Hungryfreak
01-13-2009, 02:58 PM
Well, it's been an interesting 4 months to say the least, having been to Israel with my class of 45 kids, but I have finally returned to the US (with Rock Band 2! But more on that, later). I thought that I would recount a few tales of the travels. I might add more as I go along. I'm relatively tired (and anxious to play more Rock Band 2!). I've got some pictures and such, which I'll update with later (uploading takes time, you know!)
Being the longest time I've been outside of my house and away from my family, this was something new for me. I shared a room with three other people and a dorm with 44 other people. We had classes, which went for over 9 hours a day, but we also had many trips to explore the land and help us understand its history (and myths). These trips took me everywhere from the southernmost tip of the Negev (the desert of Israel) in the resort town of Eilat to the northernmost reaches of the Golan Heights.
Honestly, there isn't as much to talk about for the trips as other aspects of the experience. Israel's a beautiful country and, though hikes were painful for my out of shape self, they were worth it (and I ironically love hiking). The views were majestic as we went close to the edge (and down by the river!). I got to ride a camel, frolic in the sands of the desert and crawl trough tunnels. The craziest experience on a hike, though goes to Mt. Carmel. We climbed to the top, an exhausting hike and were greeted by an unusual site. The first thing we spotted was a group of Tanzanians doing some sort of ritualistic singing and dancing. The one I remember vividly was a woman making these weird hand motions at a nearby tree, as if she had psychic powers.
My room eventually ended up with two of us seceding. It was me and a friend vs. two brothers who weren't in our school but on the program. At first, I decided to room with new kids for the experience, but I didn't know them too well. They turned out to be a couple idiotic spoiled @ssholes who complained when I turned on anything heavier than the Beatles, but didn't seem to find a problem with making phone calls in the bedroom when we were trying to get to sleep. Long story short, it got to the point where they were impossible to deal with (they broke my friend's alarm clock and refused to pay or admit it was their fault, among other things) so me and my friend moved to another room.
Dorm life was fun, though, as the other kids are nice enough. We had our share of burning things, bee-bee battles and, eventually, a panty raid. Good fun. The campus food tasted like cardboard, so I ended up going out for food daily and I got addicted to middle eastern foods such as falafel and shawarma. I also managed to boost my physical CD collection by 21 CDs, though I couldn't find any good Israeli metal outside of what I already have (Melechesh, Orphaned Land and Amaseffer).
For now, I guess thats it. I feel like I need more to write, now, haha. If you guys have anything you want to know (details, most _____iest ____, etc...), then ask away and I shall respond! Again, I'll have some photos up soon enough, too.
Being the longest time I've been outside of my house and away from my family, this was something new for me. I shared a room with three other people and a dorm with 44 other people. We had classes, which went for over 9 hours a day, but we also had many trips to explore the land and help us understand its history (and myths). These trips took me everywhere from the southernmost tip of the Negev (the desert of Israel) in the resort town of Eilat to the northernmost reaches of the Golan Heights.
Honestly, there isn't as much to talk about for the trips as other aspects of the experience. Israel's a beautiful country and, though hikes were painful for my out of shape self, they were worth it (and I ironically love hiking). The views were majestic as we went close to the edge (and down by the river!). I got to ride a camel, frolic in the sands of the desert and crawl trough tunnels. The craziest experience on a hike, though goes to Mt. Carmel. We climbed to the top, an exhausting hike and were greeted by an unusual site. The first thing we spotted was a group of Tanzanians doing some sort of ritualistic singing and dancing. The one I remember vividly was a woman making these weird hand motions at a nearby tree, as if she had psychic powers.
My room eventually ended up with two of us seceding. It was me and a friend vs. two brothers who weren't in our school but on the program. At first, I decided to room with new kids for the experience, but I didn't know them too well. They turned out to be a couple idiotic spoiled @ssholes who complained when I turned on anything heavier than the Beatles, but didn't seem to find a problem with making phone calls in the bedroom when we were trying to get to sleep. Long story short, it got to the point where they were impossible to deal with (they broke my friend's alarm clock and refused to pay or admit it was their fault, among other things) so me and my friend moved to another room.
Dorm life was fun, though, as the other kids are nice enough. We had our share of burning things, bee-bee battles and, eventually, a panty raid. Good fun. The campus food tasted like cardboard, so I ended up going out for food daily and I got addicted to middle eastern foods such as falafel and shawarma. I also managed to boost my physical CD collection by 21 CDs, though I couldn't find any good Israeli metal outside of what I already have (Melechesh, Orphaned Land and Amaseffer).
For now, I guess thats it. I feel like I need more to write, now, haha. If you guys have anything you want to know (details, most _____iest ____, etc...), then ask away and I shall respond! Again, I'll have some photos up soon enough, too.
