fanofstuff666

It's...been quite a week. On Shabbat the abandoned newborn kitten I had been trying to take care of (dumped on my by my roommate who had initially wanted to be its mother and then went on vacation) died. I knew that since it was newborn and the diluted milk I'd been giving it didn't have the right nutrients, the kitten would most likely die, but still...if it had lived one more day, it would have lived.

Sunday, I went to meet my host family (having finally been told about them...that morning) after the ma'ariv, or evening service at the synagogue. They had also invited two former ulpanists who had met at Sde Eliyahu and had gotten married not long after and their children, and some of their own children and grandchildren for a total of twelve people ranging in age from probably a year to fifty or sixty years old. We were each given a Haggadah to read along with, and we began the Seder (sorry for all the Wikipedia links). Contrary to what I believed would happen, there wasn't really much in the way of storytelling concerning the Exodus. There was, however, a lot of prayer and a LOT of singing, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The hostess, a woman I worked with in the laundry, helped me to read along, as my reading is still painfully slow with Hebrew text (I have been practicing, though). The food was also absolutely delicious. However, when I tried to praise the hostess, she told me it had come from the kitchen in the cheder ochel, as had everyone's on the kibbutz. That was a bit of a surprise, considering I expected everyone to cook for their own families at least for the first seder. However, home-cooking is very rare because food from the cheder ochel is free, and getting raw foodstuffs from the colbo costs quite a bit, even if it's cheaper than shopping in any nearby city.

We sang and ate and drank until midnight--four hours of revelry until we had to clean up and say goodbye.

I also posted episode two of Israel: Unscripted.

The next day I got another mild shock--holidays like Pesach and Shovuot operate by nearly the same rules as Shabbat: The only time you can 'light a fire' is to cook. Otherwise, no electricity, no nothing. You sit and read and pray and talk. You also can't go anywhere (which incidentally is what happened today as well). Another thing I learned was that unlike in the Diaspora (anywhere outside Israel), only the first and last seders are observed, as opposed to the first and last two.

Speaking of Pesach, one of my favorite Jewish rappers recently reposted this via Facebook:

Wednesday, tired of having no one left want to go anywhere and itching to explore since apparently all of our trip locations (minus the obvious: Jerusalem, which is still pretty big in itself) are a secret, I went to Tverya (Tiberias) to have a look around. The city is named for the Roman emperor Tiberius and sits on the edge of Yam Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee). I took a look around the boardwalk, but for being out there for six hours, I didn't get too much done besides see some ruins and gawp at sculptures. Also, pretty much every single person in uniform, even on the bus, was toting an AK-47. This was actually...pretty awesome, despite reminding me just how much more common bombings and the like are over here.

Here is the footage of my visit:

Also, here is the footage of the water show I was unable to stick around to see, because by that point it was getting very late and I wanted to be sure of actually getting home.

It's a playlist, so...be prepared to sit for a while. And have your mind blown.

Thursday and Friday were back to work. On Thursday, I worked in the laundry and discovered I'd hurt my knee walking around for six hours straight. Not as bad as two months ago when I damaged a tendon in my foot so badly I couldn't walk for a week (going to DC to get my visa and then walking around for six hours straight...only in sneakers). I get told that Friday I get to work in the cheder ochel.

As you may recall, the last time I worked there I ended up being run ragged because only two of us were working, and it was a horribly busy day, and there were extra people. This time it wasn't so bad. My knee felt better on Friday, and most of the first part involved merely setting tables for Shabbat dinner. There weren't as many people for breakfast, and there were more people working there, none of whom lazed about. There was also lunch, the first such time lunch has been instituted on a Friday. This meant more to clean up, but I didn't mind very much.

I spent Shabbat with my father's friend Jessie. We spent quite a bit of time talking about Sde Eliyahu, the surrounding area around her home, and about the West Bank. Gan Ner, where she lives, is a lot closer to the border with the West Bank, not very far from the last Arab village before you hit the barrier. We also had a kickass barbecue, and I met a couple of her children and grandchildren (though some of us had already met). All in all, I had a great Shabbat, and early Saturday evening I returned to Sde Eliyahu.

Tomorrow, the 26th, is my birthday. Since I haven't received notification of work, I intend to spend the entire day exploring Roman ruins in Beit She'an (and if I have time, Tverya again) and hopefully going out to dinner and generally having the time of my life.

