Toronto Take Over

*FROM 12/25-12/28*

Ok, so I wrote a long entry in my journal for these past few days but I do not have the energy to write them all up. So I am going to summarize.

After my last post we had havadalah. Which came complete with a lot of tears. Then we had time to get ready for banquet. At 7:30 banquet started in the Belmont with all the staff. We ate dinner and then had the ceremony thanking teachers. Yael and I were the “MCs” so we opened up and did the general studies thank yous. Then other students did Hebrew, upper staff, madrachim and JHist. we also watched the short version of slide show. After Banquet we had time to go change for after party. Which was in the Tzuba Pub (we weren’t aware there was such a thing). We had talent show and then watched the long slide show. Everyone loved it! I was so happy! Then the madrachim surprised us with a video they made for us about their “super powers”. It was so cute! Then we had a dance party. After that I went back to my room to finish letters and relax. Eventually my roommates and I went to bed at 4.

We woke up at 8, went to breakfast, cleaned our rooms, and packed up the bus. Then we met up with out Jewish history teachers at Mt. herzl. I found it really interesting and special that no matter what rank you are, all soldiers are buried the same way and in the same place. After we toured the cemetery we went to the old city for lunch. Then we went to the Kotel. When we went back in aug. I didn’t feel any connection to the wall, but I guess there is something about learning all of Jewish history that creates a connection. After the kotel we went to a look out and had our final few moments with our teachers. Then we went to Ben Yehuda for final shopping and dinner. After that we got on the bus and drove to the airport. Despite the snow on the East coast our plane took off on time. I luckily found myself with 2 seats and was able to sleep for a great amount of the flight. However, we never landed in NYC. We landed in Toronto b/c JFK was closed. We were all in a panic. The kids who had connecting flights has no idea what was going to happen and none of our phones really worked. By the time we got off the plane, went through customs, and got our bags, about half of our group had found a new way to get home. So Judy (who was our staff member) had to deal with making sure they got to the right place, the rest of us got to the hotel, and had to work with the staff in NY. Somehow it all got figured out but we then had to say bye to half our group. The rest of us went to a hotel in downtown Toronto; where we would be resting and relaxing for the rest of the day until we could go back to the airport. While we were at the hotel, a few more kids were able to get flights home and one by one we were dropping like flies. It wasn’t safe to shower, or nap b/c if you did you would miss saying bye to someone (I would know first hand). At 8:30 we met in the lobby with the rest of our flight and got buses back to the airport. We went through the entire check in process again and eventually got on the plane.

I am not really sure what time our flight took off b/c we all fell asleep the second we got on the plane. Because we had lost half our group, there were a ton of seats for us to spread out in. We landed at 4:15 in new york, but had to sit on the plane for another hour and half. It then took 2 hours to get our bags from baggage claim. Once we all had our bags, the 17 surviving kids (all northern east coast kids and one CA girl) walked out to the parents….finally! As much as we loved each other, all of us just wanted to get out of the airport as fast as we could b/c we had been traveling for so long. Mom and I took my bags to the car and went on our way to winter kallah. It only took 48 hours to get back the U.S.

Remember when we still had 4 months left?

Ok so I am posting this early b/c we have banquet and after party all night, so I will not have the time for writing and posting. That being said, I won’t be able to post tomorrow so my post on my last day and half and the flight home will be up after I get home and after winter kallah, once I have regained energy. This morning, I went to my first and last Saturday morning breakfast. I felt like I had to b/c I would never get the chance again. After breakfast, I wrote some letters to people and then went to services. For the torah service, Noah decided that each Jewish History class would get an aliyah and whoever wanted to could read a line of the portion. So, when my class was called up, I decided to read some torah. I was able to read it (with some help here and there from Rachel R. and Noah). After services, we had our last real meal in the Hadar (we aren’t counting breakfast tomorrow as a meal). I am not sure what I am going to do without my apple salad on Shabbat! Then we went back to our rooms to pack, write letters, relax, and in my case find a way to play slide show tonight. Eventually I was able to accomplish all of it, or will be able to in the next few hours (I still have letters to write). After this we are having havdalah and then banquet followed by after party. Then we have our last day in Jerusalem and head off to the airport and back to the exile. I don’t want it to end; 4 months went by way to quickly!

p.s. Merry Christmas!

