Hey folks,
So these past couple of weeks have been a little rocky. There have been lots of ups and downs and I'm hoping to turn things around within the next few weeks to make everything all-positive again. After the two month mark hit, I was definitely feeling homesick. Despite the 35 degree difference in temperature between Ashdod and Vancouver right now, I still miss you guys and the city of Vancouver terribly! Life in Ashdod can be awesome but at the same time, despite the large size of the city, there is not a huge amount of things to do. During the week, I am constantly busy with the demands of the program. Rarely do I end up at home and free to do what I please until after 8pm at night, except on Sunday afternoons, my one day of leisure. This means that I don't get out to try new things as much as I would like to. On the weekends, it's the opposite. Contrary to the Vancouver city atmosphere, which is overflowing with activity and commotion on the weekends, Ashdod is a ghost town, with no stores open, no movies playing, and no buses running after 3PM on Friday until Saturday night. This weekend, I'm heading to Tel-Aviv so I will get a chance to change things up, but normally, I'm hard pressed to keep myself busy in Ashdod on the weekend.
In addition to the homesickness and occassional boredom, I'm also experiencing some problems at school, most notably that the English teacher is trying to take advantage of our position at the school. I want to have a little more control over what we do at school but right now, we simply go through the same lesson plan with multiple classes, teaching the same thing that she is and completing exercises in a textbook. The whole point of us being there as volunteers is to make learning English exciting, to inspire the kids and show them that their time with us outside of the classroom is a privilege and not an excuse to miss class and goof off. I would like to teach the kids English through games, with my guitar, with interesting stories I have found off the internet, etc. However, the English teacher is forcing us down a road which is not to our liking. In addition, we teach outside the classroom in the hallway. It is not a conventional hallway like you would see in a North American elementary school. It's more like a big open rectangle, with the classrooms positioned around the outside of the rectangle. However, it's no classroom. On a daily basis, due to the overwhelming poor behavior of Israeli students, there are kids who are kicked out of the class within ten minutes of the start of the lesson. This then means that they roam the hallway and disrupt the lesson that I am trying to teach to the kids. Fights break out, garbage is strewn across the floor, and the noise level is about 10 decibels higher than I can handle on a regular basis. My teaching partner Boris and I are pretty much at our breaking point and it's looking like next week we will need to have a confrontation with the English teacher. We are volunteers but that doesn't mean we should be trampled on and this set-up is not benefiting the kids but simply the teachers who don't want to deal with the issues in the school, namely behavioural issues. That being said, the kids do love us being there and there is not a single student who does not know our name. Most of the teachers at the school are incredibly friendly, and want to help Boris and me learn to speak Hebrew. And finally, the school is considered well respected by our program advisors, which can only mean that there are worse schools out there and I should be glad I'm not working at one of them.
As for other adventures, our entire group made a trip to Jerusalem last week. It was pretty much a repeat of what Zack and I did last year on Birthright, however, the city is quite impressive and I definitely want to make a return trip in the future on my own. The problem with these organized trips is that we hit all the tourist spots, but I find the exploration of the non-tourist spots the most interesting aspect of getting to know a city. Jerusalem has a lot to offer so I will be adding it to my list of things to do in Israel before I leave. Boris and I also made a trip with our English students to the North this past Monday. We first made a trip to Habonim Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in Israel which reminded me of some of the sandstone beaches on Hornby Island, BC. Next, we headed to the Mt. Carmel Caves which was my favourite part of the excursion. Here, we made a short climb to the top of a small mountain (I would call it more of a hill but the kids definitely thought it was a mountain; there were several injuries and some tears shed...) where we found a huge cave. Boris and I entered with some of the braver kids (the teachers and all of the girls stayed behind) and made our way a good 1/4 km into the pitch black caves. This is where the kids decided to stop, so unfortunately, Boris and I had to stop as well, otherwise, we definitely would have gone a lot further in to check out some bats and stalactites hanging from the ancient cave ceilings. Finally, we ended the field-trip (or tiyul in Hebrew) with a stop in a Druze village. The druzim are a religious community found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel. They participate in Arab culture but have their own Druze religion and many are highly loyal to the State of Israel, with many Druze joining the ranks of the IDF for many years now. In the village, we went to a real Druze house where we were served zatar, an Israeli bread dish that is baked in wood oven with oil and spices, and given a talk about the Druze (although it was in Hebrew so I hardly understood a word). After this we headed home, a three-hour bus ride back to Ashdod with kids who somehow still had energy after their 13 hour field-trip. I managed to nap through some of the yelling on the bus and passed out for a good 11 hours when I got home. Last night, Boris and I made a trip to Rishon LeZion as well, which is the fourth biggest city in Israel. One of the teachers at our school made the offer to take us to show us a place we hadn't seen yet. Granted, the trip was short, and it was to a huge shopping centre, but any opportunity to leave Ashdod to see something else is an opportunity I jump at. In addition, Boris and I spoke only in Hebrew with her all night and added a hefty 20 or 30 new words to our vocabulary. This, accompanied by a delicious meal of chicken, mushrooms, olives, liver, potatoes, onions, pita, humous, eggplant, salad and a wide assortment of dips, made the night a success.
