Camping in the Bedouin Tents and Riding a Camel!

Eating like a Bedouin

Since we didn't get enough of the Negev during our Tiyul earlier in the week, Heather, Becca, Keren, and I decided to go  back and stay in a Bedouin tent. So, we rented a car (yikes! driving in Israel!) and road tripped back to the Sde Boker area. It took us over an hour to get the car and then we had to figure out how to navigate through Tel Aviv to pick up Keren at the bus station. Heather and Keren did a great job getting us out of Tel Aviv and on our way to Han Sharot, the Bedouin village we stayed in. As we drove, we watched the sun set over the desert, which was amazing. Shortly after sunset, we reached the turn-off for the village, and although we didn't see any tents, we drove along a dirt road, hoping we were going the right way. Eventually, we decided to call Yotom- our host at the Bedouin village- and ask for directions. Our landmarks, aside from a vague street sign, included a lot of dirt and two "shadow camels" which were flat cut-outs of camels on the side of the road. When Heather asked Yotom if the tents were near the camels, we were sure he would say, which camels? they can move, you know! So she explained that we were looking at "shadow camels" but that didn't help us much. Finally, we pulled into the parking lot and were greeted by Yotom. We got our own large section of the tent, which was divided into thirds and heated! We set up our mattresses and played cards in the tent until dinner.
Bedouin meals are delicious! A large serving tray of salad, vegetables, hummus, tahini, and a big plate with a whole chicken on top of rice that we sat around and ate from. We started by cutting the chicken, but Yotom told us the Bedouin way is to take a flat pita, reach into the chicken, and pull out your piece! Becca tried it and said it tasted better- more flavor! After stuffing ourselves with dinner, we moved to the other side of the dinner tent and had some delicious Bedouin tea.
When we were able to move again, we went with Yotom to set up a campfire. We chose a campsite right next to where the camels live! We visited the camels before making our fire, which Keren pretty much built from scratch! Yotom and his friend brought wine and marshmallows, and we sat around telling stories, drinking wine, and roasting marshmallows. The fire kept us warm well into the night! It was still going strong when we put it out so we could go to bed.
Saturday morning we woke up early for an Israeli breakfast, then headed to the camels for a ride in the desert! Getting onto a camel is no easy feat. A camel saddle is for two people, one in front of the hump and one behind it. So, when you get on, both people have to go at the same time. The camel stands up as soon as it feels the weight on its back. Camels have an extra joint in their legs, so as they stand up, we were rocked forward, almost tipped over, rocked backward, almost tipped over, and finally horizontal. We rode the camels, took pictures, and enjoyed the view of the craters and desert rocks around us.

Our Camel!

Since we had a car and it was only 11am on a beautiful Saturday, we decided to drive back north and stop wherever looked interesting. The first place we found was a desert winery, but there was a private party going on so we couldn't stay. We came across some sand dunes, which Becca and I climbed and explored. We wrote Shalom in the sand and took pictures climbing up the dune. We drove around a bit more and came across an oasis/ lake. We got out of the car, walked around, hiked, and chilled by the lake for a bit in the afternoon sun. It was a great find! Satisfied with our day, we headed back to Tel Aviv, navigated to a parking spot, and went to take a nap in good 'ole Beit Leni. It was an incredible weekend and we really enjoyed getting out of the city for a bit and relaxing Bedouin style.

Hiking and Exploring the Negev!

For our final Career Israel Tiyul, we took a trip to the Negev for some hiking and exploring. The desert is an incredible part of Israel (60% of the land!) and a great place to go hiking/exploring. Our first destination in the Negev was Makhtesh Ramon (Ramon Crater), where we stood above the crater and looked at the amazing rock and sand formations below us. The crater is the world's largest natural crater (40km long and 2 km wide) and is 500m deep! There is a spring at the bottom of the crater which serves as the water source for the wildlife in the area, including ibexes, which we saw lots of! We hiked through some of the crater and explored the different sand and rock remains in the cliffs of the crater.

Ibex!

After hiking through the crater, we headed to Ashalim, a student village in the Negev that brings students to settle in the area. The students live in subsidized housing and volunteer in the local neighborhoods. The idea is to encourage students to stay in the area and get more people to build their homes in the Negev.
After a long day of hiking and exploring, we headed to Sde Boker Youth Hostel for dinner and and a drum circle! There were 3 performers at the drum circle, each of whom had either drums or a guitar. There was a circle of seats next to unused drums, which we took turns playing. The performers taught us some basic beats and we got to rock out with them. They played some awesome Friday night camp songs and we had a great time pretending we were good at the drums.

On Monday, we visited Ben Gurion's grave site, which is in a beautiful park overlooking the craters. Ben Gurion and his wife are buried in large, above ground tombs that fit in with the palm trees and craters around them. Ben Gurion promoted cultivating the Negev, which is why his burial site is in a park there. We hiked a lot during the trip, climbing and descending the craters and walking through the bottom of some. The naturally formed cliffs of the craters have unqiue patterns and geometries from the rock being washed away many years ago. Our next adventure was to a goat farm, where we petted goats, tasted goat cheese, and learned about the farm and its products. The cheese was really good! From the farm, we headed to a Bedouin village to learn about the life of a Bedouin woman. We were welcomed into her guest room (a large tent with mats on the floor) and served delicious Bedouin tea. As we drank our tea, the woman told us about her life and the hardships of being a Bedouin woman. Bedouin women do not have equal rights, so they are less educated and prohibited from working. Their job is to raise the children and take care of the house. They also don't have any say in their children's futures- the father makes these decisions. It was amazing that this woman's husband allowed her to speak to us. It's hard not to feel hopeless in her situation, since she is alone in her feelings and the outside world cannot interfere with Bedouin practices.

