A little tif in the Middle East

Hello Everyone,

Laurel has received a few worried emails regarding the situation in Southern Israel with our Neighbor to the East. We in Jerusalem are very safe. I am not sure what the news is saying in America, but Israel is finally retaliating against the attacks from Gaza. A quick update for everyone:

For seven years Israel has endured rockets falling on her from Gaza. Even during the recent ceasefire Hamas pelted Israel with Kasam Rockets, dug tunnels under the boarder, and shot at boarder crossings. Whenever a crossing was hit, Israel would close the boarder temporarily. This was then used against Israel to show the world that Israel was starving the people of Gaza by not allowing food to cross the boarder.

The IDF method of fighting is not one directed at hurting civilians. In fact, it is the complete opposite. Before the attacks, Israel dropped leaflets letting the people of Gaza know that there would be bombs falling on Hamas targets. This has reduced the amount of civilian. The news being broadcast from Gaza may depict otherwise, because the news is filmed by Hamas supporters. When the news shows homes being destroyed it is because Hamas uses civilian shields to hid behind as they shoot at Israel from houses, schools, and are currently hiding in hospitals.

Recently Gordon Johndroe, Deputy Assistant to President Bush said,"We don't want a cease-fire agreement that isn't worth the piece of paper it's written on. We want something that's lasting and, most importantly, respected by Hamas." It is horrible that there is fighting again, yet the fighting may scare Hamas into a real ceasefire agreement. This would mean that children of Sderot wouldn't have to play in their playground made out of bomb shelters.

This is my view on the situation, from living in Israel and taking classes on the Arab Israeli conflict for the past 4 months. to get more information please read Haaretz at www.haaretz.com, and the Jerusalem Post at www.jpost.com.

http://www.youtube.com/user/idfnadesk shows Israel's humanitarian efforts, as well as Israel hitting Hamas launch pads from civilian homes.

As I mentioned, we are very safe. We were told to stay out of the Old City of Jerusalem. The Jewish quarter is fine, but the Christian and Muslim quarters have had some acts of violence against Jews by the Arab citizens. There is a little tension in the air, but life goes on as usual.

Wandering the desert.. for 3 days

When any group goes hiking in Israel they have a guide, and a medic. The medic walks in the back and carries a post WWI gun. The guide does his job, guides. On our latest trip we had two medics, one walked with us and the other stayed up all night and watch the campsite for Bedouins.

 Bedouins are nomadic tribes that wander the desert, and having no governing body often steal from campers or travelers. Our guide told us (after the hike) that the week before, he led a trip and everything was stolen in the middle of the night.

 Three weeks ago we went to the desert. I am not sure what you think of when you hear the word desert, but I always pictured wandering through sand dunes. Unlike the Sahara Desert, the Judean Desert and the Negev are both rocky, steep terrain. Day one we walked through the Negev, for 5 hours. The bus dropped ups off in what looked like the middle of nowhere, and left. Lucky for us the scorching summer heat was something of the past, and we hiked through bearable weather. We were also lucky enough to see a rare specimen outside its natural habitat. Israeli high school students, hiking in tight jeans, leggings, and carrying ipods blocked the path for an hour. We couldn’t go around them, because there was only one small trail or the possibility of falling off the cliff. So we waited. For some reason Israeli teens, no matter where they are hiking, wear tight jeans, leggings, and carry ipods. At the end of the trail our bus picked us up, and drove us to our campsite. It took us longer to get everyone on the bus at the end of the trail then it took for us to get to the campsite. I don’t think we were in the bus for more then 7 minutes. There was nothing there to identify this area of the side of the road from any other area, and nothing to say it was a campsite. The bus drove off, and there we were, in the desert, with the sun setting, and nothing of a campsite anywhere. The man who was supposed to bring the food for us to cook, and the tents for us to sleep in was lost/his car broke down/information chain broke down. I wasn’t sure what happened, but we waited for a few more hours. It grew dark, and still we waited. FINALLY, after 2 hours the campsite man arrived. Laurel helped get ready for dinner, while I sat and watched for fox. I wasn’t sure what I would do when I saw one, but I was nervous that one would run off with me and I didn’t wanted to be caught off guard.