Until later, shalom!

One of the things I find fun about foreign language classes populated primarily by English-speakers is how everyone, no matter how many other languages they may be familiar with, will screw up the gender of nouns and, more importantly in Hebrew, the gender of verbs (which German and Latin, the other two languages I've studied, do not have). So we'll be chatting in class and trying to say 'Can you hear me?' to a guy and end up using the feminine form of 'hear'. Many people when responding have used the wrong form of 'you' (otcha (m) versus otach (f)), presumably because the former ends in an a and thus sounds feminine.

We have now covered past and future tense in addition to present tense several times over, and know the difference between 'going to' , 'in' and 'leaving from' (they use different prepositions for each). Of the forty pages in my notebook, I've used over half in three weeks on notes and vocabulary, not to mention the worksheets (with more vocabulary) and several pages' worth of verb conjugations. All in all, I believe we've received perhaps 100-200 new vocabulary words at the very least thus far.

Concerning textbooks: I mentioned we received workbooks, most of them used, and that was it. They're good workbooks, and they do help with reviewing the lessons. Also, we get to keep them, which is awesome to say in the least. Now I don't feel bad about writing in mine. We won't get any other textbooks, though, according to the teacher. However, if you take good notes and review regularly, you probably won't need one. What the class lacks in grammar instruction (noun cases, for instance), it makes up for in speed and thoroughness.

Not much else to report today, actually. We won't be having class for two weeks because Pesach is coming up, which means that I'll be reporting more fully on that and hopefully have time to begin posting the alphabet and the beginnings of my notes. :)

I'll also be filming more backlog for "Israel: Unscripted" so I won't fall horribly behind on posting weekly (again, hopefully).

Until next time, shalom!

I...really don't know how I keep forgetting they don't serve lunch in the cheder ochel on Fridays. I hear that's going to change soon, but so far that's three weeks in a row I've gone and forgotten about the lack of food after class. Fortunately, there's bread and cold soup in the maodon, or break room.

Anyway, a quick catch-up of the last week: Last Tuesday it was announced that we would have a free weekend early (having Sunday off instead of working or going to class), due to Pesach (Passover) coming up. Not having a phone and not thinking to use the one in the offices until much later (when I was told I had to get a phone card and be billed), I tried emailing my father's friend, Jessie. No response. As it turns out, she went out of town for half a week and...never told me. So come Friday I had nowhere to go. Fortunately, Fredi and Aviva agreed to take me in. I could have stayed at the ulpan, but I didn't want to spend two days alone--almost everyone else had gone to spend the free weekend with relatives.

Now, a quick note on tramping: it is potentially dangerous, especially if you do it alone. The ulpan has some regular vans and cars going to Bet She'an, but at the time I didn't know this. When Aviva found out that most of the time people had to tramp all the way to Bet She'an, she launched into a full-out lecture on how the week before, an armed soldier tramping alone had nearly been kidnapped, and a few days before that someone had been killed.

To get from Bet She'an to Tel Aviv, where Fredi would pick me up and take me back to Yavne, I had to go to the bank and get money for a bus. This ended up being a problem, since I had only a week's worth of Hebrew classes, no matter how intensive. I did manage to get directions, though, and fortunately it was on the same road the ulpan mini-bus had dropped us off at, so I only had to walk a kilometer or so. Of course, since it was Friday, the bank was closed. So I went to one of the two machines next to the main doors. Machines that, I might add, looked identical to me and had no signage I could read indicating otherwise.

'This machine does not accept this card.'

...I cried, I really did. I was frustrated to begin with, since the thief had taken what I'd needed for the bus in the first place and made me go through the stress of trying to find the stupid bank and hope I'd still have time to catch a bus. I was incredibly lucky someone walked by and explained that no, that machine wasn't an ATM. It was a receipt machine for checking stocks and the like. The other machine was an ATM. So I got my money in the end, and the next bus stop was only a few feet beyond the bank.

In order to get from Bet She'an to Tel Aviv, one has to change buses at the main station in Afula. I could read enough Hebrew to find the place where I had to wait for the bus to Tel Aviv. Half an hour later, still nothing. I ended up using a group taxi, or sherut, which was slightly cheaper than the bus (27 NIS instead of 30, and WAY less than cab fare had I taken a taxi on my own). We arrived at the main station in Tel Aviv. There was just one little snag.

