Shavua tov from J'lem

A few new photos are up! I need to find a new site though, because thus far Picasa is slow and cumbersome. Thus the lack of pictures. Sorry!

Eilat Aquarium

Nes Gadol Haya Po!

Translation for non-Hebrew speakers: A great miracle happened HERE. 

This is different from the dreidels everywhere else in the world which have the letters on four sides to say "A great miracle happened there." So here it is, Chanukah. My first real holiday in Israel. The stores are almost completely sold out of the "good" wooden dreidels with the Herbew letter pey for "po" meaning "here" rather than shin for "sham" meaning "there." Sufganiyot or delicious pillowy doughnuts fill all bakeries even in supermarkets, and the lines at the grocery stores somewhat resemble the days before Christmas in the US when everyone rushes in to buy last minute groceries to feed visiting family and friends. 

It's not a major holiday, so there's no orgy of specific colors or decorations everywhere but just enough to remember a chag (holiday) is coming. Our building has a small display of menorahs or rather chanukiot in the front lobby, and it's been making me smile every time I walk by for days. The excitement of children and the young at heart is felt throughout Israel. I'm told Jerusalem is beautiful this time of year, and we leave for our ten day stay there tomorrow! 

Our weekly Tuesday Tiyul earlier today was around Arad, and we learned there's a lot more to our sleepy little desert city than I think any of us realized including several amazing small museums and 5000 years of history dating back to Biblical times. Who knew! We concluded the tiyul by celebrating the first night of Chanukah with at least 50 Jewish Ethiopian children who live in another absorption center (mercaz klitah) in Arad with their families. They were of course some of the most beautiful little bright eyed faces I have ever seen, and I'm almost surprised none of them made it on the bus with us when we left. The frenzy of tiny hands reaching up eager for sufganiyot when the pastries were finally distributed was unreal. I had my first one! (It's a good thing we'd already said Shechehiyanu!) I swear it was some sort of Chanukah miracle looking around the cramped room and feeling the anticipation and excitement for something wonderful about to happen. I think there's definitely hope for humanity! 

Now I'm back at our mercaz klitah needing badly to take a nap before packing for my trip and doing all the work which still needs to be done on my MASA project before I leave tomorrow. At 8 o'clock tonight we're taking a bus back to the Artists' Quarter where we were earlier today for our "Holla Back 80's Chanukah Party." I still need to figure out what I'm wearing. If only I'd brought the tutu! (Amy- that's partially for you! I promise to reply to your comment another time.) 

Three of us gave Chanukah gifts tonight from all of us at WUJS to the two "very mature" ladies who live in our building and have no family of their own. It was such a blessing bringing joy to them! I do so love unexpected surprises and cheering people up! I adore these lovely ladies, especially because they insist on speaking Hebrew to me in the elevator and not Russian. The days when I understand and am able to respond in Hebrew, I feel as though I can take on the world. 

In other amusing pseudo-miracle news, I got a long email from my dear friend in China who tells me (and allows me bragging rights) that my blog is considered subversive by the Chinese government and is blocked. He has to go through the US proxy server to view it! Ah- another inadvertent success. I suppose I should clarify. The miracle was hearing from him tonight of all nights when I've been thinking about the fact that it's been too long since we've been in touch... not being censored by China. Though it did tickle me to find that out. 

So I guess in conclusion this year the REAL miracle is having found something which makes me so very happy, going for it with everything, and being able to share it with all of you! Cheesy, I know, but it's from the heart. 

Much love and fluffy, sugary, powdery, jelly filled goodness,

*jane

Top 10

Seth asked a great question which I decided to answer in the comments sections of the last blog post, but now I can't seem to get it to copy and paste to the blog itself. Alas. Consider this an enticement to look at the comments from my previous entry where you will find the aforementioned "Top 10." 

As for my mom's question, after further consideration, here is my response:

Everyone knows first you eat, then you pray and find yourself, and then you find love. :O) It's always in the last chapters! For now, I'm finding all the love I could ever want from Allie, my friends, and family. Not to mention all of my former students and youth group kids who send me emails and messages all the time. 

(Bronwyn, you're the best... sh... don't tell the others! Can't wait to see you in Israel!)

Arad the Windy City

It's 3 am here with howling winds and despite the fact that I have three classes back-to-back in approximately six hours, here I am feeling compelled to blog. I think it's an extension of my "getting things done" day. I'm rather proud of myself for taking the weekend "off" to catch up on sleep and life. A very mature and decidedly wise decision, I think, on my part. (That and I simply couldn't stand the idea of packing one more overnight bag!) This was my first free weekend spent in Arad (and probably will be the only one), and it was dare I say delightful! I have not given myself the permission to spend any time slacking off so far since my arrival in Israel about six weeks ago, and it was probably time. Although today alone I swept, cleaned the bathroom, did dishes, laundry, and even hand wash not to mention sending out a few emails and odds and ends for class. The to-do list was NAP and accomplish things in between. (I tried not to set the expectations up too high. Nothing worse than disappointing yourself on a weekend!) I'd say I did well. Some people were bouncing off the walls today at having been in Arad for so long, but since I feel as though I'm rarely ever here anyway, it was a nice change of pace for me. 

