Masa's Seminar Part 1

You'll have to forgive me for not updating as frequently as I used to; it's the usual excuse- I'm working around 50-60 hours a week, and between that sleep, and a girlfriend (yes I have a girlfriend now, I've gone native, rolling my cigarettes and dating Israeli style) I've been hard pressed to find the time.

It's funny, but I have officially been as far as every direction possible in Israel- from Tel Aviv to Arad, to the Golan Heights (and that one city waaaay to the top of Israel) to as far south as you can go before you find yourself in Jordan or Egypt.

But now, writing from Eilat (the hotel is less than a kilometer from the border) on a short vacation, though that is a story for my next post, I have the time to resume writing.

We left from Arad on a bus normally reserved for yours at 6:20, meaning I was awake at 4:50(ish) so I could leave Karin's place to get downstairs and grab my things. I left with a peanut butter sandwich, and another that was humus and cucumber. It seemed fitting to bring those somehow, even though I never actually got around to eating them.

Loaded with my labtop, clothing, necessities and something like eight two-liter bottles of water, I was a tad burdened, in addition to ferrying the snacks our boss had kindly given us.

We departed Arad where we picked up a fellow group sponsored by Masa who are also teachers, and there reconnoitered with every other group under our umbrella program. People from Netanya, Harduf, the internship program in Tel Aviv joined us at Harduf, where we met and mingled with one another. It turns out that though there was a group with five people, Arad is the smallest program in terms of volunteers out of the entire Masa program. 

Out of something like 6,000 people, we are apparently the tiniest, though we only saw around a 100 of our co-workers at the seminar. Only the Masa-Tlalim Project 10 participants came, so that was kind of neat.

So after retrieving our partners from Ber Sheva, about 25 people or so, we then made our way to Jerusalem, where the traffic combined with no wi-fi made the trip just... lovely. I found of all things a copy of the book 'Queen Of The Damned' by Anne Rice, in English, and since it'd been a good five or more years since I last read it, I had something to pass the three hours.

We converged outside of Alon, various buses meeting up. Harduf showed up last, which was kind of funny because in that group was the two members who had quit our group over tensions within the group and some ire over the group getting a late start for the volunteering (since we were setting things up). All together we had groups who hailed from Tel Aviv, Natanya, Harduf, Arad, and Ber Sheva, all meeting for the first time. And it was honestly nice. Each of our groups introduced ourselves, and some were lame introductions, some were pretty good. We all enjoyed it.

We then entered Alon and spent some time for a break stop, then piled back on the bus and went to our first stop; a small village in the West Bank that is composed of volunteers who are both Israeli and Palestinian working together.

The theme of our seminar was 'freedom' which in its own right was interesting- this isn't the American freedom we are used to, but something somewhat different. So stopping at 'Eco-me' was fairly fitting. There we toured their grounds, and took part in some group activities, also where I got to try Acro-Yoga, which was something certainly new. I have done yoga for a long time, and though I'm no expert despite that, I'm not bad either, but acro yoga took me way out of any element I was used to.

Heres the lot of us

Somebody better at this than I am.

...and me.

We stopped after the yoga and ate a quick lunch, sandwiches were provided, which I had been told would not be the case, so I decided to eat mine later. That later ended up stretching to... never, but that happens when you're well fed I suppose.

We piled back on the bus as the day grew hotter and it hit 2:00 P.M. and made our way to the hostel in Ein Geidi. This isn't the same as the hotel in the kibbutz Ein Geidi, which I briefly visited about a week later, but the hostel we stayed at is a very frequented one, and funny enough, not too far from Arad, and next to the Dead Sea. Many, many, many tour groups for Taglit or Birthright come to it while visiting, and many at our seminar had already been.

So in an eight hour period we had gone from Arad to Ber Sheva, then around Jerusalem to Alon, then to the West Bank, and then doubled back to the Dead Sea, just a bit farther from where our group had initially started. The Dead Sea after all is less than twenty kilometers from Arad, so that was kind of interesting we crossed the country and then back- a reminder of how compact Israel truly is.

The view was fantastic (though the flies sucked). And when we got the Hostel we were paired off with who we would be rooming with. I haven't the foggiest who I roomed with, save one was Italian, and the other guy another American, like me.

I'm terrible with names, slimcha.

Here's where the Seminar got more interesting for me- we met again at 5 p.m. to begin shabbat. I'm not the greatest practicing Jew, which is ironic considering what would happen later, but it was nice to watch the girls light the candles in the hostel lobby, and we then went downstairs to begin a portion of the shabbat that was on a selection made for the seminar; that of the story of Esau and Jacob.

Now, about a week prior to the Shabbat, our director Adva had asked that I give a short speech on the section from the old testament. It could be on anything, and I ended up typing something like a three page paper on my analysis of it, and it went all over the place, from explaining the story, my viewpoint, and contrasting it to Israeli-Palestinians contension over Israel. The paper was also vetoed, because it was so political, so I opted to just read the story directly from the Bible.

