baaack!

(Sorry for the pause, all. The computer lab closes for Shabbos, so I couldn't post again until now.)

So back on the airplane. There was a big group of Hassids and a few rabbis sitting on the plane with us, at at least three times throughout the trip they stood up to pray. Towards morning, one of them came around to all of the boys on our trip.

"Are you a Jew?" He would ask. And when the boy said yes, without another word, he would wrap tefilin for him. It was bizarre and I think on some level a little offenseive; who's to say that every single one of the boys even WANTED that? It was our first ultra-Israeli cultural experience, though, and definetly an interesting one.

I read 'Damascus Gate' on the plane-- Dad, you were right, it's awesome. Haven't had a chance to read since then, but if I ever have free time ever ever again I most definetly will pick it up.

We arrived in Israel at 5:50 in the evening, totally jetlagged and even more confused. At that point I was mostly hanging out with a girl named Dena, who is quite religious and from Cincinnati. She's a total sweetheart, though, and speaks some Hebrew, so it was nice to have her around as the 35 of us navigated through the airport. At this point I was also hanging out with a sort of strange kid named Jared (can't remember where he's from, but he has a super awkward habit of breaking out in song whenever you say something that reminds him of a showtune. He has a lovely voice, though, so it's cool.) I had also spent a little time with this guy named Jack, who I thiiink is from...okay I have no idea where Jack is from. But he's super rad and an excellent guitar player, and I get to go home-staying with him next weekend! Yay.

But back to my narrative. Because you know I am allll about the narrative.

We arrived at campus in the dark, had a veggies, hummus, potato-cheesy-bread things, super vile kind of pizza, and chunky noodles--also vile. This food definetly foreshadowed the horribleness of things to come. The food here? Sucks. But anyways, first night, food, got our smashing Israel cell phones, met our Madrichim (essentially out counselors) and checked out the dorm. Our Madrichim are tons of fun-- Bar and Yoni. Yoni's originally from New York and is totally excellent, he talks about "people who have a true look in their eyes" all the time and has dreadlocks to the MAXX. Bar is super sweet, and lives on a kibbutz in the north. Her english is a little sketchy, so she almost never talks to the group, but she works really hard, is really funny, and is generally fun to be around. I <3 Madrichim!

Our dorms really aren't as nice as they should be considering how effing MUCH the program costs. We're in Friedman, which is one of the older dorms. It's got two floors, really terrible bathrooms (with flooding showers!), and a minor cockroach problem. I share room #13, right next to the stairwell and the bathroom on the second floor, with Laura, Rachel, and (dun dun DUNN) Samantha. I love Rachel and Laura, but Samantha and I, well, we don't get along so well. I spent the entire night chilling with Ali, Dena, Sam, and Jared, and trying DESPERATELY to avoid her. Good times!


I'm going to have to go for now, there are kids from the other American group on campus who need computers; they just got back from a week-long tiyul. More updates later! I miss and love every one of you.
xoxoxox