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Monday, September 19, 2011

Drink, Wake Up, Ouuuch

I have experienced my first volunteer group trip.  It was fun, but I drank heavily the night before, so not that fun.  The night before was a fancy themed party and everyone looked really nice.  It was also a goodbye party for Camilo, Charlotte, and Sebille, which somewhat dampened the fun, but also got everyone to go all out.  People went around with water guns filled with tequila and squirted it in people's mouths, I got some in my ear (i heard any hole works) Anyways, yeah, it was a shit show and a ton of fun and I don't think I got into bed until 5 in the morning. 
Then suddenly! I was awoken from my deep drunken slumber to both my roommates.  We were leaving at 8 for Akko and Rosh Hanikra and we had to get breakfast.  I hung on to my bed for dearlife as they pulled at my legs to get up.  Eventually I realized I had come here to travel, not to sleep in hungover, so I got up and went to breakfast with them.  Its always fun to see everyone the next night after going "large" as the South Africans call it.  We all ate and got in the bus.  I wore pants for some reason, probably because I was still drunk and had no idea what kind of mistake I had made putting them on.  I fell asleep on the bus ride and woke up when we arrived at Baha'i gardens, and no not the ones I went to in Haifa.  These are different and house the remains of the religions founder.  We all went inside the building with his remains and one of the security guards told us to be quiet when we went inside.  But whenever someone tells me that I have to be quiet I always get the urge to laugh and it started coming out while everyone was in silence. Once we got outside I had a hysterical laughing attack, I actually thought I was going to die of suffocation.  I was triple D at this poing (delirious, dehydrated, and drunk).  We then got back on the bus and I fell right back asleep.
We arrived to Akko and had some lunch before we started exploring.  The city is very beautiful and very old.  We were right near a port that was very lively.  We all went down into some tunnels dug during the Crusades, due to my delirium me and Roie (my roomate) were being complete idiots and laughing at everything.  Everyone got annoyed but that just got me going even more.  We explored for quite some time and then we reached a marketplace.  It was very cool and typical of a middle eastern market. It smelled of fish and had so many old school things.  I got ice cream, mmmm ice cream.  We then chilled by the harbor and some people went swimming, I couldn't because I wore pants :(  We then got on the bus and.... I fell asleep.  I was now exhausted, going on 2 hours of sleep, disgustingly sweaty, and hung over.
We arrived at Rosh Hanikra, a cliff against the Mediterranean Sea that has famous grottoes carved out of them.  We took a cable car down the side of the cliff and came upon a cave opening.  We went inside and marveled at water splashing around.  It was humid and quite miserable, but hey, lots of people go there so yay! Then we went into a movie theater carved into the cliff side, it was cold in there so I was very pleased, but the movie itself was corny.  "You might hear the missing brides calls with the waves"... No way, Fuck you.  We were right next to the border of Lebanon, you could see markers out in the water and they said if you swim past them they come by and shoot you, so I guess no swimming for me.
We all got on the bus and went home. Josh says hi.
That was on Saturday, today is Monday.
Today I explored the Kibbutz.  I went to the Museum with Roie, we sprinted through it.  Then we went to the farm/zoo.  Goats, lots of birds, and a car, Woohoo!  Then I had a emotional breakdown and started scheming how I was going to leave this place and backpack around Europe.  Then I chilled out and became happy again.  I signed up for couchsurfing.com, what a great idea, will try to use it when I get the chance.  I climbed a watchtower on the perimeter of the kibbutz, it was not that exciting.  Then went to the pool and lost in backgammon without getting a piece off the board. Yeah, that's my day...
I think I am manic depressive.
Love you all soOoO much!
Vip club

I see you

the Bus!

Please let me sleep for the love of god!

Golf anyone?

No shoes, no laughing, no THINKING!

