The latest adventures part 2

I finally have a chance to sit down and document the rest of my adventures. It started with a day trip to Haifa with my program. I didn't have a great start to the day and from there I knew there would be issues. Issues turn into adventures. It is all in your outlook. Now you ask what went wrong? I get on the bus and just as we are about to leave I realize I forgot my ticket to Eilat. From Haifa I was travelling down to Eilat for four days with my father. So I run back to my apt to get it and while I am there I get my timesheet for my madricha which I had also forgotten in my apt. There I am thinking I am in the clear and have now gotten everything. Well guess what? An hour into the bus ride I realize I left my passport in my apartment and I am supposed to be flying back from Eilat. We were told in order to do so, I needed my passport. So after that start to the day I figured it wasn't going to get better. We arrive in Haifa and go straight to the Bahai Gardens which are actually spectacular! As we are walking around though we start to question why the clouds in the sky are such pretty colours. Hmmm I wonder why? We then find out that there is a fire in a Druze village, but nobody thinks much of it because this does happen sometimes when there has not been a lot of rain. As the day progresses though, we start to realize this is no small fire and this is not something that happens. Of course everyone now knows that fire went on for days and affected so many people. Aside from all the craziness that happened that day, it still was a wonderful trip and I was able to see so much of Haifa and realize what an awesome city it is.

After that it was time to catch a train from Haifa to Tel Aviv and a bus from Tel Aviv to Eilat. The next morning my father and I had scheduled snorkelling with the dolphins. I was so excited since it has been a dream of mine since I was a kid to swim with the dolphins. Turns out, it really was a dream come true. When we got there they gave us an explanation of what would happen. We were told that we were entering the dolphin's habitat and therefore should not expect them to act like show dolphins since they are not. We would be able to see the dolphins doing what they felt like. We were also told that even if the dolphins came up and touched us, we were not allowed to touch them back because they would not be expecting that. If they wanted to be touched they would go to the trainers. We got really luck and the dolphins were really playful that day and came right up to us. Not only do you have these fantabulous creature swimming around you, you also have the natural beautiful coral around you and all the fish that are in the area swimming around you. The rest of the trip was awesome. We saw the underwater observatory and took a 4 hour jeeping tour of Timna Valley and I got to see ancient Egyptian temples and hieroglyphics. It was incredible.

Now you might be wondering what ever happened to not having my passport and getting home. After attempting to express mail my passport to Eilat and being told that they could not guarantee its arrival for when I needed it, I decided to take my chance getting on the plane without it. I had my birth certificate and my license. I was hoping that would be enough. In the end, after 3 levels of interrogation I was allowed to board the plane!

This past week my program did 3 days in the Negev which was amazing. I love the desert! I decided to take it easy since its been a bit hectic lately and didn't hike. Still there were soo many things to do and see and I am kind of obsessed with Nubian Ibexes which get soooo close to you. They are amazing! Instead of one of the hikes those of us who opted out ended up at an awesome park inYeruham with kiddy ziplining and all.





Nubian Ibex



riding the rooster

Love!

I am kind of glad things have calmed down a little. Everyone needs a break from adventure for a little bit :)

The latest adventures

So many adventures have happened since the last post. I think I wil start with my shabbat in Neve Daniel, which is a settlement in the West Bank. My program gave the option of participating in shabbat in the land. They gave two options- the Old City of Jerusalem or Neve Daniel. A few of us decided to spend shabbat in the latter since we wanted to see what life is like for those living in a settlement. It was a lovely shabbat. We all got set up with really nice families and we had a great oneg on friday night. The adventure though was trying to get back to Jerusalem after shabbat. We were all waiting at the bus stop for the first bus to arrive. We were aware that the first bus would be full and not all of us might get on, but the bus did not even stop! One of my roomates had a flight that night to go visit her family in new york, and needed to get back to our apt in order to get her stuff before she got picked up. We knew the next bus would not come for another half hour so find someone who is driving to Jerusalem and not too far away from our apt so she hitches a ride with them. The rest of us kept stopping cars to see if we could hitch a ride but none of them were going remotely where we needed them to go. The next bus finally arrives but when it stops he tells us he is full and cannot take any of us. We argue with him that the next bus would not come for another hour and we were not going to wait. So the bus driver calls his boss to see if he can go over capacity to take us. In the end we made it on the bus, but needless to say it was an intersting experience to fight our way back home.