Packing Day, Last Shabbat and Last Program

Today was extremely long! We woke up at 7:30 and at 8:30 all met in the Belmont so that we could participate in the David Project. Which is an Israeli advocacy program. For 5 hours we discussed the background knowledge and how to defend Israel. We also learned the “ARM” method. In said method, you take the offensive rather than the defensive stance. It was pretty interesting but extremely long! I was so happy when it was over and I got to eat my apple salad! After lunch, we met in the Zula and got our EIE clothing and the mezuzahs we made a few weeks ago. After we got everything back, and we filled out our EIE surveys, we had several hours to pack up all our stuff. It was so upsetting putting all of our stuff in bags. And our room is still a mess of stuff! At 6:30 we had our last Friday night service. We danced and sung and of course had a regular service. It was extremely sad. After that we had dinner and then oneg. But oneg was our last group program. We did the same sort of thing we did for our first Poland program. Aka we sat in a circle and each person passes the rope to someone they wanted to give a wish or “gift” to and then the person said what they gained from the person that passed it do them. The main difference from when we did this for Poland and tonight was that for Poland we each picked a name and talked to a specific person. Tonight, we choose who we passed the rope to and the madrachim were not in the room at all. Everything was all on us. After well over 2 hours of a group heart to heart, I went back to my room to finish slide shows. And mission accomplished, they are done! And now, I am about to embark on my last night in my room…

A relaxing bike ride

This morning we woke up and went on a hike. We focused a little on Israel and water sources. We hiked to a really pretty waterfall. After that we went to the Northern most kibbutz in Israel. From the kibbutz you look right into Lebanon. We listened to the most interesting man speak. He made aliyah when he was 21, joined the army and fought in every major battle since he joined the army. After his 3 mandatory years he moved to this kibbutz and has been defending it since. During the 2nd Lebanon war, he and the other men of the kibbutz saved the kibbutz from destruction while they were being bombed for 36 days straight by the Hezbollah. He told us all about living so close to the boarder and about his interactions over his 70 years of life with the Lebanese. He was so interesting to listen to and really has so much to tell people. After that we made our way to a nature reserve. We ate lunch that we had brought with us and then went on a 8.5 km bike ride around the reserve. It was so pretty and peaceful and a really nice way to end our Security tiyul/ last experience as a group. Then we got back on the bus and started the 3 hour ride back to Tzuba. When we got back, we had time to relax, then dinner, and then had the first of our last 3 programs. We talked about what he have gained from the experience and how it ahs effected us. After our group heart to heart we paid for our EIE clothing (we put the final orders for it in this morning and we already have them! That would never happen in the U.S.). Then I typed up my blogs from the last few days and prepared to pack tomorrow and write letters to my friends (we are writing to people and the counselors are giving them back to us when we leave so we have something special).

Israel's Security

*FROM 12/22*

This morning we had to wake up earlier than we were now used to thanks to the exam schedule (aka 7:45). After breakfast, we got on the bus and drove up into the Mountains. At our first stop we talked about the 6-day war and it’s effect on the Golan. We also talked about Eli Cohen, who pretended to be a Syrian businessman but was really an Egyptian turned spy for the IDF. He helped the IDF find the Syrian bunkers by telling them [the Syrians] to plant eucalyptus trees around the bunkers for protection. These trees were actually a sign for the Israelis so that they would be able to easily find the bunkers; especially b/c the tree wasn’t native to Israel so it was easy to point out. Sadly, the Syrians eventually found out what he was doing and killed him. However, he was a major reason we were successful during the 6-day war. Then, we got on the bus and had an early fast food lunch. After lunch we went to Ben Tal, which was an Israeli Outpost during the Yom Kippur war. We heard a story about Tzveka Gringgold, who was between troops when the war broke out but went out and formed a 3 tank troop anyway. The 2 tanks that he was not in were both hit and were unable to be of fighting use, but that did not stop him from using them to his advantage. He still radioed the other two tanks so that the Syrians would think they were still working. He and his tank also drove from hilltop to hilltop making it seem as if there were multiple tanks shooting. They were able to hold of the Syrians by themselves for 36 hours! Then we walked through a bunker so that we could see what they were like back then and are like today for the soldiers than have to live in them. Next, we got on the bus and drove to a nearby kibbutz where we saw a movie on Oz 77, a tank troop that fought in the Yom Kippur War. When we got of the bus at the kibbutz, we saw something none of us were expecting to see….SNOW! As we drove down the mountain we drove next to both the Syrian and Lebanese boarders. After that we went to the Naot show factory and outlet. I tried on a few pairs of shows but ended up deciding I wouldn’t actually wear them. So, since I wanted to have something to remember the day I bought a small 10 shekel leather heart shaped Naot key chain. Then we got back on the bus and went back to the hostel. When we got back we had a hour to relax and then had dinner. After dinner we had our final class discussions. We talked a lot about how we are going to continue to have Judaism and Israel in our lives back in America. It is so sad to think I won’t be spending 3+ hours a day with my Jewish History class. We have really become such a family and I have gained so much knowledge over the past 4 months that I wouldn’t have without them. In short, the next 4 days are going to be extremely hard. Before EIE I had no idea what to expect and it really just hit me that I have been in a foreign country for 4 months. I feel like I am going to wake up one morning and it is all going to have been a dream.

