Sar-el Experience: Kalbot Meshugaot

Last week we volunteered for the IDF (Israeli army) in Mahane Ishay, a base in East Jerusalem.  On Sunday, busses took our two groups to different bases (the other Ashdod group got to go to basically the Lebanon border where they heard amazing stories about the capture of IDF soldiers while standing where they were taken and overlooking towns run by Hezbollah).  Our time spent on the base felt pretty much like sleepover camp.  We stayed in rooms with bunk beds and had a 15 minute trek to the dining hall.  We had to participate in typical "army life" including presenting our unit (Kalbot Meshgaot aka Crazy Bitches) to our commanding officers, physical labor (lifting heavy things and crawling on the ground army style), and discipline (like running or doing push ups if we were late to something), but nonetheless the week was a lot of fun.  Our madrichot/commanders were two 19 year old girls (who in my opinion reminded me of mini versions of our Oranim coordinators) that were a blast to hang out with and definitely made our time at the base more fun.  It also didn't hurt that the food was pretty decent, complete with fresh avocados and chocolate milk in a bag.  Also, the majority of our "work" consisted of playing with tanks, seeing what fun things we could find in the warehouses, and trying to look badass in our uniforms while taking pictures.
Our daily schedule was:
6:45 AM - wake up
7:30 AM - breakfast
8:40 AM - flag raising
9:30-12:00 - work (cleaning tanks, organizing warehouses, some people worked in the kitchen)
12:00 - lunch
1:30-4:30 ish - work
4:30-6:30 - rest
6:30 - dinner
7:30-8:30 - evening activity
after activity, go to the store on the base, socialize with soldiers, play cards, learn dances, etc.

Although I have zero desire to ever join the army, this was an amazing experience, one I'll most likely never experience again.  It was fun being in the uniforms and learning army stuff, but I could not imagine doing this for years.  I have learned about the army and the soldiers that have been captured like Gilad Shalit before our time at Sar-el, but being on an army base and learning about all this while it is relevant at the moment and having soldiers talk to us about it really made me appreciate and understand what was being spoken about.  Also, hearing first hand stories about life in the army made me appreciate the things they do for Israel and the safety of the people here.

Unfortunately, as hard as I may have tried, I was unable to steal the uniform even though I really wanted the shirt.  One of our madrichot, Michelle, said she would send me army stuff which I plan on holding her to.  We also didn't get boots to wear except for one day when we stole them but then kinda got in trouble and had to return them, but thankfully we got some pictures with them before returning them.  Maybe I'll try and get some boots from Michelle too...they were pretty cool.  Also, the other group got dog tags but we didn't so hopefully I will get that too because I want one with my name in Hebrew!  All in all, besides from taking us away from our normal boring school volunteering, Sar-el was an amazing experience.

On a sadcan'tbelievethisishappeningalreadynote, we only have 15 more days of volunteering in our school. 1 month and 1 day before the program is over.  And I'm flying home on the 27 of January.  WEIRD.

P.S. There was supposed to be this huge storm in Israel this weekend which is good because Israel desperately needs rain and water especially after the horrendous fire in Haifa last week, but it hasn't rained in Ashdod yet.  We've just had this crazy intense wind that has the waves going crazy and they are giant.  The worst part about it is that I have to wear a stupid skirt to the stupid religious school I work in and my legs are so cold!

~ Lindsey (or Bagels as my nickname was in the army, no real reason at all)

Happy Hanukkah!

made out of balloons at the mall!

