TRAVEL
Summer Break 2019:
ISRAEL
Israel. What can I say about it. Unexpected, impossible, unique, and everything I imagined and much more. My journey started off very very rocky. The flight was scheduled to leave 2 hrs before it originally was supposed to. This was due to the fact that 2 hrs prior to the boarding time they require you to go through an intensive interview background check. As I approached the podium where the flight attendant , an old man with white hair and a familiar presence, was standing, my heart was racing. What do I say will I be able to go... will they deny me? How could they? I already paid for my ticket. The old man reminded me of something... someone I’ve met somewhere. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Then all the questions came. Where are you from? Where have you been this summer? Why? For how long? Are you Jewish? Who is your mother? Who is your father? What do they do? But the biggest question of them all... why Israel?
Did I really need an answer for this question... well to be honest. I don’t fully know why Israel. But I could come up with different reasons.
One: the boy who I called the love of my life was “Jewish” not even fully. But that’s a different story. He told me how amazing it was. And at some point he and I would visit and spend a beautiful time there. Together. But as life goes and things end, naturally so did this love. But not my love for him. That will always be constant. A thin line that will flow beneath everything I feel and do. In any case, I decided to make a grand gesture and take on the challenge of going to the Middle East as a 18 year old woman without a male escort. By myself. But in reality I soon came to the realization one is never truly alone. And I thank God everyday for providing. God is good. He is great.
Two: I’ve always wanted to visit the Middle East. What a different way of life it must be from the United States or Europe? Just the curiosity itself could be a motive.
Three: It just felt right. There were so many moments where I was in the middle of planning my journey for the summer and decided no, not Israel, but Ireland or New Zeland. But that wasn’t where my heart was calling me to go. My father being the my most biggest protector was very very nervous and worried for me to go to the Middle East. Especially with everything that has been happening lately with Israel and it’s neighboring countries that absolutely despise its very existence. A week before I left from Italy to go to Israel, my mother called me telling me about a mass murderer and rapist from the US. Of course this was hinting at the possible danger in Israel. She made me feel uneasy about it. Not going to lie, sitting waiting for the plane to leave I was so scared. God, what did I get myself into. How can I do this alone? Please God, you know me. You know everything there is to know. Please give me someone who will show me the way to Haifa central station so that I can take the bus to my final destination. Well what was that finally destination you might ask?
Let’s go on a different path for a moment shall we? Great. First semester of college at Indiana university my drawing professor told me about this program called WOOF. Working on Organic Farms. You get food and shelter for free as long as you work for 6 hrs. Good gig right? And anywhere in the world you could imagine there could be a possible new home for you for however long you wanted. So naturally I wanted to do this in Israel.
Let’s talk about farms in Israel for a moment. Ha. Another detour. But this is important. Fast forward 2 weeks from arriving in Israel. Sitting in a plastic white chair I listened to an Israli man talk about the incredible importance of farms in Israel. They are the first line of defense. All around the borders there are farms. The farmers themselves act like neutral spies or soldiers. They know every grain of soil. So if anything seems off or there is danger approaching they know. They would know immediately if a neighboring country were to start digging a tunnel or plan an attack.
Alright back to the present. After having my mother tell me I was going to get raped and then murdered, I was ready to just cancel my plans. But then as my mother does sometimes she said “ if I tell you not to go you will hold it against me for the rest of your life”. There. That’s all I needed to have that right feeling rerun to my heart. And off I went.
Now after being interrogated about my entire life story, I was finally ready to board. Not knowing a single word in Hebrew, I realized how much I was craving this adventure. I found my way to my aisle seat and was seated next to a mother and then next to her was an older man wearing a skull cap. I was just getting a little taste of what it’s going to be like. The culture. Can you imagine such an ancient way of living?
So there I was. Nervous, tired, hungry, scared, excited, and oh so overwhelmingly filled with joy. On the aisle over was a very beautiful Israeli girl... maybe a teenager. And then next to her was an open space, and on the aisle seat was a young man with dark long hair and a beard. Little did I know how much this man would mean to me 3 weeks later. At first he tried striking up a conversation with the girl next to him, the princess was not having it and cut him short a couple questions in. The mother next to me moved over to the girl who we now know was her daughter. So no response from the left, the young man turned to his right to talk to me. To his surprise only to figure out we were probably the only two Americans on the flight.
Have you ever met someone where it just feels so easy and right to talk to them. No matter how long you’ve known them. I had this with this man, who’s name is Nick.
If I were to describe Nick in three words they would be... well I can’t. But here it goes. Intelligent. Not smart. Intelligent is beyond smart. Compassionate. Not nice. Compassionate is beyond being nice. And easy. Not compatible. Easy is beyond compatible.
But there is so much to Nick. He knows how to listen and he knows how to talk. Either way we spent the entire flight talking. About anything really. Just getting to know each other on some base level.
Didn’t I say God is good? Nick lives and works in Haifa. God provides in incredible ways. He offered to help me get to Haifa.
We landed at 2 am in the morning and we both made our way to the border control.
Nick goes first to the woman at the booth and then after a couple of minutes of talking she let him cross and then gestures for me to approach. Again the questions come. But this time it was an issue that I was going to be working.
“Do you have a Visa?”
“...well no ma’am I am just volunteering for 3 weeks I don’t need a visa”
“Yes you do”
“I’m sorry my boss did not say anything about that. Or put that in the agreement document”
“ Go over there and wait”
She pointed in the general direction of left.
“I’m sorry where?”
“There”
Motions again. Well alright. Gotta find this place now. So I peak around the corner to see Nick waiting. He mouths what happened and I make a big shrugging with my arms. He tell me he’ll wait for me outside. Then I leave to find this ‘place’. Then I notice to the far left corner a huge group of people just hanging out on plastic white chairs. Ok. This must be the place. As we all sat in a kumbaya circle we waited for a man in a small office to peak his head out and yell your name. So that you could run to the door and enter into the mysterious room. Who knows what happens in there? My mind started to think back on the movies I’ve seen where the main character gets mistaken for a terrorist and then has a comedic interaction with the border police at the airport in a very very uncomfortably small dark room.
Ok what will I say? Yes... my name is Josephine Froelich and I was part of ISIS. or better yet maybe a drug dealer. I’m smuggling in large quantities of Cocaine in my black North Face backpack that holds clothes for three weeks max. So I waited. And I waited. Not really paying attention to time. Just sitting watching all these miserable people at the early morning. Thinking about their lives. What do they do? What’s their story? Then finally a little woman calls out my name from around the corner. Weird, I thought the man in the strange room would have me.
“How long are you staying” she whispers and looks around dodgy.
“3 weeks”
“Ok you are free to go”
FINALLY!
Ok now to find my bag and Nick.
Not so easy. The carousel from my flight was already closed. And I couldn’t find Nick. This is great... Dear God if it’s your will then I will deal with losing my backpack and Nick. Thank you for putting him in my life for such a short period. But God if you could, could you have him come back to me somehow.
After walking around aimlessly for 20 mins I gave up and started walking to the exit where I thought would be the lost luggage center.
Man ... coming from a western country you take a lot of things for granted. Like the alphabet. Everything you know about the alphabet forget it because Hebrew script is a completely different world. It’s read right to left and back to front.
Then as I was just about to exit, I see a familiar face hanging out on the bench. It was Nick with a goofy smile.
“What happened to you” he asked
“Boy am I happy to see you”
“ I need to find my bag”
“Is this it?” He asked pointing to a black backpack in the middle of the hall.
“YES?! How? You? It? Wow...”
He had remembered when we first started talking that I mentioned I only packed a backpack. And he took it from the carousel so save it for me.
“You were in there for 3 hrs you know that right?”
“What?!” I looked at my watch. 5:35 am.
Ugh I felt like such a zombie. I had been awake from 7 am the day before. This will be the longest day ever.
We got on the next train to Haifa center. The sun rise was beautiful and I ended up falling asleep. Nick stayed awake so that we wouldn’t miss our stop. When we got there he woke me up.
First thing we saw was the beach.
It was so beautiful. Clear blue water with White Sea foam when it hit the golden sand. And along the boardwalk elderly people enjoying their morning stroll, jog, coffee, but most importantly the company of each other.
We ended up finding a coffee shop that was open along the beach. I’ve never felt to dead tried in my life. It was a very odd feeling. Like a sleep hangover. Nick ordered espressos with double shot of coffee.
We spent 3 hours talking about life. Everything and anything. Thinking back on it now. It seemed so natural. But think about the odds. Meeting the only American on the flight. Connecting immediately. And both in the same direction to Haifa. Impossible.
I would say Nick is my best friend. He understands me the best and I understand him.
So after a very intense conversation and staring in awe at the beach, I made my way to the train station to connect to the next bus station from there I would take a bus to where my boss would pick me up and drive me to the farm. Directions were sketchy. But I was determined to find my way.
I said goodbye for now to Nick and started my final leg. We would see each other very soon.
Everywhere you go in Israel, the mall, the train, the bus, they do a bag check and you walk through a metal detector.
I boarded my bus and was one of two passengers. The farm was located 20 minutes from Nazareth and I was supposed to get off at a stop called Adi Junction. However, if you don’t tell the driver to stop they won’t go to the stop. Not knowing this I missed two stops to only realize that I needed back track. Finally I arrived at Adi and called my boss Daniel. He had a very kind voice over the phone and I felt more as ease. It was hot and there wasn’t much shade. I had been carrying my big backpack for hours now and my shoulders hurt. I wasn’t that hungry just still in that zombie mode.
The bus stop I got off at was in a village called Shefar’am. It is an Arabic community. Little did I know this name would mean to much to me.
As I was waiting for Daniel there were two cars that tried picking me up both with creppyy looking men motioning me into the car. I walked away from both of them.
Then suddenly a really old Toyota van pulls around and Daniel comes out and runs to get the door for me. He introduced himself and told me he was so happy to see me.
Daniel was the best boss that the volunteers had. He made the work interesting and fun. Not a task that was a burden.
I jump into the van and we take off. It was a 10 minute drive to Gan Habait, the place I would call home for the next 3 weeks.
When I arrived there was a huge tourist group of Americans that had come for the day to pick carrots and make an Israeli lunch.
Daniel told me that I was the only volunteer this week so I wouldn’t be allowed to live in Gan Habait. I would be picked up by someone who would take me to Gan Akila, a place similar to Gan Habait, but here there would be 2 others that lived with me.
I set my stuff down and jumped right in with picking carrots and talking with the Americans. I met a woman from DC who also worked on Pennsylvania Ave like my father. The world is small.
We ended up finding a coffee shop that was open along the beach. I’ve never felt to dead tried in my life. It was a very odd feeling. Like a sleep hangover. Nick ordered espressos with double shot of coffee.
We spent 3 hours talking about life. Everything and anything. Thinking back on it now. It seemed so natural. But think about the odds. Meeting the only American on the flight. Connecting immediately. And both in the same direction to Haifa. Impossible.