Ben Gurion's Grave

After the Bedouin village, we hiked Snapir Katan, which overlooks the large crater. There were many rock formations and we even saw some colored sand! We stayed to watch the sunset, then headed back to the hostel for dinner. We went to bed early Monday night because we had to wake up at 3am Tuesday for a night hike!!
The night hike was awesome! We hiked by moonlight (for the most part, since some people had flashlights) and watched the sun come up over the canyon. We were in the bottom of the canyon walking through, which led us to an oasis! After 3 hours of hiking, we stopped for a delicious breakfast in the park near the crater, then continued hiking for another 3 hours. We hiked Nahal Chaverim and Ein Avdat, narrow canyons with springs and amazing views. There was a waterfall in the canyon, too!
Our final stop before we headed back to Tel Aviv was Dimona, a community of African-American Israelites. The people moved to Israel from Chicago 40 years ago and their first language is still English. The African Hebrews claim they are descendents of the lost tribe of Israel. They a strict vegans and promote a healthy lifesytle, requiring everyone to exercise at least 3 days a week. They aren't exactly Jewish, but they practice some of the Jewish traditions, based on when/where they were written. After we met some members of the community, we got back on the bus and slept all the way to Tel Aviv.

Haifa's on fire! Is it insensitive if we barbeque?

Bahai Gardens

This past Thursday, our program headed up north to Haifa for a day exploring the many different religions that coexist in this amazing city. We started the day at the Louis Promenade, where there is an incredible view of the city from the top of the Bahai Gardens, which are extravagant on their own. We gazed down the mountain to the sea and enjoyed a perfect morning of blue skies with not a cloud in the sky. Haifa means beautiful beach (hof-yafeh) and is rightly named. As we walked down the 700 stairs of the Bahai Gardens, stopping to take pictures and enjoy the wonderous symmetrical landscaping of the gardens, we learned about the Bahai religion. Haifa is a city that takes pride in its peaceful coexistance between 4 religions- Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Druze.

Ominous Smoke Cloud

After the Bahai Gardens, we headed to Stella Monastery to learn about Christianity in Haifa. We also hiked down to Elijah's Cave, where supposedly the Prophet hid for a while. As we descended the mountain, we noticed a smokey, ominous cloud not too far from where we were. We didn't think much of it, and continued to hike down to Elijah's Cave. When we got on the bus after the cave, we were informed that there was a fire near the Druze village Usafiya, about 20 minutes from where we were. Usafiya was also our dinner destination, so we weren't sure if we'd be able to make it there.

The Fire

We continued our tour at the Achmadim Mosque, where we heard about Islam and got to ask lots of questions about the religion. We also had to take off our shoes before we entered the Mosque, and since we had just been hiking, there were about 120 pairs of stinky fit in the room. Mmmm, good thing this was after lunch.
Because of the fires, we had to take an hour long detour to get to dinner in the Usafiya. It was worth the extra drive, though we ate by candlelight because they lost power shortly after the fires started. Dinner was all-you-can-eat homemade traditional Druze food: pita with different toppings, rice, eggplant, hummus, fresh veggies/salad, and a yummy cous-cous like dish made of wheat. We ate to our hearts' content then headed back to the bus.


Druze Dinner



  



Mid-shot rooftop pong with the fire blazing behind us

Ellie and I needed to get back to Haifa to stay with our friends for the weekend, which we hoped didn't mean taking the hour long detour back. It did. We basically got dropped off on the side of a road where our madricha found an English speaker that pointed us to a bus back to Haifa Tachana Hof Hacarmel. We kept an eye on the huge amount of smoke coming from a place not too far from us. From the bus station, we had to find our way to Ariel's. Luckily, I had been there before and I recognized the Horev Center. We got off the second bus, called Ariel, and finally made it to his apartment.
We welcomed Alex to Israel, greeted Guy and the Haifa boys, and went up to Ariel and Dani's roof to observe the fire. It was huge! And not very far away! We had a big night planned, though, so we began our pong tournament. Alex and Ariel dominated the table all night- Ellie and I lost many, many times, as did Dani and I and Ellie and Dani. After the exciting and a little frightening fire-watching and pong playing, we went inside to end the night in typical night-in fashion: super smash brothers and fifa soccer.

The losers :(

On Friday, we slept in then the Haifa boys came over and we had a big barbeque on the roof. We hoped it wasn't insensitive of us to be doing this while the fires were blazing, but we had the food already and needed to use it up. So, we had another delicious meal, played more pong, and enjoyed an afternoon in the sun. By then, all we could see of the fire was smoke. Helicopters arrived, dumping water as the flew by. We watched the news a lot of track the progress. Aside from worrying about the fire, Friday was a wonderful afternoon that felt like the first warm Saturday at Bucknell where everyone's outside all day hanging out. Friday night we continued our hanging out at the apartment with the boys. We played more video games, ate dinner, and relaxed.

Bros?

For lunch on Saturday, we headed back to Sandwich Bar for amazing honey turkey and Scandinavian cheese sandwiches with lots of toppings. We watched tv, napped, and enjoyed a relaxing Shabbat afternoon before heading over to the soccer courts for Saturday soccer. We played soccer for a while, but it smelled like smoke outside! After ordering pizza for dinner, we headed back to Tel Aviv. This ended another amazing weekend in Haifa.