It didn't look like a main station. To me, it looked like a row of shops on a random street. I had no idea until Sunday that inside the building and several floors up was the actual station. And it took me forever to find a public phone and the address, all while cab drivers were watching me hungrily, hoping I'd pay for a taxi instead. Fat chance. I had little enough money as it was. Finally, Fredi came and got me. I'd been on the road since noon. It was now closer to 5:30 PM.

That weekend, we went to the old harbor in Tel Aviv, where a market was being held. The weather was remarkably cool, as it's been here in Sde Eliyahu all week. There were many stalls lined up on the docks, selling jewelry, clocks, figurines, and various other trinkets. Fredi shopped for old clocks, Aviva for watches and a wallet for me that I could fit in my pocket, and I just browsed. We had ice coffee at a cafe later, then visited another market in one of the warehouses where people were selling fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, and cookware. Aviva bought me halva with pistachios (pretty much the one in the picture there) to eat later. Absolutely delicious.

Sunday meant it was time to go home. On Sundays, the Egged company has one bus that actually does go directly from Tel Aviv to Bet She'an, which costs 45 NIS. I took it...and ended up missing the main station in Bet She'an because I had no clue what it looked like. By that point, we were halfway to Tiberias. I waited at a bus station in the middle of nowhere (so, Fredericksburg ISN'T the only place where bus stops are completely inaccessible!) until another bus came by. Once in Bet She'an and now very late, I called Jonny, the ulpan director, to come and pick me up, since it was now dark. All in all, the entire round-trip was stressful and exhausting, but I learned a lot about the bus system.

Monday was back to class. Still no textbooks, and it seems unlikely we will ever get any. This in itself is fine by me so long as I get blank notebooks, but when we received our exercise books we were informed that these were used, and we couldn't write in them. Not only this, but we couldn't keep them.

So...what did I pay nearly $5000 for? I get no books, no plane tickets, and according to Jonny, it doesn't go to the kibbutz that houses us, and we work there enough that we earn our keep anyway. What's the money going towards? I'd really, really like to know.


On a less bitter note, thus far I've worked in the vineyards, the organic garden, and in the cheder ochel. This meant mostly weeding, weeding, planting, more weeding, picking onions and dill and fennel--which is awesome when you're picking them early in the morning with the sun barely up and the dew clinging to everything--and cleaning like mad. I worked in the cheder ochel on Tuesday, which is the busiest day of the week for that to begin with, which involved cleaning the dining room and keeping all the food replenished. We had several group of people come in as well, though, so the already-large amount of people had their ranks swelled by almost a hundred more. It was a madhouse, complicated by the fact that only two people out of the four assigned to work were actually doing most of the work.

Now, if you're planning on going to a kibbutz and don't plan on working, I've got to wonder what exactly you're thinking. It's tough work a lot of the time, but it's extremely satisfying and you can actually see the results of your labor. It also helps if you've done similar chores at home, which I have. I've already had experience in weeding, in cleaning, and planting. This made it easier for me in that I knew what to expect, and I required very little instruction: simply point me at the task and I know what to do.

I also suffered a bad sunburn on my arms. Here's a tip for you guys, something I forgot: Just because you start work before dawn doesn't mean you can forget sunscreen. Long sleeves, preferably something light and made of cotton, also work. White clothing is about 15 SPF, so if you burn easily and just have a white T-shirt, you might want to put sunscreen on under the shirt too.

I'm still peeling from that, which is kinda gross. I feel like a snake. One with a tan. My face was fine, though, because I remembered a hat, but my calves were also burned because I was wearing capris.

In other news, things haven't been so good in the south. We discussed the attack on the school bus in class today, and many of my classmates have expressed a serious desire for Israel to launch a full-out war of destruction on the surrounding Arab countries in retaliation. As it is, Israel's hands are tied on that matter because of the UN. In the south, ulpanists are hiding in bunkers. I'm glad I didn't go south.

Though conflict is an inevitable reality here in Israel, so much closer than it was back in the States and looming over us every day, I still don't regret coming here. Right now, we're safe up here. Around me, students and volunteers are starting to prepare for our third party this week (the first being for Rosh Chodesh, the other because several volunteers are moving on) and for Shabbat. Since both my reading and writing skills have improved drastically from nearly nil two weeks ago, I'll see if I can keep up with the prayers this time.

