a broad abroad

Final thoughts: This trip encompassed a lot of firsts for me!   Some of them were big and exciting firsts (experiencing Jewish culture, camping, hiking!) and some of them were ridiculous and silly firsts (eating passion fruits, going to the bathroom behind a tree!).  I made friends.   I drank three gallons of water a day.   I didn’t faint in the heat.   I ate food with my dirty hands.   I went to every gas station bathroom along the highway. I ate hummus with every single meal.   I learned a lot of history.   I laughed and cried.   Here is everywhere we traveled within Israel: I feel very fortunate that I could experience a side of my heritage that I have never explored before. I love opening my mind to new experiences and cultures and I know that I am super lucky to have gone on this trip. Here are some Hebrew words I learned: Thank you: todah Good morning: bokhil tov Where is the bathroom?:  ...

Hi! I have been back since Friday and things have been crazy! There is a saying that coming back from vacation negates all the relaxation of your vacation, and it is definitely true. Here is what I did the last few days in Israel!! August 3: We woke up early to go on something called the "Salad Trail."  The awesome thing about this place was that an immigrant family (originally from South Africa!) had essentially reclaimed the desert, which can sustain little life.  They built a very successful farm that grows a dozen kinds of small tomatoes, cucumbers, passion fruits, strawberries, carrots, melons, and more.  Visitors can walk through the rows and pick and eat the produce, which is exactly what we did!  And all of it is free -- they give it all away. So you can say that this activity was right up my alley! We walked through rows of tomatoes with names like "blondes" "redheaded dates" and "matrushka dolls," picking tomatoes off of vines...

Hi! I only have a few minutes! No pictures, but much to say.  Here's what we have done the past couple days: Yesterday we rested. We did some yoga (haha) and talked about current conflicts in Israel. There were a lot of rhetorical questions: was the state if Israel established because of the holocaust, or in spite of it? Does the existence of Israel as a Jewish state raise anti-semitism in the world? And there were a lot of answers I hadn't thought about: other countries did not want Jewish refugees; Jews were a burden rather than equals; is antisemitism a generational thing? we also had a political discussion with Neil Lazarus, who was very interesting and charismatic and gave us the rundown of Israel's political situation. We think that the U.S. Is very politically divided, but here it is a hundred times more pronounced. We talked about Isis too. All of our Israeli peers knew someone who had been killed in a terrorist attack. It was very humbling to know that we are so pr...

I am in Jerusalem! What an amazing city. There is an energy here that must come only from being in a place steeped in so much history and theology.  Regardless of your religion or what you think about theology, this is THE place.  At its most basic level, this place has shaped billions of lives; a place that has prompted wars and provided solace to those of multiple faiths.  And here I am.  It is hard to believe. But first... Yesterday we spent the morning hiking through a stream that fed into the Jordan River. It was a relaxing hike even though the temperature was approaching 105 degrees... We then stopped at a lookout near the Island of Peace, and could see the Jordanian border. It's that guard post near the midde of the pic. We also drove past Jericho in the West Bank. Whoa! After a few hours we made it  to Jerusalem.  At the top of Mount Scopus we could see all of the city. A powerful moment! Everything is made of limestone to preserve the feel of the c...

Hi everyone! We really hit the ground running and I've finally gotten a few minutes to myself to update you on my adventures. I am so excited to learn about another culture so full of history! Monday we traveled. We arrived around 10 pm and went to bed. Traveling really takes a lot out of you...  We have been in Kfar Tavor, a secluded little town.  Tuesday the fun began. We "hiked" at Mount Meron (which was really more of a nice nature walk). It is the second tallest mountain in Israel, if I remember correctly. We could see Lebanon from there. This is where some believe the Messiah will rise from before he goes to Tzfat.  We then visited Tzfat (the old city part), which is one of Israel's four holy cities, and went to a lovely old synagogue with a 500 year old scroll in it! Here we learned a little bit about Jewish mysticism, some "urban legends" in Tzfat, and Israel's history. There is an earthquake in Israel every 90 years, by the way. The next one sho...

I'm in Austria right now! I  wish we had a longer stopover, but it's only going to be a couple hours.  They do have lots of processed meats and frappes here, though, so I guess that's a real thing.  It's super green from what I can see out my window too. So I'm en route to Israel right now!  I am so excited to be going on another fun and educational trip. My favorite kind of trip to take is one that combines sightseeing with some history.  And what's the point of traveling if not to widen your worldview and challenge your perspective? I wish I had done a bit of background reading about this country so I could know what to expect in terms of sights we'll see and history we'll hear about. Hopefully I can do that in my free time. Our agenda is packed and I am SO excited to share my adventures.  I think that this will be more of a fun, relaxing trip in comparison to the sociology-based (and at times emotionally draining) trip to South Africa.  I expect to ...

"Quo Vadis?" is on quite a few billboards and signs in South Africa. I finally looked it up today. It is Latin for "where are you going?" and it is very fitting for the past two weeks. I feel like I heard a decent amount of complaining on my trip. Complaints about the hotels, the food, the tour guides, the packed schedule. I found myself often reminding the others that WE ARE IN SOUTH AFRICA. We came here at minimal cost for two weeks of education and sightseeing, and we got that a thousand times over. I am so beyond fortunate to have experienced innumerable once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Even if I do go back to South Africa, I will likely never experience the same things I did this time. I climbed mountains. I fended off scammers and pickpockets. I came face to face with elephants.  I bargained with street vendors. I met political legends. I sat on cliffs. I met countless inspirational people.  I heard Toto's "Africa" song in every restaurant. I pl...

Hey friends and family! I've been working on a couple posts, but I keep falling asleep before I can post them, and the past couple days have been hectic. I'm at the airport now heading home. I'll try to post when I have a few free minutes, otherwise I'll post tomorrow about Thursday and Friday. Much to say! I'm looking forward to coming home though!!!

I know this post is overdue! We've been busy and the lack of sleep caught up to me. Okay, so we ended up going to the Cape Town jazz festival on Wednesday night. We saw a free concert in the downtown square - it was a really popular band, kind of a reggae/jazz combo. Wish I could remember the name of the band! It was a beautiful night and a lot of fun. We had a much more uplifting day on Thursday. We had a free morning, so I went with a bunch of people to a little plaza called green market square, where vendors sell locally made crafts and whatnot. We got breakfast at a cute little cafe (you know how I love those) and spent the morning bargaining for souvenirs. I am normally pretty shy, but I became an excellent haggler by the end of the morning and left with a big bag of goodies :) We spent the afternoon on a tour with Uthando, a nonprofit organization sponsoring disadvantaged communities here. Uthando basically provides a safe tour of townships, while bringing visitors to inspira...