That night we had hotdogs, salad, bread, hummus, and marshmallows. The Marshmallows were for roasting around the campfire after we ate. As I am sure you are worried and sitting at the edge of your seat, I wasn’t taken away by a fox. I did see a fox darting in between the tents, though it never came close enough to get me. When everyone went to bed, except the medic. Laurel slept on a rock. Not just any rock, but a rock that relocated to another annoying spot every time she tried to move. I slept great. Laurel left me close to her bag outside the tent, which was great because I could continue to look for fox until I fell asleep. 

Day two we walked through the Judean Desert. This desert hike did not have as many steep cliffs to climb, but was a lot of slow, steady hills. When looking out at the horizon it looks like small hills, yet the depth perception is so off that small hills are really very tall, mountain like hills. Camels grazing dotted the area as we trudged through the desert. We got to the end of a cliff, and over the edge was the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth. A winding trail led to a freshwater pool. Where hundreds of High School students has yet again flocked. After about ½ an hour of splashing in the water we continued to the end of the hike, where our bus was waiting to take us to our campsite on the Dead Sea.

Tired yet content we set up camp on the shore of the Dead Sea. After dinner a group of people went down to the beach, and Laurel went to sleep. She, Jesse, and Sareet all opted to sleep outside under the stars. I chose to sleep in the tent, because I was not going to risk getting rained on. In the middle of the night I was woken not by rain, but by a fighter jet flying directly over the trees. Laurel told me the next day that the jet looked like it was brushing the treetops, and the thundering was directly above her.

The sun rising woke Laurel, who after getting morning coffee, went done to the beach for a morning… float. I was too nervous I would float away to Jordan, so I watched from the shore. If you have never floated in the Dead Sea, Laurel tells me it is an almost unreal experience. You can’t dive into the water, because the intense mineral and salt concentration would burn your eyes. Instead you sit back… and float! 

We love vacations Eilat!

The morning after Yom Kippur Laurel, her roommates Chelly and Miriam, Laurel’s friend Teri, and I all went to Eilat. The girls had ordered the tickets ahead of time to insure seats, and got to the central bus station 45 minutes early to reinsure seats incase the situation was different (which happens a lot here). After going through security, asking about the tickets, waiting for the bus to arrive, and pushing with the herds of people, the girls finally settled down for a nice little four-hour bus ride. Laurel took Dramamine and knocked herself out for the ride. She was smart, I not so much. A family of the loudest Americans, the kind that give everyone else a reason to hate us, kept me awake. If the ride had been any longer I think someone would have off-ed them.

When we reached Eilat we took a cab to the Guest House. We had no idea what to expect and were pleasantly surprise. The guesthouse was a few steps up from a hostel, and by a few we mean leaps and bounds. The four girls and I had four beds, a shower, two sinks, a bathroom, fridge, and a TV. We felt like we were living in luxury. Laurel, who had mentioned a sore throat stayed in while the Chelly, Teri, and Miriam all went walking on the boardwalk. Being kind of shy, I stayed back and slept.

That night they went to dinner at Patty’s Irish pub, in Israel. I was amused. They traveled all the way to Eilat to go to an Irish pub. Even though it was Shabbat almost everything was open! They got ice cream and walked along the boardwalk. The Eilat boardwalk is lined with shops selling smoothies, ice cream, dresses, henna tattoos, bags, scarves, rings, t-shirts, pizza pockets, corn on the cob, and anything else you might possibly want. Beyond the shop on the left are stores and hotels, and the right is the beach and Red Sea. We could look out and see the Jordanian mountains on one side and Egypt on the other, with the tip of Israel right in the middle. Eilat is like a small resort city, nestled in between two sometimes-unfriendly neighbors. It is hard to fathom a time when the mountains on either side produced falling rockets. The picturesque city glitters at night, lit up by the bars, restaurants and hotels all within walking distance from  the borders of Egypt at one end and Jordan at the other.

The next morning they set out for the beach, and lay around in the sun all afternoon. The water was warm and there was just enough breeze for the heat to be bearable. I even tried to get a little more color. Laurel almost left me because I had snuck out of her bag and was sunning myself in the sand at her feet. I had to jump out and trip her to get her attention! I hope she doesn’t form a habit of forgetting me. That night the girls went to a nice Asian restaurant for dinner, and then off to bed early because Laurel, Miriam, and I were going to go to Petra in the morning! That adventure was a story in itself, one I will have to save for another post.

