The Canadian says "Eh?" in Israel...

Morel Mushroom Hunting 101

2011-05-03T23:11:00.000+03:00

My first mushroom hunting adventure (since I was a little girl) resulted, after 40 minutes, with a Bud Light beer can. Ha!

My second adventure resulted in these...

And this...

I don't think it is edible. No pictures of it came up under the Google images search for "edible wild mushrooms".

I started out just going outside to take pictures of the dandelions and "purple weeds" along the road to the Teen Village. Look at the awesome dividing line these two weeds have created.

I decided to give mushroom hunting another try and checked out the woods at camp. Dad was just a few minutes behind me. He gave me some good tips.

1. Use a mesh bag instead of a plastic sack so that you can spread the mushroom's spores around and have more chances or finding more mushrooms later on.

2. Look around standing dead trees that are loosing their bark.

3. Morels grow in packs...just like wolves. So make sure you check out the area well once you find one.

4. Once you find one on your own it is easier to look for them.

5. Move and change your point of view. You will most likely discover some that you missed.

6. Don't wear flip flops, like I did today...big mistake. I stepped in lots of poison ivy. :Z

7. IF you step in poison ivy wash your feet/skin with soap and cold water (warm-hot water makes your pores open and allows the poison ivy oils to penetrate).

Hope you learned something valuable to your own Morel-hunting adventures!

Easter Sunday Flowers

2011-04-26T14:49:00.000+03:00

Mom, Dad, and I went to church. We have new Sunday school and worship service times and what was once two worship services is now combined into one. It was amazing to not have to get up at 6am to get ready for church! After PVBC we went straight to Fort Wayne to spend time with Grandma. I took these pictures around her and Bill's houses (SOOC):

Andrea's Birthday Dinner

2011-04-26T02:07:00.000+03:00

...Enough said.

(All photos SOOC - I need to learn the proper settings for low-light conditions)

Vera Bradley Outlet Sale (I'm holding back the exclamations!...opps one slipped out))

2011-04-19T05:52:00.000+03:00

Vera Sale today and I am wore out. We conquered that sale! Mom, Andrea (from camp)and I left home at 1:00pm. We got to the Colusium at 1:42. Waited in line till 3:00. Then the grab and bag began. I grabbed a pink plastic bag that you at the door and had it filled in 25 minutes!

Here is the formula for a perfect Vera Outlet Sale experience:

1. Grab every thing you see that you like or could possibly like and put it in your pink plastic bag.

2. Once this bag and all your free hands are full move to the sidelines and sift and purge half of all your findings.

3. Hit the floor again and get to those purses/wallets you may have missed in the beginning haste.

4. Get to the sidelines again and purge, purge, purge till the calculator shows a number that won't make you have a stroke.

5. Buy and smile!

Here are photos of the sale:

Warsaw Biblical Gardens

2011-04-12T23:36:00.000+03:00

Mom and I went in to town today. It was our day off and I needed to drop off some papers at Grace. We were driving around I wanted to go see the gardens and take some pictures. It was a beautiful day!

And it wasn't open...today is April 12th. Arg.

Tuesday

2011-04-07T05:16:00.000+03:00

I thought I would document a day working at camp...

And I must apologize for the blurry photos. I'm learning the ropes on my new (to me) Nikon D90 and these photos do not do the camera justice. I should have used my flash but I was thinking the photos would be to too bright at the time.

As I was putting up some of these photos I was thinking to myself, "Self, these are awful. You might want to fix them up in Photoshop".

I'll call this one "Paint cans".

Here is what I started last week. My project was to paint the Mock Rock partition white and then paint the new logo on it.

I project the new logo onto the partition and then just paint over the lines. Easy Peasy. Except that the colors on the font are darker in at the outer edges. So I needed to mix and mix different colors to create that gradient shading.

And here is the end result! Mock Rock partition repainted...check.

This is project #2 for Tuesday. Steam cleaning the dirty grout in the kitchen.

Steam cleaning is fun. But the one negative is...

...the dirt that flies off and splashes you.

Pardon my un-pedicured toes. I have removed my dark color since this photo and found the pink glitter I had Morgan paint 3 coats on at Christmas. And you know how glitter polish is.

At lunch I had to hurry and run to the grocery to pick up stuff to make cheesecake for the evening. My friend Erika asked Lacey and I up to her house in Shipshewana for dinner.

This is her cat, Lucy. She has extra thumbs so her paws look just like mittens. This is Lucy focused incorrectly because she moved at the last minute. She is nosy and was trying to smell my camera.

This is the 3 of us...needs flash...arg!

What can I say...Uggs are attracted to me.

2011-04-04T01:09:00.000+03:00

I got up at 6am this morning to get ready for church. Except it was really 6:18. I was having a dream that...well actually I don't remember what my dream was about. Anyway my dream caused me to hit my snooze a couple of times. I had to run to the shower and hurry hurry hurry hurry! Then I went down stairs to leave with Dad at 7 and we didn't leave for 15 more minutes! ...I didn't need to hurry.

Oh well. I did get to take some pictures of the beautiful morning sky.

After church Dad and I went Wal-mart, Mi Lindo Acapulco, and G-O-O-D-W-I-L-L! And I found these:

Yes, they are Uggs. Yes, they were marked $100 (at Goodwill? Really?), Yes, I got them for $50 because when you spent over $100 you received $50 off your bill.

I also found some scarves to use the fabric for my new comforter I am making.

Here some other shoes I found at Goodwill too. Cute huh?

Antiquing for 3 hours...no joke

2011-04-03T02:08:00.000+03:00

Saturday! And it's beautiful outside. Still a little chilly though...I could have used a jacket over my long-sleeved shirt today but I survived. 

Yesterday I went to Fort Wayne to help out Stephenie at the lab since Heidi called in sick (she had sliced open her elbow area because framing glass was sticking out on the table at Frame Art. She had to get 4 stitches, no taking of showers, and no bending of arm for a couple days. It was a clean cut). After work I met her and Carita at Carita's workplace...S-t-a-r-b-u-c-k-s. Did I just drool? With a certain someone's discount I purchased 1 lb off the new Tribute Blend and these!

Wow, they are pretty good. And go delightfully with the Tribute Blend or coffee in general. F.Y.I: DO NOT GET COFFEE FROM THE LASSUS GAS STATION IN AVILLA, INDIANA. IT WILL BE A WASTE OF A $1 AND SOMETHING OR IF YOU ARE ME A WASTE OF A $1.38 ONLY BECAUSE I PRESSED THE CAPPUCCINO BUTTON ONE TIME TO GET SOME FLAVOR IN THE GROSSNESS IN MY CUP AND WAS CHARGED EXTRA FOR DOING SO. LETS JUST SAY THAT THE FLOWER BED IS HAPPY NOW THAT IT HAS SOME LIQUIDS TO FEAST UPON...OR ARE THEY? 

