Once in a Flooding Negev

      This is me on the side of the road in the negev (desert) in Israel. Because of this rare delay, we had to stay at the youth hostile for and extra six hours crammed into one room where all 74 of us blamed the world and was completely frustrated with what had happened. After about an hour, some of my friends and I got up and played games, danced to fun music, and snacked on all our Israeli goods. Once we were finally on the road, we had to stop in the middle of there road and wait for the tractors to clear the path. Although it was quite a hindrance to our schedule, we definitely made the best of it and now have a great story to tell. I mean seriously, how often does the negev flood and how lucky were we to be able to witness it and be there for such a once in-a-lifetime experience!

The Gadna Goods

     This is me with Hannah F and Sam Bakal in the Gadna participating in one of our 7 hours of gun safety classes. I have to say it was definitely worth it for how much I enjoyed the gun range, and getting to learn how to strip and clean an M16. Ganda was one of the most memorable experiences from my 4 month trip to Israel and I hope to someday make Aliyah (join the Israeli army) myself and hopefully be a combat medic That would also work towards my goal of wanting to be a trauma surgeon. Just like my time in the Gadna, becoming a trauma surgeon will be challenging and exhausting, but it will pay off for the feeling of accomplishment in the end and the knowledge that all those experiences are what will eventually lead to the person I can only hope to become one day.

Trust the Tel

     A Tel (if you missed my older posts) is layers of old civilization built on large hills. Over many years, of being built one on top of another, it's almost impossible to tel (no pun intended) what's a part of what. From the top it seems like one giant maze of rocks, but they have so much more meaning. Above is a picture of me scaling the tel walls. It almost looks like I'm in a trench because there were so many different parts to the tel and sometimes scaling the walls between two of them was the only way to get to the top of the other. Sometimes in the mornings, a few friends and I would hike up to the Tel to watch the sun rise and make breakfast and some strong Israeli coffee with our pakal cafes. (A oak is like a small burner mostly used in the Israeli army to make coffee) If there's one place in Israel I miss the most, it's probably there, on the top of the highest peak of the tel, watching the sun rise and witnessing the whole world around me come to life.

Bedouin Style

     This is a story I absolutely love to tell. Our group went to some Bedouin Tents to stay at, ride camels, and try all their different foods and liquids...? Haha well when dinner time came around, we all laughed and chatted about the wonderful day we had... And then the shekels came out... Max bet Jonah 80 shekels to drink a, filled to the rim, cup of goats yogurt, and Jonah offered the same bet back to him. They then decided to put both their 80 shekels in the middle of the table and give the 160 NIS to whoever would take the challenge. My thinking was that for ~$40 I could pound a cup of goats yogurt and get ice cream right after. Little did I know, there had been a delay in the arrival of the ice cream, and the water had just run out. I did it and got the 160 shekels, but waited almost two hours feeling sick before I could get the taste out of my mouth hahaha. I have to say it was definitely worth it, not just for the money, but more so for the story I can get to tell, and the memory I get to keep forever.

Purim Like an Israeli

     Happy Purim! We all dressed up and met random Israelis on the street to hang out with! This was one of the funnest holidays I spent in Israel and I'm so happy I got to experience this fun day like a true Israeli. For Purim we dress up and remember all the great kings and queens of Israel and drink wine, scratch that, grape juice! 

Birthdays Always Find a Way

    Yes, birthdays still happen in Israel! My roommates and I decided to try to make Lauren a cake for her birthday... in the microwave. The first one exploded and left chocolate cake batter all over the kitchenette, but it was worth it to see how much better the second cake turned out, perfect for her special day.

Two Peas in a Pod

     This is when our group went to a Mosque to learn about the culture of Islam and lifestyle of Muslims. We were asked to cover our hair and wear skirts and tops that covered our knees and elbows. We removed our shoes before entering and got to see how similar our religions are, almost like two peas in a pod, just from neighboring vines. This was such an eye opening experience and I'm so glad I got to learn so much and take pictures with my good friend Rocky.

The Tel Aviv Breze

     Almost every Thursday we went to a different city in Israel and had free time to explore, shop, laugh, and grow to love Israel. This was in Tel Aviv with my friend Matt. A few friends and I rode bikes all around Tel Aviv, ate some delicious pancakes, and took pictures at one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen. The air was cool and crisp and felt refreshing riding through the city with people I now call my family.

Big Brother Follows My Footsteps

   This is a picture of me and my brother before I left to Israel, almost one year ago! Now I'm so excited to announce that he will be exploring Israel through the same program I did (NFTY EIE) and he is counting down the days until when he leaves for this amazing journey!