Ken Ha'Mefaked!! (Sir, yes, sir!)

(Picture is from Tzvat (Safed) taken 2 years ago but nonetheless still breathtaking!)

Monday I had my first army-preparation fitness group practice and yesterday (Thursday) was the second one. They were awesome. Monday, as I was riding my bike there -- a car is not one of the amenities I have here -- it started to drizzle and the first thing I thought was, "FUCK!" When I arrived, I found the group milling around on the side of the Migrash Kaduregel (soccer field) in a very non-military like fashion. When the trainer, Eran, got there everyone straightened up. Eran is a very nice guy but the way he runs his training sessions is no-bullshit. When someone started complaining about the downpour that was drenching us, he responded with an answer that would not please most Jewish mothers. It was the first real physical association with the army that I have had since I have arrived here in Israel (although it is not actually affiliated with the army). Despite the fact that we didn't finish until 10 p.m., I was drenched in mud and water, and was exhausted, I loved it. Yesterday we did a simualation of the Bar-Or Test. The Bar-Or Test is the first thing they do at Yom Sayarot (try-outs) at the Wingate Institute near Netanya and it consists of as many sit-ups you can do, push-ups, and how fast you can run 2 kilometers. I finished the 2k in first place with a time of 7:25 (bad compared to what I would have run last year). One kid lied and said he finished first. I could comfort myself with the fact that I am training for myself and am not concerned with others' results...or I can just say that Karma will get him when the instructors at Yom Sayarot or Gibush catch him cheating and kick him out.

Work continues to be great and so is the host family. Right now I am in Kokhav Yair with friends of my parents. I think this will be the last weekend that I go away for a while since I have been away from the Kibbutz every Shabbat for the past month and a half or so. It's nice to just stay on Kibbutz and relax for a full 2 days without having to worry about traveling. At the same time, it's nice to get out of the bubble that is Kibbutz and see Israel and see other people.

Something funny has been happening to me lately. By no means is my Hebrew perfect but it's getting pretty good to the point where I don't need my English anymore. Whenever I talk with someone in English about work I will find myself searching in my head for the words in English since my natural inclination while talking about work would be to speak in Hebrew. I think I sound like somewhat of a fool sometimes since I will have a slight delay in English but as well in Hebrew. Pretty soon I'll just completely forget how to speak! I believe the same thing is happening with my cultural habits as is with my linguistic tendencies. One guy (an American who immigrated to Israel about 7 years ago) who was interviewed on Jpost (jpost.com) put it quite well. He said, "I'm not quite Israeli, but I'm not really American anymore." I hope that I will never be "fully" Israeli but that I will never just be "fully" American either. Why would I want to "throw away" one culture in exchange for another when I could just balance both of them and try to cull the good aspects from the bad? Today it was about 26 degrees here (80ish in Fahrenheit) with a slight breeze. I would complain about the slight breeze but I know some of you suffering in the harsh winter of the States may get a bit fussy so I will abstain from doing so. Next week is Purim so I am really looking forward to that. Stay in touch, please!

Post Ulpan

[the picture is of Gene, my roommate, and myself.]


It has been raining relentlessly over the past 24 hours and even though it is going to make work tomorrow hell I have to admit that because of the mountainous scenery and the wide-array of colorful flowers in the Galil Region in northern Israel, the rain mixes in quite nicely and is quite beautiful. That, and the rain is also nice because Israel is experiencing the worst drought period it has had over the last several decades. It has been a while since I have written so there's quite a bit to catch up on. The ulpan ended at the beginning of this month (February) and I moved out of my room on February 3. I am now living with my wonderful host family in their house on Kibbutz and work Sunday through Thursday in the Avocado Groves. I wake up at 5:40 a.m. and at 6:15 meet my co-worker Fouad at the parking lot to drive over to the groves. At 8:15 we drive back to the Chadar Ochel (Dining Hall) to eat. For description's sake, I'll try and paint as vivid a picture as possible. It took me about 5 months to finally figure out how to "do" Israeli breakfasts but I think I've finally got the hang of it. When I first saw what was offered in the morning, a wide array of vegetables and spices and a few other things, I said to myself, "What the hell is going on here? Where's the french toast, scrambled-dry eggs, and fresh-sliced fruit?" I have recently figured out that American breakfast differs from Israeli breakfast. Here, YOU must put all the ingredients on your plate and then cut them up and mix. To top it off, you add olive oil and zatar (a tasty spice). The contrast between Israeli and American breakfasts is a lot like the difference between Israeli and American cultures. In America (more specifically, the US) things are prepared and then served to us on a silver platter and does not require any effort from us. In Israel, to put it simply, if you don't do it, it don't get done. And if you do do it, make sure you do it well because no one else is gonna help you.