Back to the macadamia nuts. I have one complaint because my mother taught me to be my own food critic...something my dad can't stand that she does when we go out to eat. The nuts were coated with a caramelized sugar before the chocolate. At first you think, "Cool! They are like those amazing almonds at the mall that smell so delicious." No. No, they are not the similar in any way. But I still love them because they contain coffee, chocolate, and macadamia nuts (with an unwanted crunch)!   

I drove back home from Stephenie's house (that is where the bad coffee experience happened) and decided to stop at the Heart of Lakes Antique Mall in my hometown. And boy, good thing I did. HUGE SALE! Every booth was marked a % off. Mostly 15% and 20% off but 1 or 2 were 50% off. I found some gift things that I can't show you because I don't want you telling the giftees what they are getting for their birthdays. But I can show you what got for me :)

This cute postcard from 1918. It looks like a husband (Frank) sent it to his wife (Nancy) saying he was going be home soon. She was in Illinois and he was in Kansas. 

5 of these cute napkins. Aren't they adorable? I am going to use them as Easter/Spring decorations. 

Some more crystal candlestick holders. This one is my first double handle one. I believe this one is Depression glass. Crystal candlestick holders are my new favorite thing, well have been for a while now. I pick them up whenever I find them under $5. I got an idea from a magazine to decorate wedding reception tables with them. And I love eclectic decorating. I was thinking for my own wedding someday, or Heidi's, or anybody really who likes the idea and wants to borrow them. When I have my own house I'm going to put shelves up and display them like this: 

These have an etched flower on the sides. Cute!

My peeps in the background. 

What else? What else? I wish I could show my favorite purchase but then Heidi wouldn't be surprised for her birthday. :(

The Mess that is My Room...Rehab

2011-04-01T05:50:00.000+03:00

This tea is amazing! Mom bought some at Trader Joe's when we were is Chicago this past weekend. I drank one cup with some honey...a little bitter but still delightful. And this is what happened...

I moved everything around in my room! This is the "office". I'm still working to scan college papers and other things to my external hard drive. It is a long process but I'm over half finished at this point.

This is actually a new mattress set I just purchased with my tax returns. 7'' micro foam! It is amazing and perfect for firm mattress lovers like me! My new creative project is going to be making a duvet for the down comforter you see here. There is this one from Anthropologie that is my inspiration.

It is called the Laelia Quilt.

I'm going to applique on my favorite flowers in an arrangement like this one. I have been gathering fabric for some time now and have just enough to make poppies, iris', bougainvilleas, lilacs, and possibly a few more of my favorite flowers.

This is the coffee drinking nook!

My little "dressing" area. There is a mountain of laundry behind the chair with the leather-looking pillow on it. And that mountain has actually grown since this photo.

The Mess That Is My Room

2011-03-18T22:20:00.000+02:00

I would like to say that my room is this messy because I haven’t been home for 2.5 weeks but…it has been messy for a few months. The worst part is there is there are few things I would like to get rid of. I’m just outgrowing my living space! I need a house of my own.

I hate the thought of renting from someone. Why make payments for nothing? So I’ve decided that when/if I finally get a job I am going to buy a little cheap house. Not a trailer. Not a prefab. A real house. An old house with character if I can find one in my price range and in good condition.

I also would like a new mattress. Because my trampoline/hammock is hurting my back.

It would be nice to get out of my parents house. Get out on my own. Cleanup only my messes.

Wow, this is really bad!

Playing "Mom" All We Long

2011-02-28T06:03:00.000+02:00

Yes, I get to play "Mom"...practicing on my cousins. Hee hee! Tonight I made them spaghetti with red sauce and potatoes skins with meat and cheese. I was impatient with the pototoes (I was hungry myself) and they were still a little firm in the middle when I tried scooping out some of the flesh...which made them break in half. Poo

Sophie is the sweetest dog ever! I am going to enjoy having her here with me all day.

Kids have a big schedule and I really admire Aaron & Stephenie's rule of no video games during the week. We will work on math...yuck. But I can say that I'm better at Bailey's algebra than Morgan's fractions...thank you Mrs. Harris for the algebra and sorry Mom I still don't understand fractions (sometimes). But I do good grammer just like yous!

Les cheveux courts à Paris

2010-11-23T16:20:00.000+02:00

So, I had the idea a few weeks ago while watching Funny Face (or maybe it was an earlier viewing of Sabrina that triggered the thought) with Audrey Hepburn when I decided it would be amazing if Heidi and I took a trip to Paris. I told her we should make a separate savings account and every payday we would put $5 in it. Then whenever we had enough we would go!

We saw Harry Potter on Sunday. A-mazing! The best movie of the year! All this Harry Potter business makes me want to rewatch all the movies. All 20+ hours of them. I had been watching interviews of Emma Watson on Regis and Kelly and the Today Show earlier in the week while painting a house. She is so sweet and lovable. I want to be friends with her. Well, back to the Paris thing and how it connects with HP. I while in Paris I want to cut my long locks off as short as Emma's new haircut! I have had my haircut in every country that I've gone to. I love the experience of seeing other hairstylist's technique. So why not a drastic change (in the future mind you, so I can mentally prepare myself for it)?

I'm excited and scared at the same time. It is incredible how you get attached to long hair. While I worked at Great Clips I hated it when women with long hair wanted nothing done to it. At least layers, come on! Well that's what I would do anyway. :)

Here is a video I found that gives you a little taste of the Regis and Kelly interview:

Oh -Les cheveux courts à Paris means "Short hair in Paris". Or at least that is what Google translator said. ;)

November...time to put up the Christmas tree!

2010-11-20T18:15:00.000+02:00

Wow, I haven't written any useless jibber jabber since April!

I graduated...ha ha

What does education do for you in times like these? Well it looks like nothing. I can't even get a job at pizza hut.
- I just want to give a shout out to all the places I applied to and never heard anything back...get up the good work! You've been disappointing many people for months. HR directors good job doing your job ethically! - arg, my rant is over.

I really can't find what I'm looking for (job wise). I've thought about selling on Etsy. But I just haven't quite figured out what I should make. I've daubled in many different projects but haven't found IT yet! Plus if no one buys my things I don't think I can take rejection like that. Rejection is not my cup of tea (English Breakfast is).

