Tali's Israel Blog

The end. But not forever.

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 16:24:01 -0400

We filled out a survey and at the end they asked us to describe AMHSI in a paragraph. Here’s mine:

Describe AMHSI in one paragraph? How? Here’s one sentence to describe AMHSI: “What I wouldn’t do to come back again on another session.” Although we dreaded the 4.5 hour core class and the endless learning when we just wanted to play outside on tiyulim, I am 110% sure that we would all give up everything to come back and do it all over again. There’s something unknown constantly roaming the air when you’re at Muss. Something you can’t put your finger on, but everything you do, even sitting in your room doing nothing, is amazing. We really became a family and formed relationships we didn’t know we were capable of having. I learned a lot about myself and how to be myself and be confident that I always have someone to go to. I learned independence and how to solve problems. I learned how to ask myself questions and challenge my thoughts until I was frustrated (the good kind!). There is nothing like AMHSI. It’s not just a tourist trip learning about Israel around Israel; that’s just an added bonus. There is no way to explain it without going on it. I read things like this and heard things like this before I left but all of it meant nothing to me. Everyone writes things like that about their camp experience or things of the sort, but when it’s written about Muss it means something more. Now recalling what everyone had said about Muss, it all means something to me because it has context. Listen to the kids that say there is no way to explain Muss. I’m going home a new person with a new perspective about life, Israel and myself.

And even that doesn’t begin to describe my time here.

negev!!

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:44:35 -0400

So we’re in the negev now at the new campus! It’s so great here! The rooms and everything are 100% new and we’re the first ones to stay here! All the kids on the campus are SOO nice and welcoming and we had a program to get to know them last night. We’ve been going all over yesterday and today learning about different things in the Negev. Today we spent a lot of time learning about the Bedouins in Israel and we planted a beautiful garden in one of the Bedouin villages.

It’s so hard to believe that we’re leaving Monday night. Forever I’ve been saying “Yep, I leave on January 31 and come back on March 27” and wow, that March 27th is approaching SO fast. This trip has taught me so much about myself and about how to care for others. It also taught me how privileged I am to be a part of such a strong and unique people. I can’t wait to come home with a better understanding of Israel, the Jewish people and myself.

We have a huge test on Sunday so I have to study but I’ll try to post a few more times before I leave. I’m sure I’ll post reflections as they come to me once I’m back home so stay posted!

So it’s not a great picture, but Israel rarely has big...

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 08:31:30 -0400

So it’s not a great picture, but Israel rarely has big outbursts of flowers and it just so happens that there is a huge one right now! There’s pretty flowers everywhere!!

almost over :(

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 08:28:52 -0400

Wow. It’s so hard to believe that it’s almost time for us to go home. It’s such a bittersweet feeling. I want to go home because I miss friends and family and my daily life at home, but I know I’ll miss being here so much. It’s literally become a home. When we go out into town, we hang out and get some food and someone says “okay guys, wanna go home?” Not home to the US, home to campus.

It is still undecided if we’re spending our last week in the new campus down south. The situation was totally safe, so as of yesterday we were going. But now schools are still closed down there, so we’re not sure. As of now, we’re going on a two day trip to the Golan Heights from Sunday to Monday and then seeing how the situation down there is and then deciding if we’ll go or not.

Yesterday a bird flew into our classroom! It’s been living in the ceiling so it came out of a little open pocket above our door and totally interrupted class. My friend has a huge phobia of birds so she was terrified!! The bird kept running into windows and walls and we all ducked and screamed. Finally it flew back into the ceiling and is STILL there! No one knows how to get it out!

There is a sushi place walking distance from campus that is AMAZING. I promise it is the BEST sushi I have ever had and I’m so sad that we just discovered it this week. We’ve already been twice this week and we’re going again tonight because it could be our last time. It is AMAZING! The other really good staple food of being here are the chocolate rugelach from a bakery in Jerusalem called Marzapan. Every time we go to Jerusalem we all gain about 10 pounds from eating so many. They’re always hot and fresh and doughy and chocolatey and SOO yummy!!

I’m headed to take some more finals. I’ll try to write more soon!

Stay posted!

Purim in Israel!

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 09:54:59 -0400

Purim in Israel!

riding a camel!

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 09:50:53 -0400

riding a camel!

safe and sound!

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 09:47:59 -0400

No worries! Although things are hectic here in the land of Israel, we are all safe and sound! We were supposed to spend our last week on the NEW campus in the Negev in the south, but unfortunately it doesn’t sound like that will be happening :( (But it’s still possible!)

We spent all of last week learning about the Holocaust, which was very sad, but I also learned other aspects of the Holocaust that I had never studied.

Lots to do and gotta get to class!

Stay posted!

tunnels, tents, camels, malls and more!

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 05:30:00 -0500

So much to update!! I’ll try to figure out where to begin..

Last week we went to these caves that were TINY and dirty and muddy, but SO MUCH FUN! The cave was actually no bigger than the size of our bodies and we had to squeeeeze through them and they didnt tell us the right way out so we had to go through all different holes to find the right one and if it wasn’t the right one we had to turn around. It was sooo great!