In the two weeks since I last wrote (wait- I just checked and although I cannot possibly believe it, it's been THREE weeks!), time has begun to spin faster and faster. I have climbed at least three mountain ranges, witnessed several incredible sunrises, spent another weekend in Jerusalem, started volunteering at a Bedouin school working with high school girls, and made sushi for the first time. I have proven to myself that my body can do AMAZING things I no longer thought possible and have been so inspired as to start writing poetry and lyrics again. We've met a famous Israeli singer, government officials, and even the winner of a reality show about becoming the next leader. So now maybe you're beginning to see why the sheer thought of blogging overwhelms me with how much there is to tell! I've decided to put it to a vote. Plus it's a sneaky way to see who's really reading this thing. Post a reply and let me know what you'd like to hear more about. Anything is fair game from daily life at WUJS (laundry is always fun) to why the first unicorns came from Israel. (Yes, that's a true story.) I'm planning on posting at least a couple of my latest poems soon, and pictures are uploaded to the computer and hopefully with any luck from the internet powers that be will be online this week as well. 

I'm going to do my best to blog again before this Wednesday, because after that, there's a good chance I will not be writing again until after the 16th of December. The 5th I have been honored with an opportunity to be one of eight out of hundreds to represent MASA  and WUJS at a conference in Jerusalem about the future of the Jewish people, and the next day is the beginning of our WUJS Jerusalem week. Then we have a break from the 12th to the 15th, but I have another Shabbaton to attend and will probably use the time in between to visit possible internship sites in Tel Aviv if I don't get there the first part of this week. Um... I'm a busy girl! Yikes. This busy girl is going to go attempt to catch some zzz's. Sorry for the "fluff" blog entry. Israel's amazing! That about sums it up. Hopefully the photographs with captions with paint in the details. 

"Chappy" Chanukah and Sweet Wishes! 

photos, updates, and anything else that will fit...

So many things have happened since my last post, it's hard to know where to start. Thanks to all of you for reading and letting me know you look forward to hearing about my travels! First things first- I have managed to post at least a few photos with some captions on Picasa. The link appears at the very bottom of this post, and by going to the tab on the left that says "My Photos" you should be able to see the other albums as well. 

Allow me to set the mood for you... it's close to 5:30 pm here, and we just got out of ulpan. We've started learning the past tense- woohoo! This morning I had my Jewish philosophy class where we discussed Maimonides, but somehow our professor fails to ignite my interest despite my love of philosophy. I keep thinking about Rabbi Aaron's classes and wishing he was teaching the class. Teachers really do make all the difference! 

Anyway, here I am waiting for the water to heat up for my shower and also for my coffee to kick in. We leave at 7 am for our five day tiyul (hike or trip) through the Negev. It has finally gotten chilly enough for me to be snuggled up in my Carolina sweatshirt, and I'm listening to U2 rather than my usual Jack's Mannequin which I haven't been able to get enough of lately. There's a lovely sunset behind me through our window, and I simply couldn't be more content with life. Maybe the coffee is starting to kick in... :O) 

I've made a few reputations for myself here, but they're the good kind. Racheli (one of our madrichot) said to me at lunch today that every time she sees me I have the biggest smile on my face. Maybe it's a camp thing to always smile, but then, what's not to smile about?! :O) I also seem to be the resourceful one of the bunch. Then there's my laugh. It's loud and very distinctive. People always seem to recognize it. I don't hold back. Beti, my Turkish friend, made me promise today not to hold back. No problems there. Since coming to Israel I've been doing my best to dance like no one's watching and laughing from my belly. Loving like I've never been hurt is taking more concerted effort, but I'm working on it. 

While visiting my extended family in Qiryat Gat (near Ashkalon) the last two weekends, I have made some interesting insights. I have decided for myself that friends may come and go, but family is forever. All I have to do is decide who to include in my small family of friends and know that those are the people I can always count on. All other friends are free to come and go in and out of my life as they always seem to but without my getting disappointed by the changes as I always have been known to. This comes out of the overwhelming warmth and kindness I received from my family despite not having seen them since the last time I was here when I was 15- ten years ago! At the time it was truly a profound realization but maybe one we all inevitably come to sooner or later or maybe with age. 

Moving away from the personal, let's back track through the last two weeks...

Jerusalem was great. We visited Mount Herzl, the Herzl Museum, the Begin Center, and ran all over Jerusalem. Met lots of people, but one of my favorite new friends is the soldier who lived in our room. Shiri is wonderful, and I can't wait to see her in less than two weeks when we have the second part of the seminar series. I have decided to do my project on immigrant stereotypes and the understanding of immigrant communities both in Israel and in the US. There are some really interesting parallels that I've discovered and hope to be able to shed some light on the issues in order to promote tolerance and eventually acceptance and appreciation of differences. I'm hoping to write a program that can be distributed to youth groups and maybe even camps. Such is the goal anyway. I have to write my official synopsis tonight. 

