Everything Is Sebaba!

Hey folks,

So it's been a week since my last post and quite a bit has happened. After my day of bad fortune last Tuesday, I headed to Ashdod with a friend from Taglit last year named Yohai, where I stayed at his house and got the chance to see the city I will be living in for the next 5 months. His family was once again incredibly welcoming, and although his mother didn't speak a word of English, she did speak French and I got a chance to butcher the language a bit after not having practiced in some time.
Our first night in Ashdod, we headed to a bar across town, where on Tuesdays they have an all-you-can-drink special for 39 schekels. That is roughly equivalent to about $12 CDN, something that would simply never exist in North America due to the simple fact that it would be a loss of profits. The Israelis don't consume nearly the same volume of alcohol as the majority of college/university students I know, but I benefited from the nice deal and had myself a few Goldstars, my favourite beer over here which unfortunately is not available in Vancouver. Upon grabbing a table, I happened to hear someone speaking English at the next table over and asked the group of people where they were from. Coincidentally, it turns out that they were all from Oranim, the Canadian organization in charge of the program I'm starting soon, and they had come here in August to do the exact same thing that I will be doing! They even told me that some of us would be living in their apartments, so I got the chance to meet and chat up some of my future roommates! They informed me that despite the disorganization of the program, it is fantastic and the kids I will be working with are great, albeit sometimes difficult. Apparently, my accommodations are some of the biggest in the city (my villa houses 8 people, 2 per room) and are very well equipped with everything I need. I'm also going to be living a 5 minute walk from the beach, and along the beach there are actually different machines you would find in the gym that are free for the general public. The apartments/villas are also close to the shuk, which is the local market where food is dirt cheap and you can buy other household accessories such as blanket, sheets, and toiletries. Most of the people from their program are American, hailing from Los Angeles and Boston, although there were a couple of Canadians, mostly from Toronto, and one very attractive girl from Montreal. I'll have to practice my French a little bit more and work some magic (maybe show her my chawel haha)!
My visit to Ashdod fell on the start of Sukkot, a Jewish holiday that signals the start of the harvest season whereupon most religiously inclined individuals spend a week in a shelter similar to teepee and don't leave until the holiday is over. Fortunately, Yohai's family does not participate in this part of the holiday, and I simply got to enjoy a feast with his family. Since my arrival here, there has not been a single meal where I have not been absolutely stuffed! I shouldn't get to used to it though because soon I have to start cooking for myself. I enjoyed quite a few exotic delicacies, including liver, chicken hearts, and my personal favourite, (and something I will seek out in Vancouver) cow tongue! The next two days we went to the beach, where the currents are strong enough to pull someone my size into the water, and we went out on Thursday night for Arthur Guinness Day, a holiday similar to St. Patrick's Day which is pretty much an excuse to drink. Funny enough, the bar we went to had run out of Guinness, but we still enjoyed some Tuborg and free shots of whiskey from Yohai's friend, the bartender.
The past few days I have spent in Haifa with my aunt Eleanor and her husband Maury, a beautiful city in the northern region of Israel. I arrived just in time for the start of the Haifa International Film Festival and so have spent the past few days going to plenty of movies, the best of which have been Barney's Version (based on a Mordecai Richler novel) and Womb, a bizarre yet beautiful film starring Eva Green (of Casino Royale fame) which is about a women who loses the love of her life to an accident, and then turns to cloning to give birth to him and raise him as her own son. It touches on themes of ethics but gives strong, emotionally impacting performances from everyone involved and I strongly recommend it.
In less than a week, I head into Ashdod and begin my program. Soon, I will begin to actually learn some Hebrew and will meet my fellow volunteers, and possibly fellow travelers if we all get along. I'm debating going into the airport during my week off in January and asking what special they have for the day, and simply flying to whatever country is the cheapest. A spontaneous trip like that would be a change of pace, and a nice contrast to the past few months of my life spent planning.
Hope you are all doing well, and leave comments to let me know what you are all up to in Canada. Hope the weather isn't too miserable and that those of you in school are taking advantage of the first month of "less school-work". If I don't write for awhile, it is because I might lose access to a computer for a bit when I leave Haifa. My laptop's hard drive is busted and I need to find a repair shop.

Ciao for now,

Max