Here's where I went wrong; I had assumed that because so many Americans stay at the hostel, there would be copies of the Old Testament in English and Hebrew, and not just Hebrew. Well, surprise, surprise, there was only Hebrew. And while I can read Hebrew now (much to the surprise of my Israeli friends) I can not do so quickly, certainly not like I can with English. In fact it would be agonizing for anyone to hear me read it.

I decided then to pull up the old paper I wrote on either my phone or labtop, and even my advisor suggested I do this. I fled the room, but the wi-fi had inexplicably stopped working... it was as though God had willed things to be stuck in this situation.

So after fifteen minutes I returned, and unfortunately the session had already begun. One group did a play that was star wars themed on Esau and Jacob's story. Meanwhile I just sat at the front where I had been reserved a seat since I was to speak next, not having a clue of what to do.

I got up after they were done, and winged it. And apparently did a very good job. I was supposed to speak for five minutes, but I think I went on for six or seven, which isn't too bad. I spoke about my father, for Isaac is integral to the story of Jacob and Esau, I spoke of how I was moving to Israel and making Aliyah, I spoke a bit on politics, and when I ran out of things to say, which occasionally happened, I opted to go with the flow and pose philosophical questions on the nature of the story and what it meant to those present. Such as can you actually sell who you are to someone else? If I am to take from Israel in anyway, is there perhaps a good need to give first? Which is why I am doing Masa, and so on.

I was told a lot afterwards, especially by my boss how good it was, so I'm hoping the slew of people were telling the truth.

I'm just glad that I apparently killed it, and didn't screw it up, considering everything I had planned or made had fallen to pieces literally minutes before having to speak.

Afterwards we met for dinner, where a few of us somehow got actual wine at our table at the buffet, so we enjoyed ourselves before meeting again for the next activity, which was a series of 'games' designed by the directors of each group, which was also fun, but more or less eventful. I particularly enjoyed the game where we had to act like a character from a movie (Mine was Ted from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure) and I was happy that I nailed it.

I'm not sure it's a... good thing I was told I'd make a good actor since I portrayed Ted well, but c'est la vie.

We retired thereafter, and since I'd been up since absurdly early in the morning, I passed into a good sleep.

I'm cutting this into two parts, because otherwise you'd be reading a chapter out of a book on this weekend, but I'll leave you with this;

---

A beautiful morning.

A Second Day In Jerusalem

"Abracadabra"

Is actually a Jewish phrase meaning,

"I create what you speak."

-Ancient phrase

I know, I know, it's been weeks since I last posted. It's been hellishly busy here, but that's little excuse for laziness.

September 28th, just as the violence was beginning to stir in Israel, we had a somewhat of a surprise trip to Jerusalem. It was a nice experience where we got to visit our boss’ apartment in the city,I got to return to the infamous shuuk, and visit the kotel again. We also got to see the new movie Everest, based on the book by John Krakouer. That last one was really, really random, but nice. I didn't expect it at all really.

So where to start? We left from Arad around 6 p.m. in the evening and reached Beer Sheva close to 7. We then left from Beer Sheva for Jerusalem. I do have some small complaints to make about the bus system when you go to Jerusalem. While the busses seemingly everywhere else in Israel have internet, the busses either to or from Jerusalem always seem to never have it. Part of me thinks this is some weird deliberate move by the bus company, but I cannot imagine why.

At Beer Sheva we disembarked in the central terminal, which as it always is, was absolutely flooded with soldiers. I don't think I've ever actually seen that many guns in one place. I ended up getting pasta from a nice place where everything sold there from coffee to sandwiches was five shekels. The food wasn't great of course, but it was filling.

We arrived to Jerusalem and went to the house of the head of our division of Masa-Tlalim, where we were greeted with pizza and drinks. More of the unusual Israeli pizza you come to expect in the country.

We then crashed at our employers home which was fortunately nearby. It was already 2 .am. and by the time we figured out who of the six of us volunteering was sleeping on the couch, the bed, and the floor, it was around 3 a.m.

The only intelligent solution ended up being to write down the location where we were sleeping and let people draw it from the bag.

I slept on the floor on a shag carpet with the pillow I brought. I’m not complaining, I prefer the floor. I have a relatively bad back, so sleeping on the floor always goes a long way to reducing any discomfort. Unfortunately, we woke early after only a few hours of sleep. I suspect part of our trip was to exhaust us into compliance.

We walked to a youth center in the middle of Jerusalem, near the Shuuk, and then wandered through the city visiting multiple cites as part of a scavenger-type hunt. We visited one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, then schlepped through winding corridors and side alleys near the marketplace, many of which were hasseidi and where great rabbis from the past had once lived. We saw this great painting on one of the walls within; 

A man with the letter Aleph coming out of his Head.