That Sunday we went back up to Jerusalem for a peace rally to free the three Israeli soldiers captured by Lebanon more than a year ago. The wife of one of the soldiers spoke as well as another's friend, but I felt the disco balls and fog machines during dancing and singing in between the speakers took away some of the integrity of the rally. The cheese factor became a little too high for my liking at times. I did however run into Lauren Godles from NFTY, Haley Cohen from Temple Beth Or, and Reif from camp. They're all studying in Israel too. It's a small small Jewish world here. 

The next night we met our adoptive Arad families but mine and several other students' never showed up. We were sad and orphaned (see facebook photo), but as you can probably tell, my real family more than made up for the absence of the Katz family... whoever they are. Then we went for a moonlit hike through the desert just outside of town. Very cool. The moon was huge. Everything you'd expect, and a great desert breeze which at the time was quite refreshing because it hadn't started to get cold yet. 

Tuesday was a trip to different Bedouin villages, settlements, and cities. Yes, there are definite distinctions. Suffice it to say, there was much controversy, and I will gladly discuss at length all I have learned about the issue with anyone who's interested. It is far too much to go into any real detail here. It may also become a part of my project on immigrant populations, though I'm not sure it fits exactly. 

Wednesday night (Halloween) Allie and I went out dancing at Baraka, a huge club in Be'er Sheva which is only for university students. We had an AWESOME time! The atmosphere and music were great, and we danced nonstop for hours. Israeli men it turns out are actually very good dancers, and they do something no American men would ever do- dance in large groups with each other! It really is a site to see, but they don't seem to be the least bit concerned. It's very freeing. 

Thursday I had my first falafel of this trip to Israel. It was a momentous occasion and quite delicious. I almost said Shechehiyanu. On the way up to the Hadag Nachash concert that night, we stopped at McDonalds. I don't think I've eaten there in years in the US, but there we were. I managed to order ice cream in Hebrew and was extremely proud of myself. (An M&M McFlurry for anyone who's curious, and no, it's not called a McFlurry.) What do you call a drive thru in Israel? A McDrive! Love it! There are "McDrive" signs at every McDonalds. 

The concert in Jerusalem itself was incredible! Before the show, the Jerusalem circus was on hand to entertain, and there were all sorts of things going on around us. We also ran into many of our new friends from the leadership conference. Lots to tell, but in short, it was good fun. Hadag Nachash put on what I thought to be a much better performance than they had in Philly which I had also enjoyed. We were in the third row but never sat down in our seats. We were up dancing the whole time... for the second night in a row! See what I mean now by dancing? 

We got home that night around 1:30 am, and I was thoroughly exhausted. I spent that weekend in Qiryat Gat eating, sleeping, and drinking coffee/ tea with my family. Such a lovely way to spend Shabbat! Saturday morning we went to the beach in Ashkalon for part of the day and came back with a large bag full of various kinds of sea shells. These are truly MY people! See Qiryat Gat Album for photos of how they use the shells to decorate walls in the backyard. Shells now also cover my desk in Arad. There's something comical about sea shells in the desert, and I enjoy the juxtaposition. 

Monday (November 5th) Sudanese refugees living in Arad came to speak to us. It was an amazing and eye opening talk. Two things I found most interesting- one, all they want is a safe and peaceful place to raise their families and they believe Israel is that place. This of course is in severe contrast to most people's reactions to my telling them I was moving to Israel for six months. It's all about perspective. The second point of note is that the people we spoke to insisted on not being labeled as Darfur refugees. They are from southern Sudan and fled from there some of them as many as twenty years ago. Apparently the war in southern Sudan has been going on that long, and they seemed outraged that it was not until the war reached Darfur that it got any mass media attention in the last few years. According to them this is because of the Muslim population there being affected. I need to do some research into this, but I have reason to believe their outrage. 

The next day, those of us in the Peace & Social Justice track visited three different sites all over northern Israel doing work in our various areas of interest: Arab-Israeli relations, at risk youth, and Ethiopian immigrants. All very interesting and lots of bonding time in the van. Four or five of us finished off four bars of delicious Elite chocolate: dark with hazelnuts (for you Mom!), dark with Pop Rocks (a new thing here- fireworks for your taste buds!), milk chocolate with Oreo pieces, and dark porous chocolate. According to my family though, this is nothing. Still, we were quite impressed with ourselves. It was just one of those days. 

Wednesday we had a lecture on female slavery traffic, and I think I might do part of my internship at a crisis center in Tel Aviv for women. Clearly the talk had an impact on me. Are you beginning to get the sense that not a day here is spent without serious discussion of some sort? Because that's truly the case! That night we watched "Walk on Water." It's an Israeli film, and if you can find it- watch it! 