Really what I'm itching to do is move into my own house. A house on my Grandma's street sold for 25,000! It was worn a lot more but because of the market no one could get a lone to cover it (like I could, ha!). But I want to organize, purge, and clean!! It's probably from being cooped up in my parents cluttered house. We like clutter. I'm just like them.

Annnyyywayyys. We are having a Christmas party today and I still have to wrap the gifts. :0

fun fun bun bun,

HB

I'm graduating!

2010-04-27T06:25:00.000+03:00

Springtime, I love you

2010-04-08T05:46:00.003+03:00

Bloomin' Tulips it's springtime! This past weekend there was a miraculous thunderstorm. Sara and I went out onto the porch. I love the smell of thunderstorms. I'm getting more stressed everyday thinking about all the homework that needs to get done. It will get done, I just need chunk of time. 10 or 15 minutes breaks in between jobs, class, commutes, etc. doesn't cut it. It seems that I need a long time to get into the grove of a homework project. A N Y W A Y S

I had a great class in Camp Administration and Governance. A director from a camp in Ohio that ABC is connected to was a special speaker for the class and talked about marketing. I have many new incites and excitements in camping's marketing world. What he said also inspired me to get more ambitious and driven with my future. I've been thinking about starting some sort of amazon, ebay, or etsy account and sell some of the things I find thrifting or create myself. I'm gonna due it and I'm gonna write it out in a plan that I can see. Goals goals goals. Mr. Pritt is all about the goals and he gets tons of useful stuff done.

Everything Salad on a Tuesday...

2010-04-07T05:48:00.005+03:00

Today after class and work I came back and chopped up vegetables for a BII Everything Salad. You see, today is Meredith's 21st birthday. (Meredith is currently my roommate and old housemate of Israel). She drove back to WV from PA and started at Berkshire's. We were planning on going to Starbucks afterward but it was a busy night so we came back to the apartment. Funfetti cake with polka dots and espresso shots.

Sara, my Signing cousin, came out to WV to visit. We went on a 1.6 mile hike that ended up being 4 miles (we got lost). Ate a lot. KP's Mexican Restaurant deserved a finger down the throat, but that's a long story that's really only interesting to the people that were involved...

D A F F O D I L S

Funny word

2010-04-02T07:13:00.002+03:00

Word of the Day for Thursday, April 1, 2010

hugger-mugger \HUH-guhr-muh-guhr\, noun:

1. A disorderly jumble; muddle; confusion.
2. Secrecy; concealment.

adjective:
1. Confused; muddled; disorderly.
2. Secret.

adverb:
1. In a muddle or confusion.
2. Secretly.

transitive verb:
1. To keep secret.

intransitive verb:
1. To act in a secretive manner.

Tonight was the Spring 2010 ABC Coffee House. It was the best one yet. Everything was funny, well except for the freshman skit. . . It was a little off. Now I'm not going to able to sleep because I had the Pike's Place brew. Rats!

Israel, how I miss you...

2010-03-30T19:40:00.005+03:00

Today at lunch I talked with an ABC student who is going to Israel with BII next year. I was so excited and hope I didn't scare the poor girl! It makes me reminisce about my fantastic time with BII. I hoping, actually, this summer that there will be time when all the girls from my year will be able to get together for a reunion!

I have recently required a whole year's worth of the magazine House Beautiful. My current interest is home decorating by using restored thrift finds! House Beautiful has a plethora of ideas in it. If you get the chance check it out!

www.housebeautiful.com

Also:

ABC have a new and improved website! My picture is on the camping section!

http://www.abc.edu/academics/bachelor-of-arts.php

Johnson/Dunkerton wedding planning...

2010-03-27T01:20:00.003+03:00

I've been helping my friend Lisa plan her wedding. Right now we are searching for wedding cake toppers. I ran across these on Etsy. I want them for my sister's (but she is not getting married, but you know "some day").

Also I am graduating in 43 days! Let me say it again, 43 days. Crazy, my college career is almost over. Well, sometime in the future I am going to get a master in...I don't exactly know yet but I want it to be some type of Jewish/Israel studies.

2009-12-09T16:38:00.002+02:00

(Hebrew) Word of the Day:

"Yom" (sounds like home with a y instead)

Means "day".

This morning it was so warm! But cold in the bathroom. I'm glad I bought a little heater to turn on when I'm bathing (we have no show, just an old claw-foot tub with handle hose). I've been reading Twilight. I'm almost finished with it. A quick read and I have figured out why everyone loves it. The girls love the way Edward protects and adores Bella. I think God created women with the desire to be pursued and thus Edward's behavior is most appealing. For the guys I think it is the fact that vampires are dangerous and they have unbeatable strength, speed, attractiveness, etc. What man wouldn't want those things? I guess I can say that I'm enjoying the book for entertainment. I am really getting sick of Edward talking all the time repeating how Bella should stay away and how he can't be near her because he wants her blood, blah blah blah. That's what you get with a teenage vampire romance novel...

Word of the Day:

2009-11-30T17:30:00.002+02:00

Luddite (luhd-ahyt)

1. Someone who opposes technology or technological advances.

2. A member of any of various bands of workers in England (1811–16) organized to destroy manufacturing machinery, under the belief that its use diminished employment. Band leader: Ned Ludd.

Quite interesting don't you think?

I'm back from Thanksgiving Break and back to writing papers. Boo. I am ready for my classes now to be finished. I am ready for next semester to start just so it can finish quickly. Ready to graduate. But not ready to decide what my next step is...

New Apartment

2009-10-24T17:20:00.002+02:00

Emily found us a rent free apartment yesterday. It won't change the cost of living now but it will be more expensive. Emily needs a place where she doesn't have to move out in the summer time. The lady said that she would pay for new flooring and paint. We are watching the house upstairs because the family lives in Atlanta and wants to keep this house in their family but don't want it to be alone. So, she is finding the right people to live and watch out for the house for years it sounds like. It's a good deal and I think Emily and I can do the repairs ourselves. It just makes me want to move into my own home and fix it up and paint and decorate. Senioritis is setting in.

2009-09-11T16:41:00.002+03:00

The internet is driving me crazy!!! I can't get it unless I go out to the picnic table 100 feet from the house or go down to Alpine Lodge. I tried to skype Rachel and Casi this morning and it was being stupid! We couldn't all hear each other. Frustration!

Back in West Virginia...does that really make me a 'mountain momma'?

2009-09-11T01:33:00.004+03:00

What a week! I had more homework than I could handle. Had to forgo some reading due to write a paper. I'm taking 17 hours (or 18...can't remember).

Living with Emily is great. I love having a place to call mine (for the time being). Cleaning has become my release. I am constantly straightening and getting things looking homey at the house. I'm so proud of the living room because now we have seating in a circle. I want lots of people to come down and hang out.

