Hey folks,
I'm coming off the high of an incredible weekend, preceded by a pretty fantastic week, despite being burdened by a head cold. Although I was sick, I got a lot done for my upcoming travels, including bookings, immunizations, medical purchases, and mental preparation. With the mental preparation part, I'm not sure if I will ever be completely prepared for the journey I'm about to make or my departure from Israel. I just have to trust that everything will work out and throw myself into the experience.
This past week was definitely full of new experiences. I had my first opportunity to do some karaoke in Israel on Tuesday night. It was one of our Group Monthly Fun activities and it was a blast. I have missed doing karaoke in Vancouver, and although I am usually aided in my confidence by a few beers, this time I did not have a single drink (due to being sick) and still had the time of my life. I sang "I Saw Her Standing There" by The Beatles, "Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers and "A Whole New World" from the Aladdin soundtrack, and overall did a pretty good job despite a sore throat and rusty vocal cords. There was a little awards ceremony for the top performers at the end of the night and I was honoured with heart-shaped chocolate lollipop, post-Valentine's Day.
But the best new experience of the week was the trip I just made this past weekend. Myself and four others rented a car and drove down to Ein Gedi Nature Reserve on Friday afternoon. We stopped for some spectacular views, checked out an area called the Flour Caves, and camped out next to the Dead Sea on Friday night. Although we didn't find the Flour Caves, we did stop at a cool wadi, a dried-out riverbed that we drove to after bumping up and down a rocky road for 20 minutes on what resembled the surface of the moon. We then decided to go to bed early in preparation for Saturday morning and our early wake-up. At 6AM, we woke up and went and registered for our 10K race at Ein Gedi. This is the 29th Ein Gedi race in Israel and there were about 3000 participants ready to run at 830 in the morning. We were supplied with timer chips and cool jerseys and drank lots of water to avoid dehydration. It was about 28 degrees Celcius outside at the start of the race and I felt so hot at some points along the track that it was tough to see through the sweat dripping into my eyes, but I completed the race in a great time of 1:05. My goal was to complete the race in an hour, but after a week of no training due to illness, I was very pleased with my time. Compared to the last 10K race I did in Vancouver, when I was super out of shape and walked a lot of it, I improved my time by 24 minutes! This race motivated me to stay in shape and keep running on a regular basis. It also motivated me to start a training regimen when I return home so that I can possibly have a half-marathon in my future.
We followed up the race with a trip to the Ein Gedi spa, which was free for all racers. We tried going in the hot springs, but were all impeded by blisters and cuts on our feet and different sorts of chafing that made the sulfurous water burn immensely. Instead, we chilled by the pool, and went down to the beach to cover ourselves in mud and have a little photoshoot. It was a fantastic way to follow up our accomplishment and a great day, one of my best in a long time! I watched out my window on the 2-hour drive home, amazed by the views and sad to know that two weeks from now, I don't exactly know the next time I will see them again. One thing is for certain: this will not be my last time in Israel!
I'm now entering my last week of school, my last visit with my family here, my last tiyul to Eilat this upcoming weekend, my last of everything! It is so crazy to think that five months has already passed and I know the pace won't slow down anytime soon once I am without a home base. All I can do is make the most out of every experience and hold onto the memories. I have started a Flickr account for photos in SEA and will post the address to my facebook account if any of you are interested. Otherwise, keep reading the blog if you want to be updated on my adventures and keep updating me on your lives. I haven't forgotten about you all and would love to know how you're doing!
Ciao for now,
Max
P.S. Don't forget to guess the song my blog title is derived from!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
"All I Have To Do Is Dream..."
Hey folks,
Things continue to go pretty well over here. Shabbat dinners with students are keeping me full, nights out with new friends are keeping me busy, albeit tired and loopy with what my roommate refers to as the "sleepy ha-ha's," and there's a race to look forward to next weekend, and a trip to Eilat after that. It is hard to believe that I have spent just under 5 months here already, and it is exactly three weeks from today that I take off for Thailand. I have never had a year go by quicker than this and with so little time left, I have started to get a little sad, and definitely contemplative.