What was pretty cool was learning from one of the locations that in the section we were in many of the hasseidi Jews were part of the Chabad sect of Judaism. A form of Judaism I embrace wholeheartedly, though I do not practice it in their extreme. I liken it to appreciating their philosophy and worldview.

You see people who dress so differently with such a different culture sometimes you just forget that perhaps there is more in common than you realize.

We then wandered the shuuk looking to complete our task, even finding the small synagogue within it. Who would think one would be there?

One thing that was particularly interesting was on the bus the night before when we arrived to Jerusalem I noticed a pretty young woman with curly blonde hair. The night we arrived I perused tinder, because I guess, why not in Israel? It's a funny app (I even found a fellow volunteer on it)  I don’t think I’ll ever take a person up on a date from the app, but it seems like a fun way to get to meet new people.

Anyway, she popped up on my feed, and it was in the shuuk when I ran into her again! When life puts a random person in front of you multiple times with no discernible reason for the sake of the coincidence, it’s worth at least speaking with them. Turns out she was from the north, and visiting a friend from the army who lived in Jerusalem. That’s about as far as the conversation went before I was dragged off by my friends.

We ended up then going to what is called the kotel, though more famously the Wailing Wall, the last remaining portion of the Hebrew second temple that was destroyed by the Romans.

A kippeh, or yarmulke is provided for those who come, and it was packed in the square. Men and women are separated for the conservative Jews, and though the women’s section was much smaller, it was also much more crowded. Apparently from what the girls told us there was hardly any room.

Looking up the wall

There is a tradition to place a prayer in the wall on a small piece of paper, and it is filled with every nook and cranny containing one of the prayers. I took a friend’s prayer to the wall and placed it there; there is the belief that anyone’s prayer which is placed there will be express sent to God and fulfilled. I myself have never placed my own prayer in the wall, I do not pray. But I am always happy to take other’s prayers and place them there. It is what I did the first time I visited the wall.

My close friend's prayer

We then spent the afternoon trekking back through Jerusalem and watched the Jerusalem Day parade, where Jews from all of the world come and represent their countries. The parade lasts for hours, and winds throughout the holy city. The most memorable groups for me were the Russians, English, Americans, French, Swiss and Chinese. Especially the Chinese, and I even saw one woman dressed as Moses, and under her shepherd robes she was wearing what looked like a kimono, even though it was Japanese and she helped carry a Chinese flag.

Later in the evening we went to a movie theater and saw the new movie Everest. What surprised me is I read the book it was based on by John Krakauer years ago, and didn’t have a clue Everest was based on it.

We then wrapped up the evening and returned to our program coordinator’s home, where all six of us spent the night.

Our group’s morale had been low, which was why we came to Jerusalem, and because the general sentiment of the group hadn’t changed, we ended up canceling the rest of the time to be spent in Jerusalem to come back home in Arad early and do some group activities. Between the upwelling of violence and the poor morale, it was deemed necessary.

Plus, here's something you won't see anywhere but Israel, a Kosher Mcdonalds:

Transitions

So this has been something of an eventful week.

Rosh'Hashana has ended and the holiday of Sukot begins soon. I've been spending a lot of time with my Hebrew teacher and her friend Sapir, and that's been great. I've made a fair few friends so far in Israel- it's hard moving to a country where you cannot speak the language. But these are among the first friends I have made who are Israeli.

I got my first introduction to the Israeli education system- their high schools are both very much, and very different from those back home. The grades of the school I visited in Arad has grades 8-12, and the classroom setup is arranged like those back in the states. The air conditioner was at least two decades old, whereas the projector was brand new and Toshiba. Hebrew lined the walls, and there was no English, something strange to me since the class is an English class.

Much differently, there are no desks for the teacher. This suggests to me that teachers have different classrooms, but I suppose I will see.

I met a great guy named Dan/Roshem (his Hebrew name) who is an immigrant like me from the States. He is already teaching in the school system, so he has already taken the path I would like to with getting certified and acquiring a job in the education system.

He invited our group to sit in on his class, and half of us did, the other half visiting another classroom. There is a lot, a LOT of shouting in the classrooms to manage them. And that is something common in the education system. Very different from the U.S., but I have to admit, it was necessary. You would not be able to teach otherwise.

The class was composed of eighth graders, and I can tell you from firmly established memories from my own time how difficult such an age group can be to teach. In my own English literary class the teacher had to take a leave of absence because of an engagement falling apart and how ridiculous my own class was.

We were supposed to meet at 7:45, but there was a last minute teacher union strike, so we began at 10. I ended up almost being late because I had to rouse my roommate to avoid being late, and he was extremely hungover. I'm not happy about that, but am happy I did my duty and helped him get there.