When we returned Laurel and Miriam napped, and then we went to a bar called The Monkey Bar, which had live music! At midnight the band stopped playing, which was around the same time Chelly and Ter decided they were too tired and had to go back. When the band left the bar put on dance music. Laurel and Miriam stayed and danced until 3am, when the bar made it very clear they were closing. I was very proud of Laurel, who normally is the first one to go to bed! She told me she had never literally danced the night away, and thought there wouldn’t be a better place to do such then looking out over the sea, with the warn night air around her.

Every day the girls were given a complementary breakfast buffet. Many times in the history of hostels, hotels, and what have you this means toast, bagels, doughnuts, and maybe a yogurt or two. This breakfast buffet was the mother of all buffets. A large table of different cheese and salads, a table with cold cereal and cakes, bread, coffee, tea, yogurts, and a hot table with cheese cake, eggs, French toast, and Laurel’s favorite Israeli dish, shakshuka. Shakshuka is a made of tomato, bell pepper, and onions cooked together to with a tomato sauce to make a stew. Then eggs are cracked on top and the pan is covered so the eggs cook. The end result is a wonderful mix of tomato and egg goodness, to be scooped up with thick slices of bread. 

Yom kippur, daylight savings give us a fast fast

The Wednesday following Rosh Hashana was Erev Yom Kippur. Laurel and her friend Annie made pre-fast dinner for a group of nine people, including Brian from Herzl Camp who stayed with Laurel for the Holiday. Israelis are smart, and daylight savings was a few days before so the fast would end earlier, but this also meant it started earlier. The 25 hour fast lasted from 4:35pm until 5:35pm the following day. That night Laurel, Brian, and Suzy all went to Kol Nidra services at Kol Hanishama, the Reform Synagogue in Ba’ka, an area of Jerusalem 15 minutes walking distance from Laurel’s apartment. The entire service was in Hebrew, though Laurel told me it was beautiful singing Kol Hanishama at the end of the service with a whole congregation of people she didn’t know, but who all knew the tune she so dearly loves.

 

When they left Synagogue, Brian and Laurel walked up and down Emek Rifiem, one of the normally busy streets in the German Colony. The eerie silence of  no cars on the streets was another reminder of the significance of the holiday in Israel. The streets were full of people walking around, and children on bikes and rollerblades. They walked the whole way home in the middle of the street, meeting up with other people from the WUJS program as they were leaving their respective services. I sat on Laurel’s balcony and just watched the normally bustling city in its cocoon of silence. The only disruption to the quiet would be the occasional ripple of laugher from children still playing in the streets, way into the wee hours of the night.

 

At 3:00am Laurel, Brian and a small band of people on the WUJS program woke up to go to the Kotel, or Western Wall. I was not to be disturbed, knowing the long day of fasting I had ahead of me. The group set out on a 45minute walk in the cool early morning stillness to the Old City. When they reached the Kotel there were already groups of people assembling at the wall to pray. Laurel and Brian met up with their friends Scott from Jerusalem, and Evan from Tel Aviv. The boys went off to the men’s side of the wall, while Laurel stayed with her friend Lisa and walked around taking everything in. There were people camped out in sleeping bags around the courtyard, and religious families standing shoulder to shoulder from tallest to shortest with the father on the left, the oldest son, and so on to the youngest son on the right. At around 5am the sun began to rise, and Laurel, Brian, Scott, and Evan all went to a balcony atop the Old City to look down over the Kotel and watch the sun rise above it. As Laurel, Brian, and Evan walked back through the streets still void of cars, they passed people just getting up and walking to Synagogue or to the Old City. It was a really moving experience, seeing everyone walking to services as they were just on their way home.

 

The rest of the day was spend in Laurel’s apartment with the theory that if they had woken up at 3am to walk to the Kotel, they were for sure in good standing and could rest for the majority of the day. By evening Laurel was weak with hunger, and helped set up long tables for the break fast. Everything was ready yet she didn’t want to break fast until she new it was really over. Laurel and a boy Ben went up to the roof of the apartment building and looked for three stars in the night sky, which meant the end of the fast. They counted one star, then slowly a second was seen, and finally a third star was found in the sky. They stood for a moment, and realized that for them it wasn’t just the three stars, but they were waiting to hear a shofar being blown, signifying the end of fast. Next door to the apartment building is a Yashiva. The boys at the Yashiva had been singing, dancing, and praying all day long. As dusk began to settle groups of people gathered across the street from the Yashiva, just like Laurel and Ben standing on the apartment roof. It was as if everyone around had come out into the streets to wait for the mournful sound of the shofar ending the fast. From within the Yashiva they heard the sound of Avinu Malkanu, and knew that any moment the fast would be done and with the blast of the shofar the fast was over. Laurel, Ben, and 25 other people from the WUJS program all sat down together to break fast over bagels, salad, tuna, salmon, and pasta. 

