Kibbutz Barkai

Kibbutz Barkai has been my home since last Friday, the 17th. The Kibbutz is located in a region called Wadi Ara. (1 hour North of Tel Aviv). It is surrounded by several Arab villages, mostly inhabited by religious Muslims. The Kibbutz is nothing like I thought it would be! For some reason I pictured it being a huge red barn with animals walking around. The kibbutz is home to a couple hundred families.  It has its own kindergarden/daycare, dining hall, laundry service, and even a pub! My first night on the Kibbutz, me and my classmates grabbed a beer and met a couple Kibbutznicks.

Below are some pictures from a chill place on the Kibbutz where locals come and hang out. 

The program I am on is called Intensive Arabic Semester. I am one of 7 students on the program. Five are from the US, and the other two are from Australia and London.  All of us came to Kibbutz Barkai to learn, or improve our Arabic. We study mostly the spoken dialect of this region, but also have been discussing the recent elections in Israel, and current events in the Middle East. 

There was a voting center on the Kibbutz

Below is the building I live in. I have a roommate, also from the US. Before this program, she lived with a Druze host family in the North, where she learned most of the Arabic she knows now.

The classroom we study in is also a bomb shelter 

Last week we went on a field trip to a nearby city called Umm al-fahem, which translates to "Source of Charcoal." We sat in a local coffee shop, where they also served nargila (Hookah). We conversed in Arabic with a local of the town, Muayid. He explained to us how Arab communities are tight-knit. Until one is married, he/she lives with his/her family. If one decides to leave to study in a University, he/she just about always returns back home.  He said he really enjoys his life in Umm al-fahem.

Tomorrow, me and a couple classmates will be going to another local Arab town to interview a woman about her daily life (in Arabic of course!). Later this week we will volunteer at a local school whose students are both Muslim and Jewish! The school is unique because it is the ONLY one in Israel that is located in an Arab village, opposed to in a Jewish settlement. I am looking forward to exploring the nearby towns and improving my Arabic.

My awesome group I will be spending the next 5 months with :)

Hello Tel Aviv

I ended my stay with SACH Sunday and headed to Tel Aviv. It was hard saying bye to everyone, knowing I will not be able to contact them. None of the mothers in the house have an email address. My heart melted when I saw a 9 year old boy crying against a wall when he saw I was leaving. He helped me bring my luggage to the cab :(. I cried the entire way to Tel Aviv!

Haymel and Eliasa 

Me and Kanzi 

Haymen and his mom, Rama

Once in Tel Aviv the waterworks ended. I knew I was going to have a fun week because I am staying with two good college friends. We've all been friends since Freshman year. They moved to Israel 5 months ago and have been bartending. They have explained to me how different working in Israel is. They get 0$.. just tips! 

On Monday, Stephanie (1st year college suitemate) and I rented a car and drove to Akko! It was about 2 hours North. The historic architecture and coastal setting were stunning. (She drove)

We both wanted to see the mosque in Akko but two men there told us we needed to pay 10 Shekels. Steph told them she was a Muslim. They were baffled.. and said "Muslims don't dress like you do." They believed her anyways and told her she was allowed to go in for free if she wanted to pray. 

We had lunch at a place called Hummus Said. I have never eaten so much Hummus in my life! More than in Kfar Qassam. It was delicious, and kept us full the entire day. Literally.. we didn't eat dinner.

6 pitas and 2 hummus plates for about 8 dollars

Me and Steph :) 

After a long day we headed back to Tel Aviv and passed out. I'll be here for a couple more days! Then.. Kibbutz :)

Newbies

This week was awesome because 4 new full-time volunteers came! I have had such a great time on my own, but it has been great to have new company.  Three of the girls are all sisters from San Diego, and one boy is from NY. We had a fun pow-wow last night in the common area. 

I am down to my final week at SACH. I have been in Israel for three weeks now! This past weekend I went back to my friend Dekel's in rosh HaAyin. Dekel's mom is incredible. She gets up at 7 am every  Friday morning and cooks for the entire day. For dessert we had Halva cake... yum. Saturday me and Dekel met one of his brother's, Alon, in the Arab town Kfar Qassam for Hummus. I have never seen such a large amount of Hummus. I couldn't even finish half of it!  

When I left his house Saturday evening, his parents insisted I take home a GIANT etrog and some avocados. I didn't even know you could eat etrog! It's actually pretty decent :) 

This week I also got to meet Israeli singer Idan Raichel! He is  well-known globally.  http://www.idanraichelproject.com/en/ He works closely with SACH and helps with some fundraising projects. I took some of the kids to Tel Aviv to his studio, where we filmed a commercial. They were very excited  to meet an Israeli celeb and got all dressed up. 