I would say Nick is my best friend. He understands me the best and I understand him.
So after a very intense conversation and staring in awe at the beach, I made my way to the train station to connect to the next bus station from there I would take a bus to where my boss would pick me up and drive me to the farm. Directions were sketchy. But I was determined to find my way.
I said goodbye for now to Nick and started my final leg. We would see each other very soon.
Everywhere you go in Israel, the mall, the train, the bus, they do a bag check and you walk through a metal detector.
I boarded my bus and was one of two passengers. The farm was located 20 minutes from Nazareth and I was supposed to get off at a stop called Adi Junction. However, if you don’t tell the driver to stop they won’t go to the stop. Not knowing this I missed two stops to only realize that I needed back track. Finally I arrived at Adi and called my boss Daniel. He had a very kind voice over the phone and I felt more as ease. It was hot and there wasn’t much shade. I had been carrying my big backpack for hours now and my shoulders hurt. I wasn’t that hungry just still in that zombie mode.
The bus stop I got off at was in a village called Shefar’am. It is an Arabic community. Little did I know this name would mean to much to me.
As I was waiting for Daniel there were two cars that tried picking me up both with creppyy looking men motioning me into the car. I walked away from both of them.
Then suddenly a really old Toyota van pulls around and Daniel comes out and runs to get the door for me. He introduced himself and told me he was so happy to see me.
Daniel was the best boss that the volunteers had. He made the work interesting and fun. Not a task that was a burden.
I jump into the van and we take off. It was a 10 minute drive to Gan Habait, the place I would call home for the next 3 weeks.
When I arrived there was a huge tourist group of Americans that had come for the day to pick carrots and make an Israeli lunch.
Daniel told me that I was the only volunteer this week so I wouldn’t be allowed to live in Gan Habait. I would be picked up by someone who would take me to Gan Akila, a place similar to Gan Habait, but here there would be 2 others that lived with me.
I set my stuff down and jumped right in with picking carrots and talking with the Americans. I met a woman from DC who also worked on Pennsylvania Ave like my father. The world is small.
After picking carrots and making pita bread, we had an amazing lunch. Fresh cooked vegetables, traditional Israeli salads, and tachina.
Ok. Tachina is amazing. It’s magical. It’s basically like instant hummus. It’s delicious with everything.
After the tourists left I was alone to relax until someone picked me up for Gan Akila. Around 4 pm a guy in a dusty old sedan came. His name is Asa. I only came to find out later that he was 31 years old. At the beginning I thought he was a little creepy. He had this dark hair with these crystal clear blue eyes.
He drove me to Gan Akila right up the road and showed me my new home for the next three days. It was a small straw hut that belong to a guy named Lotem. He was living at the beach and wouldn’t be back for the next 3 days so I was allowed to sleep in his home.
Ok. Tachina is amazing. It’s magical. It’s basically like instant hummus. It’s delicious with everything.
After the tourists left I was alone to relax until someone picked me up for Gan Akila. Around 4 pm a guy in a dusty old sedan came. His name is Asa. I only came to find out later that he was 31 years old. At the beginning I thought he was a little creepy. He had this dark hair with these crystal clear blue eyes.
He drove me to Gan Akila right up the road and showed me my new home for the next three days. It was a small straw hut that belong to a guy named Lotem. He was living at the beach and wouldn’t be back for the next 3 days so I was allowed to sleep in his home.
It was a peaceful place. A little separated from everything around it, hammocks and dream catchers hung in the trees.
And finally the last inhabiter of Gan Akila was Michal. Also a 35 year old woman who was very reserved and at first glance you would categorize her as a hipster. A free spirit with a blond small scared dog that followed her everywhere. His name was Omits which means courage in Hebrew. But I never understood that. He was truly scared of everything even the front seat in the van.
In Israel it seemed like everyone had a pet that was their avatar. Michal had Omits. Asa had Jan his tabby cat that he called the prince. I liked this. And I kind of wanted one too. So my mission for the week was to gain the loyalty of one of the field dogs. Preferably a large cute one.
As I got settled in I tried making conversation with Michal and Asa but it was hard. So I just ended up falling asleep very early since we had to wake up at 5 am the next day for work. After taking a cold shower in the out house, I crawled into my sleeping bag listening to the call to prayer when the sun set.
The next week after that was just routine. Wake up at 5 am start picking. You would start before the sun rose and after two hours around 7 am the sun would rise filling the sky with this amazing golden orange pink color and off in the distance you would hear the second of four calls to prayer from the near by Muslim Arabic villages. Then you would pick until 9:30 am where we would take an hour break for breakfast.
The breakfast is amazing. I have never said this before about vegetables but they are so delicious and colorful. I will miss eating this way on a regular basis.
For the second week I made breakfast for 60 people everyday. I started at 7:30 and ended at 9:30. It was so much fun.
On the farm there were carrots, lettuce, cabbage, leechs, celery, peppers, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, squash, pumpkin, ocra, cucumber, zucchini, melons, watermelons, peaches, strawberries, blackberries, apples and my favorite nectarines. Surprisingly enough, cucumbers zucchini squash and melons have these vines that are very spiky and when you pick them your arms feel like they are on fire because they are so itchy.
My favorite to pick was the cherry tomatoes and lettuce. The cherry tomatoes were easy to pick and you could eat them like candy. They were so sweet. And for the lettuce it just felt good to cut them out of the ground. You would cut the lettuce at the bottom of the stalk and then shove them into plastic bags.
Every morning the first thing we would make our way to the lettuce patch we would pick 120 plus lettuce heads. It was very satisfying.
And finally the last inhabiter of Gan Akila was Michal. Also a 35 year old woman who was very reserved and at first glance you would categorize her as a hipster. A free spirit with a blond small scared dog that followed her everywhere. His name was Omits which means courage in Hebrew. But I never understood that. He was truly scared of everything even the front seat in the van.
In Israel it seemed like everyone had a pet that was their avatar. Michal had Omits. Asa had Jan his tabby cat that he called the prince. I liked this. And I kind of wanted one too. So my mission for the week was to gain the loyalty of one of the field dogs. Preferably a large cute one.
As I got settled in I tried making conversation with Michal and Asa but it was hard. So I just ended up falling asleep very early since we had to wake up at 5 am the next day for work. After taking a cold shower in the out house, I crawled into my sleeping bag listening to the call to prayer when the sun set.
The next week after that was just routine. Wake up at 5 am start picking. You would start before the sun rose and after two hours around 7 am the sun would rise filling the sky with this amazing golden orange pink color and off in the distance you would hear the second of four calls to prayer from the near by Muslim Arabic villages. Then you would pick until 9:30 am where we would take an hour break for breakfast.
The breakfast is amazing. I have never said this before about vegetables but they are so delicious and colorful. I will miss eating this way on a regular basis.
For the second week I made breakfast for 60 people everyday. I started at 7:30 and ended at 9:30. It was so much fun.
On the farm there were carrots, lettuce, cabbage, leechs, celery, peppers, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, squash, pumpkin, ocra, cucumber, zucchini, melons, watermelons, peaches, strawberries, blackberries, apples and my favorite nectarines. Surprisingly enough, cucumbers zucchini squash and melons have these vines that are very spiky and when you pick them your arms feel like they are on fire because they are so itchy.
My favorite to pick was the cherry tomatoes and lettuce. The cherry tomatoes were easy to pick and you could eat them like candy. They were so sweet. And for the lettuce it just felt good to cut them out of the ground. You would cut the lettuce at the bottom of the stalk and then shove them into plastic bags.
Every morning the first thing we would make our way to the lettuce patch we would pick 120 plus lettuce heads. It was very satisfying.
The first week was different than the other two. Since I was the only volunteer, there were many things that were harder for me. For example, I had no clue what everyone was talking about because I don’t speak Hebrew. I would listen and pick up on small words. But other than that I spent most of my day just thinking in my head. I would be surrounded by Israelis but sometimes feel alone. It was really hard at first. But then I made a friend one day at carrot picking.
Itay started up a conversation with me just asking simple questions like where are you from? How old are you? And so forth.
The rest of the week he would have breakfast with me and we would talk about music and movies. Slowly I became to know the others better.
The group that helped on the farm was called Hiram. The group consisted of people who suffer from mental illnesses like depression, schizophrenia, bi polar, anxiety etc. Itay was part of this group. In the second week we hung out at the pool and I asked him why he was in Hiram. He told me in 7th grade he got a back injury and suffered from severe scoliosis. Which if you don’t know that that is, is where the spine is curved more than usual causing one leg to be shorter than the other. He had to wear a plastic brace that wrapped around his torso all the way up to this arm pits. And then an additional belt around his neck. He told me he sunk into a very bad depression. You could see on his face everyday that there was a underlying sadness that never healed even though his back finally did.
Itay started up a conversation with me just asking simple questions like where are you from? How old are you? And so forth.
The rest of the week he would have breakfast with me and we would talk about music and movies. Slowly I became to know the others better.
The group that helped on the farm was called Hiram. The group consisted of people who suffer from mental illnesses like depression, schizophrenia, bi polar, anxiety etc. Itay was part of this group. In the second week we hung out at the pool and I asked him why he was in Hiram. He told me in 7th grade he got a back injury and suffered from severe scoliosis. Which if you don’t know that that is, is where the spine is curved more than usual causing one leg to be shorter than the other. He had to wear a plastic brace that wrapped around his torso all the way up to this arm pits. And then an additional belt around his neck. He told me he sunk into a very bad depression. You could see on his face everyday that there was a underlying sadness that never healed even though his back finally did.
Hiram was filled with people like this. Some of them more joyful than others. One of them was a man named Lavi. His English was the best out of all of them. He had lived in Colorado with his brother for a while. He had a great smile and a cute laugh. In the third week I was going about my own business. I was on break petting my favorite field dog Sherri, a mix maybe with husky and German Shepherd. Beautiful dog. Then I hear my name “Josephine come here”. It was coming from the smokers tent. It was Lavi lying down taking a break. I came in and sat on a bed across from him.
“ I feel like I’ve missed out on you these past two weeks” he said smiling at me
“Oh yeah... well you were gone the second week cause Hiram was on vacation” I said. The second week Hiram went to the beach for a vacation.
“ let’s do something tonight. I’ll get a couple of cold drinks and we can go start gazing” he smiled at me again
“ yeah maybe. I’ll have to see what I am doing tonight” I responded feeling a little uncomfortable because I really didn’t want to go out on a date with him.
“Ok well let me get your WhatsApp number and we’ll text more about it”
Later that night we texted and we were just talking about the other volunteers wanting to go clubbing. He asked if we would take an old man like him to the club. I asked him how old exactly. Curious about his age I figured this could be a way out of going on a date with him. He asked me to guess and politely I said 26 years old knowing he could be about 30. He said no that he was turning 32 in November! Then I asked him to guess my age. 23? No 22? No 20? No
He then hesitates well how old are you?
