Choco and Bamba..... Oh How I Missed You!!!!

So far I have nothing to complain about. I am well rested, amazingly well fed and getting more tan by the minute. But I was happy to have my first choco (chocolate milk in a bag). And Daniel, I had one for you!!! I will take pictures today to put them online so you can see. I went to the beach with some other Ulpan-ers. It is beautiful, warm and salty. It seems to me the worst thing you need to worry about is getting stung by a jelly fish. I am spending my day at the pool, reading, and resting.

As far as the government things I have to handle, Mike the director is helping all us Oleh (new immigrants). He is going to take us to open a bank account and he already told us what is the best medical insurance to get. I can't complain. Life is good.

I love you all and think of you. I wish you could see it. oxoxoxo

Stanger in the Homeland.

I made it! I am here, in Israel. The flight was exhausting. but I got to meet some great people. Adom and Eli where both on the flight and are on my kibbutz ulpan. Eli is only 17, what a crazy thing. Not everyone on the Nefesh B Nefesh flight was religous, which was great to see. Actually when I saw Eli I knew it would be OK, he is a white boy with a head full of dreads! All I could think was OK Im not the only one. I met some really night girls. Laura who will be studying for her masters, and Orianna who is doing Sar-El, too. I also sat by interesting guys. Yoni and Yoni! Yoni works for Jerusalem Report. I think he said his last name is Nes or something, so you can look for him. Other Yoni was a high school teacher in NYC, he was a lot of fun.

As far as the burecratic stuff on the flight; all we had to do is sign our name in five places. We were asked if we wanted to change our name. Crazy huh. When we got off we got money, a health insurance waiver, a free taxi ride voucher and had to sign 5 more papers.

Eli and I road together to the Kibbutz. The sherut (like a big taxi minivan) driver almost killed himself while loading all our stuff. There was another family going to Haifa so they road with. He was a crazy driver and I had flash backs to being in Sherutim before. you take your lives in your hands. Eli's brother road with us. He moved to Israel a year ago and is in the IDF. He was telling his brother all about the army, dos and don'ts. He is a paratrooper in training.

We got to the Kibbutz. And I was so excited. it is beautiful. You travel down this road with rose fields on either side and you are right near the beach. There are so many lush flowering plants on the grounds. Gardens and tons of animals. The dinning hall looks out over the sea. We are about a ten minute walk from the sea. I have not gone yet, because I was advices by Mike, the director not to go alone. There is an Arab village next to the Kibbutz and it is know for still doing such great things as honor killings. So I will take his advice.

But there is a pool that is really nice. I share a room with two other girls. We have a little kichenette and a bathroom. I am tested on Sunday and start classes on Monday. And just so you know. This Ulpan is the best in the country, as far as students test scores. So that is very exciting.

Prayers in Tel Aviv

These men are participating in a ancient ritual, where a person raps a box with a prayer around their head and arm. This is one more way Orthodox men (women are not supposed to do this) remember God and the commandments. In Israel Orthodox men stand on street corners, in markets, in bus stations, trying to get non-religious men to put on Tefillin. I loved seeing the soldiers stop in the bus stations with their bag beside them, guns strapped to their back, putting on Tefillin. It was like for a moment they took a break in the mist of the chaos of the station.

Two pictures of the farm. It is hard to explain to people what the farm is like. Well here it is. It is the art of nature and man. Mostly nature, or when nature consumes man, like in the old barns. This bottom picture is not a black and white sephia tone. I did nothing to change the image. That is a storm rolling in through the western sky.

Grandpa Bob

This is a picture my brother Ben took years ago of my Grandpa Bob. He is a racing pigeon fanatic. He is letting his birds go miles from home and they find there way back.

Answered Prayers

If I wasn't clear enough in my last posting, on how much I love my Grandfather...... It is hard to say that someone is your favorite. My favorite Grandma was my Dad's mom, but unfortunately she is in another world. It kills me because I think she would be so tickled to know I am moving to the Holy Land. She was in the Young Zionist movement when she was young. If I have a girl I want to name her Eva.

And my fav Grandpa is my Mom's dad. He is the most interesting person. He has followed his dreams. With a humble and quiet personality he has lived a life he loved everyday. And so here he is 85, and poor as hell, but the happiest person I know, and says he wouldn't change a thing.

So, answered prayers. I went with my mom a few days ago to Auburn, a big town near by. We talked to someone in the Office Of Aging, about gramp's troubles. And after about an hour interview, we felt like a car had run over us. The woman was telling us how she has no help and takes care of her elderly mother too. I turned to mom when we walked out the door and said "If that woman can't pull any strings to get help for her mom, we are screwed!" At which point, mom started to cry. We went and had ice cream and laughed at people we saw and told each other we did all we could do. Now it is up to God and Grandpa Bob.

Well God must have called this morning because grandpa came out of the kitchen to tell my mom that a social worker was coming over tomorrow. He didn't sound angery or shocked. He just said she told him that because of his up coming surgery they wanted to come and see if there were any services they could provide.

This is the biggest load off. It scares me to think of him being alone. Shoveling snow, and carrying things up the stairs. So we will see.


As far as my life and move is concerned: I am 99% packed, which is a great feeling. I am going to end up taking two bags and a carry on as planned. I had a strange realization last night as I was watching the movie Angela's Ashes. After my first five months I will be homeless and jobless and, and..... But today I am more calm. Things will be different in five months. Maybe I will be starting school or entering the army, or have found a job already. The unknowns are crazy. But that movie made those thoughts come out, because the situation is so bad.

Please visit my brother Jonathan's blog. he is in China. Having the same thoughts on life. It is www.jonathansojourn.blogspot.com

Namaste.

Cato

I would like to write a little bit about my Grandpa and Cato, New York where he lives. My Grandpa Bob is 85 and has lived on a 150 acre farm in upstate NY for about 50 years. He is a retired farm, which means he rents out the land to other farmers and he has a few animals that he "monkeys" with. He spends most of his day sleeping, because he is old and has had a physically hard life. Now, a days he spends about 4 hours a day outside with his animals. He has a sheep, 4 dogs, rabbits, doves, and racing pigeons. My grandpa is the best story teller and one of the finest people I have ever met. He has his flaws, but nothing like the rest of us.

Unfortunately, he needs more help with his health, home, and animals than he can provide on his own. And, since I lived with him for 3 years when I was 16 to 19, I can see a huge difference in him. But it is hard because he is stuborn and wants his independance. And all his family wants him to keep his independance. So it is a delicate situation.

And of course it is strange for me because I imagine that this is the last time I will see him in this world. And he is my favorite. In the world. I don't want him to have problems with his health.

Cato, is a small town. 500 people. 1 stop light. 2 churches. 1 cemetary. 1 diner. 1 bar. 1 ice cream stand. It is between Weepsort and Plainville. Are you starting to imagine this? It is no joke that Walmart is the biggest town around!!! Cato is such a departure from Los Angeles. It is good to have perspective on different lives. Most people from here have never been out of NY state, except to go to Florida. And most people in LA have never been to a small sticks town like Cato. Both have good and bad. One of my old friends from Cato has never had Indian food! But, he is content with the simple life. So is it that bad?

My mom and I are here. Doing chores, cleaning, laughing, watching sunsets and fireflies. Killing bees, listening to stories, giving our relatives mole' to try (I don't think they liked it). It is different.