Jet Setting

“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.” Anaïs Nin  

Tonight is my last night is Israel! I have spent the weekend with my cousins and their beautiful babies! It's amazing how they don't watch TV or have Ipads or anything electronic. They play with books and toys and laugh a lot. I think that is a wonderful way to raise children. It was the holidays here all weekend as well so there were lots of meals and celebrating which in the States I would have skipped out on but here I enjoyed. It's cool how the things that one finds mundane or boring at home are suddenly revamped and interesting with different scenery.

The other night I went out with E one of the girls on TBT! She is cool and spirited and just seems like she is so open minded. Since she is Israeli she got to meet most of the other people on the program (5 of us are American and the rest are Israeli) and she said how great they all seemed and how hard TBT tries to make a group that will be cohesive and mesh well together. That made me feel a lot more at ease. Another girl (S) from the program also stopped by for a minute and she seemed very sweet.

*For privacy purposes I will refer to everyone on the program by their first initial(s) unless granted permission.*

Anyway as I wrap up my last night in Israel and do my last load of normal laundry, I think about the last time I was here, a little over 2 years ago. That is when I found out about TBT. I know my family and friends supported me, but I think many of them did not believe that I would actually go through with applying! Now I am off on an amazing adventure. It still seems surreal. Maybe it will feel less like a dream by my next post...from Kathmandu!

Signed,
Dreamer and Believer

Sun-Glassed Nomad

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” (Mark Twain) 

I usually HATE being in a car for more than an hour or so. If I am on a long car ride for whatever reason I immediately go to sleep and try not to move until I get to wherever I am going. I spent most of today on a bus/in a cab, however it was different. I did sleep on my first two hour ride from where I stayed last night (Kibbutz Hannaton) to Tel Aviv bus station but my second ride to the airport (I FINALLY got my bag!) I stayed awake. Israel is so incredibly beautiful. Everywhere you look is open and free. Land everywhere. From the airport I went to my family's house in Jerusalem, which was about an hour ride. The sun was setting and I just looked out the window and thought about how amazing everything was.

Before I actually got to my family's house (or the airport) I got to get more in touch with nature and my faith. At first I thought I was going right to Jerusalem. I got dropped off right out of the kibbutz in a little open bus stop where there was nothing around me but open highway. It was warm but there was a breeze and I felt so exotic with my new clothes (that I would normally never buy in the states) and my scarf and sunglasses. Once I found out I had to get to the airport I got taken to another bus stop, this time near a shopping center. Although I was in the middle of civilization this time, so many buses came and went before mine came that I began to loose faith. But then I thought, "If I can't handle it here in Israel, where I know a little Hebrew, and almost everyone speaks English, what will I do in Asia?!" Eventually my nice air conditioned bus came and all was well. 

When I finally did get to jerusalem I got to experience one of the greatest things on earth: Shabbat in Jerusalem, in a Sukkah (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukkah). I am not a religious person, but Shabbat in Israel is very special. It's so peaceful and spiritual. People really chill and take the day to rest and unwind from the week. We had a long meal and stayed up and talked. There was no TV, no one's cell phone went off, and not one text was sent. I think its really special when people can just unplug and be content being around the people who are with you.

As for now I am going to try to sleep (more like pray that I fall asleep at a decent time) and see what tomorrow brings!

Signed,
Settled for the Moment

Hopelessly Humorous

Take everything with a big grain of…banana?!

I am trying to find all of the events that have happened today in good humor. Trying being the key word. My bag got to Tel Aviv…and they promptly shipped it back to London because apparently people got confused by my unattended bag. Shouldn’t there be a note or something? I did get to go shopping and will get reimbursed for my inconvenience which is pretty cool. So I went to Zara and picked out a few things but in all honesty I still need a pair of shorts! I was going to get something at bus station where there are lots of shops but it is SO big! This place is 7 floors! By the time I finally found where I am (hopefully) supposed to be, sat down, and had a sip of my (accidental) flavored water (opps) I didn’t feel like moving!

So now I am at the Tel Aviv bus station (flavored water and soft pretzel too) praying I did my research right! I am supposed to take a bus to a Kibbutz near Hifa to stay with some family friends tonight. So I’m praying that in the next hour (when my bus is scheduled) it will actually show up and I will feel very proud!

I had to laugh when I walked into the station. As I said, it is enormous and obviously all the signs are in Hebrew. So I am walking to find some sort of information desk or help center…nothing. Eventually I figured it out but I thought the whole thing was rather amusing.

It’s so strange here. I am in this long corridor waiting for my bus because I had to get dropped off early so I have a book and my laptop and whatnot. However, there is hardly anyone else up here. In the states people usually get to a train or a bus super early but not here. Just an interesting observation.  It was also awesome when I figured out that I had to pay a shekel to use the bathroom. The fact that the machine didn’t give change was an added bonus.

Also, I heard about something very interesting! In Israel they have something called Pango Parking. When you park your car along a blue/white line on the pavement you call a number and they keep track of your car and bill you from your phone and car information. I have never heard about that before and I thought it was pretty cool!

