From Horsemail To Hotmail

Hey folks,

In my boxing get-up at the gym

Only our third full day in Chiang Mai, and already there is more to report on our crazy adventures! Yesterday morning, we woke up super early at 5:45AM and headed to a gym to learn all about Muay Thai boxing. This was something we changed in our tour instead of going to botanical and butterfly gardens because it more suited our tastes. I couldn't be happier that we switched because it was an amazing authentic Thai experience and something I will cherish forever! We started with a skipping warm-up and then were greeted by a gym regular who showed us some basic moves while we waited for the trainer to arrive. We stood in front of the mirror and watched our form, all decked out in our boxing shorts that we purchased at the Sunday Market. Once the trainer arrived, a man who seemed to be American but who has lived in Thailand for quite some time (and has boxed for quite some time; he had hardly any teeth left!) explained the basic philosophy of the art of Muay Thai. Essentially, Muay Thai can't be taught, only practiced, and technique is completely individual based on personal preference. Contrary to other boxing methods, there is not bouncing or dancing while you move, and movements are made more in a shuffling manner using the back foot (in my case, my right) as a pivot. He showed us proper rotation and the importance of not moving forward too much when jabbing, but rather keeping the back straight and using the feet to advance in an actual fight. After a bit more explanation, I got a chance to try my skills in the ring. My trainer was a 14 year old kid who was actually surprisingly hard on me and got me working up a killer sweat. Whenever I let me hands down from my face, he would give me a sharp jab to the gut, so I learned quickly to keep my jaw protected. For close to 20 minutes, I railed on this sturdy little teenager, using jabs, right hooks, uppercuts, right and left kicks, elbows and knees. By the end, I was so tired I had to drink about 2 litres of water to recuperate before moving to the bag. There I was joined by another Canadian on the other side of the bag who was about twice my bulk and made me look fairly insignificant as I kicked the bag as hard as I could. Nevertheless, I majorly improved my technique and will be checking out gyms when I return to Vancouver. If for nothing else, Muay Thai is an incredible workout!

After the boxing, we had a quick stop at the hotel to shower before heading down to the Ping River for a boat cruise in what are called Scorpion-Tailed boats. We had a fantastic tour guide named Samak who was both informative and hilarious. We learned about the teak log and that it takes one log per boat, boats take four years to make, and they used to transport supplies to and from Bangkok (like salt which was scarce in Chiang Mai). He explained that horses used to be a common form of transport as well, and gave us a great quote, saying that Chiang Mai has progressed from "Horsemail to Hotmail." As we drifted down the river, we saw men fishing, kids swimming in the river, the only 6-star hotel in Chiang Mai (which charges $800 a night), and a t-shirt shop on the edge of the water that sells shirts for only 2 Baht each! That's 15 shirts for $1 CDN ladies and gentlemen! After the cruise was over, we got out at Samak's home and he showed us around his garden before feeding us sticky rice, mango, and lychee juice. In his garden were many interesting and funny plants, the best being the Man-Tree, the Woman-Tree, and the Chiang-Lady plant, which shrivels up and retreats when you touch it. He also displayed to us the original use of the Chinese finger-trap, a long weaved staff that was used to catch snakes by placing small frogs in the end part of it, and some snake whiskey, supposedly very helpful for men who are suffering from troubles in the bedroom and a good alternative to Viagra.

After the boat cruise, we stuffed ourselves silly at a buffet included in our tour, checked out two more factories (one leather, one cotton) and then got dropped off by X-Man at the Chiang Mai Zoo & Aquarium. The aquarium is the biggest one in Asia and was quite a sight to behold but it was the zoo that really impressed me because we don't really have a good one in BC. The sheer size of the park was incredible, and after walking over 6km in the blistering hot humidity, we finished the circuit. We saw macaques, a hippo and a pygmy hippo, giraffes, camels, rams, ostriches, emus, a Bengal tiger, koala bears, crocodiles, deer, and more. The highlight was definitely stumbling upon a tortoise mating session though, slow and steady winning the race and making the most ridiculous sounds in the world! Due to bad timing, we missed out on seeing the panda but maybe we can stop again later in the week. After the zoo we had a five minute stop at the hotel to drop off our stuff before we were off again to a Khantoke dinner nearby. Basically, you sit at low tables with buffet-style food and there are dances and shows going on during the meal. There was a fingernail dance, a candle dance, and a sword dance, the sword one being the most enthralling. I capped off the night with a one-hour Thai massage to get rid of my soreness from boxing before retiring for the evening. Most of it was quite painful but it feels good today and I'm pretty sure she cracked every crackable bone in my body!

