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
No comments:
Post a Comment