Other than these excursions, life goes on. I have been playing intense games of basketball with some of the guys in my program (to the point I'm a little bruised and longing for a massage) and last Saturday night, a bunch of us went to the doom and gloom that is Harry Potter 7, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Meanwhile, I'm still growing out my disgusting French mustache in a bid to raise money for cancer and have even memorized my Movember shpiel in Hebrew for the teachers and kids at the school. Mustache in Hebrew is safam, just in case you wanted to know...
I leave you with another segment of similarities and differences between Vancouver and Ashdod. Don't forget to say hello, and maybe search for me on Skype sometime. It would be great to hear your voice!
Differences:
- When you go to a movie in Ashdod, they stop the movie halfway through (in mid-sentence actually!) to let everyone go out for a bathroom/cigarette break...
- You can make a salad with normally expensive ingredients like pine nuts, basil, cherry tomatoes, avocados, and feta cheese for four people for the grand total of (drum roll please....): $12 CDN!
- When you walk down the street with a mustache like me in Ashdod, people don't say "Nice mo bro!" They just assume you're another kid entering the 8th grade...
Similarities:
- Everyday when I walk to school, there is a woman handing out free newspapers and tries to push one on me despite the fact that I have no prayer of reading it in Hebrew. This constantly reminds me of the 24 and Metro workers at the skytrain stations and university campuses...
- Justin Bieber is a household name for kids in Ashdod as well...
- Despite all the amazing food over in this country, even the stuff that is quite kid-friendly, like schnitzel and humous and pita, the most popular food for a ten-year old still remains: chips and candy. There was not one kid out of 50 on the field-trip without one of the two. Some things are universal...
Ciao for now,
Max
P.S. Once again, bonus points for who can guess which song the title of this blog is derived from!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Bika
Hey folks,
Thought I would give you something a little bit different to read about today. As some of you may or may not know, I have never been a big fan of cats. Due to my parents' cat and dog allergies growing up, and their general aversion to wanting to have pets in the house, I was always the kid without the dog or cat. The cats I have encountered throughout my life have always seemed to me to have a "holier-than-thou" attitude and I did love my brother Juan's dog a lot, so if I had to choose, I'm definitely a dog person. Cats just aren't my friends and I am actually quite allergic myself.
This is where all cats go wrong! She adopted the "holier-than-thou" attitude and started making her way through the rest of the house.... on the upstairs patio with our laundry... in the bathroom.... and finally, one morning I awoke to find pawing at the sheets on my bed in our room. I whisked her away, recovered from a sneezing attack and made my way downstairs to the kitchen. In shock and awe, I discovered Bika in our kitchen sink! She was pawing at the discarded food and dragging it over the counter tops and sneezing as she played with the sink scraps. This was the final straw for me! I can't condone a sick animal chilling out where we wash our food, no matter how adorable or pathetic said animal may be. I called a house meeting and told my roommates how I felt about her, and reluctantly, they agreed to a consensus that she is no longer allowed in the house. I have found her inside a few times since and chased her out of the house, and due to my new attitude towards her, she fears my wrath and runs across the street. She doesn't come around the house when I'm home anymore, except to eat and when I try to stroke her behind the ears, she no longer accepts it but tries to claw at me. I guess that's the price I have to pay for banning her from our humble abode. My verdict still stands. I'm a dog person...