One of the ladies at the Karen long-neck village

This morning was jam-packed with more activities, starting off with a trip to a Karen hill tribe village, where the long-neck women reside. These women begin wearing a bronze neck brace from the age of four and continue to do so for their whole life as part of their culture. Originally, the brace warded off tiger bites, but now it is simply a custom and draws many tourists in to witness the unique tradition. Our 500 Baht entry fee went completely to supporting the village, as all of the families living there are refugees from Myanmar, which is currently undergoing civil war. After the village, we stopped at the Monkey Kingdom, enchanted by a little show in which monkeys completed crazy feats. Some of the tricks included: untying a rope from my wrist, gathering coconuts from the top of a tree, slam dunks and three-point shoot-out in basketball, push-ups and sit-ups, lifting weights, guessing numbers we had chosen as an audience, and collecting donations for monkey balm with proper change for those who didn't have it! The monkeys were adorable and seemed to be happy although at times, the practice seemed a little inhumane. Next, it was time for Snake Kingdom where we witnessed snake wranglers at their best. The specific spot we journeyed to is where the beginning of Rambo was filmed with Stallone a few years ago and it lived up to its reputation. We got to wear pythons around our necks and watched in awe as the wrangler kissed a King Cobra, the most poisonous snake in the world. At one point, the trainer lost control of the snake and it lunged out of the pit towards my foot, scaring the bejeezus out of me as I looked into the trainer's eyes and saw uncertainty. That is never a good sign when looking at someone who is responsible for your safety! Considering our adrenaline was already pumping, we continued the high with a stop at the shooting range just down the road. We each took 30 shots with three different guns, two were hand pistols and one was a revolver. This was my first time firing a gun and it was quite nerve-wracking, especially due to the lack of instruction. However, the feel of the gun in my hand was somewhat exhilarating, almost too much so when my gun malfunctioned and shot two bullets at once, the second one going into the wood right above me due to the kickback from the first. When I got my paper back at the end, my grand total was 23 shots out of 30 landing on the paper, not terrible for a first time, but definitely not fantastic either. Despite the desire to improve, I have a feeling it will be my last time on the range...

Taking my first shot at the shooting range

Now it's relaxation time for the afternoon before our jungle trek starts tomorrow. We're off to visit tribal villages, go rafting, and ride some elephants. Stay tuned for updates!

Ciao for now,

Max

Chillin' With X-Man...

Hey folks,

This is now my first official blog post from Thailand! After a 3 hour wait in Ben Gurion airport, a 3 1/2 hour flight to Kiev, Ukraine where it was 0 degrees celsius, a 9 hour flight to Bangkok, a 3 hour wait in the train station, and then a 12 hour train ride, we eventually ended up in Chiang Mai, one of the most culturally significant cities in Thailand, and our only destination in the North. Despite the sleep deprivation from such a lengthy commute, we couldn't help but be bewildered by the buzzing city as we took a cab from the train station to our first hostel, Spicythai Backpackers. The streets are swamped by motorcyclists here, edging in and out of traffic, usually carrying 2-3 passengers per bike, all without helmet. Weaving through the cars, they all look relaxed and carefree, as does everyone so far in this country. Full of smiles, polite greetings and stories and culture to share, the Thai people have proven very welcoming in the past 24 hours, and have given us culture shock from the sometimes-abrasive nature of Israelis we have become so accustomed to. There has been no trouble whatsoever in finding our destinations or getting information, and we have been surprised by the amount of English spoken here. Goose, Dan and I did not brush up on our Thai before arriving, so this ease of communication is a major comfort in such a foreign land.

The hostel we stayed in our first night was incredibly pleasant and we will be returning on Tuesday and Friday night after separate tours before taking off for Kanchanaburi on Saturday night. It is run by a nice guy who seems to be American and a few other guys, one Thai and one Scottish. There were a lot of people our age sitting around when we arrived, including an Israeli-Canadian (who made fun of our Hebrew), two other Canadians (one from Vancouver with mutual friends!), a German, a South-African, and a few Brits. After dropping our stuff off, we headed out for a bite to eat and got our first real taste of Thai food for dirt cheap prices. The food here is one of the ways we will be conserving money over the next month as so far, we haven't spent more than $5 CDN for a full meal including an appetizer, a main course, and a beverage. Despite the affordability of the cuisine, it hasn't disappointed and I'm trying new ethnic favourites at every opportunity. New smells are constantly greeting me at every corner and beckoning me to come sample. Resistance appears to be futile and I might end up leaving this country with a little bit of a gut...