Done with first semester of junior year and off to the North!

*FROM 12/21*

This morning I woke up, finished studying for Econ., and then actually took my AP Microeconomics exam. Well actually, I just went to the classroom and hung out for a while b/c Kerry was late. Eventually, he came and we were able to start our test. The test wasn’t very econy or at least I didn’t have to use very many economics terms so I am not sure how it went. After I finished my test I went with my roommates to lunch and then finished packing for our trip up North. At 2, we got on the bus and headed up North. After a while we stopped smack dab in the middle of the Carmel forest. We got of the bus and spent a few minutes looking at and learning about the destruction caused by the fire. Then we got back on the bus and headed towards a Druze village. Well actually we went to 2 villages. The first one we had some time to shop in and the 2nd one was where the actual learning took place. We went to a traditional Druze home and learned as much as we are allowed to know about their culture and religion. Then we had a traditional Druze dinner. It was very filling and good. After dinner, we got back on the bus and continued traveling up North. When we got to the hostel, we got our rooms (they decided to make things easy and we were roomed with our roomies from Tzuba). My room was proactive and made sure we got our key first (we did). Then we had time to relax.

Almost done with a semester

So today was a little less boring than yesterday b/c I actually had to study for math and it was the first exam period (1:30). I woke up, studied for a bit on my own, and then went to the Belmont b/c Steve came in early to help us with final review (it was also to make-up for the fact that we missed a few class periods). I reviewed for about an hour with him and then went to lunch and relaxed for a bit. Steve also decided that we could start our test a half hour early so that we would have extra time. The exam for the most part wasn’t too bad but there were definitely some tough questions. After the test, I started packing up my stuff. Which wasn’t my original plan. I was just going to pack for the security tiyul and then relax! But somehow it escalated and I just started packing up all my sutff. It is extremely bitter sweet (especially b/c I got my final e-mail for winter kallah this afternoon). I am excited to go home and see everyone, but I don’t want to leave my EIE family.
(btw speaking of packing for the security tiyul, I won’t have my computer until Thursday night b/c we are leaving tomorrow for 2 days up north). After packing, rotting my brain with mtv (b/c it is the only thing ever on), dinner, and announcements, I studied for my last final! Tomorrow before we leave for the tiyul, I take my Econ. exam. I am kind of nervous but hopefully I will do well. Then I relaxed and talked to some people from home. But now I am going to sleep and in less than 12 hours will be done with first semester of junior year!

Exam Schedule is boring

Today was the first of three days of general studies exams. We had no specific time to wake up as long as we were at our exams on time. My only exam today wasn’t until 4 pm. So I had all day to do whatever I wanted. I woke up at 9 so that I would be able to go to breakfast (it ended at 9:30). Then I worked on slide show a bit and studied for physics. Basically to sum up my day, I was extremely bored. Sitting in my room, by myself, was just boring. So much so that I got sleepy and took a nap. Luckily, I woke up before my exam. I even had time to skype with mom. At 4 I took my physics exam, it was pretty easy and I was able to finish within a half hour. But then I had even more free time and nothing to do b/c I wasn’t planning on studying for math until after dinner. So, dory, yael, sara and I watched mtv and then went to dinner. After dinner we had announcements and I had a banquet meeting. After that, Lior came to my room to read my writings and watch the slide shows so he would know what else had to be done. Then I attempted to study and concentrate but it didn’t go well. So I decided to wake up early tomorrow and study then. Then Dory came over so I could teach her how to do her math for her test tomorrow and now I am going to bed.

Girls Night

Well its Saturday so you know what that means…. sleeping in! Woohoo! Then as usual we had services and then lunch (there was no apple salad!). After lunch we had free time until 6. So we finished Fame and then at 2 went to listen to Yoni’s grandpa speak about his experience during WW2 and fighting in the Haganah (a resistance group fighting for Israeli independence). He was the cutest old man and he has witnessed so much in his 90 years of life. After we listened to him, I went back to my room and instead of studying worked on slide show (I am almost done with the after party version, I still need to do the short version for banquet). At 6 we had havdalah and then all the girls piled into 2 vans and went to Hadas’s house for girl’s night. We made cookies and brownies, ate pizza, relaxed, and most people (except Kendra, Sivan, and I) made waist beads. But eventually we had to go back to Tzuba so that everyone could have time to study. But we get to wake up whenever we feel like it tomorrow as long as we are up for our exams, so instead of studying I worked on slide show b/c figure I can study for physics sometime before my exam at 4 tomorrow (I mean I am going to study a little tonight).