Battle of the Sects(es): Jerusalem Style

One of the main sources of conflict within Israeli society is between the different sects of Judaism. We went to Jerusalem last week to hear a few speakers from different backgrounds/ sects. The first speaker gave a really good introduction to the conflicts and why they are so difficult to resolve. The two main sects of Judaism in Israel today are the Orthodox and the secular. Within these sects, there are a variety of sub-sects.
First up was a speaker from the Haredi (ultra-orthodox) community. He was in Paris and came to Israel to teach at Tel Aviv University. He discussed the issues of maintaining your customs and beliefs in a society in which you are the minority. The ultra-orthodox are a minority born in Israel, and even though everyone's Jewish, the ultra-orthodox do not recognize secular Judaism. So, they stick to themselves in communities scattered throughout Israel. Despite being a minority, the ultra-orthodox have control over the religious sites in the country and marriage laws. In order to get married in Israel, you have to "prove" your Judaism, which seems a bit crazy in a country where all of the citizens are Jewish. The ultra-orthodox are in charge of the regulations for visiting the Western Wall, including attire and separation of men and women.
The next speaker was a woman from Women of the Wall, a Pluralistic organization that fights for equal rights for women in Orthodox Judaism. They protest the laws forbidding women from carrying a Torah at the Wall, wearing Talit that are not strictly feminine, and segregation, which still exists today in Haredi communities. In Jerusalem, some of the religious bus lines force women to sit in the back so the men don't have to see them/ aren't tempted because they're not allowed to look at or touch women in any way.
The speakers posed many issues and showed how complicated it is to determine what customs should be preserved in Haredi communities and which ones are simply outdated. Furthermore, it is unclear who should be the ones making such a decision. The same is true for Women of the Wall and the laws governing religious sites and marriage regulations.

Haifa Part II: Same City, Different View

One of my goals for the time I'm in Israel is to go to Haifa about once a month. It's such an amazing city and I've really enjoying hanging out with Guy, Ariel, Dani, Tom, Tal, and their friends! I've definitely gotten a taste of the Haifa life, and I love it. The city has a small town feeling even though it's not that small and there's lots to do.

View from Ariel and Dani's Parents' House

Last Thursday, I went to Haifa with a co-worker to play soccer with a bunch of his friends at Haifa University. We played indoor soccer- their gym is a basketball court and has soccer nets, as do most basketball courts in Israel. We played for a while, and then it was time to see Guy and Ariel (who was finally back from Africa)!  I met up with Guy near his house, and we went back to his bachelor pad for a bit until Tom came and picked us up to go to Ariel and Dani's apartment. They live on the top floor and their apartment has a roof where they often hang out and they have a pong table! It was pretty late by the time we went to bed.

Mukhraka Monastery

On Friday, we slept in and I woke up to Dani and his brother making us shakshuka (tomatoes and veggies sauteed and covered with eggs)! It was a little spicy and very delicious. After brunch, Ariel, Guy, and I went on a mini road trip to see some of the local area around Haifa. We went to the Druze village Dalyat and walked through their shook (market). The Druze are a religious community with lots of villages scattered throughout Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. Their religious beliefs are actually a secret! The only people that know the secret are those that commit to a religious life when they turn 18- they commit before they learn anything about the religion. All we know is that one of their values is loyalty to their country. So, those that live in Israel can serve in the army and are at peace with their neighbors.
In the market, they had lots of colorful bags and scarfs, Judaica, and hand-crafted souvenirs. They also have really good Druze pita with labneh and other delectable desserts. But, we were full from shakshuka so we resisted temptation.

View of Israel Valley (other side this time)

After the shook, we drove back through the village, to the Mukhraka, a Carmelite monastery with a great view of Haifa and the surrounding areas. The Mukhraka is the site where, according to tradition, Elijah fought against the prophets of Baal. We went through the gardens and then out to see the view- it was incredible! There was a map on the ground of the observation deck that showed all the places you could see and which direction to look. Almost all of the people at the monastery were American tourists, and they were definitely from the south. Guy, Ariel, and I made fun of them a bit, especially when we asked two different people to take a picture of us and neither of them managed to succeed. Definitely made me miss good 'ole US of A. Finally, we got a picture of us and headed to our next destination. We drove through the Carmel Mountain a bunch, checking out the view of the coast whenever it popped out from behind the trees.
We dropped Guy off before making two last stops on our road trip. We went to yet another view point to see Elijah's cave. But, just as we got out of the car, it started to rain! It was cold rain, and we had a 10 minute walk to the cave, so we decided to come back to the cave another time. Next, we went to a view point that showed the port of Haifa and the navy bases. Ariel showed me where he worked and where Dani worked when they served in the navy.
After a busy day, we went back to Ariel's to relax and get ready for Shabbat dinner. Ariel, Dani, their two brothers, sister, and I went to their parents' house for Shabbat dinner. As always, the food was delicious and the family is very nice! His mom is originally from England, so we had a lovely chat in English. Their house has a balcony with a great view of the coast!

View of the Coast near Elijah's Cave

Friday night, we went to Cafe Neto with the Haifa boys- Ariel, Guy, Gal, Ben, Ran, Nemo, his girlfriend, and Yotom! Yes, Ben, I will write about it in my blog :) We sat outside and had a drink, and then it started raining again! It rained more on Friday than it did the entire two months I've been here! That is, it rained twice for about 15 minutes each time. So, we headed back to Nemo's to watch a movie. It was a very strange Michael Cerra movie called Scott Pilgrim against the World. We didn't make it through the movie, since it was getting late and we weren't that interested.

The Map...

Saturday was a nice, relaxing Shabbat. If the weather wasn't bad, we would have gotten to go sailing! We watched movies at Ariel's and then went to his friend's and watched another weird movie- this time an Israeli one. After the movie, we went to Ariel's parents' for hamburgers, mmm good. We didn't have much time, though, because we had to play soccer at 4. Soccer was really fun this time, and we played for over two hours! It was another outdoor basketball court with soccer goals, which I'm starting to get used to. After soccer, we had dinner at Ariel and Dani's with some of their friends- homemade burekas and pizza... yum. Finally, I had to catch the train back to Tel Aviv. I hate saying goodbye to Haifa and the boys, but I know I'll be back soon.