I...will try and post the alphabet next week. Shabbat is coming up in an hour or two and the internet is horribly slow, so it'll take forever to find written examples. I'll also be posting photos of the kibbutz and other places I've been in a separate post.

Shabbat Shalom! See you guys (hopefully) Monday!

Mmm, Shabbat was a relief after the initial adjustment period. Because I start working in the kerem, or vineyards, at 5:45 AM and I'd been doing that for two days straight (not a schedule I'm used to), those of us working there didn't get off early because work normally ends around noon. We'd been getting off an hour or two earlier because all of us are new workers.

Breakfast tends to be at 8 or 8:30 AM, so you work for several hours before you eat when your work starts that early. After you get off, you shower and eat (not necessarily in that order, but it's, uh, recommended if you want to keep your new friends) and are done for the day.

Anyway, Shabbat comes a little early at Sde Eliyahu. The prayers began before sunset (more on those as I learn more about them, since...I really can't read them) and mostly involved singing with some moments of silent recitation. During one of the prayers, I thought I heard my father's voice singing along, and I must confess that at that moment I began to cry. I was a little overtired, but a lot of it was the realization that I wouldn't be able to see them in person for a very long time. Though I couldn't understand or read along with the prayers, I listened attentively, and when we welcomed in 'the bride' Shabbat, I bowed along with them, first to the entrance, then to the ark where the Torah is kept, and kept up with the melody as best as I could.

The shul, or synagogue, is a small and simple building--as is traditional--with rows of pews in the middle and separated rows facing the center on either side, behind a barrier. The men sit in the middle here (on less orthodox grounds, men and women sit together) and the women on the sides. In the entrance hall is a mosaic (photo coming later, as my camera is still out of batteries) of pomegranates, one of the seven traditional species of Israel--all of which are grown here. The seats are actually cushioned, so unlike a Christian church, at least any I've been in, these pews are very comfortable to sit in.


This is basically what the floor plan of our shul looks like.

After prayers, we went to the cheder ochel for dinner. Shabbat dinner (and lunch on Saturday) is different from the rest of the week. Normally, one gets his or her own food and then sits down. On Shabbat, everyone sits down first. One person in the cheder ochel says Kiddush (lit. 'special', not 'holy') for the entire dining room, then one person at each table says it before pouring out the Shabbat wine from the kiddush cup. Afterwards, food is brought to the table by volunteers--who has to do this is changed every week--and we eat. No one gets up to leave until everyone is finished, which leaves a lot of time for conversation. It seems that a religious kibbutz attracts more Zionists than I expected (really? That was a surprise to me?), and apparently people who hate Obama. I...don't know how that last one happened, I really don't. But I had good conversations with the people around me. I also enjoyed the fact that yes, I can drink alcohol here, and had a couple glasses of wine. Not enough to get drunk, but enough that a couple hours after dinner I was tired enough to go to bed right away and actually sleep soundly--something I'd been having trouble with when I had to get up at 5 AM.

On a random note: since the cheder ochel offers whole tomatoes for meals, I've been eating two or three of those a day...and enjoying plenty of chocolate milk and coffee!

I got up the next morning at 8:30, which means that I've adjusted just right (normally on days off, regardless of when I got to sleep I tend to get up closer to noon). As I said in the last post, no computers, no writing, no drawing, no lights and no hot water, so the day was devoted entirely to sitting around and partying and eating and chatting and praying. Very, very relaxing. Prayers were at 1 PM, briefly, before starting properly around sunset. Then, finally, it was time for a hot shower and bed.

Sunday was back to work in the kerem. By day three, there are still only two of us left from the initial day. Everyone else had been going to Afula or Bet She'an for immigration processing, or had been weeded out (pun intended) of the hard jobs. We work in pairs, one for each side of the row of vines, and often compete with nearby pairs for the heck of it. We also talk quite a bit, about ourselves and what we did, why we came, what we know about life...

We also found not one, but two snakes in the weeds. At the same time. And another group found a hornet's nest, still occupied. We cleared around them and shooed them off without injury. There was also a praying mantis there, nearly white because it spent so much time in the weeds.