The next advenure was my trip to the ancient city of Zippori and Nazareth. I had the opportunity to go on this trip with the volunteers at work. I had never been to either city and it truly was an amazing day. We started the day leaving Jerusalem and driving to Zippori in the Lower Galillee. We explored the ancient synogogue there and more stunning mosaics than I can count. The famous one though is called the Mona Lisa of the Galillee because like the Mona Lisa, her eyes follow you. I was completely fascinated by the history of the city and the beauty of the finds. One of the most amazing things is that the ancient cardo is still intact.

After touring around the site for a while we headed into Nazareth for lunch and a tour of the Church of Annunciation. I was surprised that the hotel in Nazareth was kosher. The church was really interesting to see.It is built over the ancient house which they believe is where Mary was told she was going to have a child. one thing that was really cool was that communites from different countries around the world sent in mosaics representing their country and christianity to be displayed around the courtyard. Inside the actual church they had bigger and better ones that were all the different countries interpretations of the madonna and child. The most striking was the Korean one since it depicted a Korean madonna and a Korean child. 

The next day my father came in and he wanted to start touring the following day. I set up a four hour walking tour of the Old City which was amazing. We toured the Kotel tunnels, the southern wall excavations, the Wohl archaeological museum, and the archaeology park. Half of those things I had never seen before so it was really exciting for me.

 

On sunday my dad and I went to tour the City of David. Right now the site is controversial because the archaeologist claims she has found David`s Palace. Aside from the controversy the site is incredible. One of the main attractions is Hezekiah`s tunnel. This is a tunnel that kept the water source of the city hidden in case of a siege. In this tunnel archaeologists had found an inscription that conveys the excitement of the workers when they met. There had been a team of workers cutting through the mountain on one side and another team on the other, and it is a miracle they managed to meet. As part of the tour we got to walk through the tunnel. In many spots the ceiling is extremely low, almost needed to crouch to get through, and very narrow. Sometimes the water got as deep as my upper thighs. It was quite an experience being able to walk through this water tunnel that was never meant for people.

As if all the other adventures were not enough, I think tonight was one of the highlights of my trip. Late in the afternoon I get an e-mail invitation to a gallery opening at work. What was really cool for me was that I helped with the online component of the exhibition. I originally had other plans for the night, and felt terrible for cancelling, but this really was worth it. After work I raced home to shower and change. It was my first gallery opening and I really had a great time. There was a reception to mingle in the beginning and then an introduction by the director of the museum. He announced that this gallery was the first of the temporary galleries to open since the renovation of the museum. It was a wonderful moment to be apart of. The grandson of the artist spoke as well as the associate curator.  Just another one of the perks of having such an awesome internship.

If all this happened in the last week and a half, I wonder how many more adventures I will have.

Aliya, Archaeology, and everything in between

So much is going through my mind right now and I feel like I need to get a few things off my chest. About a week ago I started my aliya application with Nefesh B'Nefesh. For a while I have been thinking about aliya, but I was always a little aprehensive about the commitment. After spending the past 2 and a half months living and working in Israel, I realized that this is the only place for me. I feel so much more at peace here, and the opportunities in my line of work are greater. This evening, as I was giving a friend a tour of the archaeology wing at the museum, I got a call from Nefesh B'Nefesh about my application. I guess this is the first moment where it felt real. It was something tangible and no longer just a dream or desire. I just had one of those moments where you realize the gravity of the decisions you make in life. It is a crazy but awesome feeling.