Life in Israel in this program sometimes feels like a dream, a break away from reality where real responsibility does not really exist. It has had its moments where I have wanted to be woken up, but for the most part it is a welcome respite from daily life in Vancouver. It has been an incredible learning experience for me, in all facets of my life. The teaching experience, despite its challenges, has reaffirmed for me that I really do like children and want to have a career working with them. The living arrangements have given me new perspective on what I can deal with and what I can't deal with when it comes to personalities under the same roof. What I thought I didn't like in the villa was the lack of cleanliness and things not working, etc. Now I see that was part of it, but in the apartment, there exist the same problems and it doesn't bug me. Ultimately, it comes down to positive or negative energy and the people around you, and the negative energy in the villa was rampant. My experiences with new people have made me feel good about myself because of all the positive feedback I have been getting. This is a big one because I can have the tendency to be self-deprecating and not value certain things in myself when I should. On top of that, I struggled socially a lot during the first half of the program, and that was something that caught me completely off guard because I'm usually a very social person. Now I see that my attempts are only half of it, and the rest is up to the people around me; I can't control how they perceive me or whether they want to accept my olive branch.
Lastly, I have further affirmed that there is some invisible magnetic force in this world that attracts amazing girls to asshole/uninterested guys, and although this magnetism diminishes as girls get older, it is still a force to be reckoned with at my age. I have had a slightly rough past couple of days for this very reason. There are a lot of couples forming on this trip and the opportunity for me hasn't really presented itself, or at least not with someone that I'm interested in myself. My ego is stroked by the new girls every day, with compliments about how I'm such a "nice guy", but this doesn't add up to anything romantically and I can't quite understand it. Can someone fill me in with their infinite wisdom on why this pattern exists? I was told by a roommate the other day that I spend too much time in the friend zone and then I get stuck there, that I need to be more aggressive and possibly even meaner to get that kind of attention from girls. But that advice seems counter-productive to me. Girls out there: Does it really work to be a jerk, make yourself completely unavailable, and make insensitive remarks? I love the fact that I have made so many great friends whom I will remain friends with in such a short amount of time, however, there is someone I have a legitimate connection with, and I'm frustrated every day when I see her with guys who don't recognize all the things that I see in her. In summary, I'm sick of my bad timing and unrequited feelings and want to find myself in a situation where there is a mutual connection.
But enough of my romantic ramblings... in the end, I leave in three weeks and the possibility of a sustainable worthwhile relationship in such a short amount of time is but a pipe dream. I need to direct all of this devotion to something more productive, such as getting the last things done for my trip to SEA. Who knows? Maybe I'll meet someone there too... can't resist the cliche, "there's plenty of fish in the sea."
As always, I miss you all, and advice and commentary is certainly welcome. It always helps to hear from good friends in times of confusion and frustration such as these.
Ciao for now,
Max
What'll you do when you get lonely
And nobody's waiting by your side?
You've been running
And hiding much too long
You know it's just your foolish pride
________
You've got me on my knees
________
I'm begging, darling, please
________
Darling, won't you ease my worried mind?
I tried to give you consolation
When your old man had let you down
Like a fool
I fell in love with you
You turned my whole world upside down
________
You've got me on my knees
________
I'm begging, darling, please
________
Darling, won't you ease my worried mind?
Let's make the best of the situation
Before I finally go insane
Please don't say
We'll never find a way
And tell me all my love's in vain
________
You've got me on my knees
________
I'm begging, darling, please
________
Darling, won't you ease my worried mind?
Things continue to go pretty well over here. Shabbat dinners with students are keeping me full, nights out with new friends are keeping me busy, albeit tired and loopy with what my roommate refers to as the "sleepy ha-ha's," and there's a race to look forward to next weekend, and a trip to Eilat after that. It is hard to believe that I have spent just under 5 months here already, and it is exactly three weeks from today that I take off for Thailand. I have never had a year go by quicker than this and with so little time left, I have started to get a little sad, and definitely contemplative.
