Journey

GOOD NEWS everyone, apparently my blog has finally made it big time (it's been long enough)! I was just recently informed that I happen have a very special subscriber. So here's to you, Mrs. Barbara Fringer, thanks much for being interested enough to read my ramblings, in all honesty it does mean a lot.

In other news I'm no longer in a funk. Maybe it's because I finally stopped sulking and got out of bed, or maybe it's because miraculously everything started going exactly my way, WHO KNOWS. I'd obviously like to say it's because I got out of bed and took initiative, but realistically I got lucky on this one. Yesterday I went to Jerusalem for the MASA (just to connect the title, MASA means journey) seminar I previously wrote about, and it ended up being wonderful and exactly what I needed. A day away from the Mercaz, and a day away from everyone - not that I dislike anyone, but like Eric said "lacking a television, the human drama of our group becomes so compelling" however sometimes it becomes TOO much and it turns out that I don't want to see the same faces at every meal, every class, every meeting, every everything. And thankfully yesterday I got to meet other kids here on semester or year courses being sponsored by MASA from all around the world. One, it made me not feel so alone in what it is that I'm doing, and two it was just nice to see some fresh faces. The seminars were fascinating, enough so that even when I did "accidentally" fall asleep at one point, I got some coffee (what I will approximate as being my 12th cup of the day) downed it (it was of course gross because Israelis drink instant coffee) checked back in, and soldiered through. We learned how to succinctly talk about our stories and how to sell MASA to potential donors, which apparently all look like old Jewish women from Palm Beach, luckily that's what I expected (and also kind of what I envision all donors for everything as being). I now also possess the ability to convince Bill Gates to give me money after meeting him in an elevator in only 30 seconds, that's what they TOLD me and they wouldn't LIE. **Disclaimer** this might have been during the time I was asleep, so don't hold me to it. The day wrapped up around 8 and Josh and I boarded a bus back to Be'er Sheva, having eaten meals we didn't have to pay for, annnd with new numbers of people we can talk to. I don't even care if I liked them (thankfully I did) they're getting called this weekend.



On top of all that my group (Leore, Lauren, Eric and myself) actually did get a call back from Atidim (the volunteer project working with gifted students in the general area to help increase their English abilities). Seeing as teachers all across the country are on strike, just getting called in was surprising in and of itself, but not only that we did end up getting a Bedouin village like I had been hoping for. Because of the strike school is obviously not in session, so I suppose that makes what we are doing extra special as the kids selected are going to be meeting with us Mondays on their own time. Yesterday the three others in my group wen to meet with advisers while I was in Yerushalayim, and all of their feedback sounded really positive. Apparently the kids are really excited to be working with us and it's supposedly a stark contrast to what we have become used to as far as Israeli society, seeing as this is an Arab village. The kids aren't used to having Jewish Israeli's help them get into university, no less American's, and from what I've heard they are completely baffled by our interest in them. We also get the distinct pleasure of being allowed (allowed here means forced) to wear long pants and sleeves at all times, which here in the desert is what I normally feel most comfortable in, obviously. Joking there aside this should prove to be deeply fascinating work, not only the volunteer aspect, but the real life perspective I'll be presented with in working with a group of Arab Muslims who live their everyday life within the boarders of Israel.

Not only that but a third volunteer opportunity of mine has also happened to work out, this one actually does meet on Tuesdays regularly, so again I had to miss it because of the MASA seminar. Lucky for me Eric and I have virtually all of the same interests (except I don't sail, nor do I drink Framboise) so he's involved in this as well. Once a week we are helping transform a soup kitchen into a family friendly restaurant for poor families in the area to come in and bring their small children to dine in a safe environment. We act as decorators, hosts, waiters, and event staff, with activities we plan and set up after every meal. I did get to meet with the woman on Monday, where we went over the way the whole project is run, and Eric told me the whole evening went smoothly and was a great experience for everyone. So again I have that to look forward to.

It's interesting how in just a couple days everything can just turn around, not only am I not blah anymore I'm specifically happy and feeling like I'm wanted and needed. I was hand picked for both the MASA seminar and to be a part of the soup kitchen family night, and I'm realizing I have a lot to offer here. It might be fall in America, but it's fall in Israel too, even if that means we get creepy 2 minute rain showers and it's still 40 million degrees outside (that was supposed to be silver lining,so please go with it).

We have a test in Ulpan tomorrow, that's going to be a bitch, apparently missing class (even for volunteer opportunities! {and general exhaustion*, of course}) does not make you caught up with everyone else. Mah (what) are you going to do about it, right? Right. On top of that we are also having to pick what it is that we would like to do for track 1 1/2 (the three weeks separating tracks 1 and 2). Our options are between serious text study in Jerusalem at Pardes, alternative spiritual development/discovery and volunteer work with Livnot in Tzfat, 3 weeks with Sar-El doing manual labor on a military base (in uniform of course), or staying in Be'er Sheva to work on our Hebrew and experiencing some cultural things here like theater and museums. I had originally only been considering Sar-El (I thought it would be worthwhile to try to understand the mindset of a people who KNOW they have to serve in the armed forces, and I figured it would probably help me to connect better with Israelis), or staying here to work on my Hebrew; but in the last 24 or so hours I've made a complete turn around. Yesterday I met some people who had done Livnot and two others that are currently enrolled at Pardes full time, and both groups gave really compelling arguments for their respective programs which really struck a cord with me. I think I'd most like to be at Pardes, one we get to spend Chanukkah in Jerusalem (and when else will I ever have the chance to live in Jerusalem again {probably in like a year when I make aliyah, beside the point}) but so much more than that I've never really taken the time to see where Judaism fits into my life religiously without me ever even having known it. Hopefully I will get picked to be one of the 15 kids going there, and I will get to focus my energies on G-d and religion as opposed to spirituality, and find if G-d (Jewish G-d) has a place in my being. Even if I walk away without having found that connection, I certainly won't be walking away the same person. Doing legitimate text study is inevitably going to enrich my life in ways I can't yet imagine, but am dying to figure them out, not to mention my deep fascination with religion in general. I almost can't imagine a better opportunity for me to be able to dive into as both and insider and outsider.



* so let me briefly explain to you the sleeping situation here, I'll draw my room for you and I'll allow you to deduce for yourself why occasionally (always) I have a difficult time sleeping (the picture will come after Brandon resizes it for me because I'm still incapable of doing anything for myself)

APEGP