I moved my speakers to the kitchen because I'm mostly in there cleaning, cooking, or doing homework at the kitchen table. Housework is a full-time job. Don't dis housewives because they have a lot to take car of. You have to take care of the space you live in.

Mom and Grandma and possibly someone else are coming not this weekend but next weekend to visit. I'm so excited!

Campers are here!

2009-06-17T16:21:00.006+03:00

I am so excited that campers are here! I don't think I've ever been this excited and it's weird because I don't really get excited for camp. Camp is just a way of life for me and I always look forward to it in a mello kind of way. But I keep finding myself smiling when I see counselors with their campers, campers together with their friends having fun, program director with a microphone, and people standing in circles. I just love it!! It makes me really happy because I've been thinking about camp and my future for a while now. I've been thinking that really I could be happy doing anything...but in a bad way...I wasn't thrilled about any type job/service. I seem to just look at live in the light that whatever you do is just something you have to do and get over. I'm missing the joy. The joy of living, the joy of being a child of God, the joy of loving the people He has placed in me life. I'm in a joyless rut! So I've decided that I need to figure out what God's word says about joy. I've wrote down all the passages with "joy", I read the passage in context (I understand what is going on before and after the "joy"), and then I write a sort of paraphrase in my own words, I write down the 1. situation that was was before joy 2. the situation after joy 3. what caused the joy. I may right down more things as I see them but for now that is what's going on.

Happy camping!

This picture is from Lake Ann's teens at Fight Night. They are in cabin teams and get all painted up and go into a roped off ring and do crazy team games with food. It's gross but so much fun! After the games are down the towns firemen come in and hose off the teens. I love teens!!! It makes me miss being the North Teen Village Co-Director at Crosley. :(

Lake Ann Camp

2009-06-09T18:39:00.003+03:00

I'm back in the States. I just realized that I haven't blogged since February. That's crazy! Israel is miss by me very much. I want to go back and hopefully take Rachel and Casi to for our 25 birthdays.
I spent a couple of weeks back home before coming to camp. It's all new to me. I thought Crosley was large but Lake Ann is like mega camp in comparison. I went for a walk on the grounds today and was realizing more how big it is. Intentional programming is their motto and that is true. I'm enjoying staff training but I'm definitely ready for campers to get here.
I'm coming back home on July 24th for Cami's wedding. I'm doing the hair! And I get to see people that I love!

Yacht trip 2

2009-02-09T20:35:00.004+02:00

I don't know why the sound is gone??? The sound is really funny because we are all screaming about seeing the dolphin. I kept saying..."It's right there!" over and over again. It was a once in a life time thing to see dolphins here like that. Yosi, the friend who owns the yacht said that the dolphins love to entertain the people. If there is no one in a boat they go around to the next one. They are so curious! The first one swam kind of one it's side and I could see it looking me with its eye!

yacht trip

2009-02-07T19:22:00.004+02:00

Today the girls and Brough family went to Herzleia and went out on a friends uncle's yacht. It was incredible! But a word to the wise...keep your eyes on the horizon. My motion sickness wasn't bad, just a little uncomfortable. There were big white jellyfish that looked like they were glowing under the beautiful blue water. We had a couple of dolphin friends joined us!

Haven't written in a long time...

2009-02-07T00:01:00.002+02:00

Here is an Israeli song that is popular...(ignore the native american stuff...it's suppose to go along with the story because the guy in the song is indian)

Now watch this one...it is so cute!

A lost man...

2009-01-23T14:43:00.004+02:00

I was listening to the Israeli radio station that plays American/English songs at work one day and I heard this voice that I liked the sound of. I wrote down his name and was going to check out a CD of his. His name is Adam Green. A youtube video caught my attention and I watched it. Adam Green is from New York but is really popular in European countries, especially Germany. It broke my heart. This man has nothing to live for. I praised God for choosing me to believe in Him, because this man was so lost. I think literally if you look in his eyes you see nothing...no hope. Please pray for him. I want for him and others my age to know Yeshua. My life before without the hope I have...I don't want that again. Praise His Holy Name that I know Him!

One video from 2005 and another...

...from 2008

Shalom Aleichem!

2009-01-10T14:22:00.002+02:00

I'm unpacking and cleaning stuff from the seminar. Enjoying today because tomorrow we work and the semester will start soon...Back to a more normalness! And I'm happy to be in Israel now!

Idan Raichel Project

2009-01-10T10:52:00.001+02:00

I'm back from touring

2009-01-09T16:56:00.004+02:00

Mom and Karen came and visit/toured Israel for almost two weeks and I am so happy they did! I wanted so much to share the people I've gotten to know and the land with them/family! I love Israel and don't care who knows it (-Elf)! We spent the last 3 days in Jerusalem.

I have to tell everyone don't believe all the crap that the news says about Israel and Gaza. I was watching the news in the hotel in Jerusalem a few nights and couldn't believe how they are portraying Isreal! I was really shocked, really. The media makes Israel look like a killer when the civilians are concerned, but what they don't mention is how Israel has complete control over Gaza's electricity and water and are/have been keeping the people in Gaza alive. Egypt doesn't want anything to do with the Arabs in Gaza- Egypt is Arabic and won't help their own Arabic people. Check out a more accurate source for Israeli news: Jerusalem Post. jpost.com

BII Seminar

2009-01-01T21:52:00.003+02:00

Mom and aunt Karen are here in Israel visiting me right now and touring the land as well. We are having so much fun! I've been putting up pictures on my facebook so everyone at home can see what's happening.

Beautiful Winter-time Song

2008-12-15T15:48:00.002+02:00

Shalom to all,
Things are busy and time is flying by. Tomorrow we are making Christmas cookies! It doesn't really feel like Christmas right now without the snow. We have the tree and lights in the living room so that helps. Last night I bought a bunch of Christmas songs from Amazon. I bought this one from Sara Bareilles and I love it!

youtube blog

2008-12-04T14:51:00.002+02:00

You can check out some funny videos of my and the other students at youtube:

drcolston

They are very funny!

Christmas time is here!

2008-12-03T17:08:00.002+02:00

Hello all,

My mom and aunt Karen are coming to Israel very soon! Things are quieting down and I don't much care for it. The Johnson's are leaving- they will return in 3 months, but are going to be missed very much. Jeanne and Elyn left yesterday. I'm going to miss them too! It was so nice coming home to two older ladies in the house to make things more interesting. I don't have a lot to say right now.

