home. safe and sound.

Wow. So I'm officially the worst blogger ever. I just kind of figured no one was really reading this (except the mom) so I put it on the back burner. Things got way busy in Israel and I definitely just stopped posting. Probably not the best thing to take a back seat because this is something I really do enjoy doing and would like to continue while I start my new "professional" life as well.

So anyways, my last month in northern Israel was absolutely amazing. It was filled with both happy and sad emotions that were coming from every direction possible. I was looking forward to coming home and seeing my mom and friends but at the same time I couldn't even bare to think about leaving the amazing people I had spent the past 5 months with. Also, the students and teachers at Ofek High School are incredible and I would have loved to stay and hang out with them for as long as possible.

All in all, a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget. I couldn't, even if I tried. I did amazing work with friends that I know will continue to be in my life. Being home right now has been difficult to say the least. We all know I love my crazy mother but her and I are already at each other's necks just for being ourselves. I'm ready to find a job and move on out and start making money! Trust me, I literally have nothing in my bank account at the moment and that is definitely not a good feeling.

So to end this exciting and (mostly) true saga (at least the Israel part) here are a few fun pictures from the last month of this crazy adventure...

Some of our 9th graders came to Yehiam to hang with us on our last Sunday in the country. We had so much having lunch and exploring the castle together. I will definitely miss these kids...

Arron and I were Harry Potter and Hermione for Purim. Purim is pretty much a big deal for Israeli's and was way fun. We went to a Purim party that the high school had this night and also attended one at the pub on the kibbutz.

My host mom and dad dressed as "Americans" for the pub Purim party on the Kibbutz. I was a pirate...I didn't feel like dressing as Hermione again.

Me, Jackie, Talia, Emily and Arron with one of our very sexy coordinators (center) Yariv. He made a very sexy lady for sure...

Veronika and me having the best time ever at the high school's Purim Carnival. I totally won this round too...

Me and two of my 10th grade girls! Hodaya and Shelly were amazing and organized a little party for me and the other Americans that were in this class on our last day at the school. They even made us cake!

Our entire group and Ulpan teacher Dalia at her house. Instead of having our last night of Ulpan classes, Dalia invited us over to her house where she made us dinner. It was so sweet of her and we had such a nice time.

The English teachers at Ofek threw us a little going away party and they even gave us these awesome Ofek HS English Department t-shirts. So this is our group at the high school with the teachers as well. They will be missed dearly.

My host mom and host sisters outside their home on a sunny day that they invited me over for lunch! They are also holding the stuffed animals that my mom sent me to give to them! So cute! I'm going to miss them so much....

We went on a group trip to the Golan Heights at the end of February and this is Jon, me, Emily, Talia and Veronika posing in the middle of the sweaty hike. It was absolutely beautiful.

I guess that ends this. I hope all is well with everyone. I'm home in one piece and ready to take on the job market now. That in itself will be a whole separate adventure for sure.

Love,

Sara/שרה

happy february!

shalom.

Wow. I really suck at this whole keeping up with the blog thing. I seem to always put it off and then I forget what I did and that just creates a whole big mess.

But anyways, we're coming down the end of the program. And to be completely honest, I am getting so pumped to head back home to the States. I am so excited to get back to Ohio and start figuring out my life from now on. (I also really miss the snow.)

We went on a really fun trip a week and a half ago to Jerusalem for the Jewish holiday of Tu'Bish Vat. This holiday is known as the festival of trees and it is celebrated by eating lots of fruit/nuts and we were also lucky enough to be able to plant trees in Jerusalem. It was a day trip in which we were given a great tour of the city, which included the Kotel and all the major things to see while there. I actually ended up staying the night with my cousin Freyda who has an apartment right in the city. It was so much fun and she showed me a great time. I'm literally so thrilled to have been able to meet her and have family here in Israel! Now she just has to come visit me in the States...

My cousin Freyda and me!

A crazy beautiful building in the old city.

Emily and me planting our tree in Jerusalem on Tu'Bish Vat.

Our whole group. Awwww.

I also had quite a nice day yesterday when my host family stopped by and invited me out to lunch with them. It was a great way to get off the kibbutz and of course, the food at the restaurant was quite delicious. The day did end kind of weird though when I electrocuted myself. That was fun, but thankfully I am still alive and well. :)

All for now. I'll be home soon...

rain.

Hello all. :)

All is well with me. The weather in Israel has gone down hill. This involves a ton of rain for the next few days which just ends up becoming a disgusting mess. Yucky.

I got to go on a really fun adventure the other day with the Partnership 2000 that I have been lucky enough to be a part of since I've been here. This time it was special because a group of people from the Jewish community in Youngstown were present along with the mayor of Youngstown and his wife and also some other important people from home. I attended a meeting with the mayor of the nearby city of Acco in which the key to Youngstown was given to the mayor. It was all very cool and exciting. We also toured around the city and had quite an exciting day.

My favorite stop was probably the Strauss Company factory. Here, they make many of the great dairy products that are found here in Israel. (My favorite would be their puddings called Milki.) We were given a tour around the factory and we had to wear hair nets and white lab-like coats. It was quite interesting to see the processes the products go through in order to get on the grocery store shelves. My favorite part was the taste-testing room at the end of the tour. :)

This is the Strauss Co. logo. They are actually opening a plant up

in Richmond, VA in order to reach the American market more thoroughly. Their main presence in the States now is their hummus, Sabra (below), which I'm sure you've seen in the grocery store.

So that was definitely a fun adventure and it also included a trip to a local college and a delicious