Cupcakes in Cones!?!

This morning we woke and took our Jewish History final! It wasn’t too hard but my essay took forever b/c we have learned so much this semester and there was so much I wanted to include. After we finished we had free time to go to lunch and just relax until 6:30. Our room had a party. I worked on slide show, we had various visitors, we watched some European mtv, and we cleaned our room. It was so nice just to relax and have fun and not stress. At 6:15 (our cab came early), Maddy, Mikah, Eleni and I got into a cab and headed for D Sol’s house. The four of us had won the EIE article thingy we had a while ago and won dinner at D Sol’s cooked by him and Jen (a math and government teacher who is also in charge of SAT prep and who is in charge of EIE marketing. OMG dinner was soo good. It started with a cream of mushroom soup and fresh challah, followed by a really good salad, caramelized carrots, mashed potatoes, and a lemon honey chicken. For dessert Jen made spice cupcakes with homemade icing and cupcake cones (they were chocolate cupcakes with homemade vanilla icing and chocolate sprinkles). I had no idea u could make a cupcake in a ice cream cone or then Jen was a baker and cake decorator. She informed me that in order to make such a cupcake u simply make the batter and pour it into the cones and bake it. Dinner was so good and it was nice to have a dinner with people that I know but haven’t really gotten to fully know this trip. Then D Sol drove us back to Tzuba b/c he had to check in on the sick kids. We got back and had free time for the rest of the night. So I just hung out and watched Fame with Eleni and then did some random things. It is so weird to think I am done with Jewish History class. We have one more long (overnight) tiyul and have a short one the day we leave but we don’t have to take notes anymore and they are a little more relaxed. I can’t believe things are almost over.

p.s. fun fact- if I had been home today I could have gotten my license ☹

Last Classes :(

Today was our last day of classes. In Hebrew we got our Newspaper we wrote along with a sweet letter from Judy. Seeing as today was our party day in Hebrew class, she brought cookies. But she told us that we had one final test to pass her class, she wanted to see if we had internalized Hebrew. The test went as follows, put your hand in the cookie container with your eyes closed, keeping your eyes closed figure out what letter the cookie is (they were Hebrew letters), once Judy has said you were correct, eat the cookie, there by internalizing it into your stomach. As if Judy saying we still had one final test didn’t scare us enough she then told us we had all failed our tests. Next thing we knew we were being handed our original Hebrew placement tests we took at the beginning of the trip. It was amazing to look at the test and think that in 4 months we were able to learn everything on the test. Then Judy gave us back our real finals (I got a 100%). Then we read over the newspaper, ate some cookies, and danced and sang our favorite songs we had learned in Hebrew. We started Jewish History off with a presentation on civil marriage in Israel and one on Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut. Then Ariella passed around pieces of paper that all had different pictures from various important tiyulim we have taken this semester. We passed them around the room and everyone wrote memories or something they had learned that day. We then decided to finish the activity outside, sitting on the grass. Picture by picture we went around discussing what we had learned from each tiyul. I forgot how much we have really done and been able to learn this semester. After we finished the activity we went around in a circle and talked about how Jewish History has affected our lives within the last 4 months. For the first time I really realized how much I have learned and been able to experience on this trip and how amazing everything we have done is. After Jewish History we proceeded with our final general studies classes. It was sad being in our classrooms for the last time. I brought my camera with me to classes, making sure that I would have pictures of each of my teachers and classes. After dinner, we had announcements as usual and then the winners of superlatives were announced and we took pictures of them for the yearbook (each category had 2 winners so that everyone would win one- I won most likely to be on Broadway). Then we all went back to our rooms to study for our big Jewish History final that is tomorrow morning! So now I am going to go continue studying so that I don’t fail

Mixed feelings- ignorance, saddness, and enjoyment

When I woke up this morning I had no desire to get up and go to my classes. But I had too. Instead of Hebrew class we watched a movie. It was really good! It was about this kid who everyone thinks is dumb but actually is a genius. He also has to deal with taking care of his grandfather who is very old, (but hilarious and kind) cooking for his family, calming his family members down about his fathers cheating on his mom and other issues. I highly suggest it. It is called Ha-Kochavim Shel Shlomi (which means Shlomi’s Stars) or Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi (that is the English title). After Hebrew we had JHist. It was our last completely normal class. We talked about the Intifada, security fence (I did a presentation on it), and peace negotiations. My general studies today were fine. It is sad to think that tomorrow is my last class with all these teachers. Even though I may not have liked them all at the beginning, I now can’t imagine any other teacher. It is going to be super weird going home to a class that has way more than 1-5 other kids. After announcements tonight we had a speaker from Stand with Us come talk to us about advocating for Israel. I was so surprised by all the information we heard. I had no idea that Anti-Israel feelings were such a problem on many U.S. college campuses. Then a few kid from my Jewish History class and I finished our t-shirt design. When we were done, I went back to my room to shower, study, fill out my convention workshop choices (thank you for the help mom and Ashley) and made myself some homemade hot chocolate (how u ask…. a few pieces of dark chocolate, milk, and a microwave). At around 11:20 we all went to Dory’s room and sung happy birthday to her. Now I am back in my room and going to bed in preparation for my last day of school.