After breakfast, we return to work and at 11:00 we go to the work hut in the groves where we take a break and have some coffee occassionally with some fresh picked pomelo and passionfruit. Pomelo is like a grapefruit but larger and less bitter and less juicy (a good thing, more fruit). Most people don't know what passionfruit looks like; it's size is in between a ping pong ball and a tennis ball. It's peel is purple (when ripe) and the fruit on the inside is orange with the consistency of thick mucus (I know that's not too pleasant). It is by far my favorite fruit now and is incredible delicious. One of us prepares the coffee, typically Arabic-style coffee, and we all sit around the table "shootin' the shit." After about a half hour of this we go back to work until 1:15 p.m. when we go to lunch. After this, I am free the rest of the day. Usually I will go running or go to the gym. During the evening, I eat dinner and then will read on the couch while my host parents read and watch TV on the adjacent sofa and arm-chair. I hope to blog again soon because I just purchased a portable wireless internet service from my cellphone provider service that allows me to receive wireless internet anywhere in Israel for 80 NIS a month (20$) as long as I do not go over 5 GB of downloading. Shabbat Shalom v' Shavua Tov (Good Sabbath and have a good week!).

Closing Time

Loyal Blog Followers -- Pardon the lengthy time-gap between this post and the previous one. Things have been hectic here in every sense of the word. The Ulpan is coming to an end in 2 weeks but my plans are still not set in stone. I will probably (assuming everything falls into place vis-a-vis a job and everything) go to live with my adopted family on Kibbutz here and work on Kibbutz as well. Yom Sayarot (try-outs for specific army units) is not until July and then hopefully, whether I pass these tests or not, I will be drafted soon after. It's rather discomforting not knowing exactly what I will be doing in 2 weeks, but then again that is one thing I have to become more comfortable with. Embracing the uncomfortable. It makes for a more creative life. Plus, the army won't exactly be a walk in the park. I'm glad that I've stuck to, more or less, a lot of what I preached in my graduation speech. I have tried to be determined in learning Hebrew and all the other goals I have in mind. It's a little scary to think that almost all of my friends are doing the same exact thing. Of course, this is not 100% true but it would have been really great if some would have gone to do volunteer work in Africa, some to travel around Europe, some to work with emergency aid groups in impoverished parts of South America. I am very glad to hear when my piers are working hard in school and learning a lot in their new educational environments, but at the same time I worry when I hear about the drinking stories that were "awesome" which are then followed by "ughhh...class tomorrow." 40,000$ is a lot of money to pay for 1 year of education. I hope everyone paying that sum gets their money's worth.
If that sounded pessimistic...my apologies. Moving on, I am almost finished with Yoni Netanyahu's Letters. The more and more I read of it the more I feel connected with him. Maybe I am just empathizing with the author but I think I am similar to Yoni in a lot of ways. Hopefully our fates differ, however (not to diminish the importance of his final mission). A lot of Israeli society is driven by passion and strong emotions. Beautiful music, spiced-up food, crowded coffee shops, an excess of cigarettes, and overall connection (good and bad). I am more of the introverted type. Those who know me know that I do not confine myself to my room and never come out or anything like that. I just prefer to have time to myself and read or hang out in more relaxed situations. I don't think this is something that needs fixing; it's just my nature. Despite my contrasting social habits with Israeli society, I still get along with Israelis very well and relate to them in a deeper sense than I did with Americans (I think). Either way, please write to me via email (benjacobs1027@comcast.net). I want to know what things are like in the old country (not Galitzia, the US!).

