Halloween in Israel

I think Halloween can be counted as my least favorite holidays.

Not that I hate it, it's just down there on the list.

 I DO enjoy how freakn cute all the little kids are all dressed up, and I do remember loving to dress up for Halloween when I was a wee-one.

 So celebrating Halloween in a country that doesn't usually celebrate it was a stretch for me, but once we got started it was a ball. I thank Hali,

who is full of Halloween spirit and excitement for everyone.

We all made our costumes, while watching Nightmare Before Christmas, 

out of what we brought to Israel and let me tell ya,
we did not come with Halloween in mind. Except the lovely person who knew I would need pink tights to complete my ensemble:)
At the end of the day (and by end of the day I mean,
3 hours before the party started)

it was decided I would rock the 80's in Israel.

So we had a bunch of sexy vampires, a Pink Lady,
bumble bee, geisha, and an aerobics chick.

The party was in Yehiam, which is the kibbutz next to ours. We hitched a ride with a lovely kibbutsnik and squoze 10 people into a
5 person car...With room to spare.

I figure we are either really skinny, or flexible;)

We got to the party early, because this was our only ride, and was pleasantly surprised with the decorations, pub, and people. Our friend David was the DJ, there for we didn't have to watch as people "clubbed" to "Cotton Eye Joe" or Eiffels "Blue".

(Israel loves the 90's)

I love the pubs here. Everyone dances and interacts with everyone.

No men standing on the edge trying to look cool or

give you a "you fine" nod.

No, no. Here the men openly point and yell about you.

 I might not be fluent in Hebrew but I'm pretty sure I can tell when someone

is saying something along the line of
"I could tap that" ;)

Now would be a good time to mention that we,

the MASA dancers of Ga'aton, are a phenomenon.

 I do not joke when I say guys travel to our nothing pub in Ga'aton

because of all the dancers.

 So all night guys would point with their friends and say, 

"Those are the dancers!" It's very funny.

It was a great night full of dancing, and good company.

Jasmine on her magic carpet

2 am rolled around and we had to find a ride back to the kibbutz.

We ended up asking a very nice guy who was trying his best

to be get in the good graces of Hali, to drive us home.

I ended up driving us home, thank you God, and sent the man back to Yehiam.

A solid Halloween in Israel.

Idan Raichel Concert

This week we all trecked our way to Jerusalem to see the concert of Idan Raichel. As always, the ride was filled with gut wrenching laughs, minor wrestling, and sleeping. (The bummer about living in Galilee is nothing is a hop-skip and jump away. Always a long ride on the autobus. By the by, that's Hebrew. I'm fluent) We picked up some other people who are part of the MASA programs in Israel on the way. I dreamt I was being serenaded by a man and his guitar...then I realized there really was a Spanish man serenading me...while I slept. Sexy or creepy?

It turns out this concert was a great opportunity for MASA to go pro-Jew on us. It was all very odd. It was like a pep rally for being Jewish. It was quite a sight. People, meaning grown men, were waving and wearing the MASA's flag. Political officials gave speeches and  shared their experiences with MASA. It was an awesome experience to meet these people but it was delivered in a weird way. It came off a bit preachy. It was very inspiring to hear stories of people who came to Israel and made lives with people of their faith.  It is amazing to be "part of" a program that is so important to this country. I am lucky that though I am not Jewish, I can still attend all of the MASA gatherings, and if I wasn't sold on all the speeches and people, they had aerial artist, fire dancers, and confetti to make up for any lack of interest:)

When the concert finally started I fell in love. There were 12 or more singers and musicians, all speaking multiple languages, on stage all collaborating having the time of their lives. I LOVED it! It was amazing to connect solely with the rhythm and the artist themselves, instead of the lyrics.

 It was 2 am when we got back and a long ride with Hali and I sharing a row trying to find the most comfortable position, while twisted together. Altogether, a wonderful night. I am so grateful I get to see this country under the MASA name. So many opportunities are open to me that wouldn't be else where.

Moon Lighting Hairstylist

I made my debut as a hairstylist in Israel. I think I might start charging.

We all owe it to Hali and her mistakenly bleach-blonde hair with roots look;)

I'm so proud of my Chali (Hebrew pronunciation. Weirdly also mine)

almost no freak out for someone who has been blonde for the last 4 years

After that they kept on comin...