What am I actually doing in Israel??

Awesomely bright building next door

As you may know, I'm in Israel on a program called Career Israel, which means that I have an internship working for a medical device company. I live in Tel Aviv and I work in Caesarea, which is a 40 minute train ride from Tel Aviv. Medical Electronics, or MES, is located in the Caesarea Industrial Park, which is a beautiful office complex with palm trees and beautiful sunsets.

My office!

Lab Competition

MES is a small company, so everyone is really close and everyone's really nice. A few people even take turns cooking lunch for their group of 4-5 people, and their lunches are always delicious-looking and smelling. I get made fun of for bringing a sandwich and pretzels for lunch, since lunch is kind of a big deal in Israel. And, there's always dessert that they force me to help eat.

What's my job? Solidworks, mostly. My first project was to update and organize the production files of one of the devices. I updated the engineering drawings and made some new parts and drawings for pieces that were not on file.

Sunset in Caesarea

This week, I was assigned an independent design project! I have to come up with a device to clean a small sensor nuzzled inside the device without taking the device apart. This way, customers can clean it themselves. It's like having my own senior design project... brainstorming, proposed solutions, feasibility, market analysis, prototyping, and back and forth until the final prototype. I've been hitting the drawing board pretty hard this week, so hopefully next week I can present some decent ideas.

Overall, my internship has been a great experience so far, in work experience and meeting Israelis. Caesarea is a beautiful area to work in, very quiet and peaceful. Not quite as hot as Tel Aviv, either, so I may soon need a sweater that can zip up for the end of the day! It's perfect fall weather right now!

Sderot and Gaza Seminar

To learn more about the Gaza situation and its effects on Sderot, a city that borders the Gaza Strip, we went to Sderot for a seminar. Learning about the situation in the place where the historical moments, wars, etc occurred is so much more powerful than learning from afar. Sderot is mostly inhabited by Moroccan immigrants and is constantly under threat of Kassam rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. Every home has a bomb shelter, as do buildings and parks. We were lucky to be able to visit for the day, since it's been relatively calm there over the past 6 months.

View of the Gaza Strip Border (~2 miles away)

When we first arrived in Sderot, we went to Beit Chabad to hear a little about Sderot's history before and after the 2005 disengagement from Gaza. The speaker was from an organization called Kol Voice (all the voices) and we learned a lot about the past decade of life in Sderot. Basically, people live their normal, everyday lives, and when they hear the rocket siren they have 15 seconds to get to a bomb shelter. Once they hear the explosion, they go back outside and carry on with whatever they were doing. A very, very difficult way of life, and extremely emotional and stressful for families and their children.
Our next speaker was from the Sderot Media Center, and he was a journalist that talked more about the rockets and life in Sderot from the perspective of a journalist. At the time of the Israeli disengagement from Gaza, the country was split in half between those in support and those against it. The supporters all wore blue ribbons/ tied them to windows, cars, wherever they could. Those in opposition did the same thing but with orange. The result was a country that was half blue and half orange (Ray Bucknell!). If you were in Israel in 2005, you would see the mobs of blue and orange and the different protests.
Finally, we met two representatives from Other Voice, which is a group of Israelis that communicate with Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, mostly by phone and email. They hope to establish connections and that the groups will see some similarities in their lives being surrounded by the rockets and fighting. One woman spoke about how she lived in Egypt for 4 years with her husband and children. Her 5 year old daughter became good friends with a Palestinian girl in her class at school, but the girl's mother would not let this woman's daughter go to her daughter's birthday party at her house because 'their people hate each other.' This went on for some time, and the girls' teacher did lots of lessons in the classroom about accepting differences and not hating people. Finally, it was the Israeli girls birthday and she wanted to invite the Palestinian girl to her birthday party. The girl's mother would not let her go to an Israeli's house, but she agreed to let her go if the party was in a restaurant. Eventually, the girls started to be allowed in each other's houses and their families became good friends. The girls even became regulars at each other's houses. This took 3 years to progress, but both mothers were amazed looking back, since they never dreamed they'd be so close with a family they were supposed to hate on principle. After the speakers, we stopped at the police station to see some of the kassam missiles that have been collected over the years. They're about 3 feet long but can do a lot of damage.

Kassam Rockets Collected at the Police Station

We took a break for some falafel after a long, intense morning, then dove right back in. We went on a security tour of Sderot and went to a viewpoint about 2 miles from the Gaza Strip. We heard some more stories, took some pictures, and got back on the bus. Our next stop was Nitzan, a community of people that were evacuated from Gaza in 2005. They were forced to leave by their own people, which was an extremely emotional situation for the whole country. The soldiers that evacuated them could have had family and friends there, and thankfully everyone cooperated and left their homes peacefully. The people in Nitzan live in temporary homes given to them by the government when they were forced to leave Gaza in 2005. Their homes are tiny apartments, but they are building them large homes now, somewhat subsidized by the government. It's been 5 years since they left Gaza, so it's about time they have a real home to start their lives again. Many of them were farmers, so they have to learn a new trade, although a lot of them are 45-55 years old and don't want to change their occupation.
It was a very informative, intense day, and we're all still formulating opinions about the situation and digesting all the information we were given.

Shabbat on Kibbutz Gazit

A really interesting and unique way of life in Israel is living on a kibbutz, a community where almost everything is shared- from the work to the food to clothes and childcare. Ellie and I are lucky to have a friend from camp that lives on Kibbutz Gazit, a farming kibbutz near the Kineret, and over the weekend, we had a chance to experience life there. Ellie, Keren, Becca, and I set off for Kibbutz Gazit on a never-ending bus ride, and our friend Guy picked us up when we finally arrived. The kibbutz is near Mount Tavor and the Kineret, but it doesn't need these beautiful surroundings to make it incredible; the kibbutz itself is beautiful. As we drove through, we noticed how calm and quiet it was- especially compared to the busy streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. All the houses are beautiful inside and out.