I like Dan, we've had some good talks, and he's helped introduce me to dungeons and dragons. That's so surreal to me- playing Dungeons and Dragons in the Middle East. They are catering to me and we are playing in English. But I hope to be able to transition to playing the game in Hebrew as soon as possible. I am playing a Monk, and somehow at level 1 managed to one hit kill a creature, dealing 30 damage. That's ridiculously rare, apparently.

Granted the others were playing my character for me, as I had to leave the room to attend a group learning on the old testament, the focus on Yom Kippur, another holiday fast approaching, and the most important in the Jewish faith.

I also have the pleasure to announce I managed to get an affirmative yes for a date with a really cool Israeli girl, my teacher's friend. Her name is sapphire in Hebrew. I think this really cool- the idea of dating at all was something I would not have been able to do for perhaps years after coming to Israel.

I'm thinking I will cook dinner with her and watch a movie. Then go to the top of the building I live in with her and watch the sun set. It's low key, and should be nice. Of course I will also take into account whatever she would like to do. She's really, really cool. Cannot put enough emphasis on that, and a former soldier. So a real Israeli woman, as far as I understand them to be considered here.

On a different note, my father is currently vacationing in and around Croatia, and I admit, I am a tad worried about him. With the border restrictions to Hungary becoming severe because of the Syrian migration occurring, my father as an already established immigrant himself now living in Hungary may have serious difficulty re-entering the country. Perhaps not, we will see. But I worry.

That's all I can think of for now, but I will keep y'all updated as usual.

Rain Drops In The Desert

This isn't the most dramatic post I'm sure, but something very rare occurred yesterday. I'm watching American Sniper with some friends I've made in the building. Screaming 'Murica! everytime an American shoots a gun.

So anyway, yesterday,

I stepped outside with a friend to take in a kitten for the night, and found myself facing rain.

I'm near the Dead Sea in Arad, as far west in the Negev Desert you can go in Israel and still be within Israel.

I took a video of the thunderstorm, to say it was beautiful is an understatement for me.

Where I come from it rains a lot. A LOT. There is forest everywhere. Spilling out onto the roads, and surrounding your homes, threaded through many of the towns, especially in Northern Virginia and Maryland. Sometimes it rains five days out of a week. And when we have a draught, it means we probably hadn't had rain since last week.

But here, rare is rain. There are no clouds where I am- just an ever present line of dust. I'm told it rains maybe once every six months, if that.

The storm here reminded me of home. And it's very strange weather for this area. A dust storm and then a rain and thunderstorm.

As one put it, perhaps in a way it like God's fireworks- celebrating the new year.

Rosh Hashana

L'shanah Tovah! (Happy New Year).

It is now the year 5667 in the Jewish Calendar, and my Rosh Hashana has been pretty good.

There is the belief that what happens during the day reflects what you will experience throughout the year. So if you have a fight with someone, well you might be doomed to that nonsense until the next Rosh Hashana. Did you have some wine? Well, I hope you're looking forward to a merry year.

I spent the holiday setting up a character for the Dungeons & Dragons group (Yes, apparently Israel even has those!) I joined, and downloading a new game, which unfortunately I still cannot make work.

I ate a shit-ton of rice. So I guess I'll have a lot of rice in my future also.

I was invited to a dinner with someone I met in our building. I went and it was an orthodox dinner, and there was quite a bit of good food. Never had chicken stuffed with couscous before. There was a lot of singing, and my host's father ended up dancing a bit also.

I'd say it was because of the alcohol, but it was only 3.8% so I think they were just high spirited because of the new year.

Unfortunately because they were orthodox I wasn't able to take photos (many consider it rude). I'm going to assume they figured any photographs would steal their souls.

I'm hoping for a good new year. I'm not having the greatest time with my roommate, and it came to a head the night before Rosh Hashana, so hopefully that will get settled. The last thing I need is strife in my life.

I haven't had the greatest track record with roommates, but usually the issues come from my end- not cleaning the area enough, or leaving dishes, or drinking belligerently. Whatever, you name it. But for once it's the other, and I've got to say that's leaving me a bit without a clue how to react.

Hopefully we can has it out- the rest of the group comes back within the next few days, and our group leader tomorrow.

I'm wish y'all a great New Year. Let's make 5667 kickass!

The Forecast Today Is Dust

Well these last 24 hours or so have been certainly interesting.

I remember a movie once, Stranger Than Fiction which spoke that there are two kinds of characters in a story; those who move the story forward, and those who the story move forward in it. But there's a third kind, a person who does both move the story forward, and who the story moves forward as well.

I tend to fall into that category.

Usually I have to find the adventures to record in things such as this blog, but sometimes I just walk into events. Like when the dog bit me, or today, when I left the building I was greeted by a massive dust storm that has enveloped all of Israel.

That building you sort of see is across the street.

Israeli fog is apparently hazy dust.

Edit: I just came across this video, and it is perfect.