Candlelight - The Maccabeats

"Jerusalem, if I forget you, fire not gonna come from me tongue. Jerusalem, if I forget you, let my right hand forget what it's supposed to do"

Last Thursday, all of the Oranim participants went on a trip to Jerusalem.  I decided that I do not enjoy these group trips for the most part (in fact I kind of loathe them) -- I don't know what it is, but when we step on the bus in the morning (maybe because it's usually at 6 AM) I get a feeling of uneasiness and dread.  There's only so much touring around these cities in large groups I can handle.  Thank God we had the world's best tour guide for this trip, RON! He's the most amazing person ever and has the best energy and is so funny.  After touring the Old City and going to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and seeing where Jesus is buried, we went to the Kotel, which is always an amazing experience.  A few friends and I had planned to stay in a hostel in the Old City where we reserved beds on the roof.  By bed, I mean thin foam pad...but it was an absolutely amazing experience which could have been made infinitely better because there was a meteor shower the night we slept there, but unfortunately it wasn't a very clear night and there were too many lights so we couldn't see much.  We went out to dinner and hung out and drank a little in a reflection area (we looked for a park but this was the best thing we could find and it was very fun) and then went to a bar in Zion Square, which was over run by boys from Yeshiva.  We were woken up very early in the morning from the sun and from bells ringing every 15 minutes starting at 5 AM for Muslim prayers.  While making our way to the central bus station to catch a bus back to Ashdod, we walked through the Arab Quarter and saw a shark being skinned which was both nasty and fascinating (and very unkosher).  We ended up in East Jerusalem which is basically the West Bank, but it was cool, we hopped on a bus and went to the bus station.  The exhaustion from lack of sleep was totally worth it because I slept all day and night once I got back home.  I really enjoyed seeing all the religious Jews in Jerusalem hitting up the ATMs and grocery stores and everything before Shabbat started, it was like black hat central in the streets, but unfortunately I was too tired to realize I should be taking pictures.

where Jesus is buried (I think...)

view from the roof

I'm the one in the brown blanket hiding my head underneath the backpacks

cat on the roof that bit me because I was playing with it and shaking it

SHARK!

Side note: I've noticed that everyone in Israel has mp3s on their phones and they always have music playing without headphones in making it like background music to everyday life.  I like it.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  A lot of people are really upset they aren't home for the holiday so we are having a makeshift Thanksgiving here, even though I obviously really could care less, it's still nice.

Our program ends January 13th (CAN'T BELIEVE HOW SOON THAT IS AND HOW FAST THIS HAS GONE), but I'm planning on staying a couple weeks after.  I want to go to Egypt and I want to just travel around and hang out in Israel before going home, so I will most likely be home in 2 months give or a take a day or two.  I know you all can't wait and are counting down the days...

Miss you.  Love you.  Like you.

The best idea we've ever had...

We turned our dining room table into a ping pong table.  On Arielle's birthday, we wandered down to the corner store and bought a set of ping pong paddles and net and then played at the park down the street.  We figured out though that when we unfolded our table, it became a perfect ping pong table so we've been playing for the last week.  People are also always coming over to play, so it's been fun.  This has also made Shabbat pass by a little faster.  Almost like freshman year in Santa Rosa with the foosball and ping pong tables downstairs...

I told you I wouldn't be good at this whole blogging thing...

Things I will discuss in this blog:

1. my birthday
2. Eilat
3. sprained ankle
4. Breast Cancer walk in Jerusalem
5. nose piercing
6. Ashdod basketball
7. daily life/schedule

While being in Israel, I have been lucky enough to have found amazing friends that made my birthday celebration like none other I've ever had.  Of course it's all down hill and 23 isn't a very exciting age to turn, but my people here made it special for me.  We wanted to have a fun themed party so we decided on 90s theme because why not?!  It is an often overlooked decade when it comes to themed parties.  Plus, any reason to let 'N Sync be acceptable music is obviously the best thing in the world! So we went shopping at the Shuk for ridiculous outfits and accessories and on the 6th we had a big party with everyone invited (including the new group who arrived a few days before -- ps. we were excited to have new blood in our group).  Arielle and Gabby surprised me with a bottle of rum which is not so easy to find here but so much more amazing than vodka and gross arak (this black licorice tasting drink that's nasty but all Israelis love it) and a fun bday hat.  The next day, when I got home from school they had decorated my room with tons of balloons and streamers and fun stuff! We also got delicious chinese food for dinner and they made me a cake and got my more presents.  It was a great and memorable birthday!  We also had a cowboys and indians party for Arielle's birthday last week so we aren't lacking in the fun department!