Life in Israel in this program sometimes feels like a dream, a break away from reality where real responsibility does not really exist. It has had its moments where I have wanted to be woken up, but for the most part it is a welcome respite from daily life in Vancouver. It has been an incredible learning experience for me, in all facets of my life. The teaching experience, despite its challenges, has reaffirmed for me that I really do like children and want to have a career working with them. The living arrangements have given me new perspective on what I can deal with and what I can't deal with when it comes to personalities under the same roof. What I thought I didn't like in the villa was the lack of cleanliness and things not working, etc. Now I see that was part of it, but in the apartment, there exist the same problems and it doesn't bug me. Ultimately, it comes down to positive or negative energy and the people around you, and the negative energy in the villa was rampant. My experiences with new people have made me feel good about myself because of all the positive feedback I have been getting. This is a big one because I can have the tendency to be self-deprecating and not value certain things in myself when I should. On top of that, I struggled socially a lot during the first half of the program, and that was something that caught me completely off guard because I'm usually a very social person. Now I see that my attempts are only half of it, and the rest is up to the people around me; I can't control how they perceive me or whether they want to accept my olive branch.
Lastly, I have further affirmed that there is some invisible magnetic force in this world that attracts amazing girls to asshole/uninterested guys, and although this magnetism diminishes as girls get older, it is still a force to be reckoned with at my age. I have had a slightly rough past couple of days for this very reason. There are a lot of couples forming on this trip and the opportunity for me hasn't really presented itself, or at least not with someone that I'm interested in myself. My ego is stroked by the new girls every day, with compliments about how I'm such a "nice guy", but this doesn't add up to anything romantically and I can't quite understand it. Can someone fill me in with their infinite wisdom on why this pattern exists? I was told by a roommate the other day that I spend too much time in the friend zone and then I get stuck there, that I need to be more aggressive and possibly even meaner to get that kind of attention from girls. But that advice seems counter-productive to me. Girls out there: Does it really work to be a jerk, make yourself completely unavailable, and make insensitive remarks? I love the fact that I have made so many great friends whom I will remain friends with in such a short amount of time, however, there is someone I have a legitimate connection with, and I'm frustrated every day when I see her with guys who don't recognize all the things that I see in her. In summary, I'm sick of my bad timing and unrequited feelings and want to find myself in a situation where there is a mutual connection.
But enough of my romantic ramblings... in the end, I leave in three weeks and the possibility of a sustainable worthwhile relationship in such a short amount of time is but a pipe dream. I need to direct all of this devotion to something more productive, such as getting the last things done for my trip to SEA. Who knows? Maybe I'll meet someone there too... can't resist the cliche, "there's plenty of fish in the sea."
As always, I miss you all, and advice and commentary is certainly welcome. It always helps to hear from good friends in times of confusion and frustration such as these.
Ciao for now,
Max
What'll you do when you get lonely
And nobody's waiting by your side?
You've been running
And hiding much too long
You know it's just your foolish pride
________
You've got me on my knees
________
I'm begging, darling, please
________
Darling, won't you ease my worried mind?
I tried to give you consolation
When your old man had let you down
Like a fool
I fell in love with you
You turned my whole world upside down
________
You've got me on my knees
________
I'm begging, darling, please
________
Darling, won't you ease my worried mind?
Let's make the best of the situation
Before I finally go insane
Please don't say
We'll never find a way
And tell me all my love's in vain
________
You've got me on my knees
________
I'm begging, darling, please
________
Darling, won't you ease my worried mind?
Friday, February 4, 2011
"With A Little Help From My Friends"
Hey folks,
What an absolute turnaround! The past week has been one of the best of my trip so far, if not the absolute best! My frame of mind has gone from about a 5 or 6 up to a 10, and I'm actually at the point where I'm getting a little sad to leave Israel, the countdown starting today with one month till my departure.
Let me start by talking about school a little bit because that is after all the main reason I am here in this country and I haven't updated you all in quite some time. About 3 weeks ago, I finally began to feel like I was actually making a real difference. I mean I always knew that I was helping and doing good work, but before I felt like it was more a job to take some of the onus off of the teachers and now I feel like my job is really contributing to positive learning and lasting memories in the lives of the kids. They appreciate our help and are much more respective of us as teachers than a few months ago. The routine is appreciated at this point as things are much more structured and there is a flow to our method in the school. This past week, the kids have taken it upon themselves to ask their parents if we can come to their houses for Shabbat dinner and all of a sudden, there have been 4 or 5 invites in the past few days. Tonight, I'm heading to one kid's house for dinner with my teaching partner Boris and two of my roommates, Yudit and Allison. It promises to be a great meal and a good time! Tomorrow, I have a lunch at another student's house and then two more dinners next weekend. Definitely a very nice feeling to know that the kids like us enough to invite us into their homes and they are starting to show signs of sadness that we are leaving the school in just three weeks. Despite the challenges of the teaching atmosphere, I too will miss the experience and many of the great personalities I have encountered at Keshet Elementary School in the past 4 months.