As for now I have an hour until my bus comes so I will drink my big water (I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to be strawberry banana) and read my book. All part of the magic!

Signed,

Accidental Strawberry  

GO!

ברוכים הבאים (Welcome)

The past 24 hours have been long with only a couple of things going awry. 

Problem: My first flight (from Philly to Toronto) was delayed which meant I would miss my connection for my second flight (Toronto to Heathrow). 
Solution: I got booked on a later flight to Heathrow. 
Bonus: I would have plenty of time to catch my last flight to Israel. 

Problem: My bag did not arrive in London
Solution: It will be in Israel by tomorrow morning
Bonus: It will be delivered so I didn't have to carry it

So, after 3 flights and 2 car rides later I am in Giv'atayim (close to Tel Aviv) staying with family friends for tonight and tomorrow. Thursday I will be staying with other family friends and Friday I get to see my family. I am very happy to be here and excited to see everyone. However...

Not even going to pretend I almost had a panic attack on my way to London. Major jitters. But I know they will eventually pass and once I actually get to Nepal I can start some sort of routine and get into the swing of every day Nepali life. 

I am wired in a weird way at the moment. I slept alot on the plane but am tired at the same time yet still have adrenaline going from having to be on my game. Hopefully I can stay alseep tonight so I can immediately start adjusting (the time difference in Nepal is about 4 or 5 hours ahead of Israel, and Israel is 7 hours ahead from the East coast). 

Signed,

Jittery Jew 

Ready, Set...

"Every great adventure starts out with nausea"

This last week has been the long goodbye. I have had so much to do and have felt so overwhelmed, that on the one hand I am relieved to be going tomorrow. On the other hand, I am totally and completely freaking out. Even though my bags are finally packed, I still feel like I have things to do. This is why I think my decision to go to Israel first was a good one. I can stop thinking about everything once I get on my first flight. No more packing, no more tough goodbyes, and no more shopping for possible unnecessary items that don't fit in my bag. 

Speaking of goodbyes, I have decided they are like the flu. There is no real cure but it gets better in time. Nothing really makes saying goodbye to people you really care about better. But once you go and time goes by it gets easier day by day. I don't have many people to leave. But the few I have are extremely special to me. I am going to miss my family and close friends more than words can express. 

Tomorrow I leave for Israel where I will be spending a week with friends and family. Then I leave a week later and arrive in Nepal on the 10th of October, four days before TBT starts. 

The one thought that keeps baffling me is: how in the world am I going to make it through airports with a backpack that is bigger than me?! I sat down on my bed to put it on after it was packed and looked like a turtle on it's back not able to get up.  My airport days are about to get mighty embarrassing/hilarious. 

I think I am going to try my best and enjoy my last night here at home. Next time I write will be from Israel!

Signed,

Last Goodbye 

A Scared and Excited Beginning

"If you're brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello" (Paulo Coelho)


When I tell the people in my everyday life about what I am about to do I feel confident and awesome. When I can't sleep at night and am all alone I think I might be a lunatic. In exactly one week I will be leaving the country and participating in a volunteer program in Kathmandu, Nepal and afterwards traveling around South East Asia. I have been fortunate enough to have been accepted into an Israeli program by the name of Tevel B'Tzedek (which shall be referred to throughout this blog as TBT) in which volunteers go to Nepal for four months to help this incredibly poor and beautiful country (for full information visit http://www.tevelbtzedek.org). There are 22 people in my program in which 5 or 6 of us are from the States, the rest are from Israel excluding one person from Africa. I don't know any of these people. I don't speak Hebrew even close to fluently. Nepal has about an 11 hour time difference from where I live. I will be there for 4 whole months. This is when I start to think I'm a little nuts from getting into this.

However, this is what I want deep down. Despite the family and friends I am leaving, the crazy amounts of money I have paid for my medical bills (mostly check ups and shots) and traveling gear, and the fact that I have a high anxiety level, I know that this is a trip of a lifetime and one that will hopefully teach me a lot about myself and the world around me. As one of my friends reminded me, by not going corporate after college, I have potentially set myself back in finding a decent career when I get home. For some reason this does not bother me. I feel that if I don't do this, I will not only regret it, but that my spirit will be incomplete.

I leave in one week from today but as stressed as I am, I don't have too much more to do at this point. Although Nepal is a third world country, Kathmandu is the capital city which means it is a bit more developed and happens to be a major travelers hub. This means I can buy most of the things I will need while there....which results in me taking only two backpacks (a big travel sized one and a smaller one for day/weekend trips). That thought alone makes me laugh and shudder at the same time....2 backpacks for 6 months?! Obviously I will not be bringing a lot which is a very strange feeling. Plus even when I buy things there, once the program is over and I start back packing I will end up leaving stuff behind. This is an obvious and practical thought but one that seems so alien to me at the moment.

I will try to post as much as I can while I am away, even if they are short, but I just wanted to reflect a bit before I leave. I wonder how I will view this by February.

Signed,

Nervous Nelly/Excited Evy