18 I responded. He is 14 years older!
He then realized yeah this won’t work out. And said we’ll have a great rest of your visit. And we had a friendly goodbye.
I met so many different and interesting people in my life. I think that this was my favorite thing about traveling.
“ I feel like I’ve missed out on you these past two weeks” he said smiling at me
“Oh yeah... well you were gone the second week cause Hiram was on vacation” I said. The second week Hiram went to the beach for a vacation.
“ let’s do something tonight. I’ll get a couple of cold drinks and we can go start gazing” he smiled at me again
“ yeah maybe. I’ll have to see what I am doing tonight” I responded feeling a little uncomfortable because I really didn’t want to go out on a date with him.
“Ok well let me get your WhatsApp number and we’ll text more about it”
Later that night we texted and we were just talking about the other volunteers wanting to go clubbing. He asked if we would take an old man like him to the club. I asked him how old exactly. Curious about his age I figured this could be a way out of going on a date with him. He asked me to guess and politely I said 26 years old knowing he could be about 30. He said no that he was turning 32 in November! Then I asked him to guess my age. 23? No 22? No 20? No
He then hesitates well how old are you?
18 I responded. He is 14 years older!
He then realized yeah this won’t work out. And said we’ll have a great rest of your visit. And we had a friendly goodbye.
I met so many different and interesting people in my life. I think that this was my favorite thing about traveling.
After the first weekend of being on the farm, Nick Michal and I planned a trip to Jerusalem then Mount Masada and the Dead Sea.
The weekend was all sorts of crazy and fun. Seeing such an ancient city and meeting everyone who called Jerusalem their home, was truly a once in a lifetime experience.
There is so much to see in Jerusalem! Not only in the old city, but surrounding the city. My favorite memory is we drove outside of the city to the national rose garden. We walked around the beautiful garden filled with people eating, hanging out, or going on walks with their cute dogs. We sat down on the grass to chat and shortly after, three young men set up a tight rope from one tree to another. As they were goofing around they noticed we were watching and invited us to come join in on the fun. I took my boots off and attempted to get on the rope. It was so hard! One of the men made it look so easy. He was a gymnast in high school and stopped once he had to join the army.
All Jewish citizens of Israel have to serve in the army right after high school. Females are required two years and males are required three. This is such a foreign concept to anyone who has grown up in the United States. Imagine pushing off your life for two or three years to serve your country in a very unstable time. Some people in the US don’t even know what it means to serve someone else.
Fast forward to the next day when Nick and I were in the desert. We crossed the border to get to a part of the Dead Sea where only locals know about. Michal told us the day before where to go. As we were crossing the border, there was this 17 year old girl with thick curly brown hair in uniform holding her rifle. She gave us the biggest smile ever as we passed through.
Many people ask me about the current situation in Israel.
How was it there politically?
What are the Palestinians doing?
Is it dangerous?
The next day was Mount Masada and then the Dead Sea. The car ride to Mount Masada was about an hour. This was my first time in any type of desert. It was such a different feeling. Imagine a place where the sun is constantly beating down on the hard earth. The roads are eternally dusty and the royal light blue sky has no place for clouds. We drove past rows of endless date Palm tree farms. We crossed over a border and then finally arrived at Mount Masada. Nick and I were jamming to some old tunes the entire way down. We jumped out of the car ready to hike up this historically magnificent fortress on the mountain. We got to the reception desk for tickets. We quickly skimmed through a museum and made our way to the foot of the mountain. Unfortunately it was way too hot to hike up so we took a gondola up. However before we got into the gondola, we had to watch an informational video about the story of Mount Masada. Nick and I got ourselves a private showing of the video.
Here is some facts it included:
That Herod was able to create such a gorgeous hideaway place in the ancient world is almost unbelievable. From its grand palace that is three levels of gorgeous mosaics to the bath house and the storage area, there’s so much incredible history here to soak in. On top of that, of course there’s also the moving history of the fortress siege and capture by the Romans (you can clearly see the ruins of the Roman siege camps in the surrounding valleys).
Something I would like to do if I ever go back to Israel is climb Mount Masada in the morning and watch the sunrise from the top. Additionally I would like to go camping on the Dead Sea for about 3 days and the River Jordan for 4 days.
The weekend was all sorts of crazy and fun. Seeing such an ancient city and meeting everyone who called Jerusalem their home, was truly a once in a lifetime experience.
There is so much to see in Jerusalem! Not only in the old city, but surrounding the city. My favorite memory is we drove outside of the city to the national rose garden. We walked around the beautiful garden filled with people eating, hanging out, or going on walks with their cute dogs. We sat down on the grass to chat and shortly after, three young men set up a tight rope from one tree to another. As they were goofing around they noticed we were watching and invited us to come join in on the fun. I took my boots off and attempted to get on the rope. It was so hard! One of the men made it look so easy. He was a gymnast in high school and stopped once he had to join the army.
All Jewish citizens of Israel have to serve in the army right after high school. Females are required two years and males are required three. This is such a foreign concept to anyone who has grown up in the United States. Imagine pushing off your life for two or three years to serve your country in a very unstable time. Some people in the US don’t even know what it means to serve someone else.
Fast forward to the next day when Nick and I were in the desert. We crossed the border to get to a part of the Dead Sea where only locals know about. Michal told us the day before where to go. As we were crossing the border, there was this 17 year old girl with thick curly brown hair in uniform holding her rifle. She gave us the biggest smile ever as we passed through.
Many people ask me about the current situation in Israel.
How was it there politically?
What are the Palestinians doing?
Is it dangerous?
The next day was Mount Masada and then the Dead Sea. The car ride to Mount Masada was about an hour. This was my first time in any type of desert. It was such a different feeling. Imagine a place where the sun is constantly beating down on the hard earth. The roads are eternally dusty and the royal light blue sky has no place for clouds. We drove past rows of endless date Palm tree farms. We crossed over a border and then finally arrived at Mount Masada. Nick and I were jamming to some old tunes the entire way down. We jumped out of the car ready to hike up this historically magnificent fortress on the mountain. We got to the reception desk for tickets. We quickly skimmed through a museum and made our way to the foot of the mountain. Unfortunately it was way too hot to hike up so we took a gondola up. However before we got into the gondola, we had to watch an informational video about the story of Mount Masada. Nick and I got ourselves a private showing of the video.
Here is some facts it included:
That Herod was able to create such a gorgeous hideaway place in the ancient world is almost unbelievable. From its grand palace that is three levels of gorgeous mosaics to the bath house and the storage area, there’s so much incredible history here to soak in. On top of that, of course there’s also the moving history of the fortress siege and capture by the Romans (you can clearly see the ruins of the Roman siege camps in the surrounding valleys).
Something I would like to do if I ever go back to Israel is climb Mount Masada in the morning and watch the sunrise from the top. Additionally I would like to go camping on the Dead Sea for about 3 days and the River Jordan for 4 days.
After walking around in the boiling sun on top of Masada, Nick and I went down to the gift shop. We hadn’t eaten all day so we decided the perfect breakfast would be an ice cream sandwich. Then we made our way to the car. We saw a cool flyer for a waterfall near the Dead Sea called Ein Gedi. So we decided to stop there along the way to the spot we had found at the Dead Sea. When we got there we realized we had to pay a large entrance fee. We decided not to go so we hopped back in the car to continue our drive to the Dead Sea. As we were arriving we had to cross the border and park on the other side of the road at a parking lot as Michal had described to us. We took turns changing into our bathing suits in the car and then made our way across the street. We started walking down the sand dunes when this guy in his truck came by. He yelled form the window
“You guys want a Lyft down?”
“Yes thank you!” We said as we climbed in his back seat.
On the bumpy way down we introduced ourselves. His name was Yudah and he was a native to Jerusalem. On Yudahs off days he comes to the Dead Sea to make body masked out of the nutritious mud from the Dead Sea. And on his on days he is a scientist in Jerusalem.
“Well where do you want to go?”
Nick said “Take us to your favorite spot sir!”
So he did. We parked a little ways away from the shore. Hopped out and started walking as Yudah was explaining where we were going.
“We are going to one of the few natural sweet water springs that flow into the Dead Sea.”
We followed him around a sand dune to this little spot that was absolutely beautiful and secluded from the entire rest of the beach.
Nick and I took our flip flops off and stepped into the water. What an interesting experience.
Some people don’t know this but because of the high slat content in the Dead Sea you become buoyant and it’s almost impossible to swim. Also something that we should’ve known was that if you have any cuts they would sting soooo badly. Also don’t get it in your eyes. Just don’t. Nick can tell you how painful that was.
There we were goofing around being silly with the floating, when both Nick and I noticed Yudah butt naked! Well granted he was still wearing his green crocs and sunglasses. We both looked at each other. What the hell is going on? Why is he naked?
I can still imagine looking at Yudah from the water, standing on the shore talking to us while we were just soo confused.
Then we realized. This was a nudist beach. And all of a sudden random naked guys started appearing from around the sand dune and the shore line bend.
“Ok the mud is ready! Come back to the shore now. “ Yudah said while clapping his hands against blobs of mud.
Once we reached the shore he told me I would go first and to make a star with my body by stretching out my arms and separating my legs. He explained to us the nutrients in the mud and the purpose for it. Then he started plopping blogs of mud all over me and rubbing it into my skin. And I mean all over my body. Everywhere. Don’t forget this is an older man who we just met in the freaking middle of the desert who is naked.
Nick and I make eye contact. And it’s alone the lines of oh my god what is happening right now and I’m laughing my ass off this is hilarious. After I was done it was Nicks turn to get rubbed down by naked Yudah. He was less comfortable with it than I was. Wow. So freaking funny. So there we were. Two Americans in the middle of the Dead Sea getting rubbed down by a strange naked old Israeli man.
This must be the most authentic Israel experience one will ever get.
We stood in this awkward star position until Yudah told us it was good and we would go into the Dead Sea again to wash off.
After he wanted us to join him in his makeshift sweet water pool. We sat down next to him in this 2 feet deep pool. The entire time i tired only looking into his sunglasses not any lower since he was very close to us.
While sitting in the pool making small talk I had this thought.
“Yudah ... this might sound crazy. But do you know my friend Michal?”
“Michal... do you know her last name?”
“No..”
“Does her father own a restaurant in Jerusalem?”
“Oh my gosh ... YES!”
“Wow! Michal yes... she and I found this spot together. I have known her for 12 years.”
“That’s absolutely crazy!”
Nick and I both looked at each other in amazement. God is great! What are the coincidences of meeting Yudah at the time and place that we did? What are the odds he would be willing to show us his secret place on the Dead Sea? What are the odds he would know our friend Michal?After sitting in the sweet water pool, Yudah wanted to introduce us to his friend. We stood up and followed the naked man down the beach to a tent that had been pitched up. He told us his friend had been living on the beach for several months.
His friend was hanging out on the mattress also naked.