This week has also been fantastic for good news and celebrations! My mom started training for a new part-time job that is a great fit for her and I'm so proud of her and how busy she is keeping despite being in retirement. My dad celebrated a birthday and is still sounding and acting as young as ever, refusing to succumb to the stereotypes of old age. I absolutely love him for that! My brother sold his first writing treatment to Telefilm Canada and is finally being recognized for all of his hard work and immense talent after three years of dedication. I am incredibly happy for him! And finally, my cousin Shira and her husband Omer had their first child, a beautiful baby girl. Although she came early, she is happy and healthy and I will get a chance to see her before I leave the country for Thailand. I couldn't be more ecstatic for everyone in the family over here in Israel and back home! All in all, this week has been full of excitement and many blessings!
Finally, this week has been full of adventures due to the new group's arrival. It's hard to believe it has already been almost two full weeks since they arrived in Ashdod, maybe because the amount of fun I've been having has made time race at an unimaginable pace. This week, I've been keeping up with running and getting into shape, but now I run with one of the new group members, a girl named Erika. We get along really well and it's nice to have a companion to talk to and keep me motivated to run further. We have a similar pace and today we went on a run for just under an hour, pretty much running the entire time and completing a total of over 6 km. I think this might be the longest run I've done in Israel so far and I felt fantastic after getting home. I've decided to keep running in preparation for a race in two and a half weeks near Ein Gedi. About seven of us are going to go and do the race and then spend the weekend camping next to the Dead Sea and exploring the surrounding areas, including an off-the-beaten-path spot called the Flour Caves. Very excited for this and motivated to finish the 10km in under an hour. There has also been plenty of time for socialising this week, and bonding time with my roommates. I already feel like I've made some really good friends and they constantly lament the fact that my groupmates and I are leaving soon. Because I do a lot of cooking in the house, and the occasional cleaning as well, I've adopted the nickname "Dad" in the apartment for the girls, starting with just one of them, but now progressing to more of them most of the time. It seemed bizarre to me at first, but now I wholeheartedly embrace it! It is a term of endearment after all... There were several nights we went out again this week, and probably a little more than I could handle, but I turned down offers last night to get a good night's sleep and feel back to normal today. Knowing my limits for this last month will be very important so that I leave for SEA happy and healthy and ready to endure.
Yesterday, we had a tiyul to Caesarea, Zikharon Ya’akov and the German colony and Bahai Gardens in Haifa. Caesarea was a very cool port area, consisting of ancient ruins dating back thousands of years and a cool ampitheatre that still hosts concerts to this day. Our tour guide showed us how the irrigation system worked back in the times of the Romans, and the remains of the bathhouses and circuits for chariot races. Zikharon Ya'akov was also a nice little town, full of character and very near to where I will be working should I get the E-Camp summer job. We ended with a little hike/stroll in Haifa down a slope overlooking the beautiful landscape of the city. I've confirmed now that Haifa really does some of the most exquisite views in the country!
I get the feeling that the next few weeks are going to fly by very quickly, so it's time to make the final preparations for the rest of my trip and enjoy every last minute here, which really shouldn't be too hard with the new company surrounding me. Hope you're all doing great and seriously fill me in on what's going on back home. Despite the great times I'm having here, I still miss you all and want memories of home to keep me on solid ground. I think of Vancouver whenever it rains here...
Ciao for now,
Max
What an absolute turnaround! The past week has been one of the best of my trip so far, if not the absolute best! My frame of mind has gone from about a 5 or 6 up to a 10, and I'm actually at the point where I'm getting a little sad to leave Israel, the countdown starting today with one month till my departure.
