Megiddo/Armageddon
Took a little day trip up north today. A friend and I went to this archaeological site called Megiddo. It is thousands of years old and the interesting thing about it is that there are about 30 different cities built on top of each other. The city of Megiddo was a central point on a really busy trading route, so everyone who conquered the land destroyed the city, and then rebuilt it. Another reason it is a famous site is because it is supposedly where Armageddon, or the final war to end all wars, is going to occur (according to the Christian gospel). So, it was pretty cool to see it, although it kind of just looked like a bunch of stones piled on top of each other. I wish I was better at imagining how it was...but I'm not. Oh well. Was cool to see anyway. Another crazy thing happened today! After getting off the bus at Megiddo, we had to walk for a bit to the actual site. Well, as were crossing this main road, we see this woman flagging down all these cars. Of course, no one stops...because she was crazy!! All of her stuff was practically in the middle of the road and she was pretty messy looking and had really frizzy big hair. Well, as my friend and I were crossing the road, I see her running after us yelling something. The light was red, so we couldn't walk across yet, but there were no cars coming and I wasn't going to wait for this woman to catch up to us. Anyway, I start running and tell my friend Jessie to run. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough! This woman headed straight for me! She caught up to me, and started pulling at my back pack. She got it open and tried to take my sweater!! My friend Jessie practically pushed her over and I started yelling at her in hebrew. She was CRAZY! I couldn't help but start cracking up after that, out of shock. I still can't believe that happened. Mishuga! That means crazy person in hebrew. Anyway, that was the event of the day. I am still laughing over it. So, that was that. Went for a swim at the beach after that. Gotta love the ocean. And also love living a bike ride away from it! Ok, bye for now...

week of holidays
Hello Hello. So, I am trying to keep this little journal up and running. I am already enjoying looking back on what I have written so far :) Not enough pictures though, huh? I will try to include some with this entry. Ok, so where to start? Well, this past week was a week of holidays, some happy and some not so happy. One day was the soldier memorial day. Most people went to the graves of lost family members or friends. Nothing was open really and nothing on tv or radio except memorial shows and songs...almost like the whole country was in mourning for a day. Well, that didn't last long! It was just that day (last wednesday, I think?), and then at night was the start of Yom Hatzmaaut, or Independence Day. Kind of like July 4th, except in May!

Right outside of my grandfather's house is this square, now known as Kikar Rabin, or Rabin Square. It was where Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. It is basically kind of the epicenter of all the holidays in Tel Aviv. Memorials were held there during Holocaust and soldier memorial days, and then on Independence Day...wow! So many people all gathered around to watch fireworks and performers! It was really cool. A lot of families there and little kids running around armed with cans of shaving cream. Just a little sidenote...it's so not cool to give shaving cream to small Israeli children! They are dangerous and have no shame in spraying anyone that walks by! Anyway, that was fun. That night, I went to a house party with a friend. It was ok, but I kind of wished I had stayed in Tel Aviv because I heard from another friend that there were huge bonfires on the beach, which is something that I would have really loved to see. Oh well...next holiday :)

Oh yea, also last week Israeli won the Final Four in the championships for basketball. The Final Fours were in Russia, and when Israel won last Sunday, oh wow. Again, Kikar Rabin was PACKED with people. Big parties on the streets. People celebrating and going crazy. I will post some pictures I took. It was pretty cool. I am continually amazed at how advanced this little country is for being such a small and young country. For only being an independent country for 57 years, Israel has had some amazing accomplishments. There are so many high-tech companies here. There is an amazing music scene. Culture is everywhere. Some of the sports team are ranked among the top teams in the world. It's just so amazing. Being here on Independence Day, I was really proud to be a part of it. It's really amazing to me that Israel has lasted this long and as cheesy and biased as it may sound, I hope Israel continues to grow and prosper. This small country has a lot to offer to the world...I just wish there was more agreement and less discord.

Although the country is advanced in so many ways, like I said, there are still some areas where there is just blatant "traditional" ways of thinking. I think traditional is the word to use here...You'd be amazed at how much racism there is over here. I couldn't believe it when I first got here. Not just between Jews and Arabs, but even among Jews. The darker-skinned Jewish people, called Yemens, are considered black. And forget about the Ethiopian Jews...although much is being done to bring them over here, many Israelis are not so welcoming. I remember being at a club when I first got here. I was with a bunch of guys and one of them was Yemen. Well, EVERYONE got into the club except the one Yemen guy. We seriously waited for an hour for him to get "selected" by the stupid bouncer to get in. Finally, I pulled out the American card and said it was my first night there and blah blah blah...just to get this guy in. I was so in shock and disgusted. I mean, you'd think that of all people, the Jewish people would not be discriminating of others, especially people of the same religion! Wow.

