At the Kibbutz

Hey everyone! So sorry for the really long gap between this post and the last one… so much has been going on that I have lost track of time! I am officially at Kibbutz Yagur, a Kibbutz located on the base of the Carmel Mountain, and conveniently placed 10 minutes away from one of Haifa’s central bus stations, and a mall! So far, being on the kibbutz has been great— low stress and lots of fun. When I first got to the kibbutz, there were only around 8 other ulpanists here, but slowly more and more arrived each day until now we have around 35 (I think we are still missing a few!). I think one of special things about this program is the type of people it draws; people from not only all over the states, but all over the world! I have made friends from Switzerland, Panama, Argentina, Peru, Russia, France, England, South Africa, and others. Each person has their own, amazing and unique story about their life so far, and why they have chosen to come to Israel for these next five months. Many are olim chadashim, or new immigrants, and are just trying to learn the language of their new home. Others are just “tourists”, content on staying in Israel for just a short period of time. Although it’s funny, although we have only been here for a week and a half or so, I have heard more and more of the “tourists” change their answer to the question “so how long are you staying here?” from “just for five months/a year/ etc.” to “well, only for a little now, but I think I want to make aliya later on”. If that is the change already in a week or so, I can only imagine what people will be saying at the end of the five months!

            We have not officially started classes, but instead had a week full of intro classes, where basics were covered and the teachers were able to see each person’s level of Hebrew and understanding, as well as how quickly they can learn. Tomorrow, however, we start real classes and working on the kibbutz. It will be interesting to see what happens with each person’s job, and how each person reacts with the change from leisure to work/study. I think anyone can attain the level of Hebrew that they want, and “get out of it what they put in”. Each person has their individual goal that they want to meet by the end of the five month program, and I hope that they can do that. So at this point you are probably saying to yourself “yeah yeah, okay dahlia, tell us your goal now”, so I will (even if you don’t care… you can always stop reading here if you are bored! :p). My goal is simple: I want to be able to call my dad up, in five months from today, and have a full conversation with him in Hebrew. I want to be able to call up one of my friends that lives here in Israel and make plans to hang out with them while speaking Hebrew. And I want to be able to go onto a bus or the street and listen in to someone else’s conversation in Hebrew! Just kidding on the last one… kinda. But anyways, I think that if I can keep these goal in mind, and I work hard, I can achieve them, and more.

            What else is there to talk about? Not much! I have been into Haifa since I arrived at the kibbutz 4 times already and Tel Aviv once. I will hopefully be able to see some more old family friends soon, and reconnect with some of my friends who live in Haifa. I can’t think of much else to say, other than that im having a great time here!

            Hope to hear from you all, and miss you all! I’m on facebook/email/any other communicative device all the time, so feel free to message me! And thanks for reading!

P.S. I have finally figured out how to navigate the kibbutz (kinda!). I know how to get to the pool, the bar, the Kol Bo (the kibbutz grocery store), the laundry, the cafeteria, the main road, the supermarket, and the bus stop! I really thought it would take a lot longer to be able to learn my way around, but somehow I’ve figured it out!  A huge accomplishment for me!

Continuing the Journey

6/19/12

            Hey everyone! So much has happened over the past few days, so ill just recap on a few of my favorite moments! We went to visit Yael, Asher, and Yonatan on Wednesday. We got to see Yonatan’s Gann (like a preschool), and it was so cute seeing all the little kids running around! Yoni has gotten even cuter over the year (which I didn’t think was possible!). After visiting with Yael for a little while, I finally got to ditch my bags at her house, and Shaul and I headed over to Guy’s house to spend the next two nights there. We helped Guy and his friends film their final project for their film class, and then went to see the dictator. Although I had already seen it, it still proved to be really entertaining (if you haven’t seen it yet—go see it!). The next morning, Shaul and I got up early and went to the nearby Druze village of Daliat Ha’Carmel, where we explored the different shops and finally got to haggle with shop owners! We went back to Guy’s house, played basketball for a while (yes, I played basketball with the guys!) and then went to hang out with some of Guy’s friends. Saturday morning we got up, and decided that it would be a good idea to go to Baha’i Gardens to Hof Ha’Carmel, the beach at Haifa. For those of you who don’t know Haifa’s geography, this walk from the gardens to the beach involved climbing diagonally down a huge mountain, which ultimately took about an hour and a half in the blazing sun. If you’re wondering why we didn’t use any other type of means of transportation, its because on Shabbat, none of the buses run until around 4 in the afternoon.