This past weekend we stayed in a Bedouin tent and it was so cool!! The tent was like 4 times the size of my kitchen and had lighting and heating, but it still really seemed like a tent! It was freezing and raining so the electricity in our tent (ha..ha..) went out, so they moved us to another tent at 11:30 at night in the pouring rain! But it was still fun. The whole night was so relaxing. When we got there, we got situated and played some games and then we had dinner made by the Bedouin people, which was good! Then we made a bonfire and had some activities and sang with a guitar and just relaxed! In the morning we woke up and rode camels!! It was SOO fun! Me and my friend Talia were on a camel together in the very front. After the camels, we all fell asleep to our counselors singing and playing guitar and it was SO peaceful! Then we went and did some activities and got lunch somewhere and went bowling.

Another thing we did is we had to go around a mall asking random people different questions about Judaism and Israel and things like that. It was really interesting to see what people had to say and the difference in culture.

Ari says I need a good signing off phrase, so if anyone has any ideas, let me know!

A letter to my future child

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 03:29:00 -0500

We discussed the hardships of Judaism and how it can sometimes be hard to find a job because the interviewer notices your Jewish. Our teacher then posed a hypothetical situation saying that we are parents and we have raised our children Jewish and now they are having a hard time trying to find a job because they are Jewish. Our child is now bitter towards us for raising them Jewish and are considering converting. We were told to write a letter to our future child telling them why we raised them Jewish and why Judaism is important.

So I thought I’d share what I wrote..

Dear Child,

I sincerely apologize for the tough situation you have gone through. Don’t let anyone ever make you believe that being Jewish is a bad thing. Judaism is your blood and Judaism is your identity. One day the world will wake up to realize that Jews like you and like me and dad are adding to society in a huge way. Whether or not people admit it, they admire us. No, the assholes don’t admire us, but the assholes are the ones that prevent others from admitting their admiration. Rise above the assholes and continue searching for a job. Don’t let society tell you who you can and can’t be. Judaism is the youth group you live for and the camp you attend. Judaism is the challah we make together and the jewelry we wear. Judaism are the costumes we wear for Purim and the foods we eat on holidays. Judaism is the community we are a part of. There is a unique sense of pride, identity and strength that accompanies Judaism. Values hard to come by in other religions. A sense of passion and ability. I think the saying “If there’s a will, there’s a way” sums up Judaism. We have the will and the drive and we always have. So it does no good if we hide our identity, our passions, abilities and pride. If we start giving in to society, we will never be fully accepted. We could convert, but there’s nothing special about someone who gave up and decided not to fight for what they believe in. So like I said earlier; don’t let society tell you who to be. YOU tell society who you ARE.

So I leave the decision up to you. And although it may not seem so, we will support you either way because we know we have raised you to make decisions that are best for yourself, so we trust your judgment.

With Love,

Mom and Dad

updates!

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:50:08 -0500

Not much to write! I just got back from spending the weekend with my Dad’s friends from when he was in Israel, so that was really cool and fun!

Being away from campus makes me realize how much of a home this campus has become for me. It’s so great. When I got back today, I was greeted with hugs and excitement and then we all walked into town to get dinner.

Oh! I forgot one part of our last field trip! We went to this desert that went on for miles and it was just complete silence. Not quiet; it was SILENT. You have never, ever heard silence until you’ve heard this. Or haven’t heard? Anyway, it was so peaceful and relaxing. I could hear my thoughts for the first time ever.

I’ll write more when I think of it. Stay posted!

So much to do, so little time!!

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:45:18 -0500

We are INSANELY busy around here!!

Last weekend, staying at Itay’s for Shabbat was a little overwhelming because I’m not used to keeping Shabbat that strictly, but it was a really great experience! I really got to refresh and relax and it was nice.

Classes and everything else has been pretty normal. I’m making a lot of great friends and everything is so fun and we have a lot of freedom! Our counselors are the absolute BEST! They do SO much for us, it’s insane!

All I can think about is “when can I come back?!” Israel is SO fascinating! And the way we learn about it is even more incredible! We do a lot of role playing and learning about the things that happened, on the location that they happened. We learned about tough decisions that Jews had to make, and we had to make those decisions for ourselves. Today, on top of Masada we went from location to location and learned about what happened in each place. Can you believe that there are mosaics and wall/floor paintings that have lasted TWO THOUSAND years?! It’s so hard to believe! The hike up Masada was really tough but it was really cool hiking from dark (5am) to light an hour later!

There was one thing I thought was SO amazing about Masada, though. 2000 years ago, Jews had to kill themselves to avoid being enslaved by the Romans. I’m sure they thought that in no time, Romans would take over Masada and Jews would never be there again. But there we were. On top of Masada, 2000 years later, without having to fight anyone to be there. There were groups from China, Australia, everywhere; looking at Masada!