Anyway, other than that, things are going well over here. I am feeling much more adjusted to living here. Hebrew is getting better, although right now I am also learning English because I am studying for the GREs! That's right, I am going to apply to graduate school next fall! Don't know where yet, but that's the next step. Right now, it's just about killing the GREs, which I have confidence that I can do. Just takes some time and effort. So, that's all for now. I am going to try and post some pictures. I am putting an album from the trips I took during my vacation week...I think it's the second entry...so check out those pictures. And here are some more! Since this isn't really a letter, I can't say I miss you all, but for all my family and friends reading this, know that I miss you and am thinking about you. xoxo---Alina

Oh, by the way, I have not uploaded the pics yet onto my computer, but check out the ones I just posted under the entry "week of travelling in the holy land"

Beach Time
Hello again...today is Saturday a.k.a Shabbat. It is so hot here! I went to the beach today...wow, I have NEVER seen so many people on a beach. Literally, there was no space between people! It was kind of weird, but funny too. There are these guys who come to the beach and sell ice cream and pita and they just walk around yelling out the goods they have. I guess each guy has his "selling area", but it's so funny to see them fight with each other over who is going to sell where, and also to fight with the customers about who is going to come over to whom! Like, this guy selling pita (who was wearing a really funny chinese straw hat) was yelling at this guy who wanted a pita that he wasn't going to go all the way back to where he came from...the guy had to come over to him! It was pretty amusing. EVERYONE goes to the beach on Shabbat I think. There's not much else to do. Anyway, just wanted to write a quick entry. My toe is doing better, even though it looks kind of crooked! I might be going to a doctor tomorrow with my grandpa. Still hard to walk, but am loving my bike! Ok, that's all for now. Bye :)

Yom HaShoa
Tonight is the beginning of Yom HaShoa, the day of remembrance for the six million people that died in the Holocaust. The streets are empty, everything is closed. Kind of a solemn feel everywhere. Tonight I went with my grandfather to this synagogue outside of Tel Aviv for a memorial service...my grandfather lost his mother, sister, and three of his brothers in the concentration camps. The synagogue we went to was built by people from my grandfather's hometown in Czechlosovakia, where he lived before WWII. They raised money and recently built this beautiful temple. The whole memorial was in Hebrew, so I didn't know what was going on a lot of the time, but the coolest thing was to see the people there...so many of them had the light eyes and the light coloring that I have. I am so used to seeing dark people over here, and I felt like I was really seeing where I came from when I saw all these people. Light eyes and darker hair...it was so cool. I also met a second cousin of my grandfather's...he is younger than my grandfather by about twenty years, but they look so alike in the face. It was like I was seeing a younger version of my grandfather! Really cool.

So, that is what is happening in Israel today. The next week is filled with more holidays...memorial for the holocaust, a day of remembrance for all the Israeli soldiers, and Independence Day (yea! fun parties too!) Oh yea, I broke my toe yesterday! Yes, for all those who know me, know that I am a big klutz. Completely normal for me to fall, but as of yet, I had not broken anything! Well, now I am hobbling along the streets. Hurts to walk. My friend calls me "hop-along". haha :) I bought a bike today. I am so excited to take it on the boardwalk and just ride and ride along the ocean. So beautiful. Ok, enough of my rambling! I'll write more soon! ----Alina

week of travelling in the
Wow, I never really know how to start these things. I guess I will start with Passover...a big holiday over here. In America, Passover is not such a big deal, or at least it wasn't with my family. Just a small seder and end of story. Not over here. I guess you could kind of relate Passover here to Easter in America. It's a big holiday. The first night of Passover was last Saturday night, April 23rd. It was so great to be here. 15 cousins, aunts, and uncles all got together at my great-aunt's house to have a huge dinner. It's been a while since I have been around that much family at once, but it was so great! Getting to know my family over here is one of the best things about being in Israel.

So, that was Saturday night. Sunday was also a holiday...not really sure exactly what it was about, except that it had to do with Passover and no driving allowed if you're religious! Kind of like Shabbat, but on Sunday. Anyway, this whole week I had a break from the university. It is like spring break for the students here. They all go down to the south of Israel and party it up in Eilat. I was planning on finding a last-minute deal to Turkey, but it didn't end up working out with the friend I wanted to go with. So instead, I made little trips all around Israel. It was so much fun!

Monday, I hung out at the beach in Tel Aviv with a couple friends. Tuesday, two of my friends and I went to Ein Gedi on the Dead Sea (in Hebrew called Yam Hamelach, or The Salt Sea). It was SO beautiful there. We went to a spa where you pay at the front to use their beach and mud baths! I will post some pictures of that. It was really fun. The mud was so cool. You put it all over your body and then bake in the sun and then wash it off. It's fun except after a while, it hurts to move because the mud gets so dry and starts cracking! We spent the whole day at Ein Gedi. So beautiful and peaceful there...a large body of water surrounded by desert mountains. Amazing.