Ray Lamontagne has a new cd that I'm barely containing my desire to hear it. I found this video with him and Damien Rice. I don't care for how Damien sings "you". I think the BeeGees sang this originally way back in the beginning of them.

Bummer...

2008-11-30T13:36:00.003+02:00

Today my Zen died. I dropped it two weeks ago and it was acting funny. But today it froze up. I pushed the reset button and waited. After a while I turned it on to only find 6 albums that I don't really care for on it. Bummer! So now I'll save some cash money and maybe get a Ipod instead of a Zen.

This song is new from She and Him and I found it on youtube. I love it! Their voices are perfect for chillaxing.

Answer to the pole

2008-11-28T14:31:00.003+02:00

The answer to the pole I had on the side of the blog was:

"To be in a soundproof room with a drum set. "

This pole adding thing was kind of dumb because I couldn't see who voted what. I'm thinking that Rachel and Casi are the only two voters. I think that Rachel voted correct because I had told her this before. Casi I think voted for the feet in the jello because I don't think she was there when I told Rachel about the drum thing.

Today we are decorating the house for Christmas!

This picture is when I was home for Christmas from West Virginia last year. It snowed like crazy!! I'm going to miss the snow a little bit. If I could have it my way I would have a week of really bad snow so that you were stuck and could play games and watch movies with the family!

Israeli culture

2008-11-28T14:21:00.003+02:00

Interesting Fact about Israeli food:

Breakfast: 9:30, usually you eat breakfast at work
Lunch: 2 or 2:30
Dinner: 7:30 or 8

Israel salad never has lettuce. A salad in Israel is cucumbers and tomatoes as the base with whatever else, palm hearts, baby corn, chickpeas, cabbage, pomegranate seeds, etc.

The Covenant

2008-11-26T16:48:00.006+02:00

Monday we went to Jerusalem to shop and to see a play. The play was amazing! The appearance of the play was as good as Wicked. They had a small stage, with little props, but the costumes were immaculate! The Covenant is about the entire history of the Jewish people. Starting with Abraham and finishing with the declaration of the
state of Israel. The night we were there they were recording for a new DVD. I bought the music soundtrack because it was so good.

I'm back and busy

2008-11-18T18:15:00.007+02:00

I have never seen before what I had seen in Eilat and on the way there...

We loaded at 5 am and left around 5:30. It started to get light pretty soon after we left, so I got to see the sunrise on the way down. It was beautiful! We had to drive through the Palestinian-controlled West Bank on the way down. I think it's like a novelty to say that we drove through a hostile part of the country but really it did not look like you would imagine. I think people think DANGER, when really it looks like any other settled area in the country, it was safe feeling.

It later rained. We were coming up to the Dead Sea. And the mountains surrounding the sea had muddy water coming down them (water the comes down from Jerusalem) and it was flooding out the road. We drove through some water, but (we didn't know it at the time) were ahead of the "flash flood" and had stopped to take a pictures of the muddy water falls along the MT range. We can see how God was protecting us that time because we pulled over at one spot but decided to pull up to another point ahead on the road. After taking some pictures we looked back and saw a huge flash flood coming and trap a small car against the railing. Crazy!The Dead Sea is super long! I mean it makes sense looking on the map, but I was getting used to how small the country is and how things are really not that far apart. It only takes 6 hours to drive from the Kinneret (which is very close to the top) to Eilat, that southern most tip. It was a beautiful blue-green color.We stopped at Timna Park on the way down. They have activities for the groups that come to do. So we paddled-boat raced in a little pond, made sand bottle art from the natural rock (ground up into sand) in the park. Four colors: White, Black, Red, & Yellow. We did some hiking. I have never seen rocky sandstone mountains like this before, it looks like pictures of Petra, or like in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, when he goes for the holy grale. We climbed on the rocks, and through the rocks, and around the rocks. So amazing! There are carvings on some of the walls of the mountains. There are Egpytian as well as other people groups that carved. There are pictures of chariots, ostrages, and ibex. At Timna Park there are also ancient copper mines of Solomon. They would dig the holes big enough for a person and then notch foot holds along each side so you could get to the bottom. Also at the Park a Believer group had set up a replica of the Tabernacle. We had an Israeli Believer as our guide through it. She told us all about how Yeshuah has fulfilled the Tenach (OT) requirements that God set up for the Jewish people. I learned so many things that I didn't know before and that are so cool. What all I learned will be saved for my next post, because there is just so much!
We camped out the whole week. In Israel there are cats everywhere, so many cats that they are like pests. There were cats at the campsite that were nice and really cute. But the first morning a cat got into the girls tent and sprayed! We aired it out really good and then sprayed someone's deodorant in it. Gross!

1st Day: Beach! Snorkeling/Tanning
2nd Day: 11 miles of hiking
3rd Day: Beach! Snorkeling/Tanning. And at night eating at restaurant/shopping
4th Day: Making our way home/stopping a lot, and checking out a Moshav

The beach didn't have very good sand...bummer! I bought this really handy beach mat (the deciding factor was the attached blow-up pillow) that folds up nice with handles. The snorkeling was so cool. So many color fish! They say that the reefs in Eilat are second to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. At night when I was on the pier 4 lion fish came up to the surface. They are those poisenous fish with all the prickly fins everywhere. I had an underwater camera and am hoping the pictures turn out.
Hiking was incredibly amazing and tough. I had never seen so many different types of rock in one area. The hike was tough because we went for so long on rocky, steep ascents and the a lot of descents as well. We drove out and April dropped us off because she has a bad ankle and hiked back to the camp site. We had to make two trips because we met three new Israeli friends at our camp site that we invited to come along. It was really nice to have them hanging out/hiking with us. The trail was called the Israel Trail and it goes from the top all the way to Eilat (it's like the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Trail in the States). The marker for the trail is white/blue/orange stripes. One bummer but good part of the hike was when we took a wrong trail. The wrong trail was a dead end after 15/20 mins. of hiking and at the Egyptian border. There was a cement thingy that said 89 on the Israeli side and then 89 in Arabic on the other side. Really it was a buffer zone but I'm going to say that I've stepped in Egypt! My feet were so sore that it hurt to walk for the next couple days! That night we had a nice campfire and smores on the beach.
The last night we went into town for dinner and shopping. We all went to Giraffe. It is Asian-type food. Really really good. Soni, April and I shared three things: Spicy Thai Soup, the Malaysian, and the Spicy Philipine. The soup was super tasty good! I wrote down all the ingredents I knew and the description in the menu so I can try to recreate it. For shopping there is a mall that we popped into for a few minutes at the end, and there is the Prominade. A long street on tent market stores with a bunch of fun stuff. I bought some cool pants for people, but nothing really for me...I ran out of cash.