There are about 300 families on the kibbutz and everyone knows each other. There are family houses in one part of the kibbutz, and young adult studio apartments for ages 18+ are a few minutes' walk away. There were also soccer/ basketball courts, a big dining hall with buffet style meals, classrooms, a nursery, and playgrounds. Since Kibbutz Gazit is a farming kibbutz, there were lots and lots of cows and sheep.

After we arrived on Friday, we met Guy's parents, brother, sister, and nephews. We all had mint tea and a small snack to hold us over until Shabbat dinner. As always, the food was amazing! We had dinner in the dining hall, where there was rice, chicken, potatoes, vegetables, and more- mmmm good. After dinner, we headed to the moadon (social lounge) for some chocolate milk and pretzels/ wafers. We sat outside with a bunch of families and watched the kids and dogs run around. Dogs on kibbutz's have the life: they can wander about as they please, everyone feeds them/ knows who they are, and no one bothers them. Guy's dogs walked between his apartment and his parents house whenever they felt like it or wanted to see another family member.

As if we didn't have enough for dinner/ dessert, when we went back to Guy's parents' to relax, we were served brownies with ice cream! We learned a lot about the kibbutz and had a great time with Guy's family over the 2 days. Also on Friday night, we met a bunch of Guy's friends and went to the Kibbutz pub. We sat outside and played cards while enjoying a few beers. All in all, it was a great night.

On Saturday, we woke up early for breakfast at Guy's parents' and then headed out for our walking tour of the kibbutz and the local orchards. It was beautiful! The view from the kibbutz is great- all greenery and trees on mountains. The trees in the orchards included almond, avocado, sabras, and pomela. Pomela is a very large green citrus that is somewhat sweet and very delicious. We picked one from a tree and sat outside to enjoy our snack after a long morning of walking and learning about the kibbutz. We also went to visit the cows and sheep, and saw the cows getting milked. They have machines/ suctions that milk the cows, so Guy's job is to get the cows in/out, set up, and clean up. Becca was brave enough to see what it's like to milk a cow by hand! We also visited the baby cows, which apparently will suck on your fingers if you put them in their mouths, hoping for some milk (weird, but Guy told us to do it).

When we got back to Guy's parents', it was time for lunch: empanadas, chinese noodles with chicken, and chicken stuffed with veggies. We had another brownie ice cream treat for dessert! After our delicious lunch and recovery from over-eating, we got in the car to drive up Mount Tavor. There are quite a few Arabic villages in the area, and it was interesting to drive by and check them out. The view from Mount Tavor was amazing: the Israel Valley, more mountains, and you could even see Tzfat! We also drove up to a really pretty church but couldn't go inside. 

As the sun set, we headed back to Guy's for a quick nap and then it was time to head back to Tel Aviv. It was an incredible experience seeing first hand what life is like on a kibbutz and the advantages of a sharing culture. 

Trip to the North: Golan Heights, Tzfat, hiking, the Kineret!

To celebrate the completion of Ulpan, our program took us on a 4 day trip to the north of Israel. We woke up bright and early Tuesday morning and drove for a few hours up north to begin our first hike. We hiked along the Keziv Stream, which offered beautiful views and a natural pool at the bottom of the mountain that we could swim in. We hiked for a few hours, but we stopped along the way to hear stories and swim in the pool. The view from mountain to mountain while hiking was incredible- so green and natural. After the hike, we went to a really cool lookout along the northwest coast of Israel. Rosh Hanakra lookout was on the border of Israel and Lebanon. We took cable cars down to the water, where there were a bunch of really interesting caves and very beautiful blue water. We were there for sunset, which was the perfect time of day to see the coast. After the caves, we headed to Tel Hai Youth Hostel, very ready for a shower and dinner. We had the typical Israeli hotel buffet dinner- burekas, schnitzel, potatoes, other chicken, hummus, vegetables. Delish. After dinner, we went on a night walk to the Tel Hai monument and heard some stories of the history between Israel and Lebanon.

View of Lebanon/ homes of Hezbollah from the Kibbutz

We woke up early on Wednesday and drove to Kibbutz Misgav Am, which borders and looks over Lebanon. It overlooks the homes of Hezbollah and their followers. We could see their houses, schools, army bases, everything. One of the members of the kibbutz gave an amazing talk about his life on the Kibbutz, the politics of the area and the situation between Israel and Hezbollah. One thing he pointed out that really struck all of us was that none of Hezbollah's buildings have windows or any glass. This is because it's much easier to shoot/fire missiles at Israel if there's no glass in the way. Right now, the sitaution on the kibbutz is a watching game. The armies watch each other and monitor their every move. Both sides know the other is watching and listening.

Harry Potter broom candles!