So far I've heard two theories on the dust, one plausible, the other conspiracy. The conspiracy is that this may be a side effect of 'cloud-seeding' where chemicals are dumped by planes to promote cloud growth and rain. This is very unlikely what happened, because it wouldn't be possible to affect the entire country and several surrounding. In more likelihood this is from a sandstorm that originated in Libya.

Either are cool in my book, honestly.

We spent today and yesterday visiting the Immigration Absorption Center, and a local boarding school for children who have been abused, or their parents were caught up in drugs, or unable to support them. They are wonderful. The latter I was unable to take photos of, but we did have a great dinner tonight where we celebrated Rosh Hashana. 

Here are some photos I grabbed from the immigration center;

The kid on the left is Israel, and the kid on the right Ethiopians.
Or maybe it's vice-versa, both kind of fit the situation.

Painted By Ethiopian Immigrants. Pretty cool.

I also that day went to Arad's Shuk, or marketplace-bazaar. It's pretty neat.

That last photo blew my mind. Back home when Muslims pray, there is a rug always used. It never even occurred to me other means could be used. And seeing someone use a cardboard box is just so different, that chances are I could only see it in Israel.

I then visited the part of Arad I know of as 'Little Russia'. Around forty percent of the city's population is Russian, though it seems like the whole city at times is either Russian or Haseidi.

Virtually every product in the store is Russian. And the price seem to me incredibly reasonable.

I spent the rest of the day taking pictures of the surprising amount of greenery in the city;

This is so kickass. For about the size of two soccer fields I would have sworn I was back home in Virginia. Like seriously, who the hell thought there might be clovers in the middle of the Negev, a huge, barren desert? I didn't.

I made one last stopover on the short trek back to the building I am staying in.

Another Map of Arad. Israel's first city to have been completely fore-planned with infrastructure.

Stay posted guys. Who knows, maybe I'll fight a camel next time I write.

Desert And Camels.

The last two days have been fairly entertaining.

We are beginning to move into what the core of the project 10 program will be; we delegated duties. I ended up being part of the group of us that will focus on media; mainly keeping people updated through facebook, a blog we will start about the program, and instagram.

Seems pretty fitting.

We spent the evening before today at a lookout over the expanse of the desert surrounding Arad. It is beautiful for sure. I took a good photo of a fellow volunteer, a Jew ironically named Christopher.

On the way back we had a bit of a fun surprise; several camels were wandering the street. They were extremely docile, so much so we believe they are actually bedouin camels that are allowed to forage on their own when not in use.

So there's not only stray cats, but camels also apparently. I managed to get pretty close, too.

I have named it Sheba.

We began studying hebrew also. I am fortunate that I went to the ulpan back in Naan a month or so ago, and seem to be fairly well equipped to pick up where I left off. I still have all my notes naturally, but the worksheets and study aides will prove fantastic in the days ahead.

Honestly, I'm grateful. The others have never seen the shorthand of Hebrew before, so it's neat to have the leg up. The first time I've ever been ahead when it came to a language other than English. So to my teacher Alaya from kibbutz Naan, you are seriously kickass for teaching us that in the first weeks there.

The leg has healed... mostly. Either I heal quick, or the cuts were shallow, the leg looks better and better everyday. Here's hoping I haven't contracted rabies. Never thought I'd say that, either.

The day is almost over as I write this, and I am curious to see what tomorrow will bring.

Stay posted.

Arad

So it would appear I have a fair bit of time on my hands, perhaps this means I can update more regularly.

So let's talk about Arad.

The city is composed of about 25,000 people. To be honest, though I am here to help Ethiopian immigrants, I have yet to see any Ethiopians,

The vastly predominant population appears to be Russian. Why they would come to a city in an environment that has little likeness to Russia is beyond me. I'm assuming the bad Israeli policy of dropping people off in the middle of nowhere has something to do with it.

It was once the case that the Israeli government used to take new immigrants and just transport and drop them off in the middle of the Negev, the beginning of a massive desert where little life grows, and there is even less water. It composes a huge area of Israel.

This policy has led to massive outrage among those who were subjected- imagine you immigrated to the U.S. and the government decided you would settle in the Mohave desert. As you can tell, this pissed off a lot of people. For generations actually. Even 3rd generation people in established cities stemming from this practice are extremely resentful of this having been done.

I wouldn't exactly say that the policy was canceled or even reversed either- I think they just decided to be more tactful about where they decide to send people. But it's still in the Negev. It's like somebody in the administration went, 'Hey we have a lot of immigrants. There's no one in the Negev and we need to settle it, so let's send them there. What do you mean ask where they want to go? They're lucky we're here to help them'.

Seriously, that's what the attitude feels like. And I'm being a bit fairminded in describing it as that.