SHOULDER PADS!

Gabby, me, Dotan

Cowboys vs. Indians

The weekend after my birthday (so of course it became semi my birthday weekend for posterity's sake) we went to Eilat, or the Israeli Cancun as it is know as, with all of the Oranim groups (aka like 300 people).  This was the one place I didn't get to go on Birthright and I really wanted to so was very excited it landed on this weekend.  Needless to say, Eilat was a lot of fun...pun intended...We hiked, saw the borders of all the neighboring countries, went tubing on the Red Sea, laid out on the beach, went on a Booze Cruise, and went to some fun bars/clubs.  On Friday night, we went to a club called Three Monkeys and there was an amazing band playing basically what I consider to be Bar Mitzvah music, a good mix of oldies and classic rock and current hits.  We had a lot of fun dancing and singing with the crowd that included a bunch of awkwardly older ladies whom my friend tried to dance with and got turned down multiple times.  While I really liked Eilat, these big group trips tend to feel a lot like Birthright and aren't as much fun as traveling around with our smaller group, but oh well.  It was beautiful and hot and anywhere with a beach is heaven for me.

Oranim 42 Ashdod, what up!

being crazy bored on the bus

As you may remember, I twisted my ankle on our backpacking trip.  Though the ankle had healed fine and I wasn't having any problems with it, it clearly was still pretty weak because I went for a standard run/jog/walk because I can't run along the boardwalk here in Ashdod and I sprained my ankle again pretty badly this time.  It was really swollen and discolored so out of fear of a recent string of leg injuries (two girls in the program were supposed to have surgery at this point in time for various injuries, long story but both are ok, one is home now awaiting possible surgery, one is getting better here) and because our insurance here makes everything free, I went to the doctor more for the experience and the nod of approval that I wouldn't need surgery.  I got my first ever Xray (that's not of my teeth) and the doctor told me exacly what I knew already and prescribed me what is basically Advil.  Crisis averted.

**fortunately no pictures of this one

A couple weeks ago my roommates and I participated in the first ever Breast Cancer walk in Jerusalem.  While we were very scared at the thought of walking a whole 3.8 km (like 2 miles ish) we sucked it up and fought through the pain.  The walk actually ended up taking more than an hour because there were so many people and for parts of it we were walking on the sidewalk alongside a busy street so we couldn't move very fast.  It felt good to raise money and awareness.  I also enjoyed wandering around Jerusalem shops buying fun souvenirs like a Lakers in Hebrew shirt!  The only downfall was a minor incident we had with a shop owner.  While walking in and out of tshirt shops checking out the selection, I went into one store asking the guy if he had an Maccabi Ashdod shirts.  He asked if I was Jewish and when I answered yes, he told me he doesn't sell to Jews and to get out.  I was confused and surprised and a little unsure whether he was joking or not so I told my friends and they went in but got the same reaction, so needless to say we continued onto the next store.  We also ate amazing burgers at this place called Burger Bar...yum.

I've been talking about wanting to get my nose pierced for a while now, and for those of you who know my irrational fear of needles, this is BIG.  I don't even know why I wanted it so badly but I did, and after a couple girls from the new group got it done in Tel Aviv, I decided it was time.  My friends and I spent a few hours shopping at the big shuk in Tel Aviv and then made our way to the tattoo/piercing place.  I walked in, said I wanted to get my nose pierced, and literally two minutes later, there was a needle in my nose.  It actually didn't hurt really except for when he put in the stud and had to twist it around a little, but of course I had some tears because I think it's impossible not to when you get your nose pierced.  I love it and am so happy and feels like I've always had it (minus the fact I keep accidentally tugging at it when I pull shirts on and off but no big deal).

tears of joy

We made friends with a guy who plays for Maccabi Ashdod basketball team which is in the Premier League in Israel, but they aren't exactly the best team in the league.  We've gone to a couple games and they are fun, but they are more like high school basketball then professional NBA games.  For starters, they play in the gym at one of the high schools here.  Also, the cheerleaders are these fantastic high schoolers who do routines to all the top songs now during every time out, but their talent level is pretty low and my friend and I joke that after watching a couple performances, we are ready to join them out there.  I have yet to go to a soccer (sorry, football) match yet, but hopefully I will soon.