Rosh Hashana, have a Happy New Year!

Let me step back a little and catch you up on the holiday season. Most people think of the holiday season as December, when in reality the lalapolooza of all holiday seasons would be the beginning months of the Jewish calendar. Starting off with Rosh Hashana, the new year followed closely by Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. Five days later is Sukkot, which last for 7 days, wrapping up the holiday season is Shmini Atzeret and Simhat Torah. For nearly a month there is no school, shops are closed, no one goes to work, and my friends, I found it glorious. Laurel got bored a lot, but she doesn’t appreciate sleeping in and doing nothing as much as I. My kind of a As we are fast approaching the end, I will recap some of the highlights.

Rosh Hashana was spent at the Sareet’s family’s house. For Laurel the High Holy Days are synonyms for sending a day in synagogue. Rosh Hashana for many Israelis is a time for family to come together, a day off of work, and a time to relax. Much like a family would come together for Thanksgiving in America, so is Rosh Hashana celebrated in Israel. At 6am on September 29, (Laurel’s 23^rd birthday) we took a bus to Hod Hasharon a suburb of Tel Aviv, where Sareet and her cousin Tom picked us up at the bus stop. That evening there was a huge dinner for 25 of Sareet’s relatives, and Laurel. I was too shy, and stayed upstairs. The next two days were spent lounging around, reading books, and watching TV. The TV was a big deal, because we do not have a TV in Laurel’s apartment, and it had been about a month since I last saw reruns of Gilmore Girls, which oddly enough is an Israeli favorite.

Going back to Jerusalem was a truly Israeli experience. The autobuses, or coach buses in Israel do not have a maximum capacity limit. If you want to get to another town, the autobus is the best way to go. You better push and shove to get a seat because when they are all taken the only spots left are standing room only in the aisles, which is exactly where Sareet, Laurel, myself and Sareet’s new fish Mishuggy ended up. For the first ½ hour Laurel stood in the aisles, and the rest of the trip she sat on the floor in a puddle of fish water that had sloshed from Mishuggy’s traveling case. I was safe and sound in Laurel’s overnight bag.

- Mo the Shalom Gnome

the best chicken dinner and Sederot

Here I am again, thanks to Laurel bringing me to school with her so I could use the internet, which never seems to stay connected at her apartment long enough to write a sentence let alone a whole entry. While she is taking a Hebrew test, I am sitting in the Library feverishly typing away to share with you, my faithful readers, our most

recent adventures.

Monday night Laurel and her friend Annie were invited to dinner. The Meal was at 8pm, in the backyard of a small art store owned by an Arab who lives in the Old City. He cooked (what Laurel claims was) the most delicious chicken she has ever tasted. After one very large chicken leg she was full, though he insisted she eat 3 more! Not only that, but she didn't even think to bring any back for me. In the middle of dinner she heard sirens, saw a firetruck, police cars and an ambulance speed by the shop. Turning to the host, Annie asked him what was going on. he replied, "it is probably just another attack."

Here is a strange phenomenon. For those of you living in America, the idea of an attack of any sorts is shaking. Here in Israel attacks happen, and life goes on. A very worried Laurel and Annie left dinner at 12 midnight, to see people sitting at cafes and continuing with daily life. The attack was near the Old City where a Palestinian resident of east Jerusalem hit a group of Israeli soldiers with his car, wounding a total of 15 soldiers and four civilians. Even though it was scary, life goes on.