Because of this Arad is predominantly Russian. There's even a 'Little Russia' section of the town. Perhaps I will be able to practice my Russian in the end. It's absolutely abysmal, though.

On the plus side, the cats (which are treated like we do in the U.S. for rats) are pretty well fed. I'm pretty sure the first cat I saw here was drunk, also.

The women are extremely beautiful. I cannot put that more plainly- they are flowers in this desert.

The building I am staying in is one of the largest in Arad. Most of the people living here are also aide-workers, nation-builders like we in MASA are doing. The rest are students. No one own cats, but apparently dogs are allowed. Everyone Russian here has a pooch.

The mall of Arad is extremely nice. And has a supermarket that's either like those back home, or like Tesco in Europe. It's really hard to decide.

The city itself has a rugged feel, and dust is everywhere. Despite that the city has a strong American feel. If you were American, you would feel right at home. I can't put my finger as to why yet, but it's there. I imagine this is what most of California feels like right now.

English is not spoken much here. So asking directions won't do much.

There is something of a vibrant night-life. But it's more personal. Instead of bars, you hold the fiesta in your own home. It's different in that aspect.

My roommates are still nursing their respective hangovers. That's what you get for partying with Russians.

I'll keep y'all posted- for now I'm going to scour reddit.

Destination Arad

So I finally made it to Arad.

Our building is one of the largest in the city of 25,000. I'll be tutoring emigrants, Russian and Ethiopian and local disadvantaged children as well as Bedouins in English.

The city itself is far more green than I expected; situated in the northern area of the Negev, it is pure desert. I have yet to see a cloud here (granted I arrived yesterday on September 2nd) but I am told they are not common. Only the haze of dust just above the ground and below its hills are. Strange considering the city is known for its extremely clean air; asthmatics worldwide used to come for treatment in the city.

The green is only within the city... you can even see where the vegetation stops and apparent sterility of the desert begins. I'll be training the Fremen within me yet, here.

There's only six of us, not including our director in our group for Project Ten. Currently five, as one of us lost their passport so is delayed. He might get here tonight. Maybe not.

We are the first cohort from MASA to work in the city, so will be constructing its program from the ground up.

I traveled from Mata to Jerusalem and then Tel Aviv and then Ben Guiron airport just outside of the city.

I got there around 10:30 a.m., limping the way. Gotta love the angry dogs in Israel.

I met Loriline, the first volunteer who had arrived at 3 .a.m. and then waited around in airport while the others gradually showed and we met the rest of the MASA staff. We left around six when our final arrival came, taking a train to Beer Sheva, and then a taxi-bus to Arad. A long day to say in the least. I traveled through most of Israel, first west toward the Mediterranean, and then East to the Dead Sea which Arad is only twenty-ish kilometers from.

A few things struck me in this journey; mainly the mindset. I met a nice elderly man on the way to the airport, who helped me with my bag, speaking with me about the Aliyah process and how it could mean I could receive a free education for my Master's degree, Or in Israel, what they refer to as Level Two upper education. I'll be most likely pursuing archaeology, with a focus on Egyptian and Nuraghe ancient history.

But what surprised me was his surprise racism. We spoke a little about my dog attack as he noticed my mild limp. What was strange was his assumption the dog's owners were Palestinian and from the perceived irresponsibility of its ownership. He actually said the Arabs are no better than the dog that attacked me.

Talk about drive-by racism I hadn't expected. Just a reminder to me of why I had come to this country.

The group is pretty neat; we're all from the U.S., three of us from relatively nearby. One is from Maryland, near where I had been living in the beginning of 2015, while the other hailed from south of me from north Carolina. It's kind of surprising there are Jews there, you just never heard about them.

We toured the city, going on a scavenger hunt. My team ended up winning as we got everything done, including the Hora dance. I'll try to upload the video once I get it. It's kind of strange how much dancing I've done in Israel in the last two months-- considering I have never done it in my entire life outside of slow dancing back in Middle and High School.

We had a brief orientation, but what was surprising was the amount of safety precautions, especially about idle bags.

Weirdly just a few hours later I had to deal with that firsthand.

You see, abandoned bags here are quite dangerous, and the police have to come retrieve them and then blow them up somewhere else.

I ended up finding a bag and had to report it to the staff, and while they are waiting to see if they need to call the police for retrieval, it is a sharp reminder how far I am from home. When you see an abandoned bag on the ground back home it's just garbage-- here it is life-threatening potentially.

And that is very different to me.

Of course I am sure the bag is garbage. And I am sure I won't get hurt, er, anymore than I have here already. But it's still eye-opening to be faced by such a different culture.

Wish me luck, I'll be keeping you all up to date on my journey through Israel.

And So A Chapter Closes

Today is my last night here in Mata, where I am WWOOFing.

The experience as a whole was quite nice. I would say it very positive.

It's just that it ended on a bittersweet note.