After the incredibly powerful and moving lecture at the Kibbutz, we headed to an Arabic village for a coexistence seminar. We heard about the struggles of the Arab Israeli population and then went to a local high school to talk to 11th and 12th graders about their lives. We sat in small groups and had guided conversations with the high schoolers- it was very interesting hearing about their lives. Some of them were surprised to find out that we were Jewish and even a little afraid because of the way they are treated by some of the Israelis. It was really hard to see their reaction when this was the case.
Wednesday had quickly become a very intense day with a lot of heavy emotions- deep passion for Israel and the cause of the Jewish people there followed by a little shame to learn how some of the Jewish Israelis treat the Arabic Israelis.
Soon after, we switched gears and drove to Tzfat, home of the Kabbalah art of Israel. It also is home to a lot of religious Jews. We walked through the beautiful streets and explored the artsy shops. We went to the candle factory and tasted Yemenite pizza. The candle factory was very cool- they even had Harry Potter broom candles. We had dinner in Tzfat, but we didn't have a lot of time so we settled for schnitzel.  When we got back to the hostel, we were exhausted so we hung out for a bit and went to bed early in preparation for another day of hiking.
On Thursday, we went on a 4 hour hike through the Golan Heights, following the Jilabun River. Before we started, we heard a story about a famous Israeli spy that saved the Golan from being captured, which gave us something to think about as we started the hike. The view was incredible as we climbed through the mountain. We stopped at a waterfall that formed a pool for lunch and bit of swimming. The water was freezing! We went in anyway and swam over the be under the waterfall. After we dried of a little, we climbed back up the mountain and got back on the bus. We went to a war memorial at the border of Israel and Syria and heard the story of the Yom Kippur War. While we were there, a group of soldiers was given a talk by an older Israeli that had actually fought in the war- we were surprised how young the man was, which goes to show that these events are not that far in the past. After the talk, we got a surprise trip to the Naot Factory! It was tough, but I managed to find a new pair of sandals there.
Friday morning was another early morning as we packed up and left Tel Hai and drove to the Kineret. We got to swim in the Kineret and hang out at a beach bar/restaurant on the water. Ellie and I met up with our friend Guy Waks from camp this summer! He lives on a Kibbutz near the Kineret, so he visited us for a bit. It's so great seeing so many camp people in Israel!! After the Kineret, we drove back to Tel Aviv and spent the rest of the day watching movies/relaxing. The trip was a whirlwind of events, from hiking to history lessons to Lebanon and Sryia's borders. It was nice to unwind a bit in Tel Aviv before thinking about starting our internships in a few days.

Camping out on the beach and a visit to the Jerusalem Zoo

Our Campsite

The great thing about September in Israel is that at least a part of every week is a holiday! For the final holiday of the month, a few friends and I decided to camp out on a beach called Nachsholim, somewhere between Netanya and Haifa. We caught a bus to the area, got off, and looked around. We were about a 30 minute walk from our destination, but luckily we knew which way to go. When we got the camp site, it was nearly dark, so we set up the tents and started cooking dinner. We cooked our meals on a small burner we brought with us, and sat around the campsite with the nearby sound of waves crashing and a beautiful view of the sea and stars around us. The stars were incredible! We saw lots of shooting stars and some new constellations that we don't have in the US.

Pools under the Cliffs

We woke up early the next morning, with the sun burning through our tents and begging us to come outside and swim in the sea. And so, that's what we did all day. We explored the area, found some really cool ruins of the city of Nachsholim, and some pools that had collected under the cliffs. After a long day of relaxing in the sun and swimming in the Mediterranean, we watched the sun set and cooked dinner. The stars were even better the second night!

So Many Shells!

The next day, I stopped in Tel Aviv to shower and repack before heading off to my weekend with Anat and Yoyo! We relaxed almost as much as we ate, which was a lot! That night, we made a tv dinner and watched Avatar on a huge projector screen in Anat's living room. The next day, we went on a family trip to the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. Each display has a biblical theme with a quote from the Bible. Pretty cool. At the back of the zoo, the last setting is Noah's Ark, which has mostly African animals. There was a long bridge that led up to a replica ark. The backdrop of the entire zoo is Jerusalem, which is awesome. On the way back from the zoo, we stopped in an Arabic village called Abbu Gosh for really good hummus and dessert.
By the time I got back from camping and Anat's, I was exhausted, but I still had to study for my Ulpan test. Studying is the perfect excuse for going to the cafe across the street for some delicious hot chocolate and a great end to a very exciting holiday season.

My new favorite city in Israel: Haifa!

For the Sukkot holiday, we had a few days off from Ulpan (Hebrew class), so Ellie and I took advantage of the break and headed up north to Haifa. Our friend Guy picked us up and we started our scenic drive up the mountain. I fell in love with Haifa the moment we drove out of the bus station- downtown Haifa leads to the beach, while the rest of Haifa is scattered through the Carmel Mountain. Guy lives near the top of the mountain and has an incredible view of the hills down the mountain that lead to the Mediterranean Sea. It's hard to find a place in Haifa that doesn't have a great view- the mountain has a view of the sea and the sea has a view of the mountain.

The Bahai Gardens leading down the Carmel Mountain to the beach

On our drive to Guy's house, we saw the city at night. As we drove, we saw the steps that lead up the Bahai Gardens from downtown to the top of the mountain. We stopped a few times to take pictures of the incredible view as we ascended the mountain. We also stopped at a place known as the end of the world, which is a bit separated from the houses and has its own amazing view of the city.
When we arrived at Guy's house, we were amazed how beautiful his home is. I could have stayed forever- beautiful house, incredible view down a mountain that leads to the beach, and a small town feeling where everyone in the neighborhood knows everyone else. Over the next few days, I got to experience life as an Israeli that grew up in Haifa.
The first night, we went out for Thai food and it was delicious (honey peanut chicken on thai noodles with veggies)! Then, we went to an Irish Pub with a bunch of Guy's friends. It was a lot like going to the bar at Bucknell; you go with some friends, see others while you're out, and meet friends of friends.  It was great getting to know Guy's home friends (and twin brother of a camp friend!) and hear about their lives in Israel, studying at Technion University, and working in the city.
Most of our time in Haifa was spent at the beach, always preceded and followed by delicious food. We hung out in the sun, went in the sea, and played a lot of Matkot (Israeli beach paddleball). Another great thing about Haifa is that so many of Camp Harlam's mishlachat live there! Our friend Tal joined us on the beach for a while Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday evening, Ellie and I joined Guy's family for Sukkot dinner- great food and they spoke English the whole time so we could join the conversation. After dinner, we headed to our other friend Tom's for a relaxing video game night.

