Have you ever started to do something, not knowing why you are doing it but then keep going on despite your ever-growing consience nagging at your stupidity?

Maybe that is happening right now.

I have heat stroke, or motion sickness. This is not meant to be mistaken for the Swine Flu, as my dear team jokes about. On the way to Bethlehem today, I power puked. Both attractive and perfect timing, as we were at the checkpoint into the Palestinian controlled territory.

I sure showed them.

Anyway, I decided to write a few short sentences just for the sake of updating, and will compensate with more lengthly blogs once the room stops spinning.

We drove through the Judean Desert which is where Abraham and other cool people in the Old Testament would live in Bedouin tents. The weather was anything but gentle, with nearly 50 degree sunrays glaring at us and nothing but sand, rocks and mountains of sand and rocks to be seen. Somewhere in this, we found the Dead Sea. Yes, I floated and the sensation was definitely cool. BUT do not be decieved my wonderful blog readers...the Dead Sea is hotter than the temperature outside. It literally felt as if I was entering into a hot bath on a cold winter's night, and so the feeling of refreshment went away very quickly. You cut your feet on crystals at the bottom, the sea stinks, your hands taste super salty and grainy even after intense washing, and it kills your hair. My skin was happy, but everything else was angry.

So. We then drove by where they found the Dead Sea scrolls, and went to a Bedouin community. We did camel rides into the sunset which was thrilling, but the camels make the weirdest noise when upset. Our tent was beside them as they cried out all night, and I woke up to the sound of irritated camels, excited dokeys, 100 species of birds and an annoying lonesome peacock. Interesting.

And now we are in Jerusalem. It's an amazing city. I will definitely keep blogging once we visit the old city part, and pictures will be up soon. Love you all!

 

They say every girl likes a bit of danger mixed with the good, caring, sweet and compassionate man of her dreams. Something a bit exotic, out of nature and daring, something captivating.

If Israel were the man of my dreams, this very fact is true.

If you refer back to the other blogs, it is evident that I find Israel very beautiful. (pictures below) We left Yad Hashmona today and drove through dry desert lands only to stumble upon green mountains, wild flowers and deep lush valleys. There were wild goats and cows, beautiful old buildings and several cities on a hill (Perchance where Jesus got his analogies from. I am Sherlock Holmes.) Needless to say, I am in love with what I see. It will be a dramatic parting when I fly back to Canada in two weeks time, that is obvious.
While we were driving on the highway towards our destination (this little place called the Sea of Galilee, never heard of it.) I was falling asleep against the window in our oversized tour bus. Drearily looking down, I could easily see the contents in the cup-holders and passenger seats of each car passing by the bus. The majority of the time, the companion of choice was tomatoes. In the cup holders, loosely rolling around the passenger seat, red juice running over the hands of the eager driver digging into the favored travel snack.
But every third or fourth car, there were guns.
Not little revolvers that Canadians boast about and the ghetto of Toronto flashes at you while you give dirty looks....I'm talking, BIG guns. If I knew technical terms, I would use those words to express what I am trying to describe. This was sort of my first smack in the face in regards to the reality of the state Israel is living in...that state being consistent war.
But that little dose of danger, surprisingly, makes me want to stay here longer.
I know, family members reading this blog are potentially either fainting thinking I am never coming home, or calling a local psychologist to find out why i have lost it. But it's adventure.

On a much, much lighter note...

I am working with a team consisting of 40 or so people from all over the globe. Canadians and the Finnish people are the largest groups represented, along with some German, Irish, Australian, South African, American and Swedish mixes. Needless to say, we are getting along very well and the team dynamics have been explosive so far. We went to a refugee camp today on Mount Karmiel (This is Biblical, look it up) where they take in women who have been raped, beaten, kicked out of their country or are having children at an early age. Alot of these women are Arabic, Jewish and Muslim (the three major groups in Israel) and sometimes you can sense the tension. It's bringing this reality closer to home.
We played with the children, cleaned, painted and did garden work around the building, and just blessed them. It was amazing to see people receive the little work we did as such a giant sacrifice on our part. Today was a success.

Now I am at a hotel in Ginosaur, which kisses the shores of Galilee. Next to us is a museum with the infamous "Jesus Boat" (a boat they dug up in the Galilee that dates back to the time of Jesus' ministries). I have just returned from my first swim in the Galilee, hanging out in the water that Jesus walked on. No big deal.

But it is 12:30 in the morning, and today is Shabbot Shalom for the Jews. They are partying it up in the hotel lobby, singing traditional Hebrew songs and drinking. I am still a victim to Jetlag so I may go watch. Peace and Love.

SIDENOTE: Israeli men are probably the most attractive, smart and kindest people I have ever met, even more so than Australians. I know, big deal.

EXTRA SIDENOTE: That is not the reason as to why I am going to come back to Israel. Well, not the exact reason.

My first ever blog from Israel is being written within my first 8 hours of landing in the Holy Lands. This is short, because internet time here is quite limited, but I really want everyone to feel and understand and almost taste, Israel.

For the first time, I am jetlagged. It was a long and turbulence-filled flight from Pearson Airport in Toronto to Tel Aviv in Israel. I settled back into the cushioned third-class seat that even I, a tiny barely-over-5-feet-tall woman, could hardly fit properly into. I watched the sun go down and settled as darkness crept slowly over the horizon, and then 2 hours past, and the sun...rose again. Within what seemed like seconds, the lights in the airplane flicker on and the sound of food trays rattling down the aisles made me confused. No, it was no longer 10:30 p.m Toronto time, but actually 5:30 a.m Israeli time. We landed safely, and my travel buddy Rachelle and I bragged about our lack of jetlag and laughed as everyone else stumbled about in confusion as to how to live normally.
If there's such thing as karma, I beleive it will be biting me in the butt any minute now.
We are staying at in Yad Hashmona, a beautiful (and I mean, beautiful) location that overlooks the hills of Jerusalem. There are exotic trees and plants with colors I have never visualized. Within moments of being here, I came to the decision that Israel is by far the most gorgeous country I have ever been to. The temperature is a biting 38 degrees celcius minus humidity, which consistently reminds me I am not in Kansas anymore. Well, Toronto technically.
Rachelle and I explored the area, went to a Biblical garden that had wonderful statues and ancient artifacts. All though all of this is beautiful, I am one of those beauty in the unseen, artsy photography-inclined people who wanted to see something fun.
A plastic chair in the middle of a deserted volleyball court. Satisfaction.
It was nothing fancy, no one else noticed it. I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread (or no-apple apple pie, who knew?) and I felt as though it was a promise for captivity, that I am going to see adventure and random things that will spark an interest in me while I'm here.
I may be going way to deep and poetic, but remember, jetlagged. Very.
I hope that is a somewhat little bit of a taster of how life is going thus far, I will update whenever I can. Shalom!