I suppose that's because I ended up getting attacked by a dog, and that's not fun, especially when it manages to bite you.

But, on the plus side, we managed to plant the two fig trees (both over 75 years old) and that was really nice. Josef, our host had been wanting to do that since before I even got there. So it was nice to plant them. He intends to plant at least eight trees, one of each spoken of in the old testament.

I think that nice, and I was happy to be able to help him make that happen.

I did a lot of things here over the four weeks. I dug a pond, unearthed an ancient house, dig and plant a field, install poles, concrete, and feed horses. I also cleaned a hell of a lot of planting trays. I'd say I'm an expert now in cleaning trays.

I got to experience my first shabbat dinner in many years. I believe around fifteen years, maybe longer.

I come from a Jewish family, but am myself a practicing Buddhist, so it made the experience very nice.

I got to have a good natured fight with a Brit who has made Aliyah and is a boxer- I won't tell you who won, but it was fun and unexpected. I've practiced martial arts for 21 years, so anytime I have a chance to throw down I take.

We had a lot of good discussions, Josef and I- despite have different approaches in life (He is Jewish, I am Buddhist) we found ourselves when speaking of life and morality agreeing on a lot. I got to live with an Israeli family who like me made Aliyah, which I am in the process of doing.

And there were ups and downs throughout my time here- but by far more positives.

I learned a few things from this- when WWOOFing you not only need to keep an open mind, but I earnestly advise bringing a first aid kit, of which I did not do. I am fortunate Josef had one, but when attacked by the dog I was out for the day, so I had to hunt down some neighbors who had alcohol and iodine I could treat the wound with.

Stay hydrated- I became extremely sick the second day I was here because I had not drank enough water. It creeps on you, and then smashes you like a train. You don't realize you're dehydrated until just climbing a set of stairs leaves you exhausted, and you're bent over a toilet puking.

I would advise avoiding that if possible. Stay positive- the work can sometimes be hard, and the lifestyle your host has will always be different than what you have lived. Staying positive and keeping your mind open will make a huge difference. I'm used to eating meat (I'm not the best or worst Buddhist) but the family I spent time with is vegan. That is a big, big change. 

I am happy I spent my time here. Their life is wonderful. They run a spiritual center from their home, a homestead they have built by hand between a large yurt and tents.

But all things do eventually change, and have to end. The time for me to go to my volunteer job in Arad where I will be teaching English for five or ten months and helping create a MASA program to teach English to immigrants has come, and though I am looking forward to it, I will miss Mata and the Yahad center I WWOOFed at.

And that matters- because when you leave and miss something, it was because you had a hell of a good experience. I'd do it again if possible- minus the dog attack if possible.

Wish me luck, for I'll be wishing you the same in your WWOOFing adventure.

When Life Gives You Grapes...

...You Make Wine?

Today was a little different while WWOOFing.

I've done a lot of digging. A lot, I think somewhere around seven or eight two foot holes. I've dug a pond, knocked down the wall of an ancient homestead, I've installed poles, poured concrete in the holes. I've smashed rocks, planted a lot of seeds. I've cleared a yard, two greenhouses, and a complex of weeds and other detritus. Not complaining. It is the shmita after all here in Israel.

Today I actually got to try my hand at harvesting.

Grapes. Not just any grapes, but mainly grapes for use in wine. I'll be harvesting the rest tomorrow.

It was interesting. Each line of grape trees(? Bushes?) took about two hours. We were actually helping our neighbors, the other volunteer and myself, while our host was visiting family.

Let's go with bushes.

Here's about how large each of those bundles are.

Ok that photo didn't really do justice to how tiny these grapes are.

Nearby were some bushes that were neglects, so I hacked some off.

Those grapes are incredibly small. The larger grapes are your average sized grapes. Not good for wine apparently.

I don't actually know the first thing about grapes, or why smaller grapes are better for wine, which is what these grapes will be turned into.

Here's a site that explains it; something to do with the larger the grape the more juice instead of skin which contains the flavor.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/fermenting/growing-grapes-and-making-homemade-

wine-zmaz03amzgoe.aspx

Here I am picking the grapes;

Next will ensue the photos;

I have to say there is something satisfying in harvesting a field. I wouldn't call it fun- the actual cutting of the grapes was pretty difficult. The grape bushes are plants on steppes, but the ones we worked on were prone to collapsing. Combined with biting ants, and bees (not sure why, there's no water or flowers so...)

But actual carrying a bushel/basket of grapes to the storage shed felt great.

I actually got to feel for a bit what it's like to farm.

Plus lunch was great- the host family is vegan, so the person I helped today isn't and it was the first time in three weeks I've had meat. I'm pretty sure that's what enlightenment feels like, or at least dying and going to heaven.

Somewhere in-between I suppose.

And that's what WWOOFing is about.