The first official day of our trip started today at 9AM with pick-up from our hostel by Destiny Travel Service. We are getting toured around Chiang Mai by private car and our tour guide (who calls himself X-Man) is friendly, funny, and incredibly informative. Our first stop was at Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, a temple founded in 1383 and located over 1km above sea level at the top of Doi Suthep mountain. The temple was originally a solid cement formation but they later added on gold plates, giving the temple a majestic and awe-inspiring allure. The view from the top of the mountain looks out over all of Chiang Mai and there was live music, buddhist prayer blessings, and many a buddha statue surrounding us as we walked around the tourist site. After leaving the temple, we headed to the Art & Culture museum, which originally served as a palace to the King of Chiang Mai. Inside, we toured through the separate rooms, X-Man following us and giving us little tid-bits unlisted in the museum. We learned that many of the kings whose pictures are mounted on the walls had over 100 children, and that Chiang Mai has switched hands between Myanmar, Thailand, and Great Britain over the course of its 800 year history. We got a quick lesson on how rice is grown and harvested, learned that there are different dialects of Thai in all areas of the country, with as few as 5 different ways to say "delicious" depending on where you are, and were told that Bangkok's real name is the longest name of any city or country in the world, and if written out, would take up an entire page! Our tour continued with stops at some factories for handicrafts that are popular in Chiang Mai, the first factory being one for umbrellas and fans, and the second for silver. The umbrellas created here were incredible and we got to witness some of the geniuses at work, who gave us something to remember them by with emblems on our belongings. I got a dragon (for my Zodiac sign) painted onto my wallet that now makes me smile every time I need to make a purchase. At the silver factory, we were given a quick explanation on how silver rings are made... unfortunately, the man explaining had the weirdest accent I have EVER heard in my life and we couldn't quite catch most of it. It sounded like a cross between Kiwi, Japanese, Thai and some unknown dialect, and every sentence came out sounding different. This resulted in us learning nothing about silver but getting quite a laugh from the experience instead. We ended our tour by picking up a few small gifts and then headed back to our new hotel for some great lunch and a rest.

Chomping down on my first cricket!

After a few hours nap, we decided to check out the incredible Sunday Market. I thought that markets in Israel were busy and large compared to Canadian standards, but nothing prepared me for the magnitude and degree of coolness that Chiang Mai's Sunday Market provides. For those reading this in Ashdod, the market is about 100 times larger than the Ashdod shuk; for those reading in Vancouver, about 30 times the size of Granville Island! We walked along the main stretch endlessly, stopping to snack on mini-hamburgers, chocolate-covered strawberries, and pad thai, and buying ourselves some official Muay Thai boxing shorts for our course tomorrow. We found a temple along the way and took some photos, and then stopped to watch a little performance at the end of the road put on by some Thai teenagers, dancing their little hearts away. On the way back, we had our first bug-eating experience, some crunchy salted crickets. I was up for the challenge and ate a whole five of them, despite the fact that the eyes spilled sour juice into my mouth and I got wings stuck between my teeth. All in all, not something I would eat again! Finally, I stopped and treated myself to a 45 minute foot and leg massage, leaving me feeling rested and light as feather, tingling from the pressure this tiny woman was somehow able to produce on my feet! I enjoyed this experience for the grand total of 60 Baht ($2 CDN) and headed back to the hotel where I sit to write this all down for you now...

