Holy Crap I'm in the Holy Land!

Well ladies and gentleman I finally made it to the children’s home! Since my weekly schedules are normally so jam packed,Hava (the director) and I decided it would be best for me to come up and stay with her family for Shabbat so I could go see the kids on Saturday and not feel rushed. I was a little nervous because her family is orthodox and I was afraid I was going to mess up and accidentally break a rule while I was there. However, given how nice Hava is I figured her and her family would be forgiving when I inevitably forgot an obvious rule of observance.

On Friday morning (ok lets be honest, it was the afternoon) I went to the train station and (with a little help) found my train fairly quickly. My train came exactly on time and I got settled in for the 45 minute ride to Pardes Hannah where Neve Michael is located. The trains are very nice and I enjoyed getting yet another view of my new home. Hava picked me up at the train station and took me back to her house where her husband David and son Yonaton were waiting to greet me. Throughout the weekend I had the opportunity to meet 5 more of her 11 children ranging from ages 19 to 41. They were all so friendly to me especially Sharon, her 26 year old daughter who was home from Jerusalem for the weekend and allowed me to share her room with her.

On Friday night Keren, the 19 year old daughter, walked with me over to the temple which was actually located on the Neve Michael grounds. I got to meet some of her friends and a few of the children that were there. Services were quick and then we headed back to the house for dinner. By this time the rest of the family that was staying overnight had arrived. I met Hava’s son Avi and her daughter Daniella, who was there with her husband. Dinner was your typical Jewish meal…rapid fire talking, lots of food and Hava asking everyone about their love lives. Thanks to badgering from David and Avi there was a lot of English speaking which I was grateful for. I heard a lot of “Eat, eat!” and “Don’t you want more?” and “Rachel, feel at home, stop being so shy”, more proof that I was in a Jewish home.  After dinner we hung around the house and talked and then sat in the living room and read our books/newspapers. It was eerily peaceful at first but then I grew to really like it.

I was awakened on Saturday by the arrival of yet another member of the family who came with his wife and kids. Aryeh’s kids were a bundle of cute adorable energy and they livened up the house on what would have been an extremely quiet morning. We all sat down to breakfast and after we finished I walked with Hava to Neve Michael. Whenever I set foot on the grounds I am just overwhelmed with this incredible feeling. I feel like I am supposed to be there. Hava gave me a tour since some new buildings had been built in the last year and then I spent some time with some of the kids. It is so sad to hear their stories but when you see them playing outside they are just normal kids. And despite how sad it can be, you know that there is hope for their futures when you see the home they have there and the people who work with and care for them. We returned to Hava’s house to get ready for when some of the crisis center kids would come over later in the day. We had ice cream from the day before and packages of Bamba to hand out as well. About 7 kids came over and we played soccer and volleyball (ok, for this I just cheered them on, volleyball is NOT my thing). They talked to me a little in English but mostly in Hebrew and were very patient with my slow speech and constant grammar mistakes. I was putting things away inside when they started to leave. One of the girls came in and said (in perfect English). “Thank you so much for playing with us Rachel, we hope to see you soon”. I don’t think I have ever meant it more than I did then that I could not wait. I will go back in February if not sooner and Hava said that I can spend a week actually living and working in the crisis center this summer.

I wish I had pictures to share but I could not use my camera on Shabbat. I really encourage you all to find out more about Neve Michael though, it is an amazing place that does SOOO many great things. http://www.nevemichael.com/ Alright, until next time….

I hate to admit it and maybe they will take away my Visa for this but…I kinda miss Christmas! It doesn’t quite feel like winter without tacky red ribbons on all the stores, Christmas lights everywhere and Christmas music blasting obnoxiously from all the radio stations. However, despite feeling less like I am AT home in the states, I’m starting to feel more like this IS home. I was at a bar last Friday night and I look over and there is a menorah next to a bottle of Smirnoff. Now maybe this isn’t the most the religiously appropriate way to display a menorah, but I love that Canukkah is everywhere, not just hidden on the countertops of a few houses in a predominantly Christian neighborhood. I was walking across a major intersection last week and I looked up to see a GIANT menorah. Only in Israel, and I love it!

Not very many people in Israel get time off for Chanukkah, but teachers do! I had a full week off to relax and enjoy “winter” in Israel. I also had to do a midterm test but I tried not to let that ruin my fun! Allie’s mom came in to town so I spent some time with the two of them. Her mom is one of the warmest people I have ever met and I had a great time with them in Yaffo. After that I spent most of the week getting organized, relaxing and going out with my friends, nothing too exciting but it was definitely nice to sleep in. On Thursday though I took a trip to T’verya (Tiberias) with Guille which was definitely the highlight of my vacation!

Because of the awesomeness that is my new country, getting to T’verya was really easy. We just went to the central bus station and caught one of the buses there that left every 20 minutes. It was a 2 and a half hour ride, not so bad considering I had company. I got to see parts of Israel I had not seen before and they were so beautiful, not surprising though considering everywhere I look in this country there is a new beautiful place to see. When we arrived in T’verya it was pretty rainy so we went right to our hostel. It was a little confusing since the hostel we were staying in had two buildings. Apparently we were at the fancy guest house by mistake but the guy at the front desk said “ we actually have an extra room at the guest house so you can stay here, no extra charge.” Sweet!

The next couple of days were wonderful. It was still raining the first night (okay torrential downpour is slightly more accurate) but we went outside to find food and found a couple streets full of restaurants. At dinner I was feeling brave and tried something that the waiter described as “the inside of a chicken mixed with onions”, and it was actually pretty good. We went to a cute little café to get dessert and were making extremely inappropriate noises as we ate what I think is the best chocolate cake EVER created.  The next day we walked around along the Kinneret which is amazing up close. We also saw how low it is which is so sad! I have felt bad taking a shower ever since (but don’t worry, I am still taking them!) Also that day we rented a bike so Guille could teach me how to ride one! It was so exciting, by the end I was getting on the bike on my own and riding along the tayelet with no help while Guille ran along side of me. There was also a guy who was clapping and cheering for me as he ran by. Slightly embarrassing but I didn’t care. I rode a bike on my own, yay!!

The last day was also wonderful, we checked out of the guest house and went to a place called Gan Garoo.  It is a park with koalas, birds, kangaroos and other animals. The best part though is that the peacocks and kangaroos roam free. I got to play with a kangaroo! SO COOL! There was also this giant maze that we got to run around in. We were definitely the only people there without children but it didn’t matter we had an amazing time! Before we left we had to have one last meal so we went to this restaurant that overlooked a gorgeous park and had some great food.  After that it was time to get back on the buses and go our separate ways. I was sad to go but so happy to end my vacation the way that I did! Only 3 more months til the next break, not that I am counting or anything….