Later that day, we were planning on going to Tverya on the Kinneret when I discovered that most of my shekels were missing. I went to Dvora, our house mother, and reported this. It turns out her master keys were stolen--highly unusual--and the thief had helped him- or herself to everyone's cash, cigarettes, and in one odd case, Ritalin. My medications were untouched, as was my passport, American cash, and laptop. Smart thief; s/he couldn't have taken those without anyone in the area getting suspicious. We'll have to file a police report in Bet She'an when we have time later this week and hope we can get at least a little of it back, but the total of nearly a thousand shekels qualifies as low-priority petty theft.

Next time, I'll hide the money better and/or keep it in the safe. Since the master keys were stolen, all of the locks are getting replaced.

More tomorrow on the first day of class, which was actually today, but I need some time to absorb the lessons, this entry is already long, and...it's almost midnight. I have work early tomorrow in the organic gardens--for some reason I'm not working in the kerem anymore. Maybe it's because the younger volunteers that were due to arrive will show up then? I don't know. Either way, see you all later!

Whew, do I have a long tale for you! I've been keeping records in a physical journal (and will continue to do so for the rest of the trip), which I'm going to transfer in part to here.

Minimal links, because there's a lot of information here and I haven't had a chance to actually look around the entire kibbutz yet.


Checking in for my boarding pass the night before I left was a good idea. I only had to go through the bag check instead of the long lines for check-in, and it took barely twenty minutes (mostly because there was no available station). I got through the TSA checkpoint with an empty water bottle, fortunately, so I could fill it on the other side.

It was cloudy when I left, and would stay so until we started flying over the Balkans, after I'd switched planes. I also couldn't get to sleep during the entire flight, which was a spectacularly bad idea. Not entirely my fault, though.

I had to go through four or five passport and carry-on checks. That was fun. At Ben Gurion Airport, I had trouble finding my suitcase because someone had taken it off the carousel track and just dumped it on the floor.

Traveler's Tip: When picking up luggage, always make sure to stand where the luggage comes out so you see it right away and can move faster. Also, there will be less chance someone will simply pick your bag up and leave. Also, make sure your baggage has your name and contact (and address as well), and perhaps something that will help you identify the bag(s) more easily.

I arrived in Israel at 3 in the afternoon, tired but eager to see what I could. I managed to stay awake until 9 PM or so and somehow slept exactly eight hours. I...really don't know why, considering I'd been up for over a day and a half by that point and there really was no rush. Fredi and Aviva, the couple I was staying with until the ulpan started, showed me around Yavne a little. It's an industrial town, mostly, and used to be quite an important one. Lately, though, its importance has declined.

Later, we went to old Jaffa (Yaffo), just south of Tel Aviv, and looked at the Ottoman fort. No pictures for that, sadly--I forgot my camera that day. There were a lot of art galleries, one of which featured the works of artist Patricia Govezensky. The curator there seemed pleased that I knew of her (thanks, Dad). We also visited the harbor, where people where fishing and where Andromeda Rock stands (yes, that Andromeda), and passed by the embassies of the Vatican and of the Greek Orthodox Church. We also walked up the hill to the Statue of Faith and the Wishing Bridge.

Drivers in Israel appear to be insane. They are incredibly unsafe, veering without signaling, speeding, and cutting in at high speed. For those of you planning on driving or riding with someone, please do be aware of this. Don't distract the driver or allow yourself to be distracted, but remain aware. Also, parking is very limited, and by that I mean VERY limited. Drivers will often park on sidewalks or in no-park zones because there's absolutely nowhere else to go.

Remember this post on what movies to watch? Talking with a lot of the volunteers here, it seems that yes, the movie You Don't Mess With the Zohan is somewhat accurate...especially where using hummus on absolutely everything is concerned. Not that I mind; I love hummus.

This weekend (including today) was also Purim. There were people dressed up in costumes, and hammentaschen absolutely everywhere of all kinds. At the kibbutz, the celebration was yesterday. Today, only a few cities are celebrating (I have yet to find out the reason WHY different cities celebrate on different days).

On the 19th of March, we went to Bet Jemail, where a monastery and a nunnery stand. The nuns mostly make chocolate and handmade glazed pottery, and the monks make olive oil and wine. Many of the olive trees there are between six hundred and eight hundred years old! In the back of the monastery is a small church dedicated to Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Since Bet Jemail is in the Judean hills (though not as high as Jerusalem), I got a pretty good view of the land spread out below.