            After hanging out at the beach, and swimming in the Mediterranean (it was my first time!), we took a bus to head back to Guy’s house. We hung out there for a little, and then sadly said goodbye to Guy and his family as we were next off the visit and sleep over Yael’s! While we were there, Yonatan entertained and impressed us with his energy and enthusiasm. We went to get really good pizza, and I finally got to have some of the pizza spice that I have been craving for so long (it’s so good—you should all try it if you get the chance!). Shaul and I just chilled and had an early night.

            The next morning we headed over to Acco to visit with Moshe, one of our Dad’s really close friends. I found the dynamic in Acco really interesting, as the population is almost split between Jews and Arabs. Moshe took us to restaurant known for its hummus, and let me tell you, it was really good and totally worth the walk! After, Shaul and I decided to go to the nearby town of Nahariya, and walked around the beach for a while. We went back to Acco, had dinner, and then walked down to the Promenade and had a really deep talk about life’s meaning. Yesterday we decided to spend a day in Haifa on our own, and stayed at a really really nice hostel. He walked around a lot, and headed over to the cable car at Stella Maris, and took the ride up to the top of the mountain (Facebook pictures coming soon!). We walked around up there, and then headed down a path to Elijah’s cave, a place where it is thought that Elijah rested before going to his encounter with the priests of Ba’al. If you don’t know the story, look it up because its really interesting! We walked back down to the bus stop, and headed back to the hostel. We tried to make plans with some of my friends from the Alliance school, but it didn’t work out so we went across the street to a pub and listened to the jam session going on. Today, neither Shaul nor I felt really good, so we took it easy, hung out at the hostel and then went over to the mall for alittle. Tonight we are visiting family friends, the parents of Shaul’s best friend when we lived in Israel. It will be really cool meeting them (again) and seeing if we remember anything!

            Tomorrow I go to Kibbutz Yagur, and the second part of my journey begins! I’m sad to have to say goodbye to Shaul, but excited to meet everyone at Yagur. This past week and a half has gone so quickly, yet we have done so much!

Still Travelling

June 13, 2012

            Two posts in such a short amount of time? Wow, lucky you guys! Just kidding! Anyways, a lot has happened since Shaul and I arrived at the hostel in Tel Aviv 3 (already 3???) days ago! On Monday, immediately following the last post, Shaul and I went out and walked around Dizengoff Street. It was really interesting seeing how Israelis acted around others, as well as how they reacted to our English. We soon figured out that English was as commonplace there as Portuguese is in Stoughton! Anyways, after that I decided to buy my first drink at a liquor store, and yes mom it was legal :p. Shaul and I went to the beach to watch the sunset, and drank to an amazing time in Israel. We walked along the beach some more, and eventually went back to the hostel to hang out, and went to bed relatively early. Yesterday, Tuesday, we had a very busy schedule. We started out by walking around Tel Aviv, visiting the Rabin Square area. We went back to the hostel to grab some stuff, and as we were on the way, Shaul heard my name being called. Being in Israel, and thinking that we didn’t know anyone in Tel Aviv, I just figured that they were calling another Dahlia. We then suddenly saw my friend Shachar stand up, and knew she was calling me! It was amazing and really strange at the same time to see her, Gilad, Yuval, and Inbal in Tel Aviv when I wasn’t expecting to see them until this weekend! We hung out with them for 20ish minutes, and then left to go get our stuff to go to Hod Hasharon. Seeing Hod Hasharon (the suburb of Tel-Aviv where my 2 month program was last year) was amazing, and I realized that although the people around have changed, the towns dynamic and charm has not. Shaul and I visited all of my favorite places to go when I was living there- the 11 (now 12 :/ ) shekel falafel place, the bakery, the sketchy supermarket, Mosenzon, and of course My-Yogo! We got back to Tel Aviv by bus and then train.

            After getting back from Hod Hasharon, we made a short trip to Yafo, a neighborhood/smaller community of Tel Aviv. We walked around for a while. While we were there, a Muslim prayer call took pace, and it was really interesting to see who did and did not react. From there, we went back to the Hostel, rested/chilled for a while, and then went to Mike’s place, a very American destination across the street from the beach.