Ciao for now,
Max
Thought I would give you something a little bit different to read about today. As some of you may or may not know, I have never been a big fan of cats. Due to my parents' cat and dog allergies growing up, and their general aversion to wanting to have pets in the house, I was always the kid without the dog or cat. The cats I have encountered throughout my life have always seemed to me to have a "holier-than-thou" attitude and I did love my brother Juan's dog a lot, so if I had to choose, I'm definitely a dog person. Cats just aren't my friends and I am actually quite allergic myself.
 |
| Bika, the affectionate and playful little horror dwelling in/at our house |
However, here in Israel, cats are like squirrels. They are all over the place, hiding in trees, patrolling the streets, mating in the next-door neighbour's front yard (where there are now 6 kittens) and of course, pawing at our door. Before I arrived, the people already living in our villa adopted a pet cat from off the street and christened her Bika (a Russian name), despite the fact that she was quite sickly and launched snot-rockets all over the patio on a regular basis. Since my arrival, she has become more than comfortable. Her condition has improved (although she still sneezes and wheezes a lot) and she is fed by my Russian roommates and comes inside and sprawls out on our couch. I actually found myself growing quite fond of her as she is quite an affectionate and playful cat and is quite cute. However, that soon changed about a week and a half ago.
This is where all cats go wrong! She adopted the "holier-than-thou" attitude and started making her way through the rest of the house.... on the upstairs patio with our laundry... in the bathroom.... and finally, one morning I awoke to find pawing at the sheets on my bed in our room. I whisked her away, recovered from a sneezing attack and made my way downstairs to the kitchen. In shock and awe, I discovered Bika in our kitchen sink! She was pawing at the discarded food and dragging it over the counter tops and sneezing as she played with the sink scraps. This was the final straw for me! I can't condone a sick animal chilling out where we wash our food, no matter how adorable or pathetic said animal may be. I called a house meeting and told my roommates how I felt about her, and reluctantly, they agreed to a consensus that she is no longer allowed in the house. I have found her inside a few times since and chased her out of the house, and due to my new attitude towards her, she fears my wrath and runs across the street. She doesn't come around the house when I'm home anymore, except to eat and when I try to stroke her behind the ears, she no longer accepts it but tries to claw at me. I guess that's the price I have to pay for banning her from our humble abode. My verdict still stands. I'm a dog person...
Ciao for now,
Max
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
"...And Time Can Do So Much"
Hey folks,
So another week or so has passed, and so much has happened once again. There is hardly a dull moment with this lifestyle and this last week has been one of the busiest since my arrival. First, allow me to mention my trip to Jaffa last Monday. Jaffa is an ancient port city connected to Tel-Aviv and is home to a great outdoor market and spectacular beachside views, as well as a rich history and even mythical tales from Greek heritage. For example, at the port, there is a rock that juts out in the water and is home to an Israeli flag. I remember it being one of the Kodak moments of my Birthright trip last year but this trip I actually found out the alleged background of the tourist spot. Our guide told us a story of how Poseidon sent a giant whale named Cetus to ravage the coasts of Jaffa. The King Cepheus, desperate to stop the destruction in his kingdom and the spreading fear poisoning his people, decided to send his daughter, Andromeda, as a sacrifice to Cetus. Perseus, on his way back from slaying Medusa, would not allow this to happen, however, and stopped to free Andromeda, displaying the head of Medusa to Cetus. This caused Cetus to turn to stone. Today, it is believed that the rocks along the coast of Jaffa, including the one that holds the Israeli flag, are actually the ancient remains of Cetus and proof of Greek mythology taking root in Israel.