Nick looked at me and said “ I too want to have this kind of relationship with my best friend where I can just walk over to his house naked and say hey man”
Looking back at that weekend I realized how close I became with Nick. On the car ride home we shared memories from childhood that defined us as a person. We shared our flaws and our fears. Our hopes and dreams for the future. Life can be so mysterious sometimes. God is good. He is great.
After walking around in the boiling sun on top of Masada, Nick and I went down to the gift shop. We hadn’t eaten all day so we decided the perfect breakfast would be an ice cream sandwich. Then we made our way to the car. We saw a cool flyer for a waterfall near the Dead Sea called Ein Gedi. So we decided to stop there along the way to the spot we had found at the Dead Sea. When we got there we realized we had to pay a large entrance fee. We decided not to go so we hopped back in the car to continue our drive to the Dead Sea. As we were arriving we had to cross the border and park on the other side of the road at a parking lot as Michal had described to us. We took turns changing into our bathing suits in the car and then made our way across the street. We started walking down the sand dunes when this guy in his truck came by. He yelled form the window
“You guys want a Lyft down?”
“Yes thank you!” We said as we climbed in his back seat.
On the bumpy way down we introduced ourselves. His name was Yudah and he was a native to Jerusalem. On Yudahs off days he comes to the Dead Sea to make body masked out of the nutritious mud from the Dead Sea. And on his on days he is a scientist in Jerusalem.
“Well where do you want to go?”
Nick said “Take us to your favorite spot sir!”
So he did. We parked a little ways away from the shore. Hopped out and started walking as Yudah was explaining where we were going.
“We are going to one of the few natural sweet water springs that flow into the Dead Sea.”
We followed him around a sand dune to this little spot that was absolutely beautiful and secluded from the entire rest of the beach.
Nick and I took our flip flops off and stepped into the water. What an interesting experience.
Some people don’t know this but because of the high slat content in the Dead Sea you become buoyant and it’s almost impossible to swim. Also something that we should’ve known was that if you have any cuts they would sting soooo badly. Also don’t get it in your eyes. Just don’t. Nick can tell you how painful that was.
There we were goofing around being silly with the floating, when both Nick and I noticed Yudah butt naked! Well granted he was still wearing his green crocs and sunglasses. We both looked at each other. What the hell is going on? Why is he naked?
I can still imagine looking at Yudah from the water, standing on the shore talking to us while we were just soo confused.
Then we realized. This was a nudist beach. And all of a sudden random naked guys started appearing from around the sand dune and the shore line bend.
“Ok the mud is ready! Come back to the shore now. “ Yudah said while clapping his hands against blobs of mud.
Once we reached the shore he told me I would go first and to make a star with my body by stretching out my arms and separating my legs. He explained to us the nutrients in the mud and the purpose for it. Then he started plopping blogs of mud all over me and rubbing it into my skin. And I mean all over my body. Everywhere. Don’t forget this is an older man who we just met in the freaking middle of the desert who is naked.
Nick and I make eye contact. And it’s alone the lines of oh my god what is happening right now and I’m laughing my ass off this is hilarious. After I was done it was Nicks turn to get rubbed down by naked Yudah. He was less comfortable with it than I was. Wow. So freaking funny. So there we were. Two Americans in the middle of the Dead Sea getting rubbed down by a strange naked old Israeli man.
This must be the most authentic Israel experience one will ever get.
We stood in this awkward star position until Yudah told us it was good and we would go into the Dead Sea again to wash off.
After he wanted us to join him in his makeshift sweet water pool. We sat down next to him in this 2 feet deep pool. The entire time i tired only looking into his sunglasses not any lower since he was very close to us.
While sitting in the pool making small talk I had this thought.
“Yudah ... this might sound crazy. But do you know my friend Michal?”
“Michal... do you know her last name?”
“No..”
“Does her father own a restaurant in Jerusalem?”
“Oh my gosh ... YES!”
“Wow! Michal yes... she and I found this spot together. I have known her for 12 years.”
“That’s absolutely crazy!”
Nick and I both looked at each other in amazement. God is great! What are the coincidences of meeting Yudah at the time and place that we did? What are the odds he would be willing to show us his secret place on the Dead Sea? What are the odds he would know our friend Michal?After sitting in the sweet water pool, Yudah wanted to introduce us to his friend. We stood up and followed the naked man down the beach to a tent that had been pitched up. He told us his friend had been living on the beach for several months.
His friend was hanging out on the mattress also naked.
Nick looked at me and said “ I too want to have this kind of relationship with my best friend where I can just walk over to his house naked and say hey man”
Looking back at that weekend I realized how close I became with Nick. On the car ride home we shared memories from childhood that defined us as a person. We shared our flaws and our fears. Our hopes and dreams for the future. Life can be so mysterious sometimes. God is good. He is great.
The week went by and I became closer with the people I called family on the farm. I would spend long nights with the other volunteers looking at the stars, playing guitar and signing, sharing deep thoughts and religious traditions, and cooking large meals. We would wake up at 5 am work until 1 pm, take a shower, and then make our way to the pool which was located inside the Kibutz. The Kibutz was about 3 miles away down a road that would dip up and down. We would walk as a group and stick our thumb up every time someone would drive by for a possible hitch hike.
New volunteers had arrived while I was away that weekend. This was the weekend that I met Carolin. I was so hungry when I got home from the Dead Sea I sat down in the kitchen. As I was eating I watched as this red head with light skin floated toward the washing machines. She was humming something and seemed very happy. We struck up a conversation and immediately connected. She was from Berlin and has traveled to Israel about 4 times before this time. She was very open with me from the first conversation we had. Carolin since then has become such an important person in my life. She knows almost everything about me.
I had found a ukulele in the smokers tent one day and ever since then carried it around with me. I didn’t know how to play it but I played whatever came to mind or sounded remotely good. One day we were able to hitchhike with a man driving in a big van. We all pilled in and I sat in the front. He did not speak English but we soon figured out he wasn’t going to the Kibutz and would drop us off close to it. I started to play the ukulele and sing. He liked it so much he drove us all the way to the pool.
The kitchen in the Gan Habait was lets just say not ideal. Old dirty small make shift kitchen that was used to serve about 60 plus people everyday. I have some very cherished memories in this tiny kitchen. Some of them are listening to 2000s music with Carolin while we made breakfast together. Others are making eggs for the dogs and cats. Others are sneaking in the kitchen during the work day to get some cold water and avoid the weeding.
But the kitchen was also the place where we found the FERP stands for -Found in the Kitchen - maybe haha. One day I found this long wooden cylinder instrument with strings strung on the side of it. It had a lemur and a cow carved into it on the side. We weren’t sure where it came from or who it belonged to. But I then would also bring the FERP to the pool along with the uke. We would make up songs on it because it had about three strings that sounded good in it.
I found out that I was actually pretty good with making up songs. I made a pool song on the FERP that everyone enjoyed.
The pool was a very nice place in the village Harduf, besides the grocery store where we would buy ice cream. The pool at harduf was the first place I went to outside of Gan Habait. I was invited swimming there by my friend Itay. The water was so blue and there were grassy areas around the pool where people would sunbathe play volley ball or just hangout with friends.
When I went with the volunteers we would set up on the grass on the side and start talking and playing guitar and the FERP. I remember taking the best naps on the grass there listening to music in the sun.
New volunteers had arrived while I was away that weekend. This was the weekend that I met Carolin. I was so hungry when I got home from the Dead Sea I sat down in the kitchen. As I was eating I watched as this red head with light skin floated toward the washing machines. She was humming something and seemed very happy. We struck up a conversation and immediately connected. She was from Berlin and has traveled to Israel about 4 times before this time. She was very open with me from the first conversation we had. Carolin since then has become such an important person in my life. She knows almost everything about me.
I had found a ukulele in the smokers tent one day and ever since then carried it around with me. I didn’t know how to play it but I played whatever came to mind or sounded remotely good. One day we were able to hitchhike with a man driving in a big van. We all pilled in and I sat in the front. He did not speak English but we soon figured out he wasn’t going to the Kibutz and would drop us off close to it. I started to play the ukulele and sing. He liked it so much he drove us all the way to the pool.
The kitchen in the Gan Habait was lets just say not ideal. Old dirty small make shift kitchen that was used to serve about 60 plus people everyday. I have some very cherished memories in this tiny kitchen. Some of them are listening to 2000s music with Carolin while we made breakfast together. Others are making eggs for the dogs and cats. Others are sneaking in the kitchen during the work day to get some cold water and avoid the weeding.
But the kitchen was also the place where we found the FERP stands for -Found in the Kitchen - maybe haha. One day I found this long wooden cylinder instrument with strings strung on the side of it. It had a lemur and a cow carved into it on the side. We weren’t sure where it came from or who it belonged to. But I then would also bring the FERP to the pool along with the uke. We would make up songs on it because it had about three strings that sounded good in it.
I found out that I was actually pretty good with making up songs. I made a pool song on the FERP that everyone enjoyed.
The pool was a very nice place in the village Harduf, besides the grocery store where we would buy ice cream. The pool at harduf was the first place I went to outside of Gan Habait. I was invited swimming there by my friend Itay. The water was so blue and there were grassy areas around the pool where people would sunbathe play volley ball or just hangout with friends.
When I went with the volunteers we would set up on the grass on the side and start talking and playing guitar and the FERP. I remember taking the best naps on the grass there listening to music in the sun.
Halfway thourgh the three weeks I was in Israel, Nick and some volunteers and I went to Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee and Nazareth. We had a great time doing touristy things in Nazareth. Then we wanted to go to the Sea of Galilee. So I plugged a random address into the Google Maps and we started our dive. As we were getting closer I noticed people with their floaties and swim stuff.
“Nick stop the car!”
He pulled over.
“There’s probably a place to swim here. Lets change and follow these people.”
We changed in the car and then started our journey. We ended up in this place where a lot of local were hanging out bbqing and swimming. We placed out stuff down and swam. I loved it. The water was calm and very cold. There were some kids with a unicorn floaty and I asked Nick if we ever see one we have to get it. He agreed.
“Nick stop the car!”
He pulled over.
“There’s probably a place to swim here. Lets change and follow these people.”
We changed in the car and then started our journey. We ended up in this place where a lot of local were hanging out bbqing and swimming. We placed out stuff down and swam. I loved it. The water was calm and very cold. There were some kids with a unicorn floaty and I asked Nick if we ever see one we have to get it. He agreed.
After our swim we got in the car. The Jordan River as our next destination. We drove and we drove but nothing seemed to tell us where we could get to the Jordan River. We were so hungry. We had found a restaurant on Google near by and headed there. When we got there it was a tiny little house next to the border with Jordan next to a mango farm and a military base. Very odd. We walked in and the man at the front asked us if we had reservations. There were about 5 families eating there. We told him no but if he could give us a table we would appreciate it because we were starving. He told us no sorry. As we left I told Nick to pull over. I ran out and grabbed four mangoes. And jumped back into the car. Nick told me I was crazy. Unfortunately the mangoes were not ripe. Eventually we decided to cross the border into Jordan and go to a restaurant there.
