Yes, I am alive. I know that some of you have been wondering if I am still alive, and the answer is yes. It seems like so long ago when I wrote my last blog post, but then again it was. Lots has happened over the past few weeks. I will give brief overview of the main events that have taken place over the past few weeks.
Israel Experience Week
This was the week right before Winter Break. We had three options to choose from. We could do Gadna(Israeli Army Simulation), Archeological Digging, and Volunteering and Touring in Haifa. I decided to do the volunteering option in Haifa. I was one of about 20 other people who went to Haifa for the week to do different volunteer options. They options ranged from working in a zoo, working at an old age home, a special needs school and working at the children's hospital, which was what I did. I got to work in both the Oncology Wing and the Internal Medicine Wing playing with the kids and just being assistants to the teachers in the different wings. It was an amazing experience and very different then any volunteering in hospitals that you do in the States. The independence level in Israel was incredible. No formal training is required for people to go and spend time with the kids. It is a very warm environment. The parents are very friendly and very willing to pass the kids off to you so that they can get a break. I really enjoyed working in the hospital and spending time with the kids. In the afternoons we got to tour Haifa and see the sites and take in the history of the city. I am very glad that I decided to do Haifa and I will always remember the volunteering opportunities that I did.
Winter Break
For Winter Break, I decided to go back to the States for a week and a half. I had two reasons for going home and I think I accomplished the goals very well. The first was to visit my Aunt in New York. Not only did I get to visit my Aunt, but I got to visit my cousin and new baby cousin who joined us several months ago. It was a great chance to see some of the family who I don't get to see very often. I also got to spend Shabbat with Corey and Jenny, which is always a great time. After several days in New York/New Jersey, I got on the plane to KC to spend the rest of my break at home. The one reason for me going to KC was to see my best friend, Jamie, who is at KU. So, being a master of surprises,I decided I would surprise Jamie. But I had to do it in a perfect way. Several weeks before I was going home, I asked her to send me her class schedule so I could plan accordingly for our frequent Skype Conversations. Oh course she did as I asked, not knowing I would show up at her door after she returned from class one day. So after two perfect surprises, my winter break was a complete success. It was certainly not my first choice in winter break plans, but it turned out to be a great winter break. It was relaxing and a great get-a-way from the group in Israel.
Israel Today Seminar
After a closed Shabbat in Jerusalem to end the first semester and before we move down to the south, we had a three day seminar in Jerusalem that covered various topics in current day Israeli life. We learned about Israeli culture, arts, politics, society and other topics. Some of the highlights included a visit to the Israeli Supreme Court, a Blind, Deaf and Mute performance in Yaffo, and several other museums. It was a great and relaxing few days before we began our trip down to the south to start the second semester.
Southern Tiyul
The first step in our moving to the south was a weeks tiyul in the south. However we had several set backs and delays that got in our way throughout the entire week. We were delayed in leaving Jerusalem on Thursday because of the chance of snow in Jerusalem, don't worry it didn't actually rain. Once we were on our way, our first stop was Ein Gedi, where our hikes were all canceled so we had to change plans on the spot. We ended up either climbing Masada or going to a spa at the Dead Sea. I happened to not be feeling well all Tiyul so I took it easy and was able to sleep through lots of it. That night we went to the Bedouin Tents for the night. I ended up sleeping most of it because I was in such horrible condition. For Shabbat we were at Kibbutz Ketura, which is about 45 minutes from Eilat. We relaxed over Shabbat and did some pretty relaxing activities on Sunday and people watched the Super Bowl on Sunday night/Monday Morning. Monday we had a small hike and then spent the rest of the day in Eilat where some of our activities got canceled also and were changed with others. The big hike of the year was on Tuesday, but since I still wasn't fully back to normal, I didn't get to do it which was sad, but I will try to do it sometime during the second semester. The tiyul ended on Wednesday morning as both groups departed for our new homes in the south.
Welcome to Yerucham... Population 10,000.... Check that.... 10,041
We were supposed to arrive in Yerucham on Wednesday at around 2 to begin setting up our apartments, but due to a new epidemic in Israel of the Mumps, we all had to stop in Beer Sheva and receive the MMR Vaccine before we proceeded to Yerucham. We finally got all settled in our apartments around 8ish on Wednesday night and moved into our rooms and got our rooms settled and we all crashed around 10ish because of such a long day. We spend pretty much all of Thursday unpacking and getting the apartment cleaned and going over the logistics for how we were going to do everything for the 3 months that we are living in Yerucham. 7 people in one apartment may seem like a lot and very overwhelming but it should work out very well. In my room we have three; myself, Seffi Kogen- New Jersey, and Michael Gelb-New York. In the other room are; Judah Kebel-Atlanta, Seth Lerman-Chicago, Ethan Goldsmith-Chicago, and Jesse Lender-New York. It is a great apartment and will be a great semester. We spent Friday doing final cleanings and setting up and had the repair man at the apartment fixing things for a while including a new fridge that we all had to schlep up three flights of stairs and me washing all the pieces of the fridge in the shower. It was a fun and eventful day.
Now, we are all getting ready for Shababt which should be very relaxing before we get started working on Sunday. I will be working at a religious elementary school as well as doing Magen David Adom. I am very excited for the semester and I am sure it will be a great experience.
That's all for now.
Shabbat Shalom from Yerucham,
David
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