Here is a brief long blog post of my first month in Israel on Year course.
August 31
After a 9-12 hour flight, I finally made it to Israel. Yearcourse has begun! Everyone on my flight was from Section 2 or 3 so I did not get a chance to meet people in my section until I arrived in Jerusalem. It was so weird stepping into our new living area (that being not the Judaean hostel) and all these new faces.
September 1 - 3
For the first 3 days we had our basic orientation where you have rules and regulations, learning about volunteering, classes, going on our first hiking trip, and icebreakers.
My apartment has 7 girls: Ale (Miami), Michal (Jersey), Evanne (England), Katie (England), Me (New York), Erin (Scottland), Monica (Jersey). Our apartment is so amazing! Our first home made dinner was lead by your’s truly and was lasagna with peppers and onions.
My APT having its first homemade dinner:
(Left to right) Ale, Monica, Erin, Michal, Evanne, Me, Katie
Our meal salad and lasagna, oh so beautiful.
First Shabbat
We found out our class schedule and volunteer placements.
My volunteer placement is at Yad Lakashish. YL is a non-profit organization that provides a workplace and community for the elderly so they do not have to sit home alone. The elderly work from 8 AM – 12 PM and make different arts like silk painting, crocheting, ceramics, jewelry, metal, book bindery, and more.
Here is my basic schedule for the next 3 months in Jerusalem.
| Hrs. | Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Fri/Sat |
| 9 AM 12 PM | Volunteer @ YL | Volunteer @ YL | Siyyur | Volunteer @ YL | Volunteer @ YL | FREE |
| 1:30 – 4 PM | Elective: Jewish Art | Ulpan | Siyyur | Art Class | Ulpan | FREE |
| 4:15 – 6 PM | | Zionism in the Arts | Siyyur | | Zionism in the Arts | FREE |
| 6 – 9 PM | | | Siyyur | Art’s night out! | | FREE |
- Ulpan – Hebrew Class
- Siyyur – a field trip (hike, museum, etc.)
The first shabbat on Yearcourse we spent together as a section. Friday night we walked to the Kotel and spent 2 hours there and walked back to our apartments. This was followed by dinner in our Beit Knesset.
September 3 - 4: Arts Track Orientation
After hour our first week of orientation, art track began a separate two-day orientation planned by our art tracks coordinator Anna Abramzon , such a sweet heart!
Sunday – we had brunch at the Merkaz Hamagshimim which is Young Judaea's absorption center for people who moved to Israel. We use their facilities for our art classes. Later we had ice breakers led by Nir Ben Gal, a dancer who owns his own dance studio in Mitzpe Ramon called Adama. Nir created his own dance artsy festival in Mitzpe Ramon which I will be attending too on Monday!
Later that night Anna took us out to Jaffa/Yafo (city near Tel Aviv) for a performance and dinner. We saw a show called Na La’agaat, a theater company of blind and deaf people. The show was incredible the story, the logistics of moving the actors around the stage (because of their disability they cannot tell when they need to switch scenes and what not). After the show we had dinner at a restaurant called Blackout, which was part of the theater. Everyone had to order their food before they sat down at the table because once we stepped inside we lost our sight. That is right it was pitch black, and we had dinner in the dark! It was so cool!! Our waiters were actually blind so it was cool to live their life for a night. We were given forks and knives to eat with but we ended up using our hands because we could not see what we were cutting or forking.
Robyn and myself waiting for Na La'gaat
Funny bathroom sign!
Monday – We began our 2nd day of “orientating artistically” by meeting with our teachers with in our specialty tracks. My arts teacher is Tali from London, who is currently living in Israel as an artist as well. After our teacher – student bonding we went on a field trip to the old city in Jerusalem and got a little history tour of the city’s architecture.
Outside the Jaffa Gate
At the end of our field trip Ofra our tour guide took us to what is now my favorite spot in the old city, she brought us to the rooftops of Jerusalem to watch the sunset. The rooftop we stood at was in the center of the old city and where all four quarters met, it was amazing! (below are pictures)
Rest of September...
So because I am so late with this blog I am going to do a brief recap of where I have been during this month:
Rosh Hashana - Petach Tikva with Rosa, Tomer and Eli.
Yom Kippur - Shoham with Sima, Yaki, Ricki, Agamit, Chofit, Yaara and the kids.
*From Rosh Hashana till yesterday I have been sick and my adventures were put at a halt for a while, but now I am better and traveling to Arad this weekend!
Now I will continue my life-story telling via pictures
........
Arts fair on Emek Refayim before Sukkot
Look a Sukkah made out of plastic bags, GENIUS!
You see WALMART it is everywhere.
My hike on Arbel (basically hiking off a cliff in the Galilee-Northern Israel)
Katie, Monique, me, and Bianca at the top of the cliff.
People hiking down a cliff.
A HERODIAN CASTLE!
Leah in the Herodian castle, doing what Herodian's do.
"Arts Night Out!" Henna Workshop
Last night the Art's track met with a man named Noam, a henna artist/anthropologist. This guy is probably the coolest guy I have met so far, he is studying in Israel for two years to complete his thesis on Henna culture in Judaism. Not only did everyone get henna-d, but he gave this whole seminar about henna and its history, especially in Jewish culture. Basically henna is popular in Persian and Arabian Jewish communities, Yemenite, Indian, and Moroccan Jewish henna culture is what survived today. To show examples of Jewish henna patterns he demonstrated on us. What I thought was really interesting is that he uses Jewish henna patterns from embroidered textiles, jewelry, paintings, and all types of Jewish paraphernalia.
Noam working on his henna art, below is more of his Jewish henna art examples.
This is what Noam henna-d on my hand,
this particular design was inspired by indian henna.
Downtown Haifa flooded (view from our balcony)