After a full day in the sun, we made our way to the beach in Haifa where we ended up having dinner and watched the sun set on the Mediterranean Sea. It was nice being with Nick again. He eased my mind. As it was getting darker he drove us back to Gan Habait, but stopped on the way to get gas. As we drove into the gas station, that’s where I saw it. On top of a giant stack of boxes, sitting on its throne awaiting us, was the unicorn floaty. I looked at Nick.
“No way.... Nick you know what this means. We have to get it.” He smiled and agreed.
The last weekend I was in Israel Nick invited me to go partying with him and his two co workers in Tel Aviv. He picked me up in Akko where I spent the after noon wandering around with the other volunteers. It felt so good to see him again after one week. Nick will forever be such an amazing person in my life.
We got to Tel Aviv and went right to our Air bnb where we would stay for one night. It took us forever to find where the entrance was. Finally after walking up and done the same street for 15 mins we found our place. As we opened the door, the fattest cockroach I have ever seen scurried across the floor. I freaked! Nick and I decided we would not stay the night in the apartment. After dinner we tried finding a bar or a club to hangout. Every single place we went to was so crowded and wouldn’t let us in. As we were waiting in line for one of the clubs, a cockroach kamakazied Nick to his arm. I will never forget his face when he realized this spawn of satan was clinging its spiky feet into his flesh.
“Josephine were not talking about it.”
Nope we’re not talking about it. “
I was laughing so hard. But at the same time very terrified.
After spending significant time going nowhere with getting entrance to the popular bars and clubs, we found a little karaoke bar. We spent the entire night there. As we were having fun with the bar tender drinking shots, we met two girls who were currently on leave from the Israeli army. They were very drunk. One was a heavier set girl who was bragging about her accomplishments in the Army, and the other was a sweet girl who ended up dancing with one of Nick’s colleagues,
After leaving the bar, we walked back with a pause for one of the guys to throw up. That was the first time I had ever seen someone so intoxicated they had to throw up. He was ok after we got him into bed.
Because Nick and I had been scarred form the traumatic cockroach event we decided we would camp out on the beach all night. We grabbed some towels form the airbnb and headed to the beach front in Tel Aviv. Walking down we found a company that rented out beach chairs and we snagged two and dragged them to the edge of the beach. Still pretty late at night there were groups of friends hanging out. We talked as the planes overhead coming through the clouds flew into Tel Aviv. Nick and I had this profound understanding of each other that we could talk about anything. Mumbling we both fell asleep on the stollen/borrowed beach chairs.
I was woken up by a group of Asian tourists taking selfies with their selfie sticks on the beach. Right next to us. Like right next to us. What the heck? The beach stretched for miles. Why here? WHYYY?
It was maybe 7 am and we had many gotten 2 hours of sleep. I was so cranky. I also remember having to wake up around 630am to pee. Not finding anywhere I just walked into the ocean in my bikini and went for a morning swim. Bad idea because right after I was so cold.
Back to me being cranky in the morning.
“Nick
Nick wake up
Nick
NICK!”
“huh.... where are we?”
“Im hungry can we go get some pancakes”
“Sure thing Goose”
We finally found this amazing breakfast place and I ordered so much food. Like so much. It was so good. Wow.
After chatting and eating a little bit, we got the guys and Nick drove us back to Haifa. We dropped off the guys and Nick needed to get some food and run some errands, After that we went to his apt and Nick took a nap before driving me back to Harduf.
After a full day in the sun, we made our way to the beach in Haifa where we ended up having dinner and watched the sun set on the Mediterranean Sea. It was nice being with Nick again. He eased my mind. As it was getting darker he drove us back to Gan Habait, but stopped on the way to get gas. As we drove into the gas station, that’s where I saw it. On top of a giant stack of boxes, sitting on its throne awaiting us, was the unicorn floaty. I looked at Nick.
“No way.... Nick you know what this means. We have to get it.” He smiled and agreed.
The last weekend I was in Israel Nick invited me to go partying with him and his two co workers in Tel Aviv. He picked me up in Akko where I spent the after noon wandering around with the other volunteers. It felt so good to see him again after one week. Nick will forever be such an amazing person in my life.
We got to Tel Aviv and went right to our Air bnb where we would stay for one night. It took us forever to find where the entrance was. Finally after walking up and done the same street for 15 mins we found our place. As we opened the door, the fattest cockroach I have ever seen scurried across the floor. I freaked! Nick and I decided we would not stay the night in the apartment. After dinner we tried finding a bar or a club to hangout. Every single place we went to was so crowded and wouldn’t let us in. As we were waiting in line for one of the clubs, a cockroach kamakazied Nick to his arm. I will never forget his face when he realized this spawn of satan was clinging its spiky feet into his flesh.
“Josephine were not talking about it.”
Nope we’re not talking about it. “
I was laughing so hard. But at the same time very terrified.
After spending significant time going nowhere with getting entrance to the popular bars and clubs, we found a little karaoke bar. We spent the entire night there. As we were having fun with the bar tender drinking shots, we met two girls who were currently on leave from the Israeli army. They were very drunk. One was a heavier set girl who was bragging about her accomplishments in the Army, and the other was a sweet girl who ended up dancing with one of Nick’s colleagues,
After leaving the bar, we walked back with a pause for one of the guys to throw up. That was the first time I had ever seen someone so intoxicated they had to throw up. He was ok after we got him into bed.
Because Nick and I had been scarred form the traumatic cockroach event we decided we would camp out on the beach all night. We grabbed some towels form the airbnb and headed to the beach front in Tel Aviv. Walking down we found a company that rented out beach chairs and we snagged two and dragged them to the edge of the beach. Still pretty late at night there were groups of friends hanging out. We talked as the planes overhead coming through the clouds flew into Tel Aviv. Nick and I had this profound understanding of each other that we could talk about anything. Mumbling we both fell asleep on the stollen/borrowed beach chairs.
I was woken up by a group of Asian tourists taking selfies with their selfie sticks on the beach. Right next to us. Like right next to us. What the heck? The beach stretched for miles. Why here? WHYYY?
It was maybe 7 am and we had many gotten 2 hours of sleep. I was so cranky. I also remember having to wake up around 630am to pee. Not finding anywhere I just walked into the ocean in my bikini and went for a morning swim. Bad idea because right after I was so cold.
Back to me being cranky in the morning.
“Nick
Nick wake up
Nick
NICK!”
“huh.... where are we?”
“Im hungry can we go get some pancakes”
“Sure thing Goose”
We finally found this amazing breakfast place and I ordered so much food. Like so much. It was so good. Wow.
After chatting and eating a little bit, we got the guys and Nick drove us back to Haifa. We dropped off the guys and Nick needed to get some food and run some errands, After that we went to his apt and Nick took a nap before driving me back to Harduf.
Coming back to Harduf after such a crazy weekend was such an amazing feeling. I loved coming back when the dogs came running to greet me. Like I mentioned before I ended up getting an avatar. Her name was Acha. She was very very smelly so nobody wanted her. But I did. I missed Acha. Then the girls greeted me and wanted me to tell them everything about the one night. They were preparing the entire weekend for Shabbat. I helped them make their final preparations. They then went to Harduf to the pool for our daily swim. I wanted to rest a bit and left later. This was the day that Acha followed me all the way to Harduf. She had never done this before. Maybe she missed me too for that one night I was gone.
When I entered the pool I didn’t even think of her next to me, it just felt so natural. And then all of a sudden
“She cant be here. She needs to leave”
I look around and there he was.
Have you ever had this feeling in your chest, your heart, your fingers, your lips, your eyes, your legs, your stomach.... your entire body. Well multiply that by 10 million. This is what I felt when I saw him that day.
I had seen him other days before in passing at the pool. It was hard to miss him. Not because of his amazing body, the way he smiled at girls, or the way he swam... but he was the lifeguard.
Yes I know you must be thinking. Here we go a sappy love story about the sexy lifeguard that every girl dreams of. But let me tell you even though this has been said before. This was different.
“I’m sorry, she’s not even my dog.”
”She can’t be here.”
I was little annoyed considering that I had seen other dogs allowed into the pool before. I walked Acha outside and I told her to sit and stay. As I tried to walk back into the pool she followed me again. I had to tie her up outside which made my heart sad.
Ok take two. I joined the other girls in the grass and Nati. Nati had brought his guitar and we sat there and jammed talked about philosophy and laughed. The entire time I was noticing the lifeguard. I would sneak looks at him when I thought he wasn’t looking. I asked the other girls if they thought he was cute.
“Yeah, he likes you.” Said Rebecca , a girl from Harvard uni who had come to Israel for an internship and then decided she didn’t like it there anymore so she came to the farm to volunteer for a week. She was a very sweet girl. But in the end she didn’t stay very good friends with the rest of off after she left.
“What no... that’s impossible” I said with a smile on my face as I looked shyly up towards the lifeguard who was relaxing in the shade with his shirt off.
“Yeah he’s been looking over here at you.”
”Wow... I think I’m going to go talk to him.”
I walked over and jumped into the pool. Then after swimming a few laps I swam over to the edge of the pool where he was sitting near to in the shade.
”Hey”
”Hey” he responded with a different accent than I had noticed with the Hebrew speaking natives.
”Are you ever bored?”
” I mean yeah sometimes.” He responded coming closer to the edge.
Then I asked him some questions about him. If he was a student, what was he studying, where is he from, He ended up being a senior in high school who was just graduating and still taking his final exams. He was from the neighboring Arabic community. I then invited him to the Shabbat dinner we were having at Gan Habait that night. He said he was already asked out by another group of volunteers in Harduf.
As we were talking I noticed how incredibly green his eyes were.
“You have very beautiful eyes” I said in the middle of our conversation.
“Um thank you” he said hesitantly back.
This conversation was not going where I wanted it to be. So after being rejected for the Shabbat dinner and the compliment was not returned to me, I decided that he was not interested. I got out of the pool and left. Then we packed up our things and Nati drove us home for the Shabbat dinner.
It was a lovely dinner and Nick actually joined us. Having him there was really nice. Rebecca led the prayers and the traditional things that were done before the eating started. We sang and danced and then had an amazing conversation. Followed by my date smoothie for dessert that I made and some music on the guitar.
One of the things the volunteers liked to do was to watch the sunset on the hay bails and cut up a melon that we had picked. Nati came up with this song every time that we ate it.
“Sticky fingersssss sticky fingers!!!!!”
I loved sitting and talking with them. It made me feel less homesick. At this point I had been traveling and away from my family for about 3 moths. I am very close with my family and they mean a lot to me.
When I entered the pool I didn’t even think of her next to me, it just felt so natural. And then all of a sudden
“She cant be here. She needs to leave”
I look around and there he was.
Have you ever had this feeling in your chest, your heart, your fingers, your lips, your eyes, your legs, your stomach.... your entire body. Well multiply that by 10 million. This is what I felt when I saw him that day.