It smells bad

Man cave, three brosketeers, three stoges

cool motha fuckin cat

whoahhh

Shwarma mama

sybil and tea and a huuuuuge hookah, and a funny hat

Whos ready for a ride?

ooooo, ahhhhh, whooaaa, wooooow.... im hungry

water in cave, famous

dramatic pose that I asked for and am completely aware of

Friday, September 16, 2011

Hitchhikers guide to walking alot

So Wednesday was my day off.  It is a good day to get off because the night before is pub night and everyone gets really fucked up.  I did not drink because I am tired, slaving in a kitchen for 10 hours a day and waking up at the crack of down can have that effect.  So Gabrielle and I decided we were going to go to Haifa for the day.  Haifa is a city on the west coast of Israel on the Mediterranean.  Originally Natalya, a girl from Colombia, was going to come with us but her day off got changed so it was just us two.  We planned on hitchhiking from the kibbutz to Haifa which would be an amazing accomplishment considering I have never done it before. (Hitchhiking is the most popular form of travel for us volunteers)  So we utilized a service provided to us, we went to the volunteer coordinator and asked her if any members would be driving to Haifa on Wednesday, she said no but one is going to Nahariya which is somewhat close to our destination.  She gave us his number and we arranged to go with him on Wednesday morning.
That morning we woke up, got some breakfast, and waited outside the dining hall for our ride.  A sense of anxiety overcame me and I was hoping that we did not end up seeing him and we would stay.  The thought of leaving the comfort and security of the Kibbutz to the alien roads and cities frightened me.  But he did see us, his name is Gavi, a very nice guy.  We talked the whole ride there, he served in the army and had some amazing stories.  Once we got to Nahariya, he dropped us off and we walked a little and started to hitchhike.  Using your thumb here means your are a prostitute, there is another way to do it which I was thankfully informed of.  After a surprisingly short amount of time, a man picked us up.  He did not speak very good english and we figured out that he was Arab.  He said he was going to Akko which is a city halfway to our destination. He drove like a maniac swerving in and out of cars and trucks on the highway.  He then proceeded to drive into Akko which we did not expect.  I was terrified, all I could think of was him pulling into a garage and me being swarmed by terrorist.  (HAHAHA I guess I was being a little melodramatic but hey, I come from a little town in New Jersey, I am new to this.) Never the less, he dropped us off near the train station.  It was bittersweet because I was out of his car, but now we were in the middle of some city and we needed another ride.  We tried for about an hour to no avail.  So we took the train, a convenient option seeing that the ride took us right into Haifa and rode along a beautiful wrote right next to the Mediterranean.
Crazy Arab guy who picked us up
When we got to Haifa we exited the station and walked down a main rode.  I noticed the side walk was huge and that cars were beeping at us.  After walking on that for a little we realized we were in the bus lane! We laughed alot at our own ignorance.  We came upon a street which led right up to the Baha'i gardens.  We stopped in a tourist information store and a nice old lady told us everything we needed to know.  She also informed us that the gardens were closed, the site of Gabo's eyes widening in surprise was very funny.  But she told us we could go up the mountain and look down on the gardens which provided a spectacular view.  So we got a bus, made our way up the mountain and got off at the main gates to the garden.  They let us onto the first terrace.  The view was magnificent, we could see the entire city with the Mediterranean and the Northern coast of Israel stretching out to the horizon.  We admired the view and then we were on our way.  We walked down a very long and windy street all the way down to the bottom of the mountain.  On the way some local woman invited us up to her apartment for some dinner.  Would have been cool but we were too scared to say yes.  So we wandered an arab community and explored some marketplace until we came to a Shwarma restaurant.  I thought the food was delicious but Gabo was less then pleased. So we went from there back to the bus stop and we agreed to go to the beach the guide lady told us about.  We got on the bus and it brought us to a junction, we thought we were lost and began to panic.  We asked some guys how to get to the beach and they told us what bus to take.  Surely it came and we ended up right on the beach.  It was on the other side of the mountain so it was a much different place.  It was like Silicon Valley with google, microsoft, yahoo, and many other tech companies with buildings there.
The view from atop the mountain
The beach is by far the best one I have ever been on.  The sand was soooo soft, the water was clear blue and warm to the touch, the waves were gentle and long.  I went in while Gabo chilled on the beach (he didnt have a bathing suit).  I was euphoric, I just marveled at the paradise I had found myself in.  After a while of being in the water, Gabo and I went for a walk down the beach.  We talked about life, our homes and cultures, and examined the peculiarities of our differnet languages (he speaks Spanish).  We were on the beach for quite some time before we decided it was time to head home.  Luckily there was a train station right near the beach so we went inside and got a train to Akko.  Once we got there we walked for a while and ended up getting picked up by some kid. He too spoke very little English and he brought us halfway to Nahariya.  We walked the rest of the way on the highway.  I was exhausted at this point.  Once we saw a bus stop we got on and went all the way to Xaxa, a Kibbutz very close to Bar'am.  The walk would have been an hour and it was dark at this point.  Cars were zooming by us and it was pretty scary.  We stopped and waited at a bus stop and of all people to come and save the day, a cop pulled up and offered us a ride.  He brought us right up the gates of Bar'am where we went inside and rejoiced at the completion of our journey.
We were starving so we went to see if there was any food at the dining hall, but to our suprise when we got inside there was a big volunteer meeting, we literally walked in when people were introducing themselves, so out of breath and completely surprised I introduced myself to the room. 
All in all the day was a great success, and I only spent around 30 US dollars on the whole thing, which is insane.
So there is my first adventure in Israel, hope you enjoyed it, and cant wait to tell you of many more.