After our brief tour of Jaffa, we ventured to the Palmach museum, a fantastic cultural haven for all the history associated with the Israeli strike force that trained and impacted the country so greatly during the decade preceding the establishment of Israel. This museum was unlike any I've ever visited. Instead of the usual cultural artifacts and wall hangings explaining history, the museum is split into 13 different rooms, each full of props and videos containing footage of actors reenacting a specific impactful event in the history of the Palmach. The rooms are complete with sound effects, light displays, and one room even resembles a crooked submarine floor and moves slightly as though on the water. I felt like I learned a lot more about the Palmach in this type of learning environment and was thoroughly engaged for the entirety of the tour. Our day concluded with a visit to Rabin square, where Yitzhak Rabin (arguably the most well known and celebrated prime-minister in the history of Israel) was assasinated after a peace conference by a right-wing extremist. This was made all the more salient based on the fact that one of the characters in the re-enactments was based on Rabin himself.
The highlight of my week was not the Palmach museum, however, as much as I enjoyed it. This past weekend, I headed into Tel-Aviv for my cousin Shira's wedding and experienced both my first Israeli wedding and first morning wedding at the same time. It was a fantastic weekend full of family, food, fantastic dancing extravaganzas, and a chance for me to see family I hadn't seen in ages as well as meet new family members for the first time. The ceremony was incredibly beautiful, located at a kibbutz outside of Tel-Aviv with a pool and fountains as a backdrop to the stage and lush gardens surrounding the extravagant ceremonial spot. My cousin and her husband were married under what is referred to as a chuppa, a wedding canopy that can either stand on its own or be held up by four attendants. In this case, I had the honour of being one of these attendants, as my cousin's best friend was delayed in his arrival. I was happy to fill in and got a front row view of the poignant ceremony and happy looks on the faces of both my cousin and her newly annointed groom, as well as the hundreds of beaming guests. The ceremony was followed by LOTS of dancing. I love dancing at Jewish weddings and unfortunately don't get the chance to do so as often as I'd like. After a sweaty dance-off, we feasted on beef bourgignon, pargiot (chicken thighs), delicious Israeli salads, and an odd vegetable stir-fry consisting of green beans, mushrooms, and brussel sprouts. I followed the wedding with a quick nap and then spent some time helping my other cousin Yoni and his wife Ayelet prepare food for close family at their apartment. It was a fantastic day and really made me cherish and appreciate what a great family I am blessed with!
Since then, I have tightened up my belt again (kind of!) and have continued teaching at Keshet Elementary School. The kids are starting to let their true personalities show and are getting a little harder to manage, however, my Hebrew is improving and I have no problem speaking my mind to them and letting them know who is boss! They really do seem to appreciate our time being spent teaching them English and it is always a competition for them to get out of the classroom for some time with the North Americans. They ask us funny questions (e.g. Are you friends with Justin Bieber?) and latch onto the usual inappropriate words in English (e.g. one little monster gets kicked out of class every day and runs through the halls screaming "Motherfucker!"), but generally, they exhibit the usual behavior for kids their age and hopefully will progress to conversational English by the time I'm done with them.
Well, that's all for now. I just had an enrichment lecture on Israeli food complete with a feast all of us had prepared beforehand and I'm feeling quite sleepy now after such a late afternoon meal. Don't forget to check in and fill me in on all of your adventures, balagan (crazy) or not.
Ciao for now,
Max
P.S. Bonus points for whoever can figure out which song the title of my post is derived from!
So another week or so has passed, and so much has happened once again. There is hardly a dull moment with this lifestyle and this last week has been one of the busiest since my arrival. First, allow me to mention my trip to Jaffa last Monday. Jaffa is an ancient port city connected to Tel-Aviv and is home to a great outdoor market and spectacular beachside views, as well as a rich history and even mythical tales from Greek heritage. For example, at the port, there is a rock that juts out in the water and is home to an Israeli flag. I remember it being one of the Kodak moments of my Birthright trip last year but this trip I actually found out the alleged background of the tourist spot. Our guide told us a story of how Poseidon sent a giant whale named Cetus to ravage the coasts of Jaffa. The King Cepheus, desperate to stop the destruction in his kingdom and the spreading fear poisoning his people, decided to send his daughter, Andromeda, as a sacrifice to Cetus. Perseus, on his way back from slaying Medusa, would not allow this to happen, however, and stopped to free Andromeda, displaying the head of Medusa to Cetus. This caused Cetus to turn to stone. Today, it is believed that the rocks along the coast of Jaffa, including the one that holds the Israeli flag, are actually the ancient remains of Cetus and proof of Greek mythology taking root in Israel.