The next day Laurel went on a field trip to Sederot, about a mile outside Gaza. I, wanted no part of it. She invited me along, though I appreciated the gesture, I was content to sit at home. Thank you very much. Sederot is a town that has had Qassam rockets falling on it for 7 years. Though there is a cease fire with Gaza, extremist groups from just within Gaza continue to fire missiles into Israeli populated areas. The people of Sederot have to live with the ever present fear that any moment there could be an alarm signaling an attack. When an alarm goes off the citizens have 15 seconds to get to a bomb shelter. A women who spoke to the WUJS group told a story of a girl who heard an alarm go off when she was in class. The whole class got up and ran to a bomb shelter. When she returned to class there was a Qassam missile in her seat. Another story was about the children who have to grow up knowing nothing but the fear of falling

missiles. It is not as though the missiles came one day while they were growing up, it is the

only life these young children have known. Every playground has been bombed, so they have build the only playground in the word made out of bomb shelters.Laurel told me after that she had butterflies in her stomach the whole time. The feeling she had for 7 hours was the only feeling the people of Sederot have known for 7 years. After the group left Sederot they drove up to the top of a hill that overlooked Gaza. The view was magnificent. There was a wind chime memorial for a fallen soldier providing soft background music, while the group stood in silence and looked out over the strip of land where so

much violence has stemmed. From the hill Laurel could see the Mediterranean, and her professor told them that Egypt was directly left of the area. If she turned her head to the right she saw Israel, and straight in front Gaza. Such a small area to fight over.
-Mo the Shalom Gnome

Laurel' left me behind, we are in a HUGE fight

Laurel went to Haifa for Shabbat and forgotme! As though I am just a thing that she could leave behind, and not a miss vital part of her experience. We are not on speaking terms, though I listened in on her conversation with her roommates so I could write about her adventures.

Thursday afternoon she and her friend Sareet took a bus from Jerusalem's central bus station to Haifa. They were lucky. Right as they got to the platform in Jerusalem the bus was about to pull away, they made on the bus just in time. An easy 2 hour bus ride brought them to Haifa, where Sareet's friend Tom met them. He drove them to a small market, where they bought groceries for the weekend. Then off to Tom's house, which overlooks the Bahai Gardens. Tom said that the gardens are too beautiful to be in Isra

el, that something so breath taking should be somewhere to travel to, not something to see everyday. I wish Laurel had considered that I might never get a chance to see them. I only have her photos to give me a shadow of what the gardens truly are.

That evening Laurel and Sareet enjoyed bamba, and more bamba. If you are unfamiliar with this Israeli treat I will enlighten you. Bamba looks like puffed cheetos, and tastes like peanut butter. I think it is disgusting. Laurel, on the other hand has not been able to shut up about it. She tried it last time she was in Israel and for some reason beyond my comprehension cannot get enough of them. She and Sareet supposedly ate mostly bamba the entire weekend. They also watched movies and just relaxed. It seems a nice way to celebrate Shabbat, just sit and relax. Also, they don't have a TV in the apartment in Jerusalem so I guess it was a luxury to sit back and veg out.

Friday they went to the beach. This I am really upset about. Sitting on a couch, watching tv, and eating bamba I can do without. Swimming in the ocean and soaking up the sun is a whole other story. She said the beach was pure white sand, dotted with cigarette butts and litter. The difference in environmental concerns is very noticeable in Israel compared to the US. Litter piles up along the streets, in the parks, and even on this beautiful beach. Even so, I can assume the water was a sparkling teal with light crashing waves. Laurel said that the Haifa beach could have used the Duluth beach sweep, which recently took place back home.

The next day they went to the market in Dahlia, a town about 30 minutes from Haifa. On the way they stopped at what Tom's friend Haguy said is their, "Dunkin Doughnuts." This was a stand on the side of the road where an elderly married couple sold passers-by crepe like pastries filled with chocolate sauce or cheese and zatar (a wonderful green spice). When they arrived at Dahlia, Laurel and Sareet bought small rugs for their very sparsely furnished rooms in Jerusalem. After bargaining they got them for 45 shekels each, which is about $12. They also bought tasty arab desserts called Knafeh, a sweet cheese with pistachios.

They left Haifa for Jerusalem on the 8pm bus, and arrived around 10:20. They got back on the 18 bus at the central station, and went the wrong way winding up at the end of the 18 bus route. They were sitting on the front of the bus, and Sareet made a comment on how nothing looked familiar. They looked around and they were the only two people on the bus, and the bus driver was asking them what they were doing. They had to go back on a different bus, back the way they came and an hour 1/2 later they were home. Back to a royally ticked off Mo. Laurel owes me big time.

- Mo the Shalom Gnome

Golan Adventures

First I want to say that I am deeply sorry for my lack of posting, Laurel's internet is not as high speed as it was in the States. Also, she hogs it when it is working to talk to friends and family. By the time I get a chance to write the connection is lost!