Haifa Beach

Before hitting the beach Thursday, we got some burekas (dough stuffed with potato and served with a hard boiled egg). After the beach, Guy and I joined Tal and some of Guy's friends for a game of 4 v 4 soccer on an outdoor court (indoor style). When we got there, a bunch of 15 year old boys wanted to challenge us for the court, but we put them in their place and got on with our game. They kept bothering us to play every time we took a break. It was a great time and a true Israeli pick-up soccer game experience.
After soccer, we rushed to the train station to pick up our friend Nati and two other camp friends I didn't know from 09. We went to Tom's for dinner- amazing sandwiches from Guy's favorite sandwich place called Sandwich Bar. Honey turkey with fresh Israeli veggies and mayo on fresh flat bread- so good! Thursday night was the big camp reunion night, so we all hung out with Guy's friends and headed out to a club called The Loft. The Loft looks like a big loft (funny how that works) and has lots of floor space for dancing and tables on the sides and a bar. Ellie and I went in first with two of Guy's friends and danced for a bit. Unfortunately, one of the other girls had trouble getting in, so we ended up leaving and sitting outside for a while. We all headed back to Guy's, watched How I Met Your Mother re-runs, and went to sleep.
On Friday morning, we picked up some really good hummus and pita, brought it to the beach, and had a little picnic on the beach. We stayed at the beach for a few hours before we had to catch our train back to Tel Aviv. It was hard to say goodbye to Nati, Guy, and the amazing city of Haifa, but I know I'll be going back as much as I can. It was so great to spend time with Israeli's and live their lives for a while.

Life in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv is an amazing, vibrant city that I haven't even made a dent in exploring. For the month of September, during the day, we all attend Ulpan (Hebrew class) from 9:30 until 2:30, and then we either have lectures/ seminars, trips, or free time. We've learned a lot of Hebrew so far, but I need to work on pronouncing the words better (Israeli's respond to my Hebrew in English-- they know from Shalom that I don't speak Hebrew well!) Since it's holiday season, we've missed a lot of Ulpan time, but I've gotten to visit a lot of friends and hang out by the beach in Tel Aviv. One of my favorite nights so far was when a group of us bought a few bottles of wine, chocolate, and pretzels, and headed to the beach. We sat by the water, drank our wine, ate our chocolate, and told stories. The beach area is really lit up at night, so we were able to go night swimming! It was great! It doesn't get cold at night, the water was really warm, and there was a warm breeze from the sea. We enjoyed a lot of laughs when locals came up and tried to talk to us- their lack of English and our lack of Hebrew did not make for an easy conversation.

view of the city from the beach

One afternoon, we went on a trip to hi-tech park where we visited a company called Given Imaging that produces a pill with a camera in it for non-invasive GI endoscopies. They're working on using it for colonoscopies, which would save patients a lot of trouble. Pretty cool stuff.
Basically, life in Tel Aviv is the same as life in any other city. We have lots of places to choose from when going out for a meal or to a bar, the shook for buying fresh fruits and vegetables, a huge and confusing mall, lots of cute shops, and a beach. In my apartment, my two roommates and I share a bathroom, a large bedroom that includes small kitchen area (no oven or toaster!), and a small balcony with a view of the park behind our building. A lot of our building is occupied by people on our program, with a few others from around the world. On a good day, we have internet for a few hours, and if not, there's a great cafe across the street with really good hot chocolate and free wifi. I try to limit my falafel intake to only a few times a week, but it's just too good. Walking around Tel Aviv can be a little overwhelming- Israelis tend to follow no rules, including driving laws. Cars will drive anywhere they can fit, motorcycles dodge in and out of lanes, between lanes, onto sidewalks, and wherever they can squeeze through traffic. Crossing the street is an experience. You have to step out slowly and the cars are supposed to stop- they usually do. All in all, this crazy city is starting to feel like home!

Tel Aviv!!

As we boarded the bus to Tel Aviv and said goodbye to Jerusalem, excitement and anxiety filled the air. Everyone was nervous to find out what their apartments would look like in Beit Leni (the building that hosts all of our apartments). We made a few stops along the way, but everyone just wanted to get to Tel Aviv and move in. When the bus finally pulled up at Beit Leni, our home for the next 5 months, everyone hauled their luggage up the stairs and opened the door to their new apartments. One of my roommates and I opened our door, stepped inside, and breathed a sigh of relief. They had prepared us for the worst, but our triple was very large and clean. As the afternoon progressed, we unpacked, our other roommate arrived, and we went to find some dinner and explore the area.

Sunset on the beach

Beit Leni is on King George Street, in the middle of everything. Walking through our gate puts you smack dab in the middle of the crazy city of Tel Aviv. The closest falafel stand is only a minute away, and a wonderful ice cream place is one block away. The Dizengof Center/Mall is also only a block away. It's a great mall with more stores than I even know. The mall is built entirely on a ramp, but the ramps are not even across the sides of the mall. It may look like a store is straight across from you, but it's not. Nor can you simply walk across the mall to get to a store, you have to either go up or down and somehow get around. Very confusing. The gym I joined is on the top floor but across the street on the other side of the mall (took a few tries to find it but now I know my way around).

The first night we were in Tel Aviv, we went out to explore the beach area. A lot of the nightlife is by the beach, including a few bars on the beach! After we walked down the boardwalk awhile, we got to a section of outdoor restaurants on the boardwalk, where we stayed for a while. The beach is less than a 10 minute walk away, the sand is the softest I've ever felt, and the water is always warm because it is so hot every day. 