After our brief tour of Jaffa, we ventured to the Palmach museum, a fantastic cultural haven for all the history associated with the Israeli strike force that trained and impacted the country so greatly during the decade preceding the establishment of Israel. This museum was unlike any I've ever visited. Instead of the usual cultural artifacts and wall hangings explaining history, the museum is split into 13 different rooms, each full of props and videos containing footage of actors reenacting a specific impactful event in the history of the Palmach. The rooms are complete with sound effects, light displays, and one room even resembles a crooked submarine floor and moves slightly as though on the water. I felt like I learned a lot more about the Palmach in this type of learning environment and was thoroughly engaged for the entirety of the tour. Our day concluded with a visit to Rabin square, where Yitzhak Rabin (arguably the most well known and celebrated prime-minister in the history of Israel) was assasinated after a peace conference by a right-wing extremist. This was made all the more salient based on the fact that one of the characters in the re-enactments was based on Rabin himself.
The highlight of my week was not the Palmach museum, however, as much as I enjoyed it. This past weekend, I headed into Tel-Aviv for my cousin Shira's wedding and experienced both my first Israeli wedding and first morning wedding at the same time. It was a fantastic weekend full of family, food, fantastic dancing extravaganzas, and a chance for me to see family I hadn't seen in ages as well as meet new family members for the first time. The ceremony was incredibly beautiful, located at a kibbutz outside of Tel-Aviv with a pool and fountains as a backdrop to the stage and lush gardens surrounding the extravagant ceremonial spot. My cousin and her husband were married under what is referred to as a chuppa, a wedding canopy that can either stand on its own or be held up by four attendants. In this case, I had the honour of being one of these attendants, as my cousin's best friend was delayed in his arrival. I was happy to fill in and got a front row view of the poignant ceremony and happy looks on the faces of both my cousin and her newly annointed groom, as well as the hundreds of beaming guests. The ceremony was followed by LOTS of dancing. I love dancing at Jewish weddings and unfortunately don't get the chance to do so as often as I'd like. After a sweaty dance-off, we feasted on beef bourgignon, pargiot (chicken thighs), delicious Israeli salads, and an odd vegetable stir-fry consisting of green beans, mushrooms, and brussel sprouts. I followed the wedding with a quick nap and then spent some time helping my other cousin Yoni and his wife Ayelet prepare food for close family at their apartment. It was a fantastic day and really made me cherish and appreciate what a great family I am blessed with!
Since then, I have tightened up my belt again (kind of!) and have continued teaching at Keshet Elementary School. The kids are starting to let their true personalities show and are getting a little harder to manage, however, my Hebrew is improving and I have no problem speaking my mind to them and letting them know who is boss! They really do seem to appreciate our time being spent teaching them English and it is always a competition for them to get out of the classroom for some time with the North Americans. They ask us funny questions (e.g. Are you friends with Justin Bieber?) and latch onto the usual inappropriate words in English (e.g. one little monster gets kicked out of class every day and runs through the halls screaming "Motherfucker!"), but generally, they exhibit the usual behavior for kids their age and hopefully will progress to conversational English by the time I'm done with them.
Well, that's all for now. I just had an enrichment lecture on Israeli food complete with a feast all of us had prepared beforehand and I'm feeling quite sleepy now after such a late afternoon meal. Don't forget to check in and fill me in on all of your adventures, balagan (crazy) or not.
Ciao for now,
Max
P.S. Bonus points for whoever can figure out which song the title of my post is derived from!
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