Peanut-butter

     Well, I mean, since the last time I posted to now, I have been thinking a lot about John... and a lot about life. It's no surprise either, but I figure as long as it has been mad prevalent in my mind... from the time I wake up and go to sleep, it was worth mentioning. I wouldn't necessarily use the term better, but I am feeling... well, I feel more at ease about it all. (Maybe that wasn't the right word either). 

    Anyway, today, as still time will go on, and lives will be lived, EIE took a tiyul to Tel Aviv. It was a nice and easy tiyul. Most tiyuliem are interesting, and not to say this one wasn't, I just felt it was more of a extra weekend day than a class. It, again, was just simple and nice. I can't believe Israel could possibly get any more beautiful, but as the seasons are changing from winter to spring, the sun is getting warmer and the cool breezes more refreshing, and the flowers splash the entire hills of gorgeous greens with colour. I can't believe that the place I once just admired has turned into, what would seem to be, a mural covering my entire scope of sight.

     Aside from that, I don't have much more to report. There is one thing I have been meaning to do... but never got enough initiative to do until now. I know this experience has been wonderful, but I feel like a lot of the little things get lost. Sometimes I feel the little things in everyday life get swept away by the "message." So, for the rest of the entry I'll just talk about the little (VERY) random things, that I have noticed about Israel, about the program, about other people and about myself.

• I like it when this one guy prays. He hasn't failed to look like praying is the most natural and simple thing to do. I also love it when he leads services, he gets so into his speeches and makes me appreciate the Torah in a way I never thought I would. He makes the struggle of the Jewish people seem like it's a lesson to learn from, and what we go through everyday has an equivalent problem and the solution in Jewish texts, if you are willing to look for it and interpret it right.
  
• My Jewish History teacher is similar in the way he preaches about the Jewish people. The way he'll go on a lecture about some no-name and his boring story makes me interested in every detail mentioned because of the way he presents it, and shows passion about it. When a teacher cares about their students and the material they teach, I have found it makes the three hour class not long enough.
• I have been listing to more mellow and uplifting music while in Israel. While 'happy music' vs. 'angry music', isn't what I'm necessarily talking about, I realized the genres have kind of switched themselves to a more mellow sort.
• I used to feel complacent at home. Especially at school, when rarely I'd be sad or ever more rarely happy. Now, school here is way different and more... actually, its less formal. We call teachers by a first-name basis which originally greatly perplexed me. 
• In school, I actually care about the material! The numbers still matter to me, but at the same time if I fail a test, I'm more at ease because it's not because I wasn't interested or less-studied than the rest of my class... it's because I was having an off day, or I truly didn't care about the particular lesson and in my mind... that's okay. I think I have finally set my priorities straight here; Health, Happiness, Interests, Understanding, Grades.
• The toilettes here are cool because they have two handles/buttons things so you save a ridiculous amount of water. Also, in hotels and hostles (which is all we live in), all the toilet paper is just tissues. Because you're not aloud to rip or tear anything on Shabbat (if you are religious), they cater to possible guests staying there. I thought that was interesting.
• Also, in contrast to America, it is WAY more expensive to buy un-Kosher food versus Kosher. Some meat (or dairy) stores won't even let you come in if you have milk (or meat) in possession. 
• Toilet paper... it's essential to bring it everywhere you go. Despite if you need to go to the bathroom (and chances are the gas station you stop at won't have any), it doubles as tissues, quick things to write a note on, if you make a mess, and basically any other minor needs.
• Cigarettes. Everyone smokes in Israel. I think a few people had a culture shock when meeting other teenagers, or seeing pious people smoking. I found it kinda funny, to say the least.
• Taking notes in a binder/notebook that goes from right to left is much easier than from left to right. Whether you're writing in Hebrew or English... it just seems easier.
• Dates... it makes me question why Americans do some things! We right out dates from month, to date, and than year. I like day, month, year... it makes more sense. I never thought about it before coming here. 
• Hummus (pronounced the guttural: CH-OOO-MOOSE) is a condiment for anything called food. It is also heavenly from Abu Ghosh...
• Sinks are outside of most bathrooms and restaurants for religious people to wash their hands. 
• Watching TV is fun in any language. Wether its Gossip Girls, or Euro MTV, or Indian soap operas and game shows... there is no doubt we get the most interesting channels. 
• Political parties in Israel are.... well, aside from being the typical political party, they are innumerable and some quite ridiculous. My favorite? The Pot/Holocaust Survivor Party. You think I'm kidding? Their commercial was even funnier...
• There are cats everywhere. Apparently there was a rodent problem so they thought they would solve it with cats... But, that's alright.. I now have a pet cat, Twitch. She's a sweetheart.
• America is actually a Christian society. I never could realize this because I never knew there was something different. Living in Israel, I can see the way two Westernized, modern, and technologically advanced countries could be so different. From the food, to culture, to the everyday sayings and euphemisms, I would have never guessed. 
• Growing up, going to camp every summer, I wondered how it would be like to go to school... but at camp. I found out. It's amazing... but on the same token, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't realize it's the people... not the place that makes it what it is. I miss my friends from camp... and from school back in the US.
• Vegetables are all fresh and amazing here. I might not be able to get used to pesticide, frozen, and unfrozen veggies again. *yuck*
• I have an unhealthy addiction to soda and cranberry juice. I stopped drinking soda last week... but I can go through a bottle of cranberry juice in two to three days (an hour if I'm trying). I also never realized how much water you need to drink!
• Taking photos of what I see here is useless. My camera always forget to capture the smell, the sunlight or cool wind, and the essence of what's happening. Also, the experiences and information. I just gave up on taking photos...

Well, that's all I have for now... but I guess that's enough random thoughts to last for a while. If I can think of some other things that might get lost in translation from daily life to morals of my life's story.. I'll be sure to post them. Oh wait.. one more:

• No one here eats peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches!!!!