Now that we're more than half way through with the program (omg crazy I can't believe it already) and we have our schedules down pat, I thought I would finally share with you exactly what I'm doing here in Israel.  (side note for Melissa, I wanted to make a Lost joke about how I didn't make you wait very long to find out the answer but I thought that would be way too nerdy).  Let me just say, our crazy school has somewhat settled into a routine where Josh and I are actually working with and helping kids, and I'm really enjoying working with the kids at motor disabilities.  I quit Ulpan for the time being but might go back once in a while, so I have to figure out what to do with my new found free time, I'll probably start volunteering more but we'll see.
Sunday: teach at Mekif Bet (high school) from 10-11:45, volunteer at motor disabilities from 4-6
Monday: teach from 8:30-1:20
Tuesday: teach from 8:30-12:30, enrichment from 5-7
Wednesday: teach from 9:15-12:30, sometimes shuk in afternoon
Thursday: teach from 9:15-11:45
Friday: do nothing/hang out or travel
Saturday: do nothing/hang out or travel

and here's a few pictures without exciting stories attached...

when the new group came, we went on a little boat cruise to welcome them and get to know each other

with Daniel Kosher (there's 3 Daniels in the new group and this Dan lives in the kosher apartment, hence the name Daniel Kosher) at a Masa mega event, where we saw Idan Raichel in concert

I didn't get the memo on making faces...

our first family Shabbat as photographed by Josh, it should totally be on the cover of a Jew magazine!

Sukkot Break, Pt. 2 - Road Trip Around Israel

After our Yam l'Yam failure, Josh picked us up in our rental car and we spent the next few nights driving around Israel, hiking and camping and seeing the sights.  Since I know pictures are the more exciting things to see and I rather post pictures than write a lot, here goes!

We went to the Teldan Nature Reserve where there were beautiful springs, Winnie the Pooh's Tree, Paradise, and amazing views.  It felt nice to cool off in fresh clean water, and it felt even better to be hiking without the 30 lbs or so on our backs!

Winnie the Pooh's Tree

We went to the Naot Factory because Arielle and Josh wanted to buy some sandals that apparently are amazing, but I will never leave my Rainbows behind!  We had Lebanese falafel for lunch and had an amazing dinner at a fish restaurant called Dag al Hadan.  They serve you all you can eat salads and bread and potatoes along with the full fish with head (or you can be normal and order it without the head like I did).  We devoured all that food because we hadn't been having many satisfying meals on this trip.

We spent the night next to the Syrian border in these cool teepees, and the owner of the campsite was this crazy drunk man riding a horse everywhere.  It was a lot of fun to all be together and it felt nice to finally have a mattress to sleep on!

The next day we went rafting down what was basically a big lazy river, so I enjoyed relaxing and laying there without doing much and it was quite a pleasant experience.  At night, we went to Hamat Gader Hot Springs and then we all drove down to the Kinneret and barbecued and camped nearby it with plans to go to the Dead Sea the next day.

hot springs

We drove down the highway through the West Bank (don't worry it's safe-ish) and went to the Dead Sea where we played in the mud and water and floated and such.  We then drove down to the Negev Desert and camped in the crater at Mitzpe Ramon, stopping a lot on the way to take pictures.  It was by far one of my favorite nights here, there were a billion stars out and it was so nice and peaceful and was what I wanted this whole time, to see a bunch of stars.  We also had a fun photoshoot with lights and different camera techniques thanks to Josh and his camera.

Palestinian license plate

Yam Ha'Melach

camel from the car!

crater

Bedouin campsite

nightsky

thanks to Gabby's ability to write everyone's name in cursive backwards