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!

The Action of America is the Reality of Israel

     After watching several fictional movies about wars, bombings, terrorist acts of violence, and other action themes, I realized something. In America we can say those are fake, we can believe that they don't exist in reality because well they don't exist in America, but for Israelis, that does exist. Every time we Americans see a child crying out of fear or a family running for shelter, we see it as a fantasy. We see it this way because that's what these films stimulate, but mainly because we don't know. We aren't aware of what's going on in Israel, we don't know that people across the world are running to bomb shelters everyday as a part of their lives, and frankly a lot of Americans don't care to know. I can sat from personal experience that it's a lot easier to watch films when you know they're fictional. Being in Israel makes it difficult for me to watch some of these action films, even if I'd seen them previously. It stimulates fear and frustration knowing this is actually happening all the time right here in Israel, in such a beautiful place.

     The same thing can be said about the Holocaust. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that every American knows what the Holocaust is, whether or not they believe it happened, they have heard of the general idea. When I watched movies about the Holocaust in America, I felt sad. Living in Israel, even for only four months is changing the way I see the world and the way I see myself. Now looking back at when I was in America, I can't believe myself. I felt sad, sad doesn't even begin to explain how the Holocaust makes me feel. Sad is not even a word that should appear in my vocabulary when I think of the Holocaust, but it did. Sad was the word that came to mind when I watched those American movies in America. Now, being in Israel words that come to my mind are devastation, and reality. America makes certain realities seem like fantasies and as Americans we view them as fantasies. The hard part about being in Israel is realizing that America is living in a fool's paradise and Israel is the reality.