Saturday I was with my family again, and I started yearning for Reform Judaism. I miss it more and more. I miss female rabbis and women in kippot. I keep wanting to wear my kippah here, but it's totally not received in a way that I would like or interpreted well. I always thought young women returned from Israel wearing kippot as a continuation of a practice they adopt or begin here, but it seems to me now that it's more an expression of freedom at being able to do so without reproach or too many questions. Ironic in a way. Or maybe it's some people's way of taking Israel home with them. A reminder. A sign to the world. 

I also miss the Reform music tradition. I played Jewbilee's version of Misheberach in our room the other night, and now Allie thinks it's the most amazing thing she's ever heard. Imagine a life without Dan Nichols! I miss American social activism and political correctness. I am sometimes far too much of a "bleeding heart liberal." I admit it. I miss Reform services, but I get so excited at being able to freely read prayers and understanding much more of the literal meaning. Even when it was only pronouns and a few verbs, it was a thrilling start. 

It's just about time for my shower and packing, but one more piece of exciting news out of Israel: a new country-wide smoking ban in public places went into effect yesterday! People who smoke in bars for instance will be fined large sums as well as the places where they smoke. I am delighted by the news, but the smokers on our trip are not. As it is, Israel is the only country I have ever travelled to that has a 5 minute intermission during all movies presumably as a smoke break in addition to bathroom use or to get snacks. We went out last night, and it was such a relief to not have to wash my hair or strip off all of my clothes as soon as we came home. I hate that feeling! 

In the next blog, you can look forward to tales from the tiyul and a Shabbaton in Eilat. I have promised my grandfather I will go to the aquarium there if I can. A very easy promise to keep given my love of marine biology! The following weekend (22nd-24th) I will be in Jerusalem for part II of the leadership seminar.  

Much love! 

***The link for the photos is: http://picasaweb.google.com/janejy18/Arad?authkey=FXBUwTTwZoA

ruminations, reflections, and non sequiturs

Soon I have to go do my Ulpan homework and pack for my busy weekend, but I realized I may not have the chance to blog for a bit and wanted to get some thoughts down. Tomorrow we have Ulpan at 9am, and the "bus" (actually a ten passenger van) is picking us up at 11:30 am midway through class. We have scheduled programs/ workshops/ speakers/ services/ tours from very early morning until 11:30 pm both nights, but I'm hoping to maybe still see some friends while in Jerusalem. We'll see how realistic that proves to be. We leave after Havdalah and get back to Arad around 9 pm Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon after Ulpan all forty of us are going back to Jerusalem for a cultural event with WUJS. Tuesday we have an all day study tour (not sure to where but we have tours every Tuesday), and Thursday we're going to Jerusalem AGAIN. There's a Hadag Nachash concert being organized by MASA. I can't wait to see them again! I saw Hadag Nachash at NFTY Convention in Philadelphia this past February. Israelis seem surprised to hear that they played in the US for over a thousand Jewish teens and youth workers. So as you can see, there's a very good chance I will not be blogging again until next weekend.

Allie and I were very productive today. We got up early for a memorial service held in our courtyard to commemorate Yitzak Rabin's assassination. It was led in three languages (Hebrew, Russian, and English) and was very moving. All of the flags today flew at half mast, but most of Israel went on as though it were a regular day. The teachers and most professors here have been on strike for quite some time and schools and universities are closed and some even padlocked. Today they opened for memorial services and then were promptly closed again. This amuses me as it seems counterintuitive. Banks and post offices and such appeared to be open and working regular hours. I was disappointed not to see the day mentioned in most major international news sources. I expected more to be different about today, but other than the displays in our courtyard and the entrance to our building all is as before. We did spend the first half hour of Ulpan however discussing the historic event and current conditions.

After Ulpan (where I continue to amaze myself with how much I've learned in less than a week!) I wanted to take a nap but instead joined Allie for a trip into town. We ran a number of errands and finally bought laundry detergent as well as a drying rack. The drying rack serves to save us money in not having to pay to use the dryer but also saves our clothes from its industrial strength AND lessens our carbon footprint on the environment. Now that's a good deal for $10! (Walking everywhere and not having my car for the time I'm here also makes me feel very green friendly, but I still miss the freedom of driving sometimes. Or maybe just my car.) My Russian was once again useful in finding the rack at the general store as well as getting free hangers from a clothing store at the mall. Paying for hangers seemed silly. I have no idea why there weren't some already here left behind by previous participants. Carrying the rack and a large bottle of fabric softener all the way back gave my arms a great workout. It's quite amazing how quickly my body responds to toning. I feel great!