Arab Marketplace
Jemma loves her job

My roommates has gone American History X

View of the garden from below
View from above the garden

The beach

John looking cool as hell
Our hitchhiking adventure begins

Gabo trying to hide his fear of being kidnapped by an Arab dude

Jersey shore ain't got shit on me
Walking on a road at night, pissing my pants

Suprise volunteer meeting

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

mucho sueno

Today is Tuesday.
I have been working in dining for 3 days now.  I thought it was terrible but everyone here says to appreciate it because apples is 100 times worse.  I guess I have picked my poison.  Soon I will be doing dishes, which is very chill. Had falafel today, banginnn.  Waking up at 5:45 is brutal, but I have been managing.  I dont understand why I have so much trouble getting out of bed.  Its just a matter of standing up, once I do that I am good.
I bring music with me now.  Been listening to the likes of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bob Marley.  I need excellence to take my mind away from my body.  Its amazing how music makes the time fly and allows me to enjoy myself even while doing the most remedial jobs.  I have to moves every single table in the dining hall before and after breakfast using this god damned stubborn contraption.  I did it once without music and was very sad, did it with music and I was jumping around dancing and enjoying myself.  I even started singing out loud but when i noticed people scowling in my direction i stopped.  I downloaded the whole audio recording of  the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Its 52 hours long!  I hope to finish it before I leave here.
I have been trying to learn some spanish.  My first goal is to be able to roll my r's.  I have gotten a little bit better, I walk around trying to say perro, some people have asked me if im drunk, I just tell them I am determined! Coyotes and jackals bark and howl all the time, its kind of nice, like I am in some great wilderness.  I found out that state of Israel planted every single tree in the entire country.  it was once a barren desert, and now it is a lush and beautiful country.
My boss...
My boss is this guy named Ishiy.  He is..... interesting.  He loves to lecture me on ridiculous things like how to angle my body when pushing tables.  People say he has some social disorder. I think he likes me because I talk back to him and sometimes tell him what to do.
I drank some vodka last night, tried to get a party going, but it was only 4 of us. Fail
Gabrielle is from Colombia. Really cool kid. We have been chilling listening to music, he tells me of his country with beautiful women, cheap cocaine, and good times.  he lives in Medellin and says a giant handful of good coke would go for 30 US dollars... Pablo you dog.  I have never done it but that seems cheap to me. He has been showing me some good spanish music, me gusto.
Gabooo
A little drama, Josh offered me and Isaac to move into his room.  We both were contemplating it and Johan found out.  He is angry.  I will apologize.
I have been playing some guitar as well, Josh is very good and plays in bands, he will teach me if I stop being so damn inpatient and lazy and learn the notes. but i dont wannna!
When I wake up in the morning there are still sporting events going on back at home.  My Giants lost (american football ha), Yankees doing there thang. I will follow it as close as possible, cant believe I'm gonna miss the World Series :( 
Tonight is pub night and I have off from work tomorrow, so I shall drink a responsible amount and enjoy myself.
Love y'all homies

Some sort of soda they drink here, i approve

Santiago, Spanish version of Abbey Road

damn son wash them dishes

The kolbo (store), open at inconvenient hours

Tahini sauce, clutch
Making toast, cream of the crop in terms of jobs

Santiago and I paid the apple factory a visit, needless to say they were not thrilled

Hello little guy

Its a "surfboard on wheels that torments the lives of the innocent"

I HATE YOU!