Tomorrow is a big day, plenty to do, plenty to see! I figure I will be posting on here pretty often due to the accessibility of internet and the amount of things I have to report so I'll keep you all updated. Don't forget to update me on your lives as well! I leave you with a list of cultural differences I have noticed already below:

Differences in Culture:

1. Bathrooms - The facilities in this country are not quite what we're used to living in Israel and North America, with many toilets not having a seat and being low to the ground. The bathrooms often smell pretty terrible and some charge for use. Finally, because of a poor sewage system around the country, it is expected that travelers dispose of toilet paper (for #1 or #2) in a garbage can next to the toilet rather than the toilet bowl. This seems like such a strange practice to me that I don't know if I'll ever acclimate!
2. Money - Everything is cheap! Israel was a fairly expensive country, so this is a welcome treat and means I can go sans worrying about cash flow too much for the next month. The actually currency itself is cool too, with bills mostly being in large denominations (1000 Baht = $33 CDN) and all sporting wacky colours, each bill plastered with the face of the King in his prime.
3. Shoes - It is important for many different reasons that you walk barefoot in some places in Thailand. At the temple, you must take off your shoes as a sign of respect and it is essentially one of the biggest culturally no-no's you can make to not obey this rule. At our first hostel, we also had to remove our shoes to enter, although this time it was because of sanitary issues, the Thai people believing that shoes will track in infection for those who do walk barefoot, and so an even playing field is required for all.
4. Hospitality - Just as I write this, two separate hotel workers have closed the blinds to make sure the sun didn't get in my eyes, put a fan behind me to cool my back, and brought me water to make sure I was hydrated, all without me saying a word. Our tour guide X-Man also told us not to hesitate to change our itinerary and has already offered to tag on extra stops according to our preferences for the rest of the tour, essentially allowing us to cater the tour to our interests.
5. Working Children - Many children are put to work here at a young age to help provide for the family. Although my Canadian dollar goes along way in this country, the Baht does not go quite as far for the struggling local family. On our way up to Doi Suthep, little girls were all dressed up and wearing make-up for photos with tourists... little boys played instruments outside the temple for a few spare Baht... and finally, there was a troupe of teenage girls performing some American songs at the Sunday Market to raise money for school. The work ethic here in Thailand is quite strong, and develops early.

Ciao for now,

Max

"I'll Smile When I Remember"

Hey folks,

My experience in The Slingshot in Eilat!

This will be my last blog post before I take off for SEA as my flight is in a little over 12 hours and then I have 36 hours of transit before I arrive in Chiang Mai and begin our first tour. This last week has been a whirlwind of emotions and different experiences. Last weekend, we headed to Eilat, a city situated all the way in the south of Israel, surrounded by mountains and desert, and crystal clear water on the shores of the Red Sea. We stopped on the way to do a great hike, the first actual "hike" that Oranim has provided for us in five months. We then headed to the hotel and had a bit of time to relax after having traveled close to 5 hours by bus, before taking part in a Kabbalah Shabbat with close to 280 other Oranim participants in our hotel. After the ceremony, we ate a great dinner and went out to the bar nearby to party the night away. Great music, great friends, and all in all, a fantastic Friday night all around! The next morning, I went down to the beach with 5 girls from the new program and on the way, met up with my old friend Richard from elementary school. He decided to come down to Eilat for the weekend to see me before he starts his 4 month kibbutz program. We rented banana boats, did some tubing, and rounded the hour off with pedal-boating. A lot of fun, but definitely left me with a lot of bruises from smacking against the water after being dragged by a speedboat. That night, we all crammed onto a boat cruise and danced the night away while drifting out on the Red Sea, smiles plastered on everyone's face and chants of "Team Ashdod" echoing into the night louder than all of the other groups combined. I followed up the boat cruise by going on a crazy contraption called "The Slingshot" with my friend Jordan, essentially a cage that is flung up over 100 feet into the air and then dropped into free fall. It was super fun but incredible disorienting and nerve-wracking at the same time. The next day, we finished off our Eilat trip with another hike, this time to the top of a mountain with a view of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and Israel all from the same vantage point. It was quite breathtaking and made me incredibly emotional knowing that my time to leave this country was coming so soon...

After Eilat, the reality kicked in that there were only a few days left to organize and say my farewells. Monday night, we had a ceremony for our group that was attended by teachers, the new group, our coordinators and some of the host families of people in our program. I wrote a song for the occasion which was a big hit, and summed up some of the things we loved about living in Israel and specifically, living in Ashdod.  I've posted it below... The ceremony also included a fantastic speech by my buddy Dan Richman (one of my companions in Thailand) and a slideshow by roommate Dan Amster which perfectly combined photos from volunteering, trips around the country, Israeli nightlife, and our beach and ruins. The ceremony was followed up by an awards ceremony for different roles in our group: class clown, king of the group, queen of the group, etc. I came in as runner-up in the category of most improved Hebrew, which was a real honour after my hard work to learn the language. Tuesday was incredibly busy, complete with a trip to Tel-Aviv to say goodbye to my family and see my new cousin Yael, a pizza party at our coordinator Kineret's moshav where we got to make and bake our own pizzas, and one last Bad Decision Tuesday at Pigal, our go-to bar for bottomless beer. Finally, yesterday was a day to get chores done and finish packing up a lot of my belongings and I organized a bonfire down at the beach for both groups to have one last hoorah. Boris and I went to a construction site and stole a bunch of wood for the festivities. We built a magnificent fire, complete with a bed thrown into the mix and rounds of corny songs like "Wonderwall" and "Time Of Your Life". I went night-swimming one last time and went to bed at 6:30 this morning, pleasantly tired after having seen off some of my very good friends.