My first Israeli Art & Culture class with Steve Israel was very interesting as was the dinner seminar he led on social justice for those of us in the PSJ track. I'm so glad I decided to be in this track rather than art. The art track takes only one class, and they spend most of their time creating art/ music or writing in their studios. I don't feel like my personal mission in Israel is to express but rather to pour knowledge and experiences into myself as a sort of vessel. I feel so very hungry for knowledge about everything. I'm ravenous! I still want to take every class offered! I was impressed with how much I am able to bring to discussions despite a few people's stigmas about a "Reform education." Just goes to show education is education. There's so much we absorb through involvement of any kind, but I think active participation and engagement is key. On a random note, I miss my Dan Nichols's cds! I have "all the world's a narrow bridge..." stuck in my head and in general I really need to get Mim or someone to email me some tracks. Being in Israel very much lends itself to his music, but to most of you, that's probably redundant.

Yesterday was as fantastic as I'd hoped it would be. Beautiful, scenic, educational. Very hot and a very long day to be sure but so worth it. The garden we visited had a special sensory garden with water components and herbs for olfactory stimulation for the blind or hard of seeing visitors. Very cool.

Jonathan (our educational director) made an intriguing statement during our pre-departure meeting Monday night. He was talking about the importance of the waves of aliyot to Israel's history and said that they are especially crucial in Judaism's history because ours is not the telling of the story of one central figure or person but of a people's journey towards statehood. I'm not capturing his words accurately, I know, but the idea is something I'm still pondering. Zichron Yaakov and the events that took place there are certainly critical to Israel's existence today when seen from that vantage point. [Non sequitur alert] We also had delicious Chinese food for lunch. Not one of the six of us could resist the business lunch special. It was a little more than the average cost of an entree but included soup or eggrolls, Chinese salad, steamed or fried rice, entree, AND dessert. SO much food! We knew it was more than we would eat for lunch, but leftovers are a wonderful thing and the deal was simply too good. We tried to resist. We really tried. Most other people ate at cafes and also had delicious meals. (Food is good.) The town as a whole was adorable, and I made a mental note to go back either one weekend or during my month in Israel after this program ends. There were many cute shops we never made it to, but the winery tour was worth putting the shopping off until next time. I'm realizing I may not actually have an idea of what I want to do after May until I start my internship in January.

I'm certain there's more to tell, but homework awaits. Please keep the comments and emails coming. I'm sorry I can't reply as consistently as I'd like, but they mean a lot to me! (Victor, Jamie, & Janet- thank you!!)

Whoever posted the food comment anonymously that I didn't publish... and you know who you are (Andrew- was it you??)... I want to assure you I have not "lost it." Sometimes mashed potatoes really are that good!

pps

The rosemary mashed potatoes were easily the most delicious thing ever cooked in a microwave! And I have had some true love affairs with pizza bagels and easy mac.

1am update

This will have to be shorthand because I am exhausted and need to have already gone to bed. I just received an email from the representative from MASA with whom I interviewed today, and I was accepted into the Leadership Building Program for the series of three seminars being held in Jerusalem! It means missing my Ulpan class Thursday which is sad, because I really enjoy learning Hebrew. But hopefully I will be able to catch up, and it's for a really great cause! There must be several of us going, because we are getting our own bus from Arad to Jerusalem. Although I'm not sure yet who else got in. There were only 45 spots open in the program for the close to 10,000 MASA participants currently studying in Israel. I feel honored! I'm also proud of myself for taking advantage of every single opportunity available to me even if it means pushing back seeing my extended family one more week. The seminars are spread out over several months, so it shouldn't create too many problems. I can't wait to meet the people from other programs who were accepted! I know... the excited me and the practical me are both thinking at once. That's how it goes at 1am.

I also forgot to mention in my last post just how supportive and nurturing everyone here is of all of us. The staff members are truly incredible, and they really do try to make our lives as easy as possible including every aspect of adapting to Israel and the culture. I should also mention that my parents' Russian wisdom on things like how to know which carrots are the sweetest has come quite in handy. (I hope that sentence makes sense. I'm far too tired to figure out why it sounds wrong to me at the moment.) In addition to translating I was particularly proud of myself this afternoon for picking up a book of Russian jokes and not only being able to read and understand but also reading the joke aloud to our new Russian babushka friend. I felt like I had passed some sort of test. I don't practice my reading very often except more and more here, and I'm thrilled each time when I can do it. Israel is proving to be an excellent environment for all of my language skills. Several people also speak Spanish, so even that is being put to some use. I find myself answering "si" instead of "ken" all the time.

One last thing I think my family especially will appreciate... I found out quite accidentally that two of the guys in the Art track are writers. One of them is actually a science fiction writer, and we've been talking a lot about my great grandfather, Vivian Itin, who was an author. I was surprised to learn how enthusiastic they are to find out more about him, and it has led me on a bit of a quest to find information in English about him on the internet. There isn't much, but they are desperate for me to translate some of what he wrote into English for them. I'm very uncertain as to whether I will have the time to pursue this new project here, but I'm starting to seriously consider its undertaking and wondering why I haven't before. So that's one of my big things this week.