Afterwards, we went to Jerusalem. More specifically, to Ein Kerem, where we had lunch and took a quick tour of the Church of Saint John the Baptist, which was built on the ruins of a Byzantine church (discovered when a cannon fell through the courtyard into the church below) commemorating the birthplace of St. John.

That night, Aviva and I went to a concert given by the wonderful Trifonas Nikolaidis.



To be continued...

Besides the Old Testament of the Bible, there are other ways to learn about Israeli and Jewish history. This list is focusing mostly on Israel itself, because there are no end to movies and books on the Holocaust, and Jews in Russia and Germany and America. But since this blog is about traveling to Israel, that will be the focus of these lists.

Links to the Internet Movie Database will be provided for the movies. For movies that have the same titles as others (for instance, IMDB provides sixteen movies with the title 'Exodus'), I have provided the year it was produced as well, should you wish to look the movie up elsewhere.


Suggested Movies
- King David (1985)
- Ben-Hur (1959)
- Masada (TV Mini-Series)
- Kingdom of Heaven _{(not so good with some history, so take this with a grain of salt)}
- The Gates of Jerusalem: A History of the Holy City (documentary)
- Cast a Giant Shadow
- Exodus (1960)
- O Jerusalem
- A Woman Called Golda
- Language of the Enemy (aka "A House Divided" outside of the US and Australia)
- The Band's Visit
- Don't Mess With the Zohan (...okay, I'm kidding about this one)


Suggested Books
- The Source by James Mitchener (I cannot stress enough how awesome this book is)
- Kibbutz Volunteer by John Bedford
- O Jerusalem! by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre (unrelated to the aforementioned movie)
- Judaism by Isidore Epstein
- A Short History of the Hebrews by B. K. Rattey
- The Jewish Book of Why volumes one and two by Alfred J. Kolatch
- The Collected Stories of Sholom Aleichem by Sholom Aleichem
- Let's Go Israel: The Student Travel Guide (indispensable; take it with you)
- Berlitz Hebrew for Travellers (take this one too)
- 201 Hebrew Verbs by Abraham S. Halkin
- ABC: The Alef-Bet Book by Florence Cassen Mayers (or something along those lines; this is easier to learn the alphabet from than the Berlitz book--bigger print and visuals, for one thing)
- Your map of Israel that you should have bought by now. No good learning about all of this stuff if you don't know where anything is!


Those are the movies and books we own and the ones I'm watching/reading. Several of the books you will want to take with you, especially the travel guides and dictionary. Some books unlike the movies, to not relate directly to Israeli history itself, but they're good to read anyway. And of course, these are just suggestions, so feel free to pick and choose.

Traveler's Tip: See if you can find online guides to body language. Some gestures in Israel and the surrounding countries are rude there and not where you live(see above video)!

Instant Greek by William Papas is a good place to start, as some of the gestures mean the same thing (it's also completely hilarious). In fact, Masa does have a guide, so take a look if you haven't already!

Hopefully you'll have enough time in between all the packing and buying and preparing and immmunizations you're taking care of to look at a few of the things on this list. It's nice to play the tour guide sometimes; my father did when he went to Israel back in the 1970s.

That's all for this week. See you next time!


Coming Up
-Hebrew alphabet guide
-brief 'tour' of Israel as a whole, including a history lesson

Since I suddenly have work again--not to mention a class that'll eat up at least 25 hours a week till I leave--I was able to start my shopping early. I have fresh clothes that won't completely fall apart, but they're cheap enough I don't care if they do and hopefully tough enough that they won't. All I personally have remaining are the adapter, converter, laptop lock, and prescription medications. Tip: Most of those can be gotten at the AAA store (as can a money pouch), as they specialize in travel gear.

I also visited the clinic my family goes to in order to ask about immunizations. I've already gotten my tetanus shot, but I needed to know where I could get shots for typhus, cholera, yellow fever, et al. It's an inevitable fact that you WILL get sick, because it's a completely new environment and completely new microbes, but updated immunizations will cut down your chances to sniffles and jet lag. The clinic didn't have them, but they pointed us to a doctor's office that specializes in overseas immunizations, including what you need for what country. I find it both odd and extremely fortunate that our relatively unimportant city actually HAS that.

That was something I forgot to put on the timeline. By the last month, you need to make sure you're up-to-date on your shots.