I had seen him other days before in passing at the pool. It was hard to miss him. Not because of his amazing body, the way he smiled at girls, or the way he swam... but he was the lifeguard.
Yes I know you must be thinking. Here we go a sappy love story about the sexy lifeguard that every girl dreams of. But let me tell you even though this has been said before. This was different.
“I’m sorry, she’s not even my dog.”
”She can’t be here.”
I was little annoyed considering that I had seen other dogs allowed into the pool before. I walked Acha outside and I told her to sit and stay. As I tried to walk back into the pool she followed me again. I had to tie her up outside which made my heart sad.
Ok take two. I joined the other girls in the grass and Nati. Nati had brought his guitar and we sat there and jammed talked about philosophy and laughed. The entire time I was noticing the lifeguard. I would sneak looks at him when I thought he wasn’t looking. I asked the other girls if they thought he was cute.
“Yeah, he likes you.” Said Rebecca , a girl from Harvard uni who had come to Israel for an internship and then decided she didn’t like it there anymore so she came to the farm to volunteer for a week. She was a very sweet girl. But in the end she didn’t stay very good friends with the rest of off after she left.
“What no... that’s impossible” I said with a smile on my face as I looked shyly up towards the lifeguard who was relaxing in the shade with his shirt off.
“Yeah he’s been looking over here at you.”
”Wow... I think I’m going to go talk to him.”
I walked over and jumped into the pool. Then after swimming a few laps I swam over to the edge of the pool where he was sitting near to in the shade.
”Hey”
”Hey” he responded with a different accent than I had noticed with the Hebrew speaking natives.
”Are you ever bored?”
” I mean yeah sometimes.” He responded coming closer to the edge.
Then I asked him some questions about him. If he was a student, what was he studying, where is he from, He ended up being a senior in high school who was just graduating and still taking his final exams. He was from the neighboring Arabic community. I then invited him to the Shabbat dinner we were having at Gan Habait that night. He said he was already asked out by another group of volunteers in Harduf.
As we were talking I noticed how incredibly green his eyes were.
“You have very beautiful eyes” I said in the middle of our conversation.
“Um thank you” he said hesitantly back.
This conversation was not going where I wanted it to be. So after being rejected for the Shabbat dinner and the compliment was not returned to me, I decided that he was not interested. I got out of the pool and left. Then we packed up our things and Nati drove us home for the Shabbat dinner.
It was a lovely dinner and Nick actually joined us. Having him there was really nice. Rebecca led the prayers and the traditional things that were done before the eating started. We sang and danced and then had an amazing conversation. Followed by my date smoothie for dessert that I made and some music on the guitar.
One of the things the volunteers liked to do was to watch the sunset on the hay bails and cut up a melon that we had picked. Nati came up with this song every time that we ate it.
“Sticky fingersssss sticky fingers!!!!!”
I loved sitting and talking with them. It made me feel less homesick. At this point I had been traveling and away from my family for about 3 moths. I am very close with my family and they mean a lot to me.
First the sunrises and sunsets are incredible. And because of the nature of work I got to see both everyday. And then the night sky. I have never seen as many starts in my life. The sky in Israel is like no other. It takes you to another world. Might be why it is called the Holy Land. There is such a strong energy there. I think it has to do with Jesus. The energy that surrounds Jesus is miraculous. Something indescribable. But if I had to describe it it would be like the biggest, longest, warmest, and sweetest hug from someone you have endless love for.
Days would go by in Israel without me thinking about them. Work was hard especially when it was so hot out. I wish I could have slowed down the days and really reflected on them. Every moment there defined me as a person and who I am today. Without this experience I would not be the Josephine you know today. Can you imagine that? Something in someone’s life’s that will ultimately define who they are. I am looking forward to so many more defining moments in my life.
Fast forward to Winter 2019-2020, I am in deep Patagonia Argentina in a small village face timing Nick.
”The fascinating thing about you Josephine is that you take from the cultures that you are exposed to. And that’s beautiful because then it becomes Josephine.”
I think about Israel every day... and this may be due to the fact that I left a part of my heart there.
Now the last week. A week that has truly showed me what love means. Love that is ready for sacrifice, ready for loss, ready for the most beautiful times, ready for the hardest times, and ready for forever.
Most of the WOOFER volunteers have left now, and its just Carolin, Rebecca from Net York Naomi from France, and Ellie from England. The five of us made a funny team. Carolin made me laugh so hard I would snort! And Naomi and Ellie.. well they found love with each other.
We were told at the beginning of the week that the farm was renting out space for a wedding on Wed July 4th. I was so very excited for this. I am a person who loves all the beautiful things in life: people, nature, food, music, and of course dancing! I had been starved from dancing and I was itchy to dance again.
That Sunday the five of us volunteers made our way to the Harduf pool after a hot day in the sun. Me with the uke and the girls walked up and down the long street that led us to the Kibutz entrance. We didn’t like walking all that way very much, but now looking back on it I miss walking that way.
First we stopped at the grocery store where there was WIFI and the best coconut popsicle. Then we walked through the Kibbutz to get to the pool. In the Kibutz there were several homes designated for the orphans, the physically and mentally challenged and disabled, and the guys who were suffering from alcohol and drug addiction and then the guys suffering from mental illness. It was a quite place with beautiful trees, and a beautiful view of Israel since the Kibutz was on top of a hill.
Fast forward to Winter 2019-2020, I am in deep Patagonia Argentina in a small village face timing Nick.
”The fascinating thing about you Josephine is that you take from the cultures that you are exposed to. And that’s beautiful because then it becomes Josephine.”
I think about Israel every day... and this may be due to the fact that I left a part of my heart there.
Now the last week. A week that has truly showed me what love means. Love that is ready for sacrifice, ready for loss, ready for the most beautiful times, ready for the hardest times, and ready for forever.
Most of the WOOFER volunteers have left now, and its just Carolin, Rebecca from Net York Naomi from France, and Ellie from England. The five of us made a funny team. Carolin made me laugh so hard I would snort! And Naomi and Ellie.. well they found love with each other.
We were told at the beginning of the week that the farm was renting out space for a wedding on Wed July 4th. I was so very excited for this. I am a person who loves all the beautiful things in life: people, nature, food, music, and of course dancing! I had been starved from dancing and I was itchy to dance again.
That Sunday the five of us volunteers made our way to the Harduf pool after a hot day in the sun. Me with the uke and the girls walked up and down the long street that led us to the Kibutz entrance. We didn’t like walking all that way very much, but now looking back on it I miss walking that way.
First we stopped at the grocery store where there was WIFI and the best coconut popsicle. Then we walked through the Kibbutz to get to the pool. In the Kibutz there were several homes designated for the orphans, the physically and mentally challenged and disabled, and the guys who were suffering from alcohol and drug addiction and then the guys suffering from mental illness. It was a quite place with beautiful trees, and a beautiful view of Israel since the Kibutz was on top of a hill.
We spent the entire afternoon in the pool doing everything from swimming and sun bathing and taking a nap. And the entire time he was smiling at me. At one point he came over to me.
“It’s called a valiha.”
”Excuse me?” I was very confused,
“Your instrument from the other day. That’s what its called. I researched online. It took me a long time... but its from Madagascar and only several hundred were made. It’s a very special instrument.”
” OHHH you mean the FERP? Hahah that’s what we called it. Wow how did you find it?”
”I love instruments and I can basically play every instrument.”
Wow.... he’s hot.
We stayed so late that the pool was closing and everyone had already left. We were trying to find a way home because we didn’t want to walk back late.
“You have to have him drive us home.” Ellie said
“What? ME? Why me” I said
Naomi and Ellie gave me a look.
Carolin told me to join her in the pool and I told her what the girls wanted. I told her I had to put my charm on and start flirting with the lifeguard who was cleaning up.
Then we started goofing around and pretend flirting. Hahahah still thinking about this makes me laugh. We started to make cat noises and were swimming around the pool being very loud. The entire time, he was looking at us like we were crazy. But his smiled reassured me that he liked us.
He sat on the side of the pool rolling a fresh cigarette. I had change into dry clothes. I sat right next to him so that my shoulder was touching his. He was warm. And he rolled his cigarette gently and in patience. He looked at me. And we held eye contact for a while. His eyes were even more beautiful this close. A deep dark green like a pine tree and you could smell its sweetness from a mile away.
”So listen” I said as I broke the eye contact. “Would you be able to drive me home. It’s just done the street.”
“Yeah sure no problem,” he said breathing out smoke. “ Wow great thank you. And the other girls too....?” I asked shyly.
“I’ll finish my cigarette fist,” He said breathing in the cigarette. ”Thank you,” I nudged him and stood up to get my stuff and tell the girls we were leaving. I told them they it might be a tight fit considering there were six of us. I told them that I would squeeze in the front with Carolin and that I would flirt with him in the front. ”Watch, Ill kiss him goodbye and then that’ll be it.” They laughed.
We were playing basketball as he finished up and closed the pool. Then we all piled into his tiny old dusty car. He told me that it had broken down a lot and that hopefully there wouldn’t be any problems taking us home. I told him I had faith it wouldn’t.
As we drove done the street he seemed slightly nervous and yelled something in Arabic out the window to a guy passing. I asked him what he said. He had asked the guy if he saw any police.
There we were, there I was. Across the world, so far away from DC, being driven back to what I called home with the girls I would call sisters in a car with a boy who had the most beauiful eyes.
Me being me, I started to randomly strum on my ukulele. And then for some random reason I started singing:
”Put my hands up there playing my song the butterflies fly awaaaay. Nodding my head like yeah....”
And the girls in the car started singing the rest with me at the top of our lungs.
”.... It’s a party in the USAAAA!!!” As we had arrived and were pilling out, as promised I gave him a kiss on the cheek and said bye. As I was leaving he asked me several times for my social media, but at that time I didn’t have any.
“Instagram”
”Nope sorry bye..” As I was trying to leave for the last time, “What about your WhatsApp”
I gave it to him and left the car.
Later that night I received a text: “Thank you for the party in the USA”
We texted a lot that night and he wanted to take me to the beach the next night out on a date. I felt shy about this... The last time I went out on a proper date was with the supposed love of my life. I had missed him so much and it took me so long to get over him. I was finally in a state of mind where I wasn’t thinking about trying to find anyone to replace him with. I had finally healed.
I said yes and realized that I could always tell him that I was more comfortable with being friends.
“It’s called a valiha.”
”Excuse me?” I was very confused,
“Your instrument from the other day. That’s what its called. I researched online. It took me a long time... but its from Madagascar and only several hundred were made. It’s a very special instrument.”
” OHHH you mean the FERP? Hahah that’s what we called it. Wow how did you find it?”
”I love instruments and I can basically play every instrument.”
Wow.... he’s hot.
We stayed so late that the pool was closing and everyone had already left. We were trying to find a way home because we didn’t want to walk back late.
“You have to have him drive us home.” Ellie said
“What? ME? Why me” I said
Naomi and Ellie gave me a look.