Babushka- ya tebya nezabevayou!

day 8- ani mevina kzat ivrit

The clock says it's just about 8pm. I am in a fantastic mood and very excited to have some time to myself and to blog. My roommate Allie who continues to amaze, challenge, and inspire me is out for a run, so I have the privilege of having the room and her computer all to myself. My favorite songs are playing on my MP3 player, and I am a happy happy girl. 

Today has been a very busy day with not one but two trips into town, Ulpan, and a "Night Before" lecture about our tour tomorrow to Zichron Yaakov. (Typing my grandfather's name just caused a wave of sadness to wash over me, but I hope I can find a way to make peace with the feeling before tomorrow morning.) Essentially we are going north to Israel's wine country and the location of the arrival of what is considered one of the first official waves of Jewish immigrants here. The first aaliyah. I'm really excited for the trip. We've been told it's one of the most beautiful places in Israel, and the description of the promenade, shops, gardens, and wineries sounds incredible. 

Let me back track a little... our tiyul (hike) through the Negev was fantastic as expected, although I would like to report that there were not one million stars. To be fair, it was a cloudy night and we had minor light pollution, but around 2am I counted "only" 800,000 stars. Give or take a few. So many bright stars! :O) I will post pictures soon of the trek around the Machtesh Ramon and the other places we climbed, but I know the pictures do not do justice to what we saw and experienced. The night we spent camping out we also had a bonfire complete with singing and roasting marshmallows.  The food was delicious both days! Lots of fresh cheeses and dairy products with vegetables and baked goods. Of course there were meats for those of the carnivorous persuasion. 

I loved challenging myself physically and am relieved and happy to say my body cooperated and has been responding very well to all the walking, climbing, and hiking. We're walking everywhere including up the six flights of stairs to our apartment and getting into great shape.

Coming back to Arad for Shabbat was wonderful. We were all dirty and sweaty in a very back to nature sort of way, and it was great to rest, shower, and prepare ourselves for our first Shabbat together. I wasn't crazy about sitting separately but beside the boys in our Beit Knesset (sanctuary) or the structure of the service, and it made me think of home and miss the connection I've come to feel with Reform Judaism. Most of my friends here were raised in either the Conservative or Orthodox movements, and they were surprised to learn that I brought kippot with me to Israel. (I decided to wait to mention I also brought my tallis!) Hopefully I will be able to spend at least one Shabbat in Jerusalem either at HUC or with some of the students there or maybe some of the other Reform Jews I know who are currently in the country. (Josh... Cole... Andrew... what are your services like??) This coming weekend I may be in Jerusalem but for a pluralistic leadership conference. More on that if it happens. 

Saturday was quite restful. We went on what was supposed to be a 20 minute walk and instead was a 3 hour tour. Arad continues to amaze me. We passed Amos Oz's house- a famous Israeli author. As we were walking down a lush and colorful street with many plants and flowers on either side of us was the desert. At one stop point to our right in the distance we saw a boy riding a donkey. Soon there was a herd of animals which seemed to appear out of nowhere that came over the crest of a hill. Imagine seeing that in Raleigh walking down the street! To our left, a few cars occasionally drove by. Beyond the cars a sign pointed to Masada. When we got to the look out point where we were headed, we could see for miles including to the Dead Sea and beyond to Jordan. We can see the Dead Sea from nearby where we live! I would have taken lots of pictures, but it was Shabbat and we plan to go back soon. Havdalah that night was quite lovely, but it has always been one of my favorite services. 

Yesterday we began our Ulpan, and I sat in on the environment class which I'm still deciding whether to add. (Choosing only five of nine possible classes all of which sound interesting is a challenge! A wonderful wonderful challenge.) Those of us in the PSJ (Peace & Social Justice) Track met with our coordinator to hear about Atidim. Atidim means futures, and the organization works with scholastically gifted high schoolers from underprivileged areas around Israel especially here in the Negev and in recognized Bedouin villages. A number of us are very interested in volunteering through them in some of the local schools just outside Arad. Again, more on that as it happens. 

Then last night Allie and I took a very fortuitous trip to Be'er Sheva. In the interest of brevity and getting other things done tonight, I will say we saw our friends, made some new ones, and had a terrific time. Ori came to meet up with us at dinner, and it was nice to see a familiar face. Although we were in the "real world" and in Israel, so it almost didn't feel familiar since it was so far removed from camp. We came back on the last bus around midnight and high fived as we walked to the building at having successfully navigated Israel outside of Arad. (Be'er Sheva is about 45 minutes from here by bus, and the bus ticket is only 10 shekels (approx. $2.50). )

Janet asked me in an email today what an average day here is like. I have no idea. No day here has been average so far! :O) In some ways, I hope soon there will be some sort of sense of routine, and in other ways, I hope every day continues to be unique and surprising. I mentioned in the beginning of this post two trips into town today. One was with Allie to the shuk. Yes, it's Monday again! There were more people shopping today. Maybe because we went earlier. I didn't buy much, but we tasted fruits I had never seen before. My market friend Aber was there and definitely remembered me. So funny. It's so cool walking around and seeing people from all walks of life... some speaking Russian, some dressed in veils and completely covered, some wearing all black and tzit tzit. I'm in Israel! Still beyond words and beyond any gratitude I could express to family, friends, and others for helping me get here. 