On the way home we stopped at a Moshav that a son from one of the guys on the Kibbutz lives and works. His name was Matan and he grows peppers. Red, yellow, and green peppers! A Moshav is like a Kibbutz but where the people own their own land/homes/etc. On a Kibbutz everything belongs to it and everyone shares. But this particular Moshav is famous for its peppers. It is in the middle of the desert! And the peppers are PERFECT! It was really amazing to see all the technology (but it was like practical technology if that makes sense) they used to grow them. I learned a lot! We made lots of bathroom/Aroma ( ,ארומהthe Israeli equivalent to Starbucks). Made it home for a late dinner (8:30) and then I went to bed. But now we are crazy busy! Lots of homework and there is a huge thanksgiving party we are throwing and are preparing for! Right now we have to guests from Oregon here to stay with us. Jeanie and Elaine (or something with an E...but I can't remember it now), but they are two woman who come and help out and cook us students lots of super good homemade food! They are such a blessing!

If you have any questions just post!

Eilat!

2008-11-12T20:29:00.005+02:00

I love this new template! I think I won't ever change it, because I love fall. It is my favorite season! Tomorrow at 5am I'm leaving for Eilat!

We will be gone for 5 days of touring/relaxing/tanning on the beach/shopping in town/snorkeling! It is going to be a beautiful time!

bedtime

2008-11-07T21:11:00.002+02:00

Trying to update template...and I miss the old one but I saved changes and can't get it back! Sad night...so I'm going to bed!

Not much to say...

2008-11-07T19:56:00.002+02:00

I am going to bed very early tonight because last night I went to bed at 3am and took a 3 hour nap before I had to get up again. I was preparing for Modern History of Israel class. I was teaching for an hour the events of the Independence War from 1948- 1949. It took me so long because I was putting together a power point presentation and researching about what each enemy country was doing.
Check this out: When the Jewish people were given land from the United Nations in the 1947 Palestine Partition Plan they started the state of Israel. It had been 2,ooo years since the Jewish people were in "nationhood". the last time...which also very interesting to me... was when the 2nd Temple was destroyed. Jerusalem was attacked by the Romans who were led by Titus. Titus completely destroyed the whole Temple...they left nothing. And to celebrate their victory and to humiliate the Jewish people they forced them to carry the sold gold menorah on their backs throughout the streets of Jerusalem. Now this menorah was huge, weighing probably about a hundred pounds. In Rome, after Titus died a monument was erected to commorate him and his capturing of Jerusalem. The monument is the Arch of Titus just a little north of the Coliseum in Rome. Everyone will know what it is because it is famous. Just look it up. But on the inside of the arch there is a scene of the Jews carrying the Menorah. And it is said that the Roman Catholics still have the Menorah in their ancient relic vaults under the west wing of the Vatican. But it is also said that when the Romans came back with treasures from the fallen Jerusalem that their was a terrible storm the caused the ship to sink. So to which one is truth? God knows. and now to get off my rabbit trail... Eight hours after Israel declared independence on May 14th 1948 Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt invaded Israel (before Israel the whole area where it is now was called Palestine, some people still call it Palestine today but Israel the country is not. Palestine is Arabs and them wanting the land of Israel for themselves and to be called Palestine. I pretty sure I'm correct on this info, but it is still confusing to me.) Israel was so small and 5 huge countries attacked all at once! And not even those countries but also the Arabs that were living inside the new state of Israel attacked. Israel won obviously and lost 6,000 people (something like 30,000 injured) and all the casualities of the other countries including local Arabs were 7,000. You can see God's hand in Israel because they were so outnumbered that it was crazy!

I have an assignment for readers of this post:

Please bookmark jpost.com. It is an English newspaper in Israel that tells all the news of the US and Israel. And it is closer to honest reporting...not like CNN or BBC. Anyways read an article and if you have any questions or don't understand it ask me. I have learned so much and can now see what it really going on over here. And if you have any questions other than news, ask me. The BII staff told me that people in the states will ask questions like, "do you have refrigarators?" and the like because they think with all the terrorist activities that the land is a third world country war zone or something. Israel is no third world country!

In God I Trust

2008-11-05T12:28:00.005+02:00

It is really sad to me that way this presidential election has gone. But I think that was can have real faith because of what the Bible says. Read the end of Daniel 4:32. I think election should be a wake up call to believers in the US. It is a wake up call because we can see the need to become closer to God and to be changed by His word. To use a well known metaphor from the Bible: We are the Bride preparing for our Bridegroom. Our personal sanctification (changing our behaviors/attitude/mindset to match the only God's) is our preparation for our Bridegroom.

Listen to this song:

It seems to me that the believer "culture" has turned God into someting else that He is not. We "put on" that band of gold or things that we think are pleasing to God (i.e. going to assembly, hanging out with only other believers, saying things that make us sound like we have a personal rich relationship with Him, focusing on the words that we pray because others will hear, etc.) when we want to. You can't compartmentalize Him. What kind of faith/trust/devotion/love would that be? NONE

Wake up believers of America...remember you can't put your trust in a man (whether it is McCain or Obama), only can it be put in Yeshua Messiah.

HaTikvah

2008-11-01T21:47:00.003+02:00

An American-born Orthodox Jewish Saxophone player. The part in the song where he plays the solo sax, and the lyrics at the end, are Israel's anthem: HaTikvah. Ha=the, Tikvah= Hope.

Wow! So much I didn't know...

2008-11-01T13:59:00.004+02:00

I'm learning so much about the History of the State of Israel! In my Modern History class I'm researching the Independence War because my assignment to teach about the war for 50 minutes to the class. It is just amazing because you can see how God has worked this out. The odds were overwhelmingly against the Jewish people but God provided a way for them to state the state. Soon I'm going to write some of the cool things I've been learning.

Go Wildcats!

2008-11-01T00:51:00.005+02:00

So I tried to watch HSM3 online but it was an illegal copy. You could tell that it was recorded from a theater. The clarity was awful and when the songs came on the theater speakers were so loud that it just sounded screechy. So I gave up on watching it. But I'm really excited about the soundtrack!

Hannah's 9th Bithday! Yom Hohledit

2008-10-28T13:36:00.007+02:00

Last night we had a surprise 'crazy hair' birthday party for one of the staff's daughters, Hannah Brough. And it was so much fun. We decorated the girls house before we left for class. After class we had 10 minutes before Jeanie brought Hannah to the house to do our hair in a crazy style. I had big poof! I LOVE big hair! And I'm being serious. If it was acceptable in society to wear my hair like that I did last night then I would!