Carolin told me to join her in the pool and I told her what the girls wanted. I told her I had to put my charm on and start flirting with the lifeguard who was cleaning up.
Then we started goofing around and pretend flirting. Hahahah still thinking about this makes me laugh. We started to make cat noises and were swimming around the pool being very loud. The entire time, he was looking at us like we were crazy. But his smiled reassured me that he liked us.
He sat on the side of the pool rolling a fresh cigarette. I had change into dry clothes. I sat right next to him so that my shoulder was touching his. He was warm. And he rolled his cigarette gently and in patience. He looked at me. And we held eye contact for a while. His eyes were even more beautiful this close. A deep dark green like a pine tree and you could smell its sweetness from a mile away.
”So listen” I said as I broke the eye contact. “Would you be able to drive me home. It’s just done the street.”
“Yeah sure no problem,” he said breathing out smoke. “ Wow great thank you. And the other girls too....?” I asked shyly.
“I’ll finish my cigarette fist,” He said breathing in the cigarette. ”Thank you,” I nudged him and stood up to get my stuff and tell the girls we were leaving. I told them they it might be a tight fit considering there were six of us. I told them that I would squeeze in the front with Carolin and that I would flirt with him in the front. ”Watch, Ill kiss him goodbye and then that’ll be it.” They laughed.
We were playing basketball as he finished up and closed the pool. Then we all piled into his tiny old dusty car. He told me that it had broken down a lot and that hopefully there wouldn’t be any problems taking us home. I told him I had faith it wouldn’t.
As we drove done the street he seemed slightly nervous and yelled something in Arabic out the window to a guy passing. I asked him what he said. He had asked the guy if he saw any police.
There we were, there I was. Across the world, so far away from DC, being driven back to what I called home with the girls I would call sisters in a car with a boy who had the most beauiful eyes.
Me being me, I started to randomly strum on my ukulele. And then for some random reason I started singing:
”Put my hands up there playing my song the butterflies fly awaaaay. Nodding my head like yeah....”
And the girls in the car started singing the rest with me at the top of our lungs.
”.... It’s a party in the USAAAA!!!” As we had arrived and were pilling out, as promised I gave him a kiss on the cheek and said bye. As I was leaving he asked me several times for my social media, but at that time I didn’t have any.
“Instagram”
”Nope sorry bye..” As I was trying to leave for the last time, “What about your WhatsApp”
I gave it to him and left the car.
Later that night I received a text: “Thank you for the party in the USA”
We texted a lot that night and he wanted to take me to the beach the next night out on a date. I felt shy about this... The last time I went out on a proper date was with the supposed love of my life. I had missed him so much and it took me so long to get over him. I was finally in a state of mind where I wasn’t thinking about trying to find anyone to replace him with. I had finally healed.
I said yes and realized that I could always tell him that I was more comfortable with being friends.
He picked me up that night and I wore my bikini under my red dress. He was wearing a tshirt and his regular swim shorts because he was coming from work. I was so nervous that I didn’t know what to say. He smelled so good. Luckily I didn’t have to think and maybe he didn’t want to think either but he put on a song and asked me if I knew it. He rolled down he windows of the car he had borrowed from his sister.... aka a much nicer car than his old little one... and the wind rushed through my hair. He smiled at me. A smile that will forever be burned into my mind. Just one of those things.
As he beat on his steering wheel, he sang to the songs at the top of his lungs. I felt like he was comfortable with me, but I was still nervous. After about 20 mins we arrived in Haifa. We hopped out of the car, he brought his guitar and a speaker. We waked along the beachside.
“ You want to see my favorite spot?”
”Yes”
”Here lets go”
He was so gentle with me. We made our way to a small hill covered in grass next to the board walk. It was a nice little spot. We talked for a bit before he asked me if I wanted to go to the beach to swim. I nodded and we set our stuff on the sand. I took off my dress and he took off his shirt. Then without thinking I ran into the water. He followed. It was so cold and the waves were kind of tall. I guess I was making a lot of noise because then suddenly we heard an angry voice coming from the shore. We walked out to see who it was. It was a police man and he walked up to him. And spoke to him in Hebrew telling us that it was forbidden to enter into the water after sunset and if he saw us there against he would arrest or fine us.
So we returned to our things and he pulled out his speaker and put on music. After that I could not take my eyes off him or stop smiling. We started dancing and he started singing again. He made me so happy at the very moment I know that my heart was filled. We danced literally like no one was watching... even though there were several couples on the beach.
He grabbed my hands and pulled me close. His eyes still looking deep into mine. And then he kissed me. His kiss is like no other. I was falling for him so fast and hard. He then wrapped his arms around me and held me still singing. He then took my hand and pulled me toward the boardwalk and we danced in the middle of so many people around us. I was smiling and laughing so hard now. I loved that he was so spontaneous and didn’t care about anyone else’s opinion. He just did what he felt was right.
After dancing for a long time we sat back down on the his favorite spot on the grassy hill. He pulled out his guitar and told me to play the song that I have played at the beach. I played a lot of songs but I had a feeling he wanted the song by the script ‘the man who cant be moved’. As I played and sang it for him, he smiled and looked off into the Mediterranean Sea. I got this feeling in my chest that this moment would be in my heart forever. A moment that I would cherish for the rest of my life.
After I was done he said,
”Ok my turn” he stretched out his hand and grabbed the guitar form me “Lets trade” and he placed a small black jewelry box in my hand.
“This is for me?” I was shocked. This boy that I had just met gave me jewelry on the first night of us getting to know each other.
“Yes open it”
My boyfriend of almost 4 years didn’t even give me jewelry, I was so confused.
I opened it to find a necklace with an infinity symbol. It was beautiful. And he was so thoughtful.
It was dark and I couldn’t really tell if it was silver or gold. I am very particular with my jewelry. Usually I change out my earrings every day and keep the same necklace. He later told me that he noticed I wore a necklace and he wanted to get me another one.
I asked him to put it on me, Our first night was perfect together. As we walked back to his car he held my hand. He kept on asking me if I was hungry or thirsty. I wasn’t because I was so nervous but he kept asking me. So I told him I was thirsty. He bought both of us a Coke. Later I would find out that his favorite drink is Coke and he cant live without it.
We got in the car and he asked me to take a selfie. So we did. We drove home and I swear I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him. Again smiling and singing so loudly to the songs. He dropped me off and left. I was so tired I went straight to bed.
About four hours later I was awake to start my day at 5 for work. I WAS SO EXHAUSTED. I would feel this way for the next week.
I walked to our meeting spot and saw the girls smiling at me. They wanted to know everything that happened on my date. As we picked and packaged lettuce, I told them how much fun we had and how we connected immediately. I had totally forgotten I was still wearing his necklace and I looked down. Gold. It fit perfectly with my other gold crucifix necklace. How did he know?
The day went by fuzzy. It’s like in the cartoons when the character in love has a pink cloud of hearts around them and they cant think clearly.
As he beat on his steering wheel, he sang to the songs at the top of his lungs. I felt like he was comfortable with me, but I was still nervous. After about 20 mins we arrived in Haifa. We hopped out of the car, he brought his guitar and a speaker. We waked along the beachside.
“ You want to see my favorite spot?”
”Yes”
”Here lets go”
He was so gentle with me. We made our way to a small hill covered in grass next to the board walk. It was a nice little spot. We talked for a bit before he asked me if I wanted to go to the beach to swim. I nodded and we set our stuff on the sand. I took off my dress and he took off his shirt. Then without thinking I ran into the water. He followed. It was so cold and the waves were kind of tall. I guess I was making a lot of noise because then suddenly we heard an angry voice coming from the shore. We walked out to see who it was. It was a police man and he walked up to him. And spoke to him in Hebrew telling us that it was forbidden to enter into the water after sunset and if he saw us there against he would arrest or fine us.
So we returned to our things and he pulled out his speaker and put on music. After that I could not take my eyes off him or stop smiling. We started dancing and he started singing again. He made me so happy at the very moment I know that my heart was filled. We danced literally like no one was watching... even though there were several couples on the beach.
He grabbed my hands and pulled me close. His eyes still looking deep into mine. And then he kissed me. His kiss is like no other. I was falling for him so fast and hard. He then wrapped his arms around me and held me still singing. He then took my hand and pulled me toward the boardwalk and we danced in the middle of so many people around us. I was smiling and laughing so hard now. I loved that he was so spontaneous and didn’t care about anyone else’s opinion. He just did what he felt was right.
After dancing for a long time we sat back down on the his favorite spot on the grassy hill. He pulled out his guitar and told me to play the song that I have played at the beach. I played a lot of songs but I had a feeling he wanted the song by the script ‘the man who cant be moved’. As I played and sang it for him, he smiled and looked off into the Mediterranean Sea. I got this feeling in my chest that this moment would be in my heart forever. A moment that I would cherish for the rest of my life.
After I was done he said,
”Ok my turn” he stretched out his hand and grabbed the guitar form me “Lets trade” and he placed a small black jewelry box in my hand.
“This is for me?” I was shocked. This boy that I had just met gave me jewelry on the first night of us getting to know each other.
“Yes open it”
My boyfriend of almost 4 years didn’t even give me jewelry, I was so confused.
I opened it to find a necklace with an infinity symbol. It was beautiful. And he was so thoughtful.
It was dark and I couldn’t really tell if it was silver or gold. I am very particular with my jewelry. Usually I change out my earrings every day and keep the same necklace. He later told me that he noticed I wore a necklace and he wanted to get me another one.
I asked him to put it on me, Our first night was perfect together. As we walked back to his car he held my hand. He kept on asking me if I was hungry or thirsty. I wasn’t because I was so nervous but he kept asking me. So I told him I was thirsty. He bought both of us a Coke. Later I would find out that his favorite drink is Coke and he cant live without it.
We got in the car and he asked me to take a selfie. So we did. We drove home and I swear I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him. Again smiling and singing so loudly to the songs. He dropped me off and left. I was so tired I went straight to bed.
About four hours later I was awake to start my day at 5 for work. I WAS SO EXHAUSTED. I would feel this way for the next week.
I walked to our meeting spot and saw the girls smiling at me. They wanted to know everything that happened on my date. As we picked and packaged lettuce, I told them how much fun we had and how we connected immediately. I had totally forgotten I was still wearing his necklace and I looked down. Gold. It fit perfectly with my other gold crucifix necklace. How did he know?
The day went by fuzzy. It’s like in the cartoons when the character in love has a pink cloud of hearts around them and they cant think clearly.
The next seven days he would take me to a different beach and we would spend beautiful nights together. I would also go to the pool and sit and talk with him. He became so important to me in such a short time. God put him in my life for a special purpose. On Wed July 4th was the wedding, and I invited him. They had a very nice set up with the dance floor and a bunch of tables to eat surrounded by the hay bails we liked to climb all strung with beautiful lights.