The second trip was more amusing than anything. I was hired (for the price of a delicious lunch in town) by my friend Shlomo to come with him and translate so that he could get his haircut. It was a successful endeavor for everyone although not as simple as it seemed at first. Essentially we found a nice Russian grandma to translate to the barber... Shlomo to me to the babushka to the barber. Good times! 

Okay... one hour after I sat down, and I am hungry! Time to go downstairs to microwave some potatoes with the butter I bought last week (ps peanut butter is so expensive here but spreadable delicious chocolate is not at all). It may sound a little pitiful, but I'm adding fresh rosemary I picked during our walk through town. It grows wild on the sides of the street. Rosemary potatoes doesn't sound half bad, right? :O) While they cook I have Ulpan homework to do then shower and bed early. We leave at 6:30 am. 

A whole week already! It feels like a lifetime. Time is still in tourist warp speed mode. I couldn't believe it was only day eight when I looked at my planner just now. We've hiked in the desert, spent the night in a tent, had our first Shabbat, started our Ulpan (Hebrew classes), stocked up on groceries, gotten to know our way around Arad, and taken a trip to see friends in Be'er Sheva.  Funny and amazing things happen all the time, and there's never enough time to write about all of it. I've already had a number of 3am incredible conversations, and that alone makes this journey beyond worthwhile. 

day 1- success in the market place

Wow- has it really only been one day?? I didn't get to make my phone calls last night since my phone card doesn't work with the pay phone in our building, but I'm working on it. Tomorrow I get my cell phone anyway, and from there it should be pretty easy to make and receive calls. Also, I am very excited to say that I am writing currently from my very own room! Yes- my roommate Allie arrived (we like her a lot) and brought her laptop, and we found out since we're so close to the wireless internet in the computer room that we get it too... for free! Good times. So far so good. 

We're on the sixth floor of a seven floor building (one of the tallest in town) and have a terrific view of Arad and the desert. It's amazing walking around how many plants and flowers there are around here still blooming well into October. There are also a lot of stray cats and kittens- a parting gift from the British who brought them in to take care of the then mouse/ rat problem. Good thinking! We've counted at least 23 that we've seen out and about. Last night there were four adorable kittens hiding under a car. They started to follow us home, but of course there's no way to keep them. 

Maybe I should tell you about my day...

I woke up this morning after sleeping in a little with no jet lag (hurray!) and socialized with other people in my program until it was time for lunch. Lunch was various hot foods, hummus, and lots of fresh delicious vegetables and salads. Much better than camp vegetables, but then again, American fruits and veggies in general have too many pesticides to have a true aroma or flavor. I grabbed some white peaches and an orange muffin to have for breakfast. We're very resourceful around here. 

After lunch we all met up for a mini tour of Arad and to go to the shuk. There is a shuk or market in almost very town in Israel, and the one here is open on Mondays. It's a bit like the flea market and the farmer's market in Raleigh all in one but not as large. I loved the smells of fresh citrus, bananas, mangoes, persimmons, tomatoes... you name it! There were pomegranates split open for people to see the jewel toned seeds inside and oranges sliced for potential buyers to taste. The ripe Jaffa oranges however were green- go figure. 

We didn't have to haggle, because the prices were already so low. For under fifteen dollars I got apples, bananas, red peppers, potatoes, a frying pan, and 40 rolls of toilet paper! Not bad! I got a great deal on the fruit though because the guy spoke Russian and fell in love with me. :O) He insisted on giving me his number. Don't get excited... I'm not sure we're meant to be. But he was very sweet, and it's always a nice ego boost to be admired. 

There's so much more to tell... I don't know where to start. Everyone in the program seems wonderful. We're a very diverse group from Canada, France, Russia, England, Scotland, Dominican Republic, and all over the US. I may have even missed a country or two, and not everyone has arrived just yet. Everywhere around me I'm reminded that I'm in Israel. From the date trees lush with fruit falling to the street to the desert sand to hummus served as a bar food and Hebrew and Russian everywhere. Yes, my Russian is getting me far. Most signs don't have English, and most of the people really do speak Russian everywhere we go. 

Bedtime for now. We have a big day tomorrow with sign ups and registration as well as orientation. Lilah tov! 

let the fun begin!