At least the bread can smile

Sunday, September 11, 2011

hellz kitchen

Today I woke up at 5:15 to be at work by 6.  For those who have known me long enough, they know how much I love sleep, so be impressed.  It was my first day in the dining hall.  Clare lives in the room across the hall, she also works in dining, and at 5:45 i went to her room to see if she was ready to go.  She was sleeping, she looked at her phone and it said it was 4:45, she got very mad and told me to go back to my room and go to sleep.  I felt like a fool, I went back to my room and Isaac confirmed with my that it was indeed, 5:45. So i went back to Clares room and said once again that it is 5:45 so she went a checked a different clock and came to realize I was correct.  So she got ready and we walked over to work, it was still dark out.
I helped set up the dining room for breakfast, moving things around, setting up some of the dishes, etc.  It was not that bad.  Got a couple of breaks throughout the day.  In the afternoon I became a dishwasher.  That was HELL.  Endless dishes coming at me on a conveyor belt. After being a bus boy at Legends, I vowed to never work in food again... well that didn't last very long.  Well I survived, I feel somewhat delirious from the whole experience, but I have to go back tomorrow, and the next day, and the next... So goes life.
I think I might learn some spanish while I am here.  There is a whole group from Colombia and they speak it all the time.  The problem is I cant roll my r's so I sound like a stupid "american".
Alot of people that work with my mom keep coming up to me and asking how I am doing.  It's nice, they have invited me to dinner and been very welcoming.
Would it be weird if I don't drink on my 21st birthday?
Anyways I am going to workout and chill by the pool, I want to get in shape while I am here.  Since we have so much downtime here, I should make an effort to partake in some self improvement.
Much love.

Saturday, September 10, 2011




hippies partying in a bomb shelter....

Last night was epic.
Johan, John and I played some tennis in the afternoon, it was fun and eye opening (im out of shape). I won of course.  After that we went to the dining hall. Every Friday they have a Sabbath dinner with wine.  The food was banging and I drank lots of wine, made right here in Bar'am.  After that I went back and got ready for the hippie themed party in the bomb shelter. I went around with vodka and ice in a pitcher and offered to anyone who wanted (im a teachers pet).  Everyone went all out with headbands and tacky shirts and pants.  There were candles lining the stairs going down to the bomb shelter and the room was unbelievably decorated with drapes and candles and a sound system. They had a couple trays filled with vodka and different mixes.  Its tradition for the new volunteers to get hazed, so when I got my first cup they surrounded me and started chanting and I had to chug it. Little do they know that in America chugging is no biggy.  The party was bumpin, good music, everyone was dancing and laughing and having a good time. We all got so drunk and once the alcohol was gone we stumbled over to the bar.
The bar was wild, lots of Kibbutz members were there.  People were outside, there was a big dance floor with strobe lights, and a bar area. We all bought a couple of rounds and were talking with some of the locals.  I ended up talking to Raz for a while. The night gets blurry, but I remember at one point some guy ended up buying me tequilla and beers and gave me some hookah which was cool.  I talked with some soldiers who are living here, such nice people, and very smart.  At some point we all left and went back to the volunteer buildings.  There was a giant bon fire built and we all sat around it and laughed.  I then laid down and was out immediately.  Woke up this morning with a monster hangover.  We all went to the dining hall and talked about the party and nonsense.  I then went to play some tennis and ended up sitting by the pool all day. Got a little burned : /
Something unbelievable has happened to me.  I worked that half day at the apple factory, and now I have been informed I will be working in the dining hall cleaning dishes and such.  This is a miracle and all the volunteers are so pissed lol. Usually it takes months to get out of the factory. I thought maybe my mom put a word in to somebody here but she said she didnt.  Guess I am just going to charm my way to the top. 
I learned how to play backgammon today.  I am now 2-0 in my backgammon playing life. Cool game with lots of strategy.
Alot of people here have traveled all over the place.  I hope to be like them, I want to be able to pack a bag and go anywhere.  It takes discipline and patience, but you can hitchhike anywhere and stay in hostels. When I leave here I want to go to some other places. I am thinking Barcelona and Amsterdam.
Well we are about to watch a movie in the lounge and then sit around a bon fire.  Love you all.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Glen Rock, NJ  >  Brussels, Belgium  >  Bor'am, Israel  >  ???