Last Wednesday we began our excursion, and rode off to the Golan Heights after picking up the other half of WUJS from Tel Aviv. After a few hours of bumping riding we began our hike in the boiling heat. I was afraid my paint would melt off! Especially since Laurel insisted on keeping my in bubble wrap, deep within her backpack so I wouldn't crack. When she did let me out the scene was beautiful. I saw the town of Devorah, an ancient ruin from pre-Roman period. It was in the same condition as Laurel's apartment was when we arrived to Jerusalem (slightly disheveled). As we turned a bend long the trail we were face to face with the gaping mouth of a cave. The cool shaded area was a nice relief from the sweltering heat. We shared the area with some rather unwelcoming bats who were rather upset to be woken in the middle of the afternoon. When everyone was rested we hiked down a cliff on the side of a waterfall to sit by a shaded pond. The hike down was a lot easier, and I almost had to carry Laurel back up the side of the mountain. Sweaty and tired, we trudged onto the bus to ride to our campsite.

At the site we waited until 9pm for dinner! Laurel kept eyeing me strangely and I made sure to hide for fear she would eat me. After everyone was fed we went to bed under the stars, in the heat, and on a nice bed of rocks. Laurel slept fine, though I couldn't get comfortable. Maybe it was because she had hiked all day and I had just gone along for the ride. The next morning we were woken at dawn to the buzzing of flies, and the smell of coffee. Fed and "cleaned" we returned to the bus to hike along Chatzbani River.

The trail along the Chatzbani River was much cooler than the day before and we had plenty of opportunities to get our feet wet. The trail itself went headfirst into the river a number of times and we had to jump wobbly rock to wobbly rock in order to cross to the other bank. A few people fell in, though Laurel opted to put on her sandals and wade across. Her friend Benjy (known to be a descendant of a Hobbit) jumped nimbly from rock to rock without getting one toe in! He is sitting next to me AND READING OVER MY SHOULDER, so I feel I should include him in the adventure.

Before reaching our camp for the night, we stopped at the Syrian border to see various sites from the 6 day war. It was overwhelming to stand in a bunker that once held Syrian soldiers who shot down on Israeli Kibbutzim. These same bunkers that Israeli IDF soldiers shot into as they climbed up the hill, being picked off by the Syrians overhead. Now, Israelis are debating whether or not to return the Golan Heights to Syria in exchange for peace. Standing on the hill one would never know that the country across the valley was at war with Israel. The air is peaceful, and there are no obvious signs one can see with the naked eye.

That evening we camped on the Kineret, or Sea of Galilee. Even at 5pm the water was hotter than bathwater! We swam for a while, and by the time we were done dinner was ready and the heat had not subsided. Another night under the stars, though this time instead of sleeping in the company of flies we slept next to herds of stray cats.

Laurel is giving me the stink eye. I think she wants me to hurry up so she can go to class. Who goes to class? Especially when they are not even in college any more! Seriously, sometimes I just don't understand her.

Mo - the Shalom Gnome

11 1/2 hours later... We made it!

Wow! What a flight. I spend the whole flight in the overhead compartment, while Laurel got an aisle exit row seat. She was able to sleep for 1/2 the flight and read/ watched a movie the second 1/2 to stay awake. The entire flight there was a breakfast bar set up so passengers could get up and take whatever food they wanted! When we landed Laurel said she was nervous for the first time. Would there really be someone waiting for us? Would she have to take a taxi all by herself? She saw 4 people who had to be questioned at customs, and that really made her nervous! Luckily we had everything in order, and she was able to go through without a hitch. We got a cart, loaded the bags (which were a nice 49lbs and 50lbs, right under the weight limit), and with Laurel's heart beating loud enough for me to hear in her backpack we walked out to the waiting area. Yonit, the madricha (counselor) had a HUGE sign that read Welcome WUJS! What a relief for Laurel, she didn't have to shelp herself to Jerusalem. There were 5 other people from the program who were waiting at the airport, because earlier that day there was a strike and they couldn't get their bags!

We all took a bus to Jerusalem to the new apartment building. The apartments were just finished that day, and there is still sawdust on the tables and floors. Our room has three bedrooms for three girls (and me, though I guess I don't really count). We are room number 11, which is 9 flights up with no elevator. It works out though, because the other rooms on lower floors have four people for three bedrooms.

Laurel doesn't have a dresser yet, so she is still living from her bags until the rest of the furniture arrives. We spent the evening playing get-to-know-you games, and then hung out on the roof.