Shalom! I am finally in Arad! At the present I am writing to you from our computer lab conveniently located just two doors down from my room while eating yummy hummus with sesame crackers. Ah the first meal in a new country. :O) The flights were good with only a few delays here and there but nothing major. I sat next to some very nice people, and the food wasn't that bad. On one flight we even had marble swirled cheesecake! I slept most of the time anyway. Sorry for the lack of inspired eloquence in this post. I'm exhausted, and the computer is not entirely cooperating. Off to make a couple calls then shower and pass out. More soon! Leave me love

but first... adventures in raleigh

There are some friends in our lives with whom we need no plans. Running errands at BJs or wandering spontaneously around town can become the best adventures when these people are around. Yesterday my friend Travis (whom I absolutely adore) and I had one of those types of afternoons. He's one of the few friends I have who gets excited about the same random things that I do from open sun roofs to socially conscious slam poetry. And he's usually up for going along with whatever crazy plans I dream up.

We had planned to get coffee, but instead went to some of my favorite places around Raleigh in search of the best dictionary/ phrasebook for my trip. Reader's Corner did not have what we were looking for, but I bought some vintage postcards and Travis got a record. Yes, a vinyl record. We're very retro like that. :O) Todd who hosts monkeytime on the public access channel was working, and it was amusing asking him the questions I have always wanted to ask about segments they've done in the past.

Quail Ridge was next on the list. I finally did find the perfect slim volume that contains grammar, phrasebook, and dictionaries. So useful! In addition, I of course also found a new journal just made for the next six months- Alice in Wonderland with great quotes from the book throughout the journal. Shopping concluded, I figured we would say goodbye, but I thought of one more place we had to go.

As it turns out, Travis had just been to the Arboretum, and he made an excellent guide. I had been there once before in the winter, and I don't think I saw one tenth of it that time. If you've never been, and you live near Raleigh- go! Right now may be one of the best times. It's near NC State by Neomonde off of Hillsborough Street. (Another great place!)

Travis proclaimed that we needed to start with the succulent garden. Before I could even make a joke, he cut me off teasing me about my "fetish for innuendo." It's true! (And very well put.) So we continued exploring the various gardens... Winter Garden, Asian Garden, etc. Everywhere we went there were gorgeous plants to see and smell and sometimes even taste. We made our way to a fig tree with fully ripe fruit and couldn't help but try some. Sorry City of Raleigh! I think the last time I ate figs off of a tree was seventeen years ago in Italy when my family was immigrating.

Despite Travis's better advice, I also tried some of the ripe flying dragon fruit we came across. The fruits themselves looked like tiny tangerines only with fuzzy peach-like skin. They smelled far too fragrant to be poisonous, I decided. Sure enough, when I sucked the juice, it was tart but slightly sweet and extremely aromatic. Totally worth it. I looked the plant up online later, and it's a perfectly safe if uncommon citrus.

My favorite things in the Arboretum though have to be all of the places with water, especially the miniature waterfall into the pond with fish and stunning lavender water lilies. Maybe it's a Pisces thing. There was also a weeping elm that looked like something out of a storybook, and we made it a point to sneak in under the canopy and play for a bit under there. It somehow reminded me of the twisted old olive trees I saw in Israel ten years ago.

I can't believe I'm going back there so soon! Reality washes over me more and more often, but each time it's still a fantastic surprise that it's really happening. Actually, the desert plants reminded me that in a week I will be hiking through the Negev and sleeping underneath the 1,000,000 star sky. (I'll be sure to count and get back to you about the accuracy of the nomenclature.)

I'm really looking forward to living in another country rather than simply visiting for a period of time. I can't wait for a winter holiday season without Christmas things in every store. Although I hear there really isn't very much in the way of Chanukah in Israel either, since it's a fairly minor holiday in Judaism. Purim should be great and Pesach too. What do you say in place of "Next year in Jerusalem???" There's also this issue of it being the seventh year in a cycle, and so technically Jewish farmers can't grow anything on their land. Should be interesting!

Three more days...

life's a journey

There's a lot of pressure in posting my first blog entry. (Might I add ever.) I have wanted to start a blog for a while, and now as I am about to set out on my big adventure, it seems like the perfect time. Timing is everything.

At the moment I'm at a little coffee house still in Raleigh where it is finally raining for the first time in far too long. Rainy days somehow lend themselves all too well to writing of any kind. And I never need an excuse for coffee... or naps for that matter. Go figure.

So now that you know all about me, allow me to explain the title of this post. Quite simply- I'm about to embark on an amazing journey! (Embark- what a great word!) I am moving to Israel for about half a year for the WUJS Arad program. I'll be doing the Peace & Social Justice track, and for those of you who know me, you know that this has "jane" written all over it. I couldn't possibly be more excited! I know the next six months will bring tons of traveling, many misadventures, new friends, visits with old friends, and journeys of all kinds- intellectual, spiritual, and emotional. Stay tuned!

*Special thank you to Beth Shalom's Kesher Fund, Rabbi Lucy Dinner at Temple Beth Or, and MASA for helping to make this dream a reality!