Concerning money: If you have a debit or credit card, you can bring it and use it, but call your bank to tell them you're going overseas first. MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS, or they will immediately put a freeze on that card. There are ATMs in Israel you can use as well, and before you leave the country make sure to convert any currency you carry to shekels. And shop around a bit before you do this, just like with anything else. The cheaper rates you can get, the better.

If there are any other questions, feel free to ask!

Coming Up
-reading list
-Hebrew alphabet guide
-brief 'tour' of Israel as a whole, including a history lesson

For those of you planning to travel but don't quite know what to do, I'm posting a rough outline of what basic preparations need to be taken, and when. This is a very loose schedule, and depending on you and your resources you may want to do these at different times.

Also in this outline are other events that have affected timing for preparation.

Departure Date: March 16

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Six Months to Departure: As I have two passports and dual citizenship, I renew my passports one at a time. Six months before I leave, I renew the one that has already expired, taking the time to research everything I need before heading to the embassy. The price quoted on the website is completely wrong, and I end up having to go to the bank to withdraw the extra cash. I make a note to myself to overprepare the next time. I also attempt to find a temporary job in order to make extra money. Given the economy and low hiring rates, I do not find one. Fortunately, I end up having enough money to go to Israel anyway.

Five Months to Departure: I start preliminary research on the area I'm going to and brushing up on Israeli history in general. I am still looking for work and find out about a volunteer job at a nearby clinic that is associated with both experience and certification as a pharmacy tech, so I sign up.

Four Months to Departure: Early in the month I receive my first renewed passport. I make plans to renew the second one, but don't go yet. U.S. passports tend to come back within a couple of weeks when renewed at home. I sign up for the ulpan I plan on attending and pay the fees. This is also my last month of college classes until I get my associate's degree, so I end up spending a good chunk of time focusing on schoolwork and graduation issues. In addition, I begin working at the clinic as a volunteer in the hopes of doing the coursework required within two months instead of the usual three or four--it is a student-driven course online with flexible timing. I research plane tickets, but don't buy any, as the tickets will be relatively cheap for some time yet and flex time is needed, just in case.

Three Months to Departure: I renew my second passport and start talking to the university I will be attending once I arrive home. Unfortunately, registration will not open until I am overseas, and all transfer information and registration will have to be handled while I am in Israel. The ulpan I was initially going to attend (Mishmar HaEmek) is canceled, leaving me with Sde Eliyahu, which begins later in the month. Fortunately, it is still within my six-month window, although it leaves me with no time to prepare for university. I will need to pack everything the week before I leave the country so I won't have to pack exhausted from a twenty-hour flight. Also fortunately, I didn't buy airplane tickets yet. In addition to my current reading list on Israeli history, The Source (a very, very good book to read if you haven't already), and various travel guides, I crack open a children's Hebrew alphabet book (with pictures and an English translation of the full words) and a Hebrew-to-English dictionary and start practicing the alphabet. I'm not as studious as I should be where this is concerned, but at least I will have something to refresh from when I begin classes at Sde Eliyahu. It worked with the Greek alphabet, it worked with Cyrillic (working from the Greek), and now I'm working with the Hebrew alphabet backwards from the Greek. Fortunately, both my parents--especially my mother--know at least a little Hebrew, and my mother knows how I learn.

Two Months to Departure: I begin talking to the ulpan director and my parents' friends in Israel. They will be my emergency contacts. Plane tickets are researched and found at a good price (try Expedia.com and the airlines' personal sites--compare and contrast!), and I buy a round-trip ticket(since any other cancellations are now unlikely). I begin researching visas.

One Month to Departure: My acceptance letters arrive from the ulpan. I gather everything and make a list of questions before calling the nearest consulate. I fail to reach a living person, but the recorded menus manage to answer my questions without me having to ask anyone; at least enough that I know what minimum fee to bring. I leave a message, just in case. Two days later, I head to the consulate with everything I need (and extra cash just in case; I learned from my last mistake). As it turns out, being registered in the kibbutz program associated with Masa (if you're not reading this from the Masa link, it's here) negates the need for fees (unless you want it mailed to your house) and a financial statement; the program provides both of those.