I can't believe that it's time to say goodbye to Israel. I have grown very attached to the people and lifestyle here, the amazing sights and landscapes, the culture and the language, and it will be hard to leave it all behind. This trip has further affirmed that I love this country too much to stay away and I know 100% that there will be a return visit in my future. Time to go now, I only have a few more hours in Ashdod to say my mushy last goodbyes to my amazing roommates and catch a cab to the airport with my buddy Goose. Miss you all and will be thinking of you in Thailand!

Ciao for now,

Max

THE ORANIM BLUES

I woke up this morning, five months had passed

Oh where did the time go, it flew by so fast

Now my heart is heavy, as I prepare to go

I'm folding and packing, and planning and tracking

כש אני חוזר ל פו

But I know it won't be long, till I'm back on that flight

Staring out my window, Israel in sight

Games of Durak and Contact, that we played so well

The hustle and bustle, and sore aching muscles, and sandbags at Sar-El

The ruins at sunset, trips to the Seamall

Crazy karaoke, and Tuesdays nights at Pigal

If there's one thing we've learned here, if there's one thing that we know

It's that Israel, ארץ Israel will always be our home

So goodbye dear students, Oranim 56

Goodbye Shiry, Kineret, you will be sorely missed

Goodbye to Yod Alef, goodbye Har Mezada

Goodbye to Ashdod, and תודה רבה

And whenever I'm lonely, when I'm sad or just plain down

I'll think of all the memories, and turn it right around

My Time At Keshet

Hey folks,

I wanted to take the time to write a little about my time at Keshet school these past five months. Last week, I had to say many goodbyes, to the students that have become such a huge part of my life and the teachers that have become my colleagues. On Monday, our English teacher organized a large staff party for us after school, supplying us with amazing food, a generous Body Shop package, and a speech about our dedication throughout the program to kids who needed our help. It was especially touching and rewarding to hear her note that she never in a million years would have expected 22 year old guys to volunteer five months of their life to teaching in a country with kids as stubborn as Israelis, as we could be skiing, partying and doing much more selfish things with our money and time. But I consider my time at Keshet time well spent, where I made a difference, learned a lot about myself, made friends with the families of some of my students, and gained a more worldly perspective on the education system. The next two days, our students held parties for us and showered us with gifts and letters about how much they would miss us. I played guitar for them and said my goodbyes, sad to know that I would probably never see them again despite the one-on-one connections I made over the course of almost half a year. These are some of the things I will miss about Keshet:

1. The million high-fives I got every day just wandering into the school and from class to class, kids beaming from ear to ear, just happy to see us.
2. The chants of "Max ve Boris" whenever we did something unexpected in front of the students.
3. The amazing Shabbat dinners I was invited to in the last month by students who wanted to give back to us.
4. Our English teacher Gaby, who definitely used us to our full potential and didn't allow us to slack off like some other volunteers in our program. I got a lot more out of the opportunity because of her high expectations.
5. Our chance to speak Hebrew and learn from the kids. They were always willing to give us suggestions for improvement.
6. Working with Boris, a hell of a character and so many memories together.
7. The English songs about barnyard animals that got the kids so riled up... I LOVE MY ROOSTER!
8. The feeling of contributing lasting memories to the kids and setting a good example for them. I had kids tell me that they wanted to be like me and help people and there is no more rewarding feeling than that!

That is just a handful of the things I will miss, there are countless more! Like I said in my last post, this experience has further affirmed my desire to work with children and I can't wait to explore new opportunities in the education/speech therapy field when I return home.

Ciao for now,

Max

"Floating Around In Ecstasy..."

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!

"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?

"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