'll also be able to use Facebook and e-mail in Israel, so feel free to use either of those to get in contact with me. If you want to call me, just keep in mind that I won't be using my American phone AND that Israel is 7 hours ahead of EST and I'm not that much fun to talk to when I'm half awake.
I think you can post comments on these blog entries too, so go ahead and do it.
Ok, that's all I got for now. My next post will be from Israel!!!!
-Phia
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)