_{On a random note, the level of security at the embassy is shocking to me. It shouldn't be, but it is. I don't blame them for confiscating my (tiny) pocketknife, but adding in the 6-inch-thick bulletproof glass in the consulate and the temporary confiscation of my calculator...that more than anything heightened my sense of danger around the place. The German consulate was much less paranoid. But it did bring home the fact that there is a very real hatred for Israel. Fortunately, it's relatively quiet at the moment, so I still feel safe about going.}


Now we enter the realm of what I need to be doing in the next five weeks...

Four Weeks to Departure: Contact the ulpan and find out about how money will be handled outside the kibbutz. Since access to certain (American, in my case) banks is unlikely, how should that be handled? Start a dialogue with the people in charge, get to know them. For some of you they will be the only people you know in a foreign country, so make sure they know you.

Three Weeks to Departure: Make a list of things you have and things you need for the trip and double-check both lists (the program will send you a list, but only you know what you personally will need; they provide only a general list of supplies and can't cover every individual's needs). Anything that needs to be ordered online must be ordered by the beginning of the week, otherwise you won't receive it in time or get it too late to make sure it works. Any other shopping should be done by the end of the week.

Two Weeks to Departure: Budget check, triple- and quadruple-check the list of things needed. I'll probably start packing away the non-essentials in my room by this point, as my room's fairly messy.

One Week to Departure: Keep checking that you have everything on your list. If you don't, get it. If it can't fit into a suitcase and a knapsack, you need to narrow down your list of essentials. Some things you can buy while you're in Israel; make sure you know what. Pack, unpack, repack until you know for sure everything's good. Make sure you know the drill for airports when you depart, switch planes, and arrive, and what is and isn't allowed in baggage and carry-ons. Make sure you have a ride from the airport to the ulpan. If you can, arrive a couple days early to orient yourself. Be sure you know at least a little of what to expect (hence the research and contacting the ulpan directors earlier).

The Day Before Departure: Make sure everything is packed and where you can find it. Get a good night's sleep.

Zero Hour: Again, make sure you have everything you need before you leave for the airport. This includes IDs, visas, passports, and luggage, as well as money. Keep emergency cash somewhere safe on your person, just in case. Say your farewells, if any, and set off on your great adventure!


Tip: When you get plane tickets for flights that involve switching planes, make sure you have at least a two-hour layover. Any less and you could lose your bags and/or get lost if you also need to change terminals. You'll also need the break. Take advantage of it.



If there are any questions about preparations, I will try to answer them as best as I can. I have done most of these preparations on my own, and have become seasoned at preparing, and I have been traveling overseas for many years.

Any further questions I have posted in the entry itself will have the answers posted in later entries once I find out more.

Also, if anyone wants me to post a quick learning guide to the Hebrew alphabet, please ask. I have enabled non-members to comment on my journals (I think), so you don't have to sign up just to ask. I think it may be extremely helpful to some, and my mother has some hints on pronunciation that can help as well.


Coming Up
-list of things needed, both basic and 'advanced'
-answers to questions from readers and from my own preparations that have not yet been answered
-Hebrew alphabet guide (?)
-reading list
-brief 'tour' of Israel as a whole, including a history lesson


One last thing, and I promise I'll end this too-long-to-be-a-proper-blog entry: If you find yourself unhappy or uncomfortable, but not in any physical danger (if you just dislike the whole thing), remind yourself that it's only five months. And it's an adventure. Treat it like one! :)

This is basically an introductory entry, so that I actually have something up here.

My name is Miriam. I'm a writer and an artist, and I enjoy learning new things very much. I enjoy Hetalia--not necessarily the comics themselves, but the serious fandom and the way it makes both history and current events much more personal. I may write a ramble on that later, but as it is almost 1 AM I'll keep this short.

I end up listening to random people's problems when I happen to be close by. I don't mind this so much, actually, because I enjoy hearing about perspectives and stories of life. My personal problems aren't likely to be posted here unless they relate to something really important, mostly because no one is likely to listen to what I have to say either way, so at least I don't look like I'm whining. I'm mostly an old-fashioned person who prefers real books to electronic ones, and longer journal posts to tweets by a twit.

This site is pretty much where I'll post my experiences as I prepare to leave for Israel and stay for five months, in the hopes that someone out there will find it useful and that my family will have a better way than Facebook to keep up with me, especially considering I don't have a Facebook account at this point in time, and this seems a better place to post a travel log anyway.

So, coming up...possibly an introduction to my stories, and the first in a hopefully long series about my future trip to Israel.