Cake Tornados

This morning we woke up and took our Hebrew finals. Mine was ok, there were a few parts I had trouble on but hopefully I did well. In Jewish History we learned about the Lebanon War and a little about the Ethiopian and Russian aliyot. My econ. teacher was here today so we actually had class. During class we also learned that our dream has come true…he is starting a business plan to create a kosher Mexican restaurant in Israel and other areas where a kosher Mexican restaurant is needed (I am very excited! I told him I would be e-mailing him for updates when I am home). The rest of my classes were fine and when I went back to my room after math I walked in to find that a cooking tornado had hit room 111. My roommates were in the midst of making one of the many parts to Dory (one of our friends) birthday presents. After announcements my end of the semester committee (final banquet committee) had a meeting. For once there were more than 3 of us there and we were actually productive! We came up with some really amazing ideas but they are going to take a lot of time and work. However, I can not revel any of the information in this blog so you will have to wait until the 26th or until I get home. After that I went back to my room to do homework. At midnight, Mikah, Mishala, Sara and I went to Dory’s room and surprised her with presents, the card Mishala and I bought for her the first week here (she loved it), and her homemade pudding, oreo, and sprinkle cake (that was the cooking tornado this afternoon). We surprised her, sang happy birthday, and ate her cake. But then we decided getting yelled at for being loud and not in our room way past curfew wouldn’t be good so we said goodnight and went back to our room.

Mock Knesset

So apparently the world has chosen to make the days go by slowly starting now. Usually, this would be seen as a good thing (a only 14 days left take it all in type of thing). However, when it is your last week of school you just want it to be over with. We woke up to rainstorms this morning and it was extremely cold. In Hebrew we played guess who (in Hebrew) and reviewed for our test. Instead of regular Jewish History today we had a mock Knesset. We were divided into 6 parties and had to research platforms and give a presentation. I was a member of Shas, an ultra orthodox party, which no one on EIE agrees with, so during our presentation we were given a lot of angry questions. After our Knesset we had lunch and then regular classes. My econ. teacher wasn’t here again but instead of not having class, we had it over the phone. Normally, that would be challenging but we have slide shows of the information so it was easy to do over the phone. Then I went to the rest of my classes. When we went to the zula for announcements, we found out that we were having a speaker. A rabbi and representative came to talk to us about List College and how if we attended we could get a double degree (one from List and one from Columbia). He also talked about his Passover haggadah that he wrote and drew pictures for. Overall, the hour long presentation was not much fun. Afterwards, I went to my room to do homework. But in the process I also got distracted my both mikah and yael and called grammy and poppy to say happy anniversary. Now I am going back to studying for my Hebrew final (its tons of fun)

How much can they plan in one day

Well although it isn’t as cold here as it is at home, we have all pulled out our north faces and uggs and put the flip-flops away. This morning it was absolutely freezing and we had the heat on full blast in Hebrew. However, the cold, rain, and sand stroms, made us all very tried and it was hard to concentrate. But I made it through. The rest of my classes went by fairly quickly. In Jewish History, Ariella went over what our final would consist of so that we could be prepared for Friday and review day. Then we talked about the Camp David accords and attempts at peace. I didn’t have econ. today b/c my teacher was sick so I had a free period to relax which was nice. Then I had physics, English, and math. Classes are winding down and we don’t have much time left so they weren’t very hard to deal with. After dinner and announcements we made tiles. It was pretty fun but also time consuming. I finished with about a half hour to do homework before committee meetings at 10. Our meeting didn’t go well and it is extremely challenging when there are only 3 people in your committee and the staff expects you to do more than you have time to do. (they also don’t tell you important details). After meetings (we never finished ours), we had a surprise. Which was Preston cutting off his hair so he can donate it. (for those of u who don’t know Preston he has/had a huge curly wild mess of hair. It was a big deal and everyone ran to the zula to see him cut it off. I stayed for most if the cutting but then went back to my room to attempt to get homework done.

