a little break

I know. I'm not anywhere near done rambling about our amazing Europe trip, but more than a month has gone by since I returned and so much has happened just here in Israel!

At first when we got back it was different. My group of 10 that I have been with since October was now back in the States and my house was a little more empty. But luckily the emptiness didn't last long. A participant from a program back in August, the first group we met, was back in Israel getting ready to join the IDF. He stayed with us while preparing, so that was a treat!

I even started going to the beach more. I figure if I'll be moving to New York, which I'm guessing is more like Indiana than Miami, and there will go my "I'm going to the beach whenever I feel like it," I need to start working on a tan (and take advantage of the sunny hot weather). 

During my first week back I was at the beach with a couple of friends and it was extremely crowded for a Wednesday (or was it a Tuesday?) Regardless, it was Israeli Memorial Day, and we were treated to an amazing air show as we played in the sand! Every so often different planes, all sorts of sizes, flew by! I tried taking pictures, but my camera was all worn out from snapping away in Europe. 

Over the next week we had Memorial days, Independence days, all sort of days. Our first Sunday back we got in busses and headed up North to celebrate one of those days! We went on a tour of (insert name here), an old camp where the Jews were placed (think concentration camp) after they were caught by the British coming over after the Holocaust. Then we saw a ceremony at a Navy base. All the soldiers were dressed so clean in white! What happens if they get dirty?! When they went to sit down, I'd watch as they cleaned the bench before sitting.

Volunteering has become less and less as my time here is ending. I'm trying to make the most of my time in Israel, making sure I don't miss anything. Though sadly, as of now, all I've seen is the beach. Over the next month I'm planning a trip to a safari, water park, the Dead Sea, and hopefully up north!

Remember back when I was rambling about the museums? Well, I was lucky enough to join the new group to their choice: the Weitzman Museum, which was cool!

I had been trying to gather a group of people to go there myself, so I'm glad I was allowed to go.

First we sat and watched a video of the science they work on and then walked (a lot!) to a tour of his house. Then we walked back to where we started (not sure what point the order was here...) and went to the outside science field! It was all these interactive "games," trying to show that science is fun. I wish we had more time there! We split into two groups and a tour guide explained some of the gadgets.  But by this point everyone was so tired and hungry no-one cared. I'm going to try to go back there!

Have I mentioned that my glasses broke? Yes, I snapped them and instead of buying new ones I attempted to superglue them back together. It worked for a while, but every time they broke, I'd have to shave away the glue and start over. During the museum visit, they broke again. 

We also went back down to Eilat for the weekend, like we did in November, where I finally broke my glasses without repair, and spent the entire weekend barely being able to see. 

It was such a hot weekend, most days breaking 105*. The first day we had to be up by 6 and expected to hike. But since I had already done them, I was the first to suggest to stay on the bus. So that is what we did, and it was worth it. 

Saturday we spent the day in 117* weather, ugh. We first wanted to swim with the dolphins, so some of us took a taxi to the south beach and hated life once we figured how expensive that was. So we got back in a cab and headed to the regular beach. 

Then we saw a great sign and decided on a group plan of banana boat, tubbing, and paddling.  So much fun, my body ached for at least 2 days, and I couldn't stop laughing. One of the kids with us must have fallen off 4 times from the tubbing part. We almost decided to go again, but ended up grabbing lunch and swimming in the sea. 

Still without glasses it was a little annoying not being able to see, but it was a really fun weekend. Sunday was so hot the hike was cancelled and instead there was a quick 30 minute stroll. Then we ventured to Ben Gurion’s grave, where I basically hid in the bathroom throwing cold water at my face.

Thankfully I have all this to occupy me as I sit anxiously waiting to hear back from grad schools and see what I'll be doing next.  I still have a month left here and tons of activities planned, including a wedding of a good friend of mine! Until then, I'll just have to sit and watch as 8-year-old Israelis play the claw machine, where toys aren't the regular soft dolls. No, here in Israel, you win boxes of cigarettes wrapped in money. And yes, I see 8-year-olds trying to win daily. 

I'll try my best to continue my Rome, Barcelona and Paris trips soon.