Simchat Torah

2008-10-22T11:27:00.003+02:00

Last night we went to Tiberias for Simchat Torah. It is a celebrating time where the Torah scrolls come out of the synagogue and are danced with. Only the men can dance with the scrolls, but the woman started their own dancing on the outer circle. It was a lot of fun!

The night before we slept in the succah. It was the last night to do it before it is to be dismantled. I was bit by bugs and had to sleep with a comforter on but I was super hot. Even though I was sweaty and you could hear a big techno music concert down in Samach I slept through the night!

2008-10-19T23:22:00.002+02:00

Go to baptists4israel.com and click on the 2008-9 photos to see pictures from all of the interns cameras!

My hair smells like smoke!

2008-10-18T19:38:00.009+02:00

Two nights ago we camped out on the beach of the Kinneret. It was so nice. We had s'mores (but they don't taste like they do in America). We went swimming in the sea (it was a little freaky, but that's just because I get scared in dark water). I wanted my hair dry before going to bed so I got close to the fire and dried it. It worked great but now my hair, even after 2 separate hair washings (I always rinse and repeat in each washing), smells like smoke! Not even good wood smoke, just smoke. I think my shampoo isn't making the smell any better because it is mint, so it amplifies the bad smell somehow.

Camping out was so much fun. I slept so good and usually I don't when I camp out. It was the sound of waves that put me to sleep.

Then we got up, packed up, and went to Gamla. Gamla is an ancient city that the Romans took over. They call it the "Masada of the North" because when the Romans breeched the wall all of the people committed suicide because they didn't want to become prisoners and tortured by them. So the jumped off the top of the mountain the city was on. Crazy story and crazy to be there.

We then went to Qazin, an ancient city that have been turned into a living history tourist site. It was so interesting because I got to see how people lived and what their homes looked like. The size of the cities way back when was determined by home much water was available. This city had a small stream coming through it so about 75 families could survive from it. (In this picture we are learning from this guy how to make olive oil the ancient way. The picture after it is the synagogue of the city: Which a common misconception for synagogues are that they didn't exist before the Temple was destroyed. The truth is that they existed but their role changed when destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Before then they were like community centers where a bunch of the city/village happenings took place).

Sukkot

2008-10-14T13:34:00.000+02:00

On Sukkot you build a sukkah. This is to remind of us of the time the Israelites were coming to the promised land and had to set up temporary shelters along the way.

studying for geography midterm...

2008-10-12T14:05:00.000+02:00

These are just some of the things I'm learning about Israel in Geography class. Cool huh?

The two most dangerous snakes in Israel are: Vipers and Cobras (there are more than these two that are poisonous) also...you will die in 12/24 hours without treatment if you are bitten by a Palestine Viper. And in researching viper snake bites I found that Behring Vorderer/Mittlerer Orient Polyvalent Antivenom= the antidote is specific and is only available directly from the San Diego Zoo Reptile Department. A patient needs 15 vials of it. (Pic: Palestine Viper)

What is geopolitics? How geography effects politics...or a force that both initiates and limits the nature and extent of political history.
What are the natural geographical borders of Israel? To the West...Mediterranean Sea/Sinai Peninsula, to the East...Syrian Desert, to the South...Golf of Eilat, to the North...the Fertile Cresent.

Israel is 290 miles long and 85 miles wide

What are the 4 countries that currently border Israel? Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Egypt

3 largest ports? Haifa, Ashdod, and Eliat (I've been to Ashdod, but not the other two yet)

What is Israel's main water source? The Kinneret (or also known as the Sea of Galilee)

What is a halophyte? A salt-loving plant that grows near the Dead Sea

Number of species of Birds= 371, but there were not many living here in the past because all the trees were cut down and their were landsliding-swamp-type landscape that were malarial. But when trees we planted and grew back so did the birds. And actually 371 is a lot for the tiny size of Israel.

A Khamsin is a weather term that dry, hot, and dirty winds come from the desert area. When it rains after a Khamsin it literally looks like it's raining mud because of all the dirt particles in the air.

Funny YouTube Video

2008-10-11T12:24:00.000+02:00

This video I found on YouTube that is funny. It's for a touring company that focuses on bringing Jewish college students to Israel and teaching them (while showing them) about the history of their people and the land.

SideNote: Please realize that this report "teh history of Israel" is very inaccurate! he he

IF #2

2008-10-08T20:39:00.000+02:00

Israeli's never fill up their sinks with soapy water to wash the dishes. The have these special scrubby pads that they put dish soap on it and the let the water run while they wash the dishes.

"Do you want some hand sanitizer or... do you want to feel all nice n' naturey?" -Meredith

2008-10-04T19:48:00.000+03:00

Southern Coastal Plain Trip = A-mazing!

First Day: We went to Ashqelon and saw some ruins of a pagan city. It is mentioned several times in the Bible (2 Samuel 1:20 is one). In the archaeological digs they found tons of dog skeletons, because they believed they had healing powers. They also found baby skeletons in the sewer system. Archaeologists don't know why the babies were there. They said it could be a type of birth control because their was a lot of prostitutes in the city. Another interesting fact about this city is that Richard the Lionheart built a castle in Ashqelon. (Which it's interesting to note that Richard the Lionheart's body, brain and heart are all buried separately in France. He played a big role in the 3rd Crusade, where he planned to kill all Jewish people. He did terrible things to them before they were murdered).

Meditteranean Sea: It was a dangerous day to swim. Their was a black flag for "no swimming" up but in Israel signs don't really mean anything. So after a while you would hear the lifeguards yelling for people to come closer to the shore. It was super salty and I didn't stay in very long because it burned my cuts.
Ezuz: Camel rides! It was great and after 2 hours I was stiff and had to go to the bathroom. This place was amazing. It was out in the Negev (desert) and it was a Bedouin hotel. Hammocks, sitting on mats at dinner, eating with hands (we were given one spoon though), cement-type buildings, hut-style roofs, no beds just mats, desert floors with reed rugs covering them in the rooms,no windows just wood shutters. The sinks in the bathhouse had windows behind it them that looked out into the desert. B-A-U-tiful.

...There will be more to come from my trip because the pictures/videos are taking forever to download and I need to get going on some homework and get to bed early. I will be getting up and to the factory by 6:30 in the AM. Lahetraot!

2008-09-29T19:43:00.000+03:00

Happy Rosh Hashanah!

... you must eat apples dipped in honey.

Here listen to this song that we learned how to sing in Hebrew class.

Interesting Fact (IF) #1

2008-09-28T14:07:00.000+03:00

I read somewhere that the word Teva (the sandals brand that is) means "earth" in Hebrew. Today I asked Esther what Teva meant and she said "natural". Also they don't pronounce it Tee-va. It is pronounced Teh-va.