I ♥ Fondue and Free time

Yay for Saturdays! I slept in until 10 and then worked on slide show and my Jewish History project for a while until I had to go to services. After services we had lunch, where I was expecting apple salad, but there was none (there was none at dinner too!). After lunch we had free time until 5:45 (it was a lot of free time). I watched some Harry Potter, worked on slide show, worked on Jewish History, and Hebrew. It was nice to be able to have a lot of time to get things done. At 5:45 we had havdalah and then dinner. At dinner we were told that in fact we would not be going to the mall tonight b/c yet again the bus had fallen through. Not going to the mall actually made my life easier b/c I was trying to figure out if I wanted to go or not. After dinner, I continued working and I skyped with mommy. It was nice to be able to talk to her since she is always busy with work during the week. Then we got a mass text saying that at 8:45 there would be fondue and a movie to make up for the lack of the mall. I was thrilled at the idea of fondue! There were apples, strawberries, bananas, pretzels, and kosher marshmallows (but they aren’t good). Then I went back to my room, talked to mom again, and talked to some people from home. Now I am attempting to put pictures on facebook and working on my Jewish History project. Hopefully I can make it through this last week of school.

Better than expected

This morning when I woke up I thought today was going to suck. It was supposed to rain and we were on our way to some electric car place and only kids who were 17 and had licenses were going to be able to drive. That being said today didn’t suck. Our bus came so late that no one (except the staff a better place –the car place) got to drive and it was actually really cool. We went to Better Place, which is a company that is producing electric cars. They have already started replacing taxis in Japan with electric cars and are going to be starting a replacement in San Francisco next year. After we rode around in the cars we got back on the bus and went to IDC. IDC is a college in Israel that has an international English speaking school. I never ever planned on thinking about going to college abroad but the program actually sounds really cool. Kids from 80 countries come and study government, economics, communications, business, or computer science and get the BA in Israel. After our tour we went to a mall for lunch and then back to Tzuba. When we got back we had about 2 hours of free time before services. During free time I got a call from Michal (cousin) saying they had leftover food from some event and wanted to bring it to my friends and me. So next thing I know, we had a box of brekas. After services and a little more free time we had dinner. It was my first Friday night dinner on Tzuba in a while so I was very excited for my apple salad and piece of chicken. At 9:15 we had oneg, where we learned that contrary to what we had been told yesterday, we are not seeing harry potter tomorrow. Which means it better still be in theaters when I get home! The actual oneg tonight was optional. It was a movie so they couldn’t make kids stay to watch for 2 hours. I decided that I never really participate in oneg/am usual still at the cousins so why not. The movie was good and it was cool b/c it was filmed all around Jerusalem so I knew exactly where they were in most scenes. But the movie was also kinda scary and reminded me of a movie that gave me nightmares in middle school so I was a little freaked out after (but I am all good now). Then I went back to my room and got ready for bed.

Your options after EIE

This morning in Hebrew we worked a little on past tense and then had about an hour to work on our projects. Yael and I went to the school (which is more like an activities center) on the kibbutz in hopes of interviewing one of the kids. Since all but one of the older kids (7th grade) were at school on a different kibbutz, we were only able to interview one kid. We asked him a few questions, took a picture of the school, and then went back to my room to type up or articles. In Jewish History we studied the Yom Kippur War and Golda Meir. General studies were fine, but went by very slowly. After dinner, we had alumni night. It was cool to see so many old EIE students come back and tell us all about the programs they participated in after EIE. We also talked to some of them about adjusting back into home life when we get back. It got all of us a little afraid for what’s to come in a few weeks. After we talked to them and asked them questions, we had free time. So I worked on the slide show for Final Banquet.

Final Projects

This morning we got to sleep until normal time, which was nice b/c until curfew last night we thought we had morning services. In Hebrew, we continued learning past tense. We also got out final assignment. We are writing a newspaper in Hebrew! Instead of a regular Jewish History class we all went to the Belmont and watched a movie about high school graduates being drafted during the war of attrition. We ended JHist. a little early in order to take our Fall 2010 picture. After that we had general studies. Then we usual, I had my off period, dinner and announcements. During classes the air smelled like something was being fried in a ton of oil and a lot of us thought we would be having latkes and sufganiyot for dinner, but we were wrong. After announcements we lit the Hanukkah candles for the last time and then had another lice check (I still passed). At 9 those of us on committees for our final projects had meetings (the committees are for yearbook, shirts, final banquet, the after party, and teacher presents- I am on the final banquet committee). Our meeting went really well and we have some really good ideas for final banquet. Then I went back to my room and instead of working on my Hebrew project or studying I started facebook stalking to find pictures to use for the slide show…. ☺