Sometime during the week I had a conversation with the house mom Laura about infidelity in Africa. Laura told me it wasn't abnormal for children at the house's dads to cheat on their wives while they're here in Israel. I couldn't believe it until I heard it firsthand! I was having a conversation at the hospital with one of the nurses from Tanzania. When we were talking about her husband she told me she's pretty sure he is cheating on her right now. She said it so nonchalantly as if it was totally normal. When I asked if she was upset, she told me she wasn't, there's nothing she can do about it. They share a kid together, and she loves him very much. The mothers and children at the house are away from their fathers for several weeks/months at a time. Below is a picture of one of my favorite nurses, Pascal. 

I was so taken back today when a different nurse asked me if she could borrow my nail polish, she said: "I'm menstruating, can I borrow your red polish." She later explained to me how the only time she can paint her nails is when she is menstruating, because she is not allowed to pray. (She is a devout Muslim). Any other time of month she is not allowed to wear nail polish, because the ritual water used to washed her hands can't go through the polish. This week was another crazy week here in IZ. Next week I will be a nomad. Seriously, no idea where I'm staying. Oh well. 

XO 

בלגן

This has been a crazy week. After I got back Tel Aviv, I was deeply saddened to hear that Tygist, a teenager from Ethiopia, had passed away. I met her briefly when arrived at the house; everyone loved her. I noticed one night she looked ill, and fatigued.  Later that night she vomited blood, which is really bad for someone with MS. She went to the hospital, and never returned. Although I did not know her for long, I know she was an amazing girl.

Tension was high in the house that day. Everyone was on edge, including myself. On top of that, the house mom was sick that day, so it was just me in the house with the patients and nurses.  Later that day a Romanian man came to SACH with bags of food and candy. He explained how he bought one bag for everyone, and then each Romanian child got her own special bag. I did not see a problem with this, as long as the Romanians kept this loot in their own rooms. Of course, they did not. Every 10 minutes little Allina was coming downstairs with a new piece of candy that no one else got. I asked her mom where she was getting this candy. This conversation somehow turned into an argument with me and 3 Romanian mothers. They kept yelling at me saying "This food for ROMANIANS, for US!" Eventually we settled it out.

Yesterday, the house mom was sick again. Just me, and the kids. Thankfully all the mothers and nurses work together to make everything go smoothly. I have really bonded with the nurses coming from Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Zanzibar. They all have kids of their own, and have been away from them for several weeks, even months. It made my day when Pascar (from Ethiopia) asked me why I'm not extending my time here at SACH. She said out of all the volunteers she's met, I spend the most time with the kids, including eating meals with them. Looking back at my first couple days here, I can't believe how close I've grown with everyone. Last night for dinner, the Zanzibar mothers insisted I try "Chapati" the most delicious flatbread, naturally drenched in oil!

 I have noticed the 7 new kids from Zanzibar are quite aggressive! The 16-year old in the picture, Daifat, seems to put the other boys in their place! Because Zanzibar consists of tight-nit communities, word spreads about SACH and its generosity. Daifat keeps asking me and some other volunteers for money, and clothes.  Even one of the mothers kept asking me for my sweater! (This is not allowed btw).

The boy in the red jacket is Eliasa.  This is Eliasa's second time at SACH. He needed follow-up surgery. I thought I'd point out to him a moth sitting on the wall outside. What he did with it, I did not expect. He grabbed the moth, crushed it with his bare hands, and then attempted to chase me with it. Naturally I screamed and ran away. He ended up chucking it over the gate. No more moth..

Below is Issa. He is a very sweet boy. I always joke with him that I want his jacket (it's super cool), he definitely thinks I'm a nut! I was SO impressed when he turned a simple paint pallet into this:

I can only imagine the what these kids are capable of if they were given the same opportunities as we were. Some of these kids grow up with only a couple toys, and definitely nothing like the supplies we provide for them.

Thankfully the house mom is back today! She is such an incredible person, and does everything she can to make sure things run smoothly, and that all the kids have equal opportunities. One night she came rushing from home, late in the evening, when she got word one of the nurse's wanted to travel to the West Bank in the morning. She came back to make sure her passport would be available to her if needed  (The nurse did not know she might need her passport).. The nurse didn't even know about this. As my mama says, the nicest actions are those which are anonymous; one with no expectations for anything in return.

Tomorrow I will go to the hospital with adorable little Allina. Her sister is in the hospital right now preparing for heart surgery. Her mother is with her sister, leaving Allina alone at the house. Thankfully she is in good hands :). Everyone takes care of everyone, regardless of race, religion, language, etc.

Tonight I am looking forward to watch the Rosebowl at an American bar in Tel Aviv. GO BADGERS!!!


XO from the holy land