Kinneret Swim!

2008-09-27T21:36:00.000+03:00

This morning at 8:30 I swam a mile of the Sea of Galilee. It was amazing! It took about an hour and when we were done we got snack, bag of stuff including: keychain, backpack, and brochure papers. I bought a t-shirt. So now I can say that I've been there done that and got the t-shirt. The ending point also was a water park so we went down some slides. We all picked up some Israeli flag and posed for a picture. It was funny because everyone was staring at us and then they started clapping, like we were an Olympic Team. Which sidenote: Speedo helped sponsor the event (as well and Kinder. The German chocolate eggs that have prizes inside of them) and there were Michael Phelps pictures at their booth. It was a Kodak moment so I snapped a photo of Mr. Phelps in Israel. I am sore already from our hike yesterday and the swim today. But it is worth it!

...I used my underwater camera and soon I will get it developed and put up the pictures of the Yehudiya hike yesterday and the Kinneret Swim today.

The Lord is good!

2008-09-25T21:36:00.000+03:00

Paul McCartney is all over the news. He is doing a show in Tel Aviv and the best tickets are 10,000 shekels (which is about $3, 000). Tonight was definitely a God thing because coming back from my adopted parents house we (another student) met this couple in their late 30's that was moving in. We got to share who we believe in. They did not understanding that we were not bore believers and that we chose to be, (that was a road block, but I trust that the Lord is working the best way possible for these people). They will be moving in about 2 months and they have 4 children (18, 15, 11, 10). The man's name is Drewa and the womans was Mylov (spelling is how I heard their name and probably not correct). Please pray that we will get to see more of them and that they would be open to hearing more truth. Tomorrow we are going to Hudea for some hiking, then on Saturday pretty close to everyone in our group is doing the Kinneret swim. It's about a 2 mile swim (but thankfully there are rest stops (barges) a long the way. It's no race and you get free stuff including a medal at the end! I can't wait!

Drums

2008-09-24T22:24:00.000+03:00

Tonight was really really fun! There was a party for one of the teachers of the little children who was leaving. They hired a two musicians to come and provide some fun and entertainment. There were at least 25 drums that the children could play a long with the music. There was a little bit of dancing and lots of singing. I want to do it again!

2008-09-22T20:37:00.000+03:00

If anyone wants to check out pictures of the team go to the BII website and there is a slideshow of the orientation week

http://www.baptists4israel.com/2008-9orientation.html

movies

2008-09-19T23:08:00.001+03:00

If anyone would like to see some funny and educational videos about Israel and the places that we've been check out jdgorsline video page on Youtube. They are great!

The moon is peeking out of the Golan Heights

2008-09-14T21:49:00.001+03:00

Yesterday was an amazing day! I got up at 6 am and hiked the Golan Heights. But after 2 hours of hiking and 15 minutes from the top I pooped out because I made the mistake of no breakfast and as a result felt sick. It was an amazing view and hike anyway.

In the afternoon we had an internship/Dean meeting and then had a few hours free in the early evening before our next scheduled event. So the girls and I went to the swimming pool on the Kibbutz to meet some people. It seemed like weren’t going to see anyone except for the lifeguard until a group of college people showed up. They were Saky (Isaac in English), Pavel (guy; cousin of Saky), Yasmine (like Jasmine but with a yah),(who is dating Pavel), and Chee-ko (22 y/o guy). We talked with them for a long time. We had some good conversations we BII students could share what we stand for. I really enjoyed talking with them. Nice people but have the mindset that they make their own scale of “goodness”. Please pray for these four students.

After our time in the pool we met with Ettie who found families for us that could adopt up for the 9 months. I went to a family that has a daughter, Hagar, that loves the Baptist students and is going to America in November to visit some of them. I really like the family a lot and am going to visit them. Tomorrow I have more Hebrew lessons and getting started into the homework.

#3: There is a zebra stripped cat on the porch

2008-09-11T15:46:00.000+03:00

It is 3:40 in the afternoon and the temperature is HOT in Celsius! I have only a short time before my very first Hebrew class begins in Kibbutz HaOn (pronounced Ha-own). Today was my second day working in the medical supplies factory. Yesterday I folded big paper sheets with window in the centers for surgeries. Today I put together plastic sheets that stick to the skin under the eyes for surgeries also. It is hands on work that I like and I'm getting practice with my Hebrew from Esther, Mikhal, Helen, and others that I have not quite learned out to see their names spelled in Hebrew in my mind to remember them. Last night we went over to Brad and Jeanie Brough for a class, singing, prayer, and dinner. Jeanie is an amazing cook that I plan to get some recipes from for Renee before I leave. If you are new to the site remember that you must have received (or asked to receive) an email from Renee before you can contact me.

My address is :

Heather Beaver
Kibbutz Tel Qazir
D.N. Emek Hayarden
15165 Israel

Phone number is:

011-972-4-675-6931 (Israel is 7 hours a head of Eastern Time Zone)

2008-09-08T22:15:00.000+03:00

Shalom friends and family!

After a week of orientation in Cleveland Ohio I am on my way to Israel! I really like the other interns that are going over too. I can tell already that we are going to have fun and are going to be really close at the end of 9 months. During orientation we took some Hebrew language classes as well as a Cross Cultural Communications class with a super smart professor. For the CCC class I have 2 written assignments that are due at the end of the time in Israel. I am to keep a journal of things that I notice are different about the Israeli culture. He gave us several things to keep a look out for and then write a paper of what we find out. This assignment makes me happy because I now have extra motivation to keep a journal of the things that I do and see. That is one of the mistakes I wish I hadn’t made in Japan in 2004: not keeping a journal of what was different.

We had some mechanical problems with our flight leaving Cleveland. We were late for all our connecting flights. Because of the mess up in our schedule after we got to Washington D.C. and the airline put us up in a 4 1/2 star hotel, $15 dinner voucher, AND $200 flight voucher for the next time we fly with them! We were a day off schedule and still in the same clothes but it was a great deal.

Getting into the airport in Frankfurt, Germany was interesting...it smelled foreign. Israel smelled much better though. On the way to the Kibbutz we stopped and had an amazing dinner (pictures are up of it and the traveling) and we drove through the Valley of Armageddon! It is really beautiful here.

I have some pictures up and I will write more very very soon.

Love Netia ("Heather" in Hebrew translated)

2008-08-02T03:02:00.000+03:00

I invite you to come and join me on my travels to Israel. I cannot wait to share my journey with you! Please visit me again soon to see what I have been up to!