Let me start by talking about school a little bit because that is after all the main reason I am here in this country and I haven't updated you all in quite some time. About 3 weeks ago, I finally began to feel like I was actually making a real difference. I mean I always knew that I was helping and doing good work, but before I felt like it was more a job to take some of the onus off of the teachers and now I feel like my job is really contributing to positive learning and lasting memories in the lives of the kids. They appreciate our help and are much more respective of us as teachers than a few months ago. The routine is appreciated at this point as things are much more structured and there is a flow to our method in the school. This past week, the kids have taken it upon themselves to ask their parents if we can come to their houses for Shabbat dinner and all of a sudden, there have been 4 or 5 invites in the past few days. Tonight, I'm heading to one kid's house for dinner with my teaching partner Boris and two of my roommates, Yudit and Allison. It promises to be a great meal and a good time! Tomorrow, I have a lunch at another student's house and then two more dinners next weekend. Definitely a very nice feeling to know that the kids like us enough to invite us into their homes and they are starting to show signs of sadness that we are leaving the school in just three weeks. Despite the challenges of the teaching atmosphere, I too will miss the experience and many of the great personalities I have encountered at Keshet Elementary School in the past 4 months.
This week has also been fantastic for good news and celebrations! My mom started training for a new part-time job that is a great fit for her and I'm so proud of her and how busy she is keeping despite being in retirement. My dad celebrated a birthday and is still sounding and acting as young as ever, refusing to succumb to the stereotypes of old age. I absolutely love him for that! My brother sold his first writing treatment to Telefilm Canada and is finally being recognized for all of his hard work and immense talent after three years of dedication. I am incredibly happy for him! And finally, my cousin Shira and her husband Omer had their first child, a beautiful baby girl. Although she came early, she is happy and healthy and I will get a chance to see her before I leave the country for Thailand. I couldn't be more ecstatic for everyone in the family over here in Israel and back home! All in all, this week has been full of excitement and many blessings!
Finally, this week has been full of adventures due to the new group's arrival. It's hard to believe it has already been almost two full weeks since they arrived in Ashdod, maybe because the amount of fun I've been having has made time race at an unimaginable pace. This week, I've been keeping up with running and getting into shape, but now I run with one of the new group members, a girl named Erika. We get along really well and it's nice to have a companion to talk to and keep me motivated to run further. We have a similar pace and today we went on a run for just under an hour, pretty much running the entire time and completing a total of over 6 km. I think this might be the longest run I've done in Israel so far and I felt fantastic after getting home. I've decided to keep running in preparation for a race in two and a half weeks near Ein Gedi. About seven of us are going to go and do the race and then spend the weekend camping next to the Dead Sea and exploring the surrounding areas, including an off-the-beaten-path spot called the Flour Caves. Very excited for this and motivated to finish the 10km in under an hour. There has also been plenty of time for socialising this week, and bonding time with my roommates. I already feel like I've made some really good friends and they constantly lament the fact that my groupmates and I are leaving soon. Because I do a lot of cooking in the house, and the occasional cleaning as well, I've adopted the nickname "Dad" in the apartment for the girls, starting with just one of them, but now progressing to more of them most of the time. It seemed bizarre to me at first, but now I wholeheartedly embrace it! It is a term of endearment after all... There were several nights we went out again this week, and probably a little more than I could handle, but I turned down offers last night to get a good night's sleep and feel back to normal today. Knowing my limits for this last month will be very important so that I leave for SEA happy and healthy and ready to endure.
Yesterday, we had a tiyul to Caesarea, Zikharon Ya’akov and the German colony and Bahai Gardens in Haifa. Caesarea was a very cool port area, consisting of ancient ruins dating back thousands of years and a cool ampitheatre that still hosts concerts to this day. Our tour guide showed us how the irrigation system worked back in the times of the Romans, and the remains of the bathhouses and circuits for chariot races. Zikharon Ya'akov was also a nice little town, full of character and very near to where I will be working should I get the E-Camp summer job. We ended with a little hike/stroll in Haifa down a slope overlooking the beautiful landscape of the city. I've confirmed now that Haifa really does some of the most exquisite views in the country!
I get the feeling that the next few weeks are going to fly by very quickly, so it's time to make the final preparations for the rest of my trip and enjoy every last minute here, which really shouldn't be too hard with the new company surrounding me. Hope you're all doing great and seriously fill me in on what's going on back home. Despite the great times I'm having here, I still miss you all and want memories of home to keep me on solid ground. I think of Vancouver whenever it rains here...
Ciao for now,
Max
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