Noa with an extra splash of sexy

Catarina going dark and flirty

Katies is now part of the spicy brunette collection

Every ones hair turned out so great! (To my relief)

To top it off, I threw in two trims.

I've also been the local go-to girl for nails.

Weird considering I've never been into nail polish. 

 Maybe this is how I will be paying to travel after Israel:)

Cabby McCab

I truly look forward to our cab expeditions here. Since my Hebrew is still almost nonexistent, I consider it a game to get where I'm going. I never know what mood the cab driver will be in. I've met many kind ones, that do their best to talk to me in English and teach me Hebrew. They are always fascinated that we are from all over and in The Home Land to dance. Today, the cab driver asked if we did disco. I said at the pub we do, and he now believes I moved to Israel to study disco and probably poll dancing. Excellent.

I've had the raging Israeli that refuses to communicate in English, even though I clearly have NO idea what he is saying. When I start to walk away to get another cab, his English miraculously appears.

I was in a cab when it rear-ended another cab. The driver stomps out yelling (although, 'loud' is a normal level for Israelis) hugs the other driver, and continues on his way.

One of my favorite- On an epic ride home from Tel Aviv after Yom Kippur, the cab driver rolls down his window to ask directions to our kibbutz...while driving at 60 mph on the highway. Guess who ended up giving him directions to our kibbutz. That's right. Me. I'm thankful for my sense of direction and inspiration to know when the cab driver is bull shitting us.

One cab driver asked if he could be my Israeli boyfriend. I said, "Don't you have children and a wife?" He promptly informed me not to worry, his children would like me too.

I always leave my rides laughing in someway. A lot of this would be remedied if I could speak the squiggle language, but it is fun this way.

Buggers

I am concurring my fear of bugs everyday. Our room has had an ant infestation for over a month.

They got in all of our food and after we cleaned everything like Cinderella, the little suckers came back.

Hence forth, we keep EVERYTHING in the fridge.

Crackers, rice, cereal, fruit, the whole shabang.
I've learned to share my room

with the little buggers and have only had one bug filled dream because of it.

 I bang out my shoes everyday to check for scorpions.

Shake out my bags to check for snacks:) aka snakes.

 I am the one to get all the bugs out of the room when they come in.

The other night we were going over the mounds of REP we have learned when my roommate Hali,
made a horrified look and points (Think gun pointed at your friend, look)
and do I assume there is a man standing in the doorway holding a gun? No.
I duck and yell trying to get the bug off my back that I now know is there.

Ruby, being the calm one of the bunch, gets the sucker off and lets it go out side.

I asked not to know what kind of bug it was. 

Ignorance is bliss.

So, there was my first bug freak out in The Home Land.

I feel like a redeemed myself the next day in rehearsal.

It is a daily occurrence that wasps the length of hair pins are flying in the studios all day.

 My dear friend Ruby, who is tall, gorgeous, and British (yes this makes a difference) is deathly afraid of bees, (More so then I with spiders) was lying on the floor getting ready to start the dance when

she spots the wild beast.

I have never seen a person move so quickly, or squat so low to get out of range in my life.

We did our best to get the wasp out
one of the many windows without success.

Ruby was ready to leave rehearsal it was such a stress. I, feeling my maternal instinct kicking in,

picked up a shoe and threw it at the wasp.

Yep, dear friends. I hit it, mid air, and the shoe landed neatly on top...of the squished bee.

In the span off time it took Ruby to hug me and start to say "Thank you for killing the beast"

 another flying bug the size of a ping-pong ball flew in the studio.

Can you say KARMA!!??

Mine or hers? Who knows. 

The Trial Run Begins

I am starting this blog, to document all of the events I would like to remember from my trip here. I've debated starting this for a month and decided to give it a try. I make no promises that this will continue, I'm simply giving it a trial run. I am putting it all here so those who would like to know how many times I can use the word mazal tov out of context in the Hebrew language (which I think it's NEVER out of context to wish someone good luck or congratulations... but the Israelis would beg to differ) or how many times I am told "It's a shame you aren't Jewish...I have young, handsome son for you to marry"--can.
Mazal Tov!!