Today was a good day

Today we had a normal day of school, normal wake up and normal classes. In Hebrew we started learning past tense. Towards the end of class, our madrachim walked in with a special surprise, sufganiyot. As much as I am trying not eat sufganiyot and other treats, I figured it is Hanukkah and I will never have another Hanukkah in Israel were you can find sufganiyot everywhere, so why not take advantage. In Jewish History we talked about the results of the 6-day war and land disputes (we got into a little debate over what to do with all the territories). During lunch, I had a meeting with Ariella. We went over the parasha that the NFTY convention d’var torah competition is based on (I am thinking of entering). As usual, after lunch I had my general studies classes. Then during my hour off I was actually successful in getting stuff done. After dinner, I continued my success and even had time to watch some Harry Potter with Sara before announcements and candle lighting at 9:30. After candle lighting, Preston and I finally had time to call Ronen (our old camp unit head) and see if we can meet up with him before we go back to the U.S. We are hoping to see him sometime this weekend. Then I went back to my room, edited my English assignment, sent it in, got ready for bed, and continued watching Harry Potter with my roommates. Overall, I would say it has been a pretty good day ☺

Welcome to Winter!

This morning we got up early just to have the bus come late. Today was also the first rainstorm Israel has had in a year! Luckily, it helped put out the fire in Haifa. Sadly though, a good portion of our tiyul was outside and it was cold (not a good combination). Our tiyul had 2 parts, but the 2nd one got caught short. First we went to Ammunition Hill and learned about the 6-day war. While we were there we saw a movie that wasn’t really a movie but was way cooler. Basically it used a model of Israel and a bunch of lights and narration. But the lights also had animation (aka small car things but they were lights that moved across the model). It was really cool. Then we walked through some of the trenches (quickly though b/c it was raining and we were wet.) After that we went through the museum and then got on the bus to go visit Hebrew University. Sadly however, our bus couldn’t get through the gate we needed to go through to get in so we settled for 15 min. looking out at the view. Then we went back to Tzuba for general studies. It was nice to walk into my room and have heat since I was freezing. We got back with extra time before 1st period started so once I finished lunch I had plenty of time to finish my homework. It didn’t take long to finish my work, so we had a roommate bonding session and watched Harry Potter. Then we had to go to class. All my classes went by pretty quickly (which was weird considering rain usually makes me tired). My econ. teacher found Micro power points that cover all of our material so we go over them in class and barely have to take notes, which is nice. He also e-mailed us the presentations so we will have them for reference. During my free period, I actually relaxed for once. It was wonderful. I watched some shows and did some pre-back to school shopping research (aka I looked at the Nordstrom website for a long while). Sara, Izzy, Mikah and I went to dinner early and then had time to relax in our room until announcements. For once, announcements were done efficiently and quickly. After we lit the candles I went to go do homework and actually finished it! Woohoo!

Dear College Board, I guess we meet again

So this morning I woke up and took the SATs. There isn’t much to report about them other than they were more difficult and more challenging than I expected at certain points. I will just have to wait until the end of the month to see how I did. We finished right after lunch (1st period) started so of course we all went straight to the dinning hall. I ate quickly so I would have time to relax before I started the long school day I still had ahead of me. However, my relaxing was quickly compromised by the Jewish history essay that is due in the morning. Normally I would have just waited until after classes and announcements but I had mezuzah making tonight. While I was upset that it took away time from writing my 2 essays and doing the rest of my homework it was pretty fun. After that we lit the Hanukkah candles and I went back to my room to attempt to finish my assignments. But I didn’t have much time and am still trying to finish it all. So I am going to go attempt to finish and go to sleep at a reasonable time, especially b/c we have early wake up for a tiyul tomorrow.

Dinner with Ariella

Oh how I love sleeping. As I always do on Shabbat I slept in and ate in my room. At 11 we had Shabbat morning services. This morning, along with a regular service, one of the girls on our trip had her bat-mitzvah. After services, we had lunch and then free time until 4. So I worked on my Jewish History essay. At 4, my JHist. Class and one other class got on the bus and headed towards our teachers houses for dinner. It is so cool and weird that it is perfectly normal for us to go to our teachers house for dinner. We had dinner with Ariella, her husband, and their adorable one-year-old. They made sweet potato latkes and other delicious foods. After dinner we had havdalah and lit the Hanukkah candles. Then we had sufganiyot and had the opportunity to look at Ariella’s wedding album, her daughters first year album, and pictures of her from here community service and army training (those were a little embarrassing for her). It was so nice of our teachers to invite us over for dinner and we had a really good time. When we got back to Tzuba we had a little free time and then announcements. After announcements Sara and I decided to watch Harry Potter as a way to relax and prepare for the SAT tomorrow. Now I am going to sleep so that I have a good nights rest before my big test.