I was woken up by the construction and a shofar being blown for teh Arab cll to prayer at 4am. Laurel, having taken Tylanol PM was able to sleep until 7am. She isn't jetlagged so far, though I think I might be.

This was a long update, though I wanted to make sure to tell everyone that we are alive and well. Tomorrow we go off for a hike... lucky me I don't have to walk.

- Mo the Shalom Gnome

And we're off!

It is 8:01 am Central Standard Time and Laurel has now been up for 2 hours and 15 minutes. Why? I am not sure. I think she is nervous, or excited, or maybe both. I do know that last night her mom helped her wrap me in bubble wrap to make sure I was securely strapped down for the flight, for fear I might break while we travel. I had to escape long enough to write this, I hope I can get back in the bubble wrap before we leave. 

 We fly from Minneapolis at 4:10 pm, and arrive in Atlanta at 7:49. There we wait (go through customs) until our 10:40 pm flight to Tel Aviv! We will arrive in Israel at 5:25 pm... what a long flight! From my calculations we will be in the air for maybe 10-11 hours. A WUJS representative is said to be meeting us there, and help direct us to our apartment. 

Alright, Laurel is looking for me. She double checks everything to make sure she didn't forget anything. I don't know how she could, she is bringing enough to last her beyond the 6 month stay. She can't seem to pack light. 

Good Bye America, next time I write I will be in the Holy Land!

- Mo the Shalom Gnome

Shalom, I am a traveling lawn gnome

Gnomes have been around for hundreds of years, and just recently (well, within the last 70 years give or take a few) we have been confined to watching gardens. Little do most people know, but Gnomes crave traveling and seeing beyond the edges of a well groomed suburban lawn. The first traveling Gnome was documented in the 80's. Before taking off to see the world the Gnome left this letter behind, "Dear mum, couldn't stand the solitude any longer. Gone off to see the world. Don't be worried, I'll be back soon. Love Bilbo xxx." I want to be like Bilbo.

Laurel and I have similar traveling desires and we will be taking off for Israel on the 31. WUJS Arad, now relocated to Jerusalem, will be our home for the 6 month duration of our trip. Laurel told me she is only a little nervous to go because she doesn't know anyone. I am not worried about myself because no one ever talks to me anyways. I think she is crazy if all she is nervous about is not knowing anyone, she doesn't even know Hebrew! I guess that is a huge reason she is going on the Land, Language, and Society track of the WUJS program. According to my WUJS website research, "participants have a full-term of the Hebrew immersion course (ulpan), a choice of 10 or more elective courses in Israel and Jewish studies, the opportunity to engage in our volunteer program, and full access to the resources and services offered by the Institute."

If you are still reading this, it means you might know Laurel. It also means you might be interested in what she (and I) will be doing whilst we are in the Holy Land. As this is my blog, not hers, I will make sure to keep you well informed on everything we do together as well as any explorations we might do alone. Here are our stats:

name: Laurel name: Mosha (Mo for short)

age: 22 age: 99

height: 5" 9 height: under 12"

species: Human species: Gnome

loves to: wake up early & run loves to: sleep in late

don't talk to if: she hasn't had breakfast don't talk to if: I am up before 7am

favorite... favorite...

holiday: Halloween holiday: Canadian Thanksgiving

book: Atlas Shrugged book: The Tao of Pooh

drink: Earl Gray Tea drink: Hi-C Orange Drink

past travels: London past travels: I made it to London Rd

food: anything w/veggies & hummus food: anything w/out veggies

As you can see, we are basically the same and should have no problem traveling throughout Israel together. If you didn't pick up that sarcasm, it was my attempt at a joke. We decided that our differences will only enhance our experience, and we will compromise so each of us gets to do what we like best. Laurel will go for hikes, and I will be more then welcome to tag along if she carries me (her legs are a lot longer, and it is hard to keep up). She even told me that she would be willing to get Shawarma, the mouth-watering shaved lamb, goat, or chicken sandwiches that I am just dying to try. I have the feeling that she is just as excited about it as I, only not letting on so as to make it seem she is doing something I want. Very sneaky.

Only 14 days until take-off, and we have a lot to do. Laurel just got back from Herzl Camp and was been completely stressing out beyond her normally high stress level. I'm just trying to stay close enough to her eye level (currently that is a shelf by her bed) so she doesn't forget me.

-Mo the Shalom Gnome