My favorite things about Tel Aviv are: living in Israel, the beach, falafel, running along the boardwalk/beach at sunset, and learning Hebrew. All of which I do/ go to/ eat pretty much every day. When you're in Tel Aviv, you could be anywhere. It's New York, it's London, it's a big city. There are many different food stands, cute clothing shops, a local market called the shook (where we buy fresh fruit, vegetables, pita, and challah at great prices). At night, there are many, many streets to choose to explore and even more bars to choose from. We're gonna need 5 months to see and do everything! 

My Religious Rosh Hashanah

This year, for Rosh Hashanah, I was invited by my Uncle Dexter's aunt and uncle to stay with them in Ra'anana for the holiday. After I accepted, they informed me that they are modern orthodox (uh oh, I already said yes!). So, I went to the mall and bought some orthodox appropriate clothing for my 4 day trip. This means skirts that cover the knees and tops that cover the shoulders. Their clothing styles are no different than anyone else's except for the lengths of shirts and skirts.
A few hours before Rosh Hashanah, they picked me up and drove me to Ra'anana, which is about 25 min northeast of Tel Aviv. And so began my 'religious experience' and 4 day Jewish education session. When I got to Ra'anana, we drove around and I got the tour: Ra'anana is a beautiful modern orthodox community, and you wouldn't know it was orthodox on a normal day. They have totally normal lives, full of TV, internet, texts, and gossip, except when they observe holidays and Shabbat.
Once we got to the house, which was a beautiful old house with lots of far eastern art deco, we had some time to relax before the big Rosh Hashanah dinner. This was my last chance to use my phone and the internet for 4 days! Throughout Rosh Hashanah and Shabbat, the entire city did not drive cars, use electronics, or turn on/ plug in any devices. This means the lights, oven, and air conditioning were on a timer and went on and off as set. If you mess up, oh well, hello darkness.
On Wednesday evening (my first day), the men went to schul before dinner, but the women stayed to prepare the meal. After schul, the whole family gathered for a wonderful Rosh Hashanah meal. I met my host family's children and grandchildren (who are only a little younger than me). I got to talk to the 18 year old and 20 year old about their jobs in the army and their lives in Ra'anana. I spent a lot of time with them over the 4 days, and they speak English very well, as does the entire family. Before we ate each meal, we said kiddish, washed our hands, said motze, and finally dug in. The food was amazing! Lots of meat, potatoes, and vegetables and homemade challah. Besides dipping apples in honey, we dipped the challah in honey- delish. During the meal, the whole family joined in several songs, each started by whoever felt like it. After the meal, we said birkat hamazon and sat outside for a bit. Before I knew it, it was midnight! The meals continued like this the whole time I was there, which made up for the long hours of services to come.
Thursday morning, we went to services for 5 hours! The entire service was in Hebrew, and there was no single leader. Different congregants lead the parts of the service from the center of the men's section (the women sit above in the balcony). After services, we had another delicious meal and then relaxed for a bit. Soon enough, it was time to pick up the men from schul and have another family dinner. Needless to say, by Friday I was absolutely stuffed.
On Friday afternoon, we relaxed and prepared for Shabbat. I got a lot of reading done over the holidays, which was a nice change. Friday night we lit the candles and followed the usual meal routine. We ate outside in the garden with about 30 people, all of whom have been close friends their entire lives. For the parents, this means over 30 years of friendship, and for my peers, about 20 years. They were all very welcoming and the girls my age talked to me in English. Turns out, they both worked at Ramaa camps in the States! Oh camp. The boys played some basketball after Shabbat dinner (I didn't want to embarrass anyone so I didn't join).
Saturday morning we went to Shabbat services and then my host grandfather gave a kiddish for the English speakers of the schul. Finally, the sun set on Saturday and I was able to check my phone! I survived my 4 days in the modern orthodox community!
Overall, it was a great experience, and I met a lot of wonderful people that welcomed me into the family. The food was great, and it was worth the long hours of services to get to know the family and learn about life in Israel in a modern orthodox community.

Jerusalem and Orientation

After watching Remember the Titans and Date Night several times on the plane, Ellie and I arrived in Tel Aviv! We made it through customs and pushed our overloaded carts out to the taxi section for our first experience negotiating a taxi ride. We got in line for a shared taxi (well not really a line, Israeli's don't form lines, if you didn't know) and tried to find someone to help us. Many pushes and shoves and lots of sweat later, we were on our way to Jerusalem.

View of the Old City and Surrounding Neighborhoods

Driving through Jerusalem provides an incredible view of the mountains and hills around the entire city. From the Old City to the local neighborhoods on the rolling hills of Jerusalem, everything is photo worthy (pictures will be on Facebook soon). During orientation, we had an amazing tour of the four quarters in the Old City of Jerusalem and heard lots of the stories of each religion as we walked through. We visited the Armenian, Christian, Muslim, and Jewish quarters. We also went to the Western Wall at night and took a tour of the Kotel tunnels, which again included lots of stories. The wall is even more magnificent at night, and is surprisingly crowded.

The night life in Jerusalem is nowhere near that of Tel Aviv, but we managed to find a loud, crowded bar and a quiet bar for quality time with friends next to each other and with outside seating. The best part of going out was the waffle bar! That's right, waffles with any topping made to order, hot and fresh. Delish.
Speaking of food, the food here is incredible! Everything is fresh and unique to the chef. Fresh vegetables, real hummus, falafel, and rugelah for dessert!
There are about 120 people on my program (Career Israel) and most of them will be living with me in Tel Aviv and working in the general area. The rest will be in Jerusalem for their internships. There are a lot of Americans on the program, and a bunch of people from the UK and Australia as well. It's been great meeting so many new people from around the world (just like camp!).
That's about it for my week in Jerusalem. More updates soon (depending on internet access)!