WWOOFing

WWOOFing, or rather as it is better known as WWOOF, stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, and Willing Workers On Organic Farms, is an international network that exists worldwide in 99 countries.

Boy that was a bit of a wordy explanation. But it needs to be said, because every time I tell someone I am currently WWOOFing, they go 'Huh'? or for the ones who don't I'm assuming believe I'm acting like a dog somewhere.

Quite the opposite; It is a system where, basically, I work for a person who is building a farm or something of the like, in exchange for room and board, and in some places also transportation. It depends on how friendly the family is and your relationship with them.

I've been here near Beit Shemesh in Matava Matta, a village similar to a Kibbutz (still trying to figure out how much different they are, but it seems by very little.). So far the experience has been exceptional. At the very least very interesting.

To start with I will refer to my host family by their first names only; Josef and Rachel. Josef hails from France, whereas Rachel comes from Mexico. First time I ever met a Mexican Jew. We've had some good conversations about missing Hispanic food. I'm still looking for Nachos in Israel; wish me luck on that.

They live in a Yurt; which was pretty surprising. They in the past had a very large house which was a spiritual center which not only housed animals, but operated in teaching Jewish perspective on how to meditate. They eventually decided to put into action their dream, packed up their bags and began a project to start an organic farm a bit away from where they used to live atop a hill.

Here is the yurt;

A closer view;

It looks modest, but it's awesome inside;

What I'm not showing in the interior photos is the hallway between the two yurts that leads to a bathroom as well as storage closet, and their very large bedroom.

Y'know, respecting some of the privacy.

The yurt is also hooked up to an electric line, as well as water, and even has wifi. Even though they may live relatively off the grid, those of us who are volunteering (such as the New Yorker and UK jews I joined here) are not.


 They also have pets! That's their dog Leo, as well as one of the three kittens. I took these photos during the hottest part of the day today around 3 P.M. so these two are doing their best to just sleep through the heat. Can't blame them.

There are also quite a few chickens.

Here is the tent where I sometimes sleep; I split my time between there and the room they rent which is pretty nearby.

The space in front is actually the garden they will be growing. It has enough room to sustain their family year round. Because this is the seventh year in the Hebrew calendar; Shmita, and is the year of rest. Where slaves are freed, and the land is allowed to refresh. In fact, it is completely permissible to pick fruits and vegetables from gardens and farms (where they observe Jewish law) where it is growing without it being considered stealing or trespassing. It is a year of giving. For example, there is a pomegranate tree

See, Pomegranate. Anyway, I pass it everyday, and if I want to, even though it is growing in the neighbors yard, it is completely OK for me to pick that last pomegranate. So that is why the garden has nothing growing in it presently; the Shmita won't end until September 2015, which is when the first plantings in their project will have begun.

So thus far this is what we have done this week;

Finished a pond, digging it down which in its own right was cool. Israel is filled with history, like literally at this point I'm assuming that within the hills are the remains of houses long since buried. As we dug the pond we began to notice that a lot of what we were digging through was solid rock. It was only when we started digging up pottery shards, and noticed that a lot of the stones were squarish, and had right angles that we were accidentally excavating an ancient house.

So I got my first introduction to firsthand archaeology.

We filled the holes we had dug with Pumice to filter the water discharged from their house. In September this will become a fish pond they can harvest fish from.

2000 years ago this was somebody's house. 

The next day we built their campfire that will be hosting a singing group over the next week;

We had so many rocks from when digging the pond we had to do something with them. The land we dug was approximately 35% stone, 60% dirt, and 5% grass. Of the stone, about 10-15% I'm convinced was somebody's house a long, long time ago.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served, and it is very well cooked. Unfortunately for me it is also Vegan, so I've had to scrounge to get cheese, which I managed to. They don't expect their children to be strictly vegan, so they didn't mind at all. I keep it in the room that is adjacent, which is more like a very small apartment.

We spend each meal talking to each other; Josef, who is very spiritually active especially with the Kabbalah has found a kindred spirit with me, and we engage in long discussions while walking, working or at the table over how we both have very similar views on life and morality, the world and people, yet how my views stem from Buddhism and his from Judaism. Just an hour before writing this post I commented that it is good our views our complimentary yet come from different sources- this way they can better support one another because of the difference. Sometimes difference can mean additional, as is the case here.

But enough philosophy; Today is Shabbat, and I got to take part in a very personal tradition the family holds for how they celebrate it. I then stuffed myself silly on squash soup and Tofu and mushrooms. I didn't say I wouldn't eat Vegan, just that I really, really miss meat, and its only been five days.

If you're looking for a cool way to explore a country, especially Israel, WWOOFing is a great way to go about it.

And if you're looking for a spiritually rewarding experience as well, hit up farm256.


 As a bonus, here are the hills you can see from the homestead Josef has set up.

And A view from just in front of the farm; Matava Matta.

Israel WWOOF site: http://wwoof.org.il/