Homemade food makes teens happy

So this morning was pretty not interesting. I woke up and had an SAT prep marathon. We had an hour and half of English and then an hour and half of math. Then we had an hour of mock practice (we did one English and one math session). After all of the SAT prep we had lunch and then free time. During free time, Sara and I decorated all of our presents for our secret Santa. At 3 we left for services in the German colony. We split into 2 groups and went to 2 different modern orthodox synagogues. Services were kind of boring b/c we couldn’t really follow what was going on but we made the best of it. When we got back I left for dinner with the cousins. We went to Shai’s dad and step-moms apartment in Jerusalem to celebrate with all of his siblings and their families. We got to dinner late so there wasn’t a lot of food food but it was ok b/c I wanted to save room for dessert. There were store bought sufganiyot, cakes, and my favorite, Michal and Maya’s homemade sufganiyot. After everyone ate their fill of desserts, all the mom’s decided to give me the leftovers to take back to Tzuba to share with my friends (they were very happy to eat the sufganiyot). Michal, Shai, Maya, and Itay also gave me a small but cute present and so did Shai’s parents. It was so sweet of all of them. When I got back to Tzuba my roommates were very happy with the presents I brought back. Then we just hung out in our room, watching shows and relaxing.

Israeli version of georgetown cupcake

As a Hanukkah present we got to sleep in until 8:15 this morning. In the hour and 15 minutes we had before we had to be on the bus we had to get ready, eat breakfast, and buy our secret Santa (it has a weird Israeli name too but secret Santa is easier) presents. I was really on top of things and was even able to secretly give my person their present. (We are giving presents every other day). Then at 9:30 we got on the bus and headed up north to have a Hanukkah day with the Israeli kids. When we got to their school we quickly moved to our respective buses for our mitzvah projects. We weren’t given a choice on where we were going so I went to a food-packaging place. We made Hanukkah food packages. In the middle of making boxes I was told to go up stairs to make candy packages for kids in the hospital. After about an hour and a half of packaging we got on the bus and went back to their school. Right when we got back we went to the dining hall and had lunch and then we split up into 4 groups for centers. There was dodge ball, a Hanukkah quiz, jelly taste testing, and playing dreidel (I won my game). Then we had a torah study and discussed western influence on Israel but focused on Israeli youth. After that we had a sufganiyot snack and then lit the candles and had a talent show (I didn’t perform). When the talent show was over we got on the bus and headed back to Tzuba. Along the way we stopped for dinner so I had a mozzarella, pesto, and chicken sandwich from aroma. Then we walked around a bit and ran into a sufganiyot stand. There were soo many different kinds! And I found the perfect one. I saw it as my chocolate cubed Georgetown cupcake just in sufganiyot form. It had a chocolate filling with chocolate icing and chocolate sprinkles on top. It was absolutely wonderful. Then I bought myself a Hanukkah present of new headphones b/c mine decided to break yesterday. We got back to Tzuba around 10. I showered, straightened my hair, and called ally to say happy birthday. Now it is late and I have a ton of SAT prep tomorrow so I am posting this and going to bed.

Secret ammunition factories under bakeries and landury rooms

Today we had a full day tiyul. We started the morning off by going on a little hike to a point were we could see the main highway. During the war of independence convoys would travel on the highway trying to get to Jerusalem trying to get supplies in. After that we had a nice drive to a kibbutz where Jewish teens were secretly making ammunition. We got to go into the room underground where all of their secret activities were happening. They didn’t tell anyone and had to come up with a bunch of lies so that they wouldn’t ever be suspected of anything. After our tour we ate lunch and then got back on the bus to go to Tel Aviv. We went to what was the first mayor’s house. It was also the sight at which David Ben Gurion declared the state of Israel. It was pretty neat to be where such a monumental event, in modern history, occurred. Then we got back on the bus and went to Tzuba. When we got back I had some free time before SAT prep. I also had to eat before class b/c dinner would be over by the time we finished. Luckily, Sara and I went to dinner early enough that there were still latkes ☺. There was also wannabe sufganiyot (jelly donuts). Sadly though there was no applesauce b/c apparently applesauce and latkes don’t go together in this country. (But its ok b/c I had some pink applesauce before I went to dinner). After SAT prep I had some free time and then we all met in the Belmont to light the candles. We split into groups of 2 and each lit a hanukkiah. Then we had mandatory lice checks but don’t worry I am clear. By that time it was already 10:45 so we basically had to be in our rooms. So I talked to Rachel Weiner (well actually I have done that a lot today) and skyped with Naomi. Now I am going to bed and am going to hope that my phone starts working again. P.s. HAPPY HANUKKAH!!!!! Guess what: a great miracle didn’t happen there it happened HERE!