Yesterday I also had a crazy freak out moment in the gallery. I had been sent upstairs to look at something in the gallery and noticed on display is the ostracon found at Khirbet Qeiyafa. Two years ago, I made the lat minute decision to join the excavation, and have never looked back since then. Aside from the Indiana Jones complex, my desire to go on a dig was to see how objects go from being buried in he ground to being on display in a museum. I was extremely fortunate to be involved with the dig at the time of the discovery of the ostracon. When I finally saw the ostracon on display I had that feeling that things had finally come full circle. I had finally fulfilled that desire to see an object from its finding to its display.

I have been on a personal and professional journey for some time now, and it is great to be able to stop and positively reflect on all that is happening to me.

Keep the adventures coming :)

Touring the Old City of Jerusalem

The Old City of |Jerusalem is a spectacular place to explore. Last sunday a few of us decided to go check some sites we had never visited before. Of course there were so many places on our list that we did not get a chance to see them all, but it is ok since we do not live to far away. The places we did get a chance to see were the Broad Wall, the Burnt House, and Time Elevator.

It all started last saturday night when we went to an amazing light show at the Tower of David in the Old City. It was a history of Jerusalem from the time of King David t o the modern day. This was done with a projection of images on the actual tower and no audio. It was extremely well done. This inspired us to come back the next day and check out some of the other amazing attractions the Old City has to offer.

We started our morning off with the Broad Wall. It was really interesting to see since I had never heard of it before and yet I have been to the Old City countless times. The Broad Wall is from the time of King Hezekiah's reign in the end of the 8th century.

map of Jerusalem at the time of the wall

what is left of the wall

Next we went to check out the Burnt House of Kathros. I have walked past this musem so many times and never had the chance to go in. When I did, I was so surprised at how amazing it was. I was really blown away. The building was built around the archaeological site that was the house of the priestly family of Kathros from the time of the Second Temple. You get a chance to walk around and see the area and some of the findings and then you sit down and watch a movie that describes the family and the time that they loved. It is a great way to add context to the stories that seem so distant.

one of  the rooms of  the house



Table that had the family name on it

After that we left the Old City and walked to downtown Jerusalem where we got a chance to experience the Time Elevator. It really was so cool. Once you enter the room you sit down and get locked in like a roller coaster. I was veery excited when I found out the seats would be moving around like we were actually in an elevator. The movie we were watching was a history of Jerusalem throughout history. What made it amazing was that we were moving and when the elevator crashes you "feel" it or when you "land" in water, water spritzes out at you. It really makes you feel like you are going on this journey as opposed to watching it. I would definately recommend this to anyone coming to visit the city.

There is still so much for me to explore in the Old City, but it will just have to wait for another day!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!

It has been about two and a half weeks since I have moved to Jerusalem and I am loving the change of pace. Now that I started working and have gotten into a routine, I feel less and less like a tourist and more and more like I live here. One of the things I love of about living here is the Machane Yehudah market. Being able to go to the market and bargain over the freshest, fruits and vegetables, spices, and everything you could possibly need is truly amazing. The market is loud and busy, but that is what makes it amazing.

Starting work has also been really good. Finally working in the museum of my dreams and I am loving it. Everyday being able to walk around the collections just makes me really happy. I have great co-workers which makes the day go by faster even when I am doing boring computer work.

This past thursday was my birthday and I could not have asked for it to turn out better. The day started off with two of roomates waking up at the crack of dawn to catch me before I left the apartment and sang me happy birthday with a cake and all. It really was such a nice surprise. Then I got picked up to join an archaeological survey of a new site. Being able to spend my birthday doing archaeology was so awesome. We found some really cool things, and it just reminded me how much I really love it. After coming back exhausted from the survey, I cleaned up and went to downtown Jerusalem with my new friends to celebrate. It truly was amazing how many people showed up and I was so honoured. If I had to be away from my closest friends and family on my birthday, this was the only way to do it.  To top it all off, I hosted shabbat for a few of the people who came in from Tel Aviv for my birthday and it was really nice to be able to see people I haven't in a couple of weeks, and we all know how much I love cooking for a crowd :)

Golan/Galilee

There is soooo much to update! the past two weeks have been crazy. We moved from Tel aviv on October 4 in the evening. October 5th at 7am we were boarding a bus to the golan and the galilee. We were in the north for 3 days of hiking and touring and then we left on friday morn with enough time to get back to Jerusalem for shabbat. The first day our whole group went on a hike together. It was challenging but felt so good and the view was spectacular.