So, after our "spa" day, we caught a bus back to Jerusalem. It was my first time in Jerusalem since I have been in Israel, which is about two months now. Wow, Jerusalem is something else! It's a whole world away from Tel Aviv! You walk up the streets and see ultra-orthodox Jews walking around with their robes and big hats and little curls that they grow long by their ears! It's a totally different feeling there too...more peaceful and calm. Maybe because it was also a holiday, but I just got a totally different feeling on the streets. I was supposed to go back to Tel Aviv that night, but one of my friends and I randomly decided to stay in Jerusalem. We found a hostel and got a room and then walked around the city for a bit. Found a little bar to sit at and then went back to the hostel for some much-needed sleep. The next day, we walked through the market, where everyone is trying to sell EVERYTHING. It's hard to get through it and you cannot escape without twenty different people asking you where you are from and if you'd like to buy something. After the market, we visited the Kotel, or the wall of the old temple (a.k.a the Wailing Wall) There were SO many people there. Tourists and non-tourists...all there because it was a holiday. Literally, I think there were about 800 people there! Incredible. We strolled around Jerusalem a bit more after that and then got a bus back to Tel Aviv. That was on Wednesday...

Wednesday night, I slept over at my great aunt's house and at 5 a.m. on Thursday, set out with my grandpa, great-aunt, and cousins to Tiberias, in the north of Israel. That is the place I wrote about in my last journal entry. I wasn't too excited about having to wake up that early and be squeezed into the little Peugot between my aunt and my cousin, but in the end, I am so glad I went. We got to Tiberias at 8, bought some fresh fish, and set out to the campsite where my other cousins were camping. I have never seen so many campers in my life! It was insane. People were camped all around the Kineret (a.k.a the Sea of Galilee) People put their tents up wherever they could...some on the beach, some right off the side of the road, some on hills...It was definitely a sight. We got to the camp grounds, had something to eat and swam and rested. It seems like camping here revolves around eating and sleeping! We ate, rested, swam, and then it was time to fry the fish! Wow, it tasted so good! I guess there were so many campers at the campsites because it was a holiday this week. I like that people do such outdoor things over here. It's so nice. I never really did that in America. People really love being outdoors and camping and hiking with family. It is very family-oriented over here. Although the country is so beautiful and people love camping and hiking, they are not so respectful of the land. There is so much litter everywhere! People just throw their things out on the streets and in Tel Aviv, they just let their dogs do their thing right on the sidewalks! It's kind of gross. You always have to watch where you are stepping. Anyway, so that was a great day in Tiberias.

Yesterday, Friday, went to the market in Tel Aviv and it was FULL of tourists! I thought that I was in America! English-speakers everywhere! Also saw some really cool street performers, which I took some pictures and will post here. So, that was my vacation week in Israel. It was really nice. Sorry if this entry is kind of scattered, but there was a lot to cover! Ok, hope everyone is doing well and please keep in touch! Bye for now...Alina



vacation week...dead sea, jerusalem, tiberias

Quick first entry
Hello Hello everyone!! This little online journal is a way to keep you connected to what I am doing over here in Israel as well as a way for me to document what I am experiencing over here...So, instead of sending you all these large massive e-mails, I am going to record everything on this little website and you can browse around it at your leisure. So, what have I been up to lately? Well, this past weekend, I went on a little overnight trip to this place called Tiberias. It is truly beautiful there, especially at this time of year. There is a lot of culture and much history in this little town. Many Israelis go there for camping and cookouts. When I was really young, I also went there with the family for some overnight camping trips and cookouts. It is a favorite place of my grandfather, because they have excellent fresh fish. Tiberias is on the kineret, the major water source of Israel. It is a small town in the North and I think that up until recently, it was largely populated by Arabs. I didn't get the feeling that this was the case now. Anyway, I got to go on this trip through this organization that set me up with the internship, the Jewish Agency. There were a lot of other young people my age, who are doing internships all throughout Israel. It was really cool to talk to them and see what kind of internships they are doing. It was so amazing for me to be speaking to all these really bright and motivated young people, who like me, don't have any idea what the hell they want to do with their lives! Even people who had already gotten masters were over here doing internships to figure some things out. A major question that seemed to be circulating around the group was, "Are you going to make aliyah?", which basically means, are you going to move to Israel and claim citizenship? Everyone pretty much had the same answer, which was, "I don't know!" It seemed like that was the recurring theme among those that I talked to this weekend, a big sense of not knowing much about anything as far as the future was concerned, which is something that I can definitely relate to. It was also comforting to know that I am not the only one in this position! I almost want to write an article for the New York Times or something, just to let anyone else out there know that they are not alone when they don't know what to do after college! So, I have been meaning to publish this entry for a while now. It is already the 20th of April. I am going to post this entry and start another one now...I am going to try and put some pictures up from this trip. tiberias trip P.S. I was just informed by my mom, who is from Israel, that Tiberias is not an Arab village...actually one of the oldest Jewish settlements in Israel. I guess I got confused...shows how much I was listening to the tour guide! :) Also, for those of you who don't know...the kineret is what Israelis call the Sea of Galilee. Hope that clears some stuff up!

Posted by alina-in-israel at 1:59 PM

Updated: Thursday, 21 April 2005 11:11 AM

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