We also got a chance to go to the Dead Sea, which was so fun! We put the mud all over ourselves and then floated all around! It was so great!

I’ll try to keep writing more, but we are just SO busy!! (and tired too..)

Stay posted!

Jerusalem!

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:56:57 -0500

Wow. So much to write and so little time! I’ll write the basic agenda of what we did and then I’ll have to finish elaborating tomorrow because the internet turns off in 10 minutes and I have homework to do.

Jerusalem was AMAZING! We started off yesterday with a hike at Mount Gilboa which was SO fun but also really challenging! I fell once, but I’m fine. Then we went to this fresh water spring and swam even though it was FREEZING outside! It was actually warmer in the water than it was outside though. There were fish in the water too!!

We slept in a hotel in Jerusalem and had a really nice Tu Bishvat ceremony. Today, we started off with a MUCH easier hike at Sataf and then had a really nice lunch overlooking the Old City. After that, we went to my FAVORITE place EVER…..Hezikiah’s Tunnel!! It’s a verryy narrow tunnel with water up to about your knees and sometimes lower or higher. You walk all the way through and we were singing the whole time! It was so much fun! Since it’s so close, we went to the Western Wall right after that and as cold as it was, it was really amazing!

I’ll write more details tomorrow because this was such a great trip!

3000 year old homework carved in stone! In the bottom left...

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:44:21 -0500

3000 year old homework carved in stone! In the bottom left corner says the boys name in hebrew “Avi”

Tel Gezer

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:41:54 -0500

We had our first field trip to a place called Tel Gezer yesterday! It was soooo cool! Basically, it’s hills built on top of hills and hills and so on, on top of burnt down civilizations. There were TWENTY EIGHT burned down cities beneath us! It was insane! We also saw homework carved in stone from 3000 years ago! It was so insane! We also had a lot of fun hiking all over the hills, but surprisingly it got really chilly!! It was such a cool experience learning about what happened 3000 years ago, EXACTLY where it happened! We were literally sitting on the exact spot as our teacher explained what happened. It was unreal.

Tomorrow, we’re off to Jerusalem for an overnight and hiking Mount Gilboa!

First Shabbat

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:32:59 -0500

It’s soo amazing here!! Last night we got all dressed up in long skirts and we walked half an hour to a really orthodox synagouge where the women are in the back and the men in the front. It was really amazing when I looked up and realized that I was in an orthodox synogauge, listening to the sound of everyone praying, in Israel, on Shabbat. People were getting so into, jumping up and down and passionately singing! It was like nothing I had ever seen!

Everyone is really getting so much closer and it’s so fun! Everyone is so nice and fun and accepting. We’ve been decorating our room and we got a really great rug for it! We got to hang out today and sleep late and when we woke up we talked with the kids from the other program similar to ours staying on the same campus. They’re so nice!

Well that’s all for now! Stay posted!

sorry it’s such a bad photo but this is my bed! more...

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:28:50 -0500

sorry it’s such a bad photo but this is my bed! more pictures of my room to come

I don’t usually have time for long posts so I figure I’ll post updates when I can and...

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:25:40 -0500

I don’t usually have time for long posts so I figure I’ll post updates when I can and post long ones when I have a chance. So, right now we’re working on our first homework assignment and tons of people in our room all working together! Everything is great! I’ve gotten tons of calls from my dad’s friends here in Israel and all of them have said the same thing; “Happy birthday!! Please don’t hesitate to call me for anything you need! Let’s get dinner!! Please please call me for anything!” Everyone is so nice and everything is great!

birthday!

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:20:37 -0500

Hey everyone!!

I don’t have much time right now so hopefully I can write more later, but everything has been great! It’s so much fun (much better than I thought) having my birthday here on one of the first days! There were some boring points of the day because of going over rules and regulations and such but everyone is really nice and great! My Madrichim (counselors, kinda) gave me a crown and a necklace to wear.

okay, I have to go now but I’ll write more later!

Stay posted!

Wow.

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:31:41 -0500

It’s finally here. I can’t believe it. For almost a year now I’ve been saying “Yeah, I’m going to Israel for two months!” and then the past few months I’ve constantly repeated “Yep! I leave January 31!”

So it’s now January 30th (techincally it’s the 31st because it’s after midnight), and I’m staring at two full suitcases, a packed backpack, texts from my best friends, and a whole bunch of emotions. I am beyond excited! I cannot even begin to explain how excited I am because it’s a different kind of excitement. I’ve gone on trips where I make new friends and it’s in a new place but I get the feeling this won’t be like those other trips. I don’t know what to expect, well slightly I do, but not enough to anticipate anything good or bad.

It’ll be pretty interesting to look back on this post when I’m home. I don’t even know what to write right now. I’m just rambling because I am so excited/anxious/anticipatory/nervous/giddy, anything!

Well, here goes nothing!!

November

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:54:23 -0500

This is the blog I’ll use to keep everyone updated about my adventures and studies in Israel! Just got it set up because I can’t wait until January!!