Baily (and her awesome hat) and I during the hike

After the hike we went to a site called Rosh Hanikra. Again the view and the sunset were spectacular.The really cool thing about this place is that you are right on the border of Lebanon. There is an Israeli army base, a UN base, and then you are in Lebanon. It really makes you understand the complex issues of middle eastern politics when you are the centre of it. At the border there is a sign that shows you are only 120km from Beirut and 205km from Jerusalem.

amazing sunset

Day 2 was our break from hiking, but no less eventful than day 1. We started off the day going to a city called misgav am which is really almost at the very tippy top of Israel, again on the border of Lebanon. There were heard a lecture from an american who moved to Israel and has lived in the city for 30 years or so. He was helping us understand who was sending rockets into Israel from Lebanon, why, and what exactly we were looking at across the border. Essentially we were looking at a Hezballah run city. It was intersting to learn that all of south Lebanon is controlled by the Hezballah which are not only a terrorist organization, but they are also the government. Again you start to feel like the politics you read in the newspapers are a lot more realy, and start to hit closer to home. After Misgav am I was in a group that went to an Arab-Israeli high school to interact with Arab-Israeli`s as part of a co-existence. It was a really eye opening and unique experience. As if that were not a long enough day, we went to tour Tzfat after that. We toured the area and then had some free time to get some dinner. Once we got back to the hostel (Tel Hai) we had an optional excursion to the open photography museum, which of course I went to.



The other side of the fence is Lebanon

Day 3 was just as packed as the first 2 days. This was the day we had a choice of the hikes we wanted to do. I chose the Jilabun hike which was considered to be the medium hike. It was amazing! Instead of bordering Lebanon, this time we were bordering Syria, but we were hiking thorugh pre - 1967 Syria. We started at the top where there used to be a Syrian army base. You can see the remnants of all the destroyed buildings. Interesting enough, the only building that is left fully intact is the mosque. This is because Israel will not bomb or destroy religious buildings.I just thought it was a really interesting cultural fact. We hiked down the mountain until we reached a stunning waterfall and we were able to go swimming at the bottom. After the hike was over, we stopped in a druze village to try some food and just relax a little bit. On our way back to the hostel, we stopped at the Naot factory... and no, I did not buy a pair.

The trip was truly amazing. Saw some spectacular views and had a chance to understand the complex political siutation in Israel a little bit more. It was a unique experience to be able to share with such amazing new friends I have made :)

Update

Wow it has been a while since I have updated here. Soooo much has been going on since Rosh Hashana. Every other day has been a holiday so it has been really hard to settle into a routine, but I am still having a blast with my new friends.

The program itself is still going well. We have had some amazing speakers. I didnt always agree with everything they were saying, since a lot of it was politial, it was still really important to have the chance to hear speakers from radically different perspectives. One example was an Arab-Israeli who came in to speak to us about what life is like for Arabs living in Israel. It was quite a controversial lecture based on what he was saying,but to me that was not the important part. what was important was that we were getting to hear his perspective, whether we agreed with it or not.

It is getting to the point that we are finishing ulpan. We move to Jerusalem next week, go on a hike in the Golan and then finally start to work. I cannot wait to start working and find out what exactly I will be doing. It should an amazing experience :) I will keep everyone posted

Rosh Hashana

I cannot believe I have been in Israel for almost 3 weeks. The time seems to be flying by. This past week/end was Rosh Hashana. I had an amazing time visiting with family and friends. Every day on my way to synogogue I passed a tent full of people supporting the return of Gilad Shalit. As on most weekdays, Gilad's parents were sitting in the tent. Many people were walking up to them and wishing them shana tova (a happy new year). As much as I wanted to, I just couldn`t face them and hope that their year will be good. It made me think about my own life and how I should be happy with everything. It could always be worse and we all need to appreciate what we have.

