My End Game

The start of a post that I have not finished. I needed to post something after two weeks of nothing.

I am reminded of the song ‘Seasons of Love” from the musical Rent, because as the last days, hours and minutes of my semester abroad come winding down I am trying to measure what I gained by coming abroad. I can come at this from an educational point of view; I learned more about Middle Eastern politics, issues concerning Jewish education and the diaspora, Israeli environmental policy and renewable energies as well as improved my Hebrew. However, my classes are probably an afterthought and an excuse for a five month vacation that is the study abroad experience. Next I could look at this from the perspective of a traveler. I have traveled four different countries (Egypt, Jordan, Czech Republic, Hungary) in the past five months (though not nearly as much as other people) and thoroughly explored one, Israel, from top to bottom. I have gained a new appreciation for traveling and hope to visit Turkey and Greece before coming back to the States on June 8th. But traveling was only one of the elements that made these past five months so enjoyable and fun. If I look at the time spent in Israel from a social angle I could probably list you dozens of bars, nightclubs, coffee shops and restaurants in addition to being able to write a thesis on the intricacies of falafel and shawarma.

My Random Thoughts

I have been getting lazy in keeping up with the blog now that spring/summer here in Israel is in full swing. As classes are ending and finals are quickly approaching I decided against writing prose and decided to go with a new format of poetry/random thoughts that have popped in my head recently. You are welcomed and encouraged to leave thoughts of your own on the comment section.

• Public transportation in Israel is amazing. You can get anywhere in the country with relative ease (if time is not a constraint) and for a descent price.


• Yom Hazikaron יום הזכרון , Israeli Memorial Day, means a lot more to Israelis than Memorial Day in the US means to Americans for most Israelis have a brother, father, cousin, uncle, friend, neighbor, know someone who has fallen in battle against one of Israel's many enemies.


• Yom Hatsma'oot יום הצמעות, Israeli Independence Day, (day after הזכרון) is bitchin'. I went to Rabin Square, the center of Tel-Aviv, where there were thousands of people crowded together to listen to Israeli songs and watch a firework laser show (mad trippy). Afterwards ventured over to the sketchy part of town, Florintine, where a few thousand drunk 20 some year olds gathered to partake in the celebration of Israel's 60th birthday.


• A week earlier was Yom Hashoah יום השואה and at 10 am an alarm went off and everything stops. I was on a bus, it pulled over and everyone stood up, showed their respect to the six million Jewish victims and continued on with the day.


• Surfing is totally deck (hipster handbook reference). Words can't describe the euphoria of standing on a surfboard (even though for just a few seconds) and embracing the energy of the wave and being in awe of the water.


• Everyone eligible for birthright should definitely take advantage of it. It is one of the greatest organizations and way of educating diaspora Jewry. It creates a bond between Jews in America and Jews in Israel.


• I can't make important decisions


• Pollution sucks. Try to make an effort to recycle, save some energy, walk or ride a bike in place of driving.


• There is an iconic picture of Mary and Jesus in my Jewish religious grandparents house. No one has the heart to tell them that it is a picture of Jesus and a Christian piece.


• I gave blood today.

My Kwan Su Dudes

Some of you might be asking what exactly 'Kwan Su Dudes' means or what is stands for. One of my favorite childhood movies was Surf Ninjas, where two brothers find out they are actually princes and save their Asian island along with their one-eyed uncle and Rob Schnieder. So why did I title this blog entry Kwan Su Dudes? After looking on the internet last week for skydiving in Israel I came across surfing lessons at Tel-Aviv's Gordon Beach. And today was my first lesson and it was awesome. After the instructor talked to us about the sea, the types of waves and most basic safety instructions for about an hour they handed out body suits to some (it was a nice, warm day so I decided just to go with the long sleeve surf shirt) and we headed to the water. They started us with the basics, how to paddle on the board, how to sit and lye on the board and other things related to balance on the board. After some exercises of paddling and what not it was time to get out of the water and learn how to stand on the board. When standing on the board one goes from the lying position to the standing in two moves. It starts with you pushing up your upper body and when your half your chest is off the board you jump up and stand on the board. We practiced in the sand a few times and then ventured out into the water. I was the first to try to stand in the water with the instructors help. He held the board perpendicular to the waves and gave me a push. As he yelled I jumped up and stayed standing. It was a rush to succeed the first time trying (and the second). However, after these two times assisted it didn't go as well. I tired paddling and standing by myself for the next fifteen minutes and only succeeded in standing once more. It was so much fun trying to stand and falling with little regard to bodily damage (it doesn't hurt falling unless you hit the board really hard).