            Today, we said goodbye to Tel Aviv, and went to Hadera. It took us a long time to get there, a lot of conflicting advice, and a lot of stress, but it was definitely worth it. The hostel/resort that we are staying at is absolutely beautiful, and the beach is gorgeous. It is beautiful and peaceful, just the opposite of Tel Aviv. Tomorrow we go to Haifa to visit with Yael and stay with Guy, and make a lot more unique memories!

            Can’t believe I have only been here for three days! With everything we’ve done, it feels more like a few weeks! Miss you all!

Getting Started

June 11, 2012

            So we have just arrived at the hostel we are staying at for the next two nights, and let me tell you, it took a lot of effort getting here! I never realized it, but schlepping two, very heavy, suitcases around Israel probably wasn’t my greatest idea yet. This past week has been really tough— first saying goodbye to my entire class and school as a whole, then saying goodbye to my family and friends, and yesterday, saying goodbye to my parents. I guess it just hit me yesterday that I don’t have an immediate return, and that things ARE going to change in the next year. By the time I come back, most of my friends will be done with a year of college, there will be a new baby cousin in the family, and so many other things that I can’t even try to predict. And not only this, but I will be different also. But that’s for another day.

            So, usually in situations like an airplane or travel in general, something awkward always happens to me. So I was honestly amazed when everything went relatively smoothly, with no awkward bumps in the road. Which is both good and bad. Good for me because I didn’t have to deal with any weird situations, but bad for you because that makes this post really short and uninteresting!

One week before

June 4, 2012 (7 days before departure)

            Everyone has dreams that they have been carrying around in their mind wondering how and when they can get around to accomplishing it. This next year I will answer the when and how of my dream: now. Ever since I can remember, I have longed, and loved Israel. I remember in Hebrew School, probably when I and my classmates were around 8 or 9, we had a textbook on Israel named Israel is our homeland (or some variation of this… it was a long time ago). I distinctly remember crossing out the word “our” and scratching in the word “my”. I have always held this personal connection to the land that I somehow knew I belonged to. So, this next year or so, I will be travelling to, and around this land. I will be fulfilling my dream; being almost 100 percent immersed into the culture, language, and people of Israel. I cannot wait to go, yet it is finally hitting me that to carry this out, I will be leaving so many loved ones behind. I think this fact has really hit me today- a week before my plane leaves. A year; it sounds so big yet so small at the same time. It means missing special days, anniversaries, births (of a new cousin!), and (god forbid) deaths. It also means that relationships I have made with people will be tested, and many will loosen or break down. I am determined to keep this in mind, but not let it affect my experiences or trip as a whole. I plan to write in this blog at least once a week to not only update those around me of what is going on in my life, but also for a way for myself to reflect on the past week, and for the future me to remember all the memories of my year.

            In this post, I just wanted to address one question that many people have asked me, and I never have seemed to get an answer to said question out clearly. And many of you who are reading (if there are any) may be asking this to yourselves at this very moment—“why a year?”. There are many different answers that I have come up to this question, all of them different and based on who I am talking to. To my grandma it was “because 2 months during the summer just isn’t enough”, to my friends it was “because I feel like I need a break from school and education”, and to teachers it was “because I was to do this before my student debt starts building up”. All of these answers are valid, but are not the main reason. When I was in Israel ast year for 2 months, I got a taste of what the country was all about. But I didn’t live with Israelis, didn’t speak their language, and therefore didn’t experience authentic Israel. And ever since I stepped off of that airplane in JFK, coming home from Israel, all I have wanted is to go back. In fact, the longing for Israel got so bad that I developed mental repercussions. Now that I have the opportunity to go back, I know that I want to have the authentic Israel, not the tourist or temporary visitor Israel. And a gap year, specifically one that allows for unstructured time as well as assimilation into Israeli society, is the only way I know how to do this.

            I can’t believe how fast this year has flown, and the fact that I have to start packing within the next few days to make sure I’m not trying to do it all Saturday night! As I said with my first post from my trip last year- to my friends and family here; I will miss you more than words can say, and I expect Facebook messages, Skype conversations, phone calls, and a few care packages from each and every one of you! To the people that will be participating in the kibbutz program with me; I can’t wait to meet you all, and learn about each of you as we learn about Israel together!