Carolin had left that day to meet her boyfriend and wouldn’t be back until later. However, I got a text from her telling me that he never showed up and she was coming back to Gan Habait. Naomi, Ellie, and I decided to meet her halfway down the road as she was walking back from the bus stop. We knew she would be sad from this so we wanted to make her happy and excited for the wedding. She was so happy to see us on the road we all gave her a big hug.
At first they had a gathering and there were little tall tables set up with a bar at one end of the field. We went from the bar to the little tables with appetizers. We ate so well that night.
The moment when he showed up I thought I was going to die. He looked to handsome. I had only ever seen him in his work clothes but tonight he was wearing a white polo and jeans with white sneakers. He was so beautiful. And he smelled soooo good again.
That night we all danced so much and the bride was looking at us annoyed. But we didn’t care. We all were having a great time. After the party was winding down and people were going home, we all sat on some mattresses and I sang them the song I made up about Gan Habait. Everyone loved it and we sang it several times. That was the best night ever.
Carolin had left that day to meet her boyfriend and wouldn’t be back until later. However, I got a text from her telling me that he never showed up and she was coming back to Gan Habait. Naomi, Ellie, and I decided to meet her halfway down the road as she was walking back from the bus stop. We knew she would be sad from this so we wanted to make her happy and excited for the wedding. She was so happy to see us on the road we all gave her a big hug.
At first they had a gathering and there were little tall tables set up with a bar at one end of the field. We went from the bar to the little tables with appetizers. We ate so well that night.
The moment when he showed up I thought I was going to die. He looked to handsome. I had only ever seen him in his work clothes but tonight he was wearing a white polo and jeans with white sneakers. He was so beautiful. And he smelled soooo good again.
That night we all danced so much and the bride was looking at us annoyed. But we didn’t care. We all were having a great time. After the party was winding down and people were going home, we all sat on some mattresses and I sang them the song I made up about Gan Habait. Everyone loved it and we sang it several times. That was the best night ever.
The next several days were bitter sweet and I knew my heart would hurt a lot when I had to leave. July 7th was the day I left Gan Habait. Left the vegetables, left the fields, left my dog Acha, left the volunteers, left the endless Israel sky, left Naomi and Ellie, left beautiful silly Carolin, left the little tent I called home, left the annoying cats, and left my a piece of my heart.
After a day at the pool we were lying next to each other in the warm grass. I was running my hands down his beautiful face.
“What does your name mean?”
“Shafik means compassion in Arabic,” he responded while turning towards me and planting a kiss on my cheek.
As the days passed we both knew that it was getting closer to saying goodbye to each other. One night he took me to his village. Which was actually the village that I was dropped off first by the bus. I felt this odd energy. He took me to the newly opened ice cream shop and bought me the biggest ice cream cone they offered. This shop was very unique because it was a family run store and the flavors they offered were homemade. And he told me that I wouldn’t find these flavors any where else in the entire world.
In Israel I never really felt out of place or different until stepping into this store. I was wearing shorts and a tshirt and I had my hair out. Since it was the opening night of the store they were taking videos for social media. Later Shafik told me that they noticed me and asked him who the blonde girl was that he was with.
After a day at the pool we were lying next to each other in the warm grass. I was running my hands down his beautiful face.
“What does your name mean?”
“Shafik means compassion in Arabic,” he responded while turning towards me and planting a kiss on my cheek.
As the days passed we both knew that it was getting closer to saying goodbye to each other. One night he took me to his village. Which was actually the village that I was dropped off first by the bus. I felt this odd energy. He took me to the newly opened ice cream shop and bought me the biggest ice cream cone they offered. This shop was very unique because it was a family run store and the flavors they offered were homemade. And he told me that I wouldn’t find these flavors any where else in the entire world.
In Israel I never really felt out of place or different until stepping into this store. I was wearing shorts and a tshirt and I had my hair out. Since it was the opening night of the store they were taking videos for social media. Later Shafik told me that they noticed me and asked him who the blonde girl was that he was with.
The last night we were together we went to his favorite beach. There were a lot more people here. A lot of families spending time together. We arrived and parked and as we were walking towards the restaurant he wanted to take me to, there was an older man playing his saxophone. As excepted Shafik took my hand and twirled me and we danced along to the mans music.
We got some fries and a drink and then continued to walk. We then stopped and found a place on the grass among other people enjoying the warm summer night.
We talked about our doubts and fears about the future. College, jobs, careers and anything else. At that time I was feeling very lost with my path in life. I had had a really tough first year of college at Indiana University. It was first marked by having to leave the first university I was at and then it just so happened that I ended up at Indiana. I wasn’t happy with myself and I felt like a failure. I closed myself off to the normal things freshmen would do. I didn’t really have that many friends either. My roommate was awful and I broke up with the supposed love of my life. I would cry more than laugh.
However, God showed me a path eventually. And my heart and mind are at peace now.
At one point Shafik asked me
”Will you marry me?” I thought he was joking so I started to laugh. Then I saw his serious face and said “For real?”
“For real.”
“Then yes...”I said slowly waiting for him to tell me it was a prank.
“For real?” He asked. He held me closer.
“For real for real.”.
We got some fries and a drink and then continued to walk. We then stopped and found a place on the grass among other people enjoying the warm summer night.
We talked about our doubts and fears about the future. College, jobs, careers and anything else. At that time I was feeling very lost with my path in life. I had had a really tough first year of college at Indiana University. It was first marked by having to leave the first university I was at and then it just so happened that I ended up at Indiana. I wasn’t happy with myself and I felt like a failure. I closed myself off to the normal things freshmen would do. I didn’t really have that many friends either. My roommate was awful and I broke up with the supposed love of my life. I would cry more than laugh.
However, God showed me a path eventually. And my heart and mind are at peace now.
At one point Shafik asked me
”Will you marry me?” I thought he was joking so I started to laugh. Then I saw his serious face and said “For real?”
“For real.”
“Then yes...”I said slowly waiting for him to tell me it was a prank.
“For real?” He asked. He held me closer.
“For real for real.”.
The last time I saw Shafik was when he dropped me off at Gan Habait and said goodbye to me. The entire day we were anticipating having to leave each other. He told me he was going to cry. And I told him he would be alright. I was thinking I wouldn’t cry at all. But I was very wrong. When he was driving to Gan Habait he held my hand so tight. He parked and we both stepped out of the car. I started to cry soooo much. My heart hurt so badly. He held me in his arms and told me to stop crying.
“How can I stop when I’m loosing my best friend and big love?”
He asked me if we could do something together before he left. He wanted to pray with me. One of the first things he told me was that his family was Arabic Christian, however he was not very faithful. I was so astonished I agreed with a nod. He then took my hands in his and looked up at the sky.
“God please take care of this girl. Be with her and protect her. She means so much to me and I love her. And God if its your will have us meet again sometime somehow.”
I couldn’t say anything because I was crying uncontrollably. I didn’t want to let him go. I was hanging on to him. Finally he told me that he needed to leave. He took of his life guard shirt and gave it to me. He took his baseball hat and put it on my head-which was way too big for me. The last thing he told me was something along the lines of: Don’t be afraid to do what you want.
As I was walking toward my tent crying so much Sherry the husky and Acha my dog came running to greet me.
“He’s gone girls. He’s gone.” I said while gripping and crying into their fur.
The last time I saw Shafik was when he dropped me off at Gan Habait and said goodbye to me. The entire day we were anticipating having to leave each other. He told me he was going to cry. And I told him he would be alright. I was thinking I wouldn’t cry at all. But I was very wrong. When he was driving to Gan Habait he held my hand so tight. He parked and we both stepped out of the car. I started to cry soooo much. My heart hurt so badly. He held me in his arms and told me to stop crying.
“How can I stop when I’m loosing my best friend and big love?”
He asked me if we could do something together before he left. He wanted to pray with me. One of the first things he told me was that his family was Arabic Christian, however he was not very faithful. I was so astonished I agreed with a nod. He then took my hands in his and looked up at the sky.
“God please take care of this girl. Be with her and protect her. She means so much to me and I love her. And God if its your will have us meet again sometime somehow.”
I couldn’t say anything because I was crying uncontrollably. I didn’t want to let him go. I was hanging on to him. Finally he told me that he needed to leave. He took of his life guard shirt and gave it to me. He took his baseball hat and put it on my head-which was way too big for me. The last thing he told me was something along the lines of: Don’t be afraid to do what you want.
As I was walking toward my tent crying so much Sherry the husky and Acha my dog came running to greet me.
“He’s gone girls. He’s gone.” I said while gripping and crying into their fur.
Later that afternoon I said by to Naomi and Ellie and Carolin and I went to catch the bus to Tel Aviv where we would spend the night before my plane ride early morning the next day. Leaving Gan Habait was surreal. I couldn’t imagine my life changing again. And changing without having my new friends by my side.
Carolin and I got into the smallest bus I have ever been in just enough for 10 passengers. She and I sat in the back and listened to the radio station that the driver had chose. I was so lucky to have her by my side for the last leg of my journey. Carolin is someone who I want to travel with later in life. She is such a joy.
The next day I said goodbye to her and I went to the airport. Again they had so many questions for me. What did I do in my time in Israel? Who was I with? Etc. How could I answer these questions when I did literally everything in just 3 short weeks.
After waiting in the longest line they checked my bags and then let me get to my gate. As I was sitting at my gate a woman approached me and asked if she could ask me about my time in Israel. She was doing a report for a travel company. I told her everything. Well as much as I could before we started boarding. She was very greatful and happy that I had such an amazing time
Carolin and I got into the smallest bus I have ever been in just enough for 10 passengers. She and I sat in the back and listened to the radio station that the driver had chose. I was so lucky to have her by my side for the last leg of my journey. Carolin is someone who I want to travel with later in life. She is such a joy.
The next day I said goodbye to her and I went to the airport. Again they had so many questions for me. What did I do in my time in Israel? Who was I with? Etc. How could I answer these questions when I did literally everything in just 3 short weeks.
After waiting in the longest line they checked my bags and then let me get to my gate. As I was sitting at my gate a woman approached me and asked if she could ask me about my time in Israel. She was doing a report for a travel company. I told her everything. Well as much as I could before we started boarding. She was very greatful and happy that I had such an amazing time
I want to go back to Israel. Maybe even start a life there. I know that it might not be the safest place to be, but I have a deep and profound love and connections to everything that there is there. I also know that many people have their own opinions about who should be the rightful people or live there, however I would like you to keep in mind after reading my story that you first cannot make decisions based on a place you have never been to, second meeting the people and seeing how they live there, and third understand the TRUE history behind Israel. Israel is a very important country in our world.
I want to go back to Israel. Maybe even start a life there. I know that it might not be the safest place to be, but I have a deep and profound love and connections to everything that there is there. I also know that many people have their own opinions about who should be the rightful people or live there, however I would like you to keep in mind after reading my story that you first cannot make decisions based on a place you have never been to, second meeting the people and seeing how they live there, and third understand the TRUE history behind Israel. Israel is a very important country in our world.