Aside from that, ulpan is going great and my Hebrew is really improving. The holidays definately make me feel a little homesick, but it truly is an amazing feeling to be in Jerusalem. I hope everything continues to go as well as it already is.

Orientation

Wow! what an incredible whirlwind since starting Career Israel. Today was the last day of orientation and then we moved into our apartments in Tel Aviv. Since I will be doing my internship in Jerusalem, I am only in Tel Aviv for 3 weeks for Ulpan (which is a Hebrew language intensive course). Since the program started on wednesday, I have had the opportunity to make 120 new friends. Does that sound overwhelming to you? Well it was! But by putting myself out there and pushing myself to be social, I have already met some amazing people.
 I am really enjoying everything so far. I finally took the kotel tunnel tours and my mind was blown. Being able to touch the western wall as it was built by King Herod and walk on the ancent street with the columns from the market is pretty incredible. In fact, all of the tours we have done so far have been so good. I cannot wait for more :)

I cannot wait for Ulpan to start and me to improve my hebrew.

It begins!

And the trip begins! So happy to finally be in Israel. I left Toronto monday night and arrived in Paris tueday morning. It took me forever to figure out where the train was to leave the aiport. Once I found the train, it took me about an hour to get to my station just outside the marais (the jewish district). I had a very me moment when I got out of the train station on rue du rivoli and realized I knew exactly where I was because I remember the stores that were around me. in essence, H&M was my landmark and from there I knew exacty where to go. I went for lunch at a shwarma place on rue du rosier and just wandered around the streets. As I was walking I saw sign for the holocaust museum and decided to check it out. Turns out it was free, and I really enjoyed my time there. After that, I remembered there was a starbucks near by and went to just sit and relax and surf the web. After a while it was time to go back to the airport tocatch my flight to Israel. I landed in Tel Aviv around midnight and got into jerusalem around 2 am. At that point I pretty much crashed since I barely slept on the airplane. The next few days are my chance to get anything I forgot at home, and to reaquaint myself with the city, since my orientaation starts on tuesday!

Stay tuned for more updates :)

All the world's a stage

I am leaving for Israel later today and I am reminded of a quote by Shakespeare from As You like It "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances".
If this statement would be true, what would my life be? A comedy? A drama? A tragedy? In real life, I think we exist in a little bit of them all. We have our laughs and we have our tears. The people we meet in life have such a great impact on who we are in life. I have been truly blessed with an amazing set of friends (new and old) and family who have all played a helping hand in making me, well, me.

This past week has been so gratifying. Spending time with my amazing friends has made me see the quality in the friendships that I have made so far. Our friendships go beyond our mutual love for shopping, enjoying life, or even the intense debates we sometimes get into. These friendships are for life, and whether life is giving me ups or downs, these are the people I want to share those moments with. My hope is that on this adventure I will make even more new and amazing lasting friendships.

I am not only taking an emotional journey, but a physical one as well. As most of you know, travelling is a huge passion of mine. At times it seems as if I am in a game of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Never knowing which location will be next. Over the past year there have been some long and some short trips, but in short they have been plentifull. LA, New Orleans, Miami, Key West, New York, and buffalo and niagara are all places I have been in the past year that have produced some incredible experiences. I cannot wait to share with you all the new experiences that occur, and stay tuned for where in the world I am. Next stop Paris for the day before finally arriving in Israel!

Welcome

Welcome to the first post of my travel blog!
 In less than four weeks time I will be embarking on a six month trip to Israel and  a stopover in Europe on the way home. I will be spending my time in Israel on a program called Career Israel. This is a program that helps university graduates find internships in their field in Israel. I am extremely fortunate to have gotten my dream internship at the Israel Museum. There will be lots of travelling throughout the six months that I will be in Israel. The program itself take us on tours, but I know that I will make an effort to travel as much as I can on my own time.

On my way home in March, I will be spending 10 days in Europe. As if the first part of my travels were not enough, I was able to extend my Air France flight for 10 days for only an extra $15! When I saw that I knew that I had to take advantage of this incredible opportunity. In life we never know what will happen, and therefore need to jump at every opportunity that arises.

Stay tuned for more adventures!