Young Judaea Year Course:

Year Course is a gap year program in Israel for teens who just graduated high school before entering college. Our nine months are divided into three sections. I start off the Year in Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv, where we volunteer in the community. In the winter, we head down to the Negev (Israel's desert) hopefully to do outdoor work. Finally, we end the year in Jerusalem studying and also volunteering. Throughout the year, we study hebrew and live in apartments with fellow Year Course participants.

I am participating in the Social Action track of Year Course, traveling to Rwanda for the entire month of February. We are living at a youth village (made by Year Course alumni) working with orphaned children.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Volunteering and Rosh Hashanah

Tuesday was our first volunteering meeting. The four of us (Natalie, Harry, Eyal-Israeli counselor) met at Aroma at 9:30 AM to discuss or plans. A few kids brought their computers while I took notes. We found one elderly home in Bat Yam, right on the beach, that we could potentially work with so we sent them a very professional email (I am very pleased with it :) ). Eyal gave us jobs for the work; I am the communicator, which means because my Hebrew is the best out of the group (and my Hebrew is not very good at all) I should be in charge of keeping in touch with the elderly home.

I got home from our meeting, watched some TV on my computer then decided to go to Tel Aviv with some roommates. I knew the area where I wanted us all to get off, but didn't remember the number of the bus. One of my roommates thought it was 42, little did we know, that was wrong. Yes it brought us into Tel Aviv, but the downtown part of Tel Aviv and eventually into Ramat Gan, another suburb of Tel Aviv. That was another afternoon wasted, but we certainly learned something!

From Top Left: Me, Itzik, Sam Forman, Gabi Remz
Below: Itzik's mother
Wednesday came with everyone departing for the Rosh Hashanah hofesh (free). I got some Aroma for lunch by myself then got picked up by Itzik, my Israeli counselor from camp, Sam Forman, a friend from camp and school, and Gabi Remz, a friend of Sam's from back home who I knew through mutual friends. From my apartment, we went to Bat Yam's neighboring town of Holon where Itzik's parents live. After not understanding many conversations in Hebrew, a long delicious meal made by Itzik's mom, a chef, and gaining four fake colored purl bracelets from Itzik's niece, we finally headed back to Itzik's house 20 minutes outside of Haifa. But I did learn a few things at Itzik's partents' house. I had a non-dried date (Tamar in Hebrew) which was disgusting. I also learned that Itzik's mother is from Morocco and his father is from Iraq, two very interesting stories.

From left: Itzik, Itzik's father doing brachot, Itzik's brother
The first day of Rosh Hashanah, we all slept late and had a nice lunch of left overs, took a walk around Itzik's neighborhood and went to an Arab food store for a BBQ dinner that night. It was a nice relaxing new years. Friday came and we went to a beautiful and CROWED beach. That evening, I got dropped off back at my apartment because it was my friend Alice's birthday and we had to celebrate. The other three went back to Itzik's house for Shabbat dinner.

For Alice's birthday we went to the beach, and back to the beach for Saturday, after waking up at 1 PM of course.

Tomorrow is our second volunteer meeting, then our apartment has a lot to do: food shop, smoothie shop, laundry. I need to buy sheets, a another pair of shorts and bathing suit (since I didn't bring enough). Ilyssa needs to buy post cards and we need to clean our apartment. PLUS, it is daylight savings time, so we gain an hour of sleep which is wonderful, and of course, that means we all stay up an hour later than usual.
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