Tunnel Vision

After a long, nice vacation with the parents I am finally back on Kibbutz and settled back into normal schedule. I actually returned on Monday afternoon and worked in the dining hall doing dishes Tuesday and Thursday (I now appreciate my job in the kindergarten a lot more). Today was my first day back at the Kindergarten in almost 2 weeks, and although I was a little tired it was good to be back and see all the little kiddies' smiling faces! While the vacation was much needed and being pampered and cared for by the parents was heavenly, it is good to be back in my "predictable" routine on Kibbutz. My life here more or less revolves around 3 things: exercise, Hebrew, and watching House. Of course there is time for the in-between things but my focus is on the previously mentioned topics. The exercise regimen consists of the following: Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday I ride my bike to the gym and lift. On Monday, Wednesday, Friday I run for about 1-2 hours. Soon I'm going to move to resistance running with boots and eventually a pack of about 10-15 kgs. With regards to the Hebrew, I have about 1000 note cards of vocabulary. Also, I purchased Rosetta Stone this summer and it's a really wonderful program for learning languages. On the topic of House...well, you've gotta have some fun, right? Hopefully I'll receive my passport and Israeli identity card in the mail on Sunday (latest) so I can get moving on a number of my things to do including opening an Israeli bank account, pushing the Draft Office (Lishkat Gius) to draft me in March, as well as some other pressing issues. That's all for now. Please send me emails (benjacobs1027@comcast.net) updating me on all of your lives! It's good to hear from friends!

Citizenship

It has been a month since I've blogged. For that, my most humble apologies, loyal blog followers! Well it's official! Actually, not officially. But almost! I have my Israeli citizenship. My parents got to the country on Tuesday and on Wednesday after work (still in the kindergarten!) I bused to Jerusalem to stay with them at the David Citadel. Two things on the previous sentence. "Busing" from Kibbutz Ramat Yohanan is no minuscule task. From my kibbutz I have to take a taxi to Qiryat Atta (20 NIS [New Israeli Shekel]). Then I take the bus from Qiryat Atta Center to Lev HaMifratz just outside of Haifa (4.80 NIS). Then I take a bus from Lev HaMifratz to Hof HaCarmel on the beautiful western coastline of Haifa (5.70 NIS). From there I take an express bus to Jerusalem central bus station (41 NIS). From Jerusalem central bus station I take a bus going southeast to the David Citadel hotel (5.70 NIS). My point -- traveling in Israel ain't so pleasant. The David Citadel could possibly be the nicest hotel in Israel. Not only is the location great, but I managed to gain 2 kg just during the time I was there. PLUS, my showerhead didn't even have rust on it! Living in ulpanist rooms on kibbutz makes you appreciate the finer amenities in life. Back to the citizenship though, I now have two official names. In the states my name is Benjamin Asher Jacobs and in Israel I am Jason Bourne. Just kidding, in Israel my name is Benyamin Bar-Asher. My uncle's Israeli name is Yonatan Ben-Asher but since my name is already Ben, I figured it would just create problems. Next week I should be receiving my new Teudat Zeut (Israeli identity card/passport) as well as a generous grant from Nefesh B'Nefesh. Even better news, I can finally start the tiresome process of fighting the army to let me in. Presently I am writing at the Isrotel Dead Sea Spa Hotel in...well, the Dead Sea obviously. The view from my hotel room is fantastic and everything is Nehedar (wonderful). More updates soon! The picture on the left is from Halloween and the right is me and our adopted Ulpan dog Uga!

The Kindergarten Fight

This weekend was great! I went to Kefar Tavor to stay with family friends (Iftach and Shoshana Genez) and today we went to a restaurant in Tel Yitzhak which is right by Netanya. The event was a family birthday party. All of Shula and Itzik's kids(Shula and Itzik are my dad's adopted family who live on Kibbutz Bet Alfa), including Iftach, have birthdays in October so it is easiest and nicest to have a joint celebration. I'm sorry for the family lineage here -- it would be easiest to draw a family tree but unfortunately Blogspot lacks a drawing tool. They included me in the festivity since I also have a birthday in October and it was great seeing the entire family in one place.
Now to the title of the blog. I had a realization this past week in the kindergarten this past week: I don't want to be a kindergarten teacher. Just kidding -- the realization has important real-world applications that occur on a daily basis. Two of the little ones, Matan and Nadav, had a fight while playing soccer out on the playground. Matan claimed that Nadav was not sharing the ball enough and Nadav claimed that that's just the way that soccer goes. The outcome was that Matan (notorious for his temper tantrums) broke out into a hysterical crying fit and, flailing his arms madly, began chasing Nadav all around the playground. Both of the kids were sent inside to be reprimanded by the kindergarten teacher. The situation was resolved yet for the rest of the day both kids were mad at each other. I asked myself, as I often do at the kindergarten, "When does this kind of behavior stop?" As I began to sift through my mind for various things that I've heard about child psychology and experienced in my own maturation through childhood, I stumbled upon a realization. This behavior doesn't really stop. As knowledgeable as we become and for the amount of experience we acquire through our progression in life, we often become irrational when it comes to arguments. Petty arguments escalate into bitter warfare -- not only on a political basis but in social relations as well. As you may be thinking, I am hinting toward the conflict over here in the Middle East. By no means am I labeling the conflict's inception as "petty" but it has infected so much of society that a common mantra I hear from a large portion of Israelis is, "There is no negotiating with the Arabs. The Arabs are brainless monsters that only want the destruction of the Jewish people and Israel." It would be too much to ask a 5-year-old to cope with the philosophies of empathy and passion but I believe that this is what it ultimately comes down to. It is a balance between feeling for others around us while keeping our own passions and interests in mind. There is such a wide-range of historical accounts of Israeli-Arab history to the point where you can find such contradictions as, "The Israelis viciously assault Palestinians in their hometowns unwarrantedly," and the juxtaposing, "Palestinians spray sulfuric acid in the faces of Israeli guards unwarrantedly." Some accounts are pure BS, but there is no discounting either side of the argument completely. The result of this stressful and quarrelsome situation? Lots of cigarettes and lots of crying.
So how does one go about solving the situation? I wish the answer were as easy as something from Tuesdays with Morrie (which I just finished reading). If it were, however, there would still most likely not be peace here in the Middle East. Even after the little skirmish between Nadav and Matan had been resolved, they remained mad at each other. Their pride had swolen too large to occupy the same area and therefore the battle went on.

The Usual

Erev Tov! The past few weeks have been fairly tranquil and nothing too exciting has happened but as the aphorism goes, "No news is good news." I've been traveling almost every weekend since I've gotten here so by now I'm comfortable (or at least more comfortable) with the public transportation in Israel and I know the prices pretty well. While there is no miraculous difference in the level of my hebrew, I think that it has improved since I've arrived. It's frustrating, however, since I just want to be fluent already! This past weekend I was at Bet Alfa visiting very close family friends. It was good to see them again and stay with them. It was exactly 2 years ago that I stayed with them during Sukkot. I'm getting more comfortable staying with people and being guests in their home but at the same time it is important that I maintain my disposition of being a humble guest (despite it being contrary to the cultural norm here). On a separate note, the Ulpan is going alright. I'm not exactly pleased with the way that we are being taught hebrew. If it was up to me we would be sticking to units - similar to the way I learned spanish. There is no connection between one lesson and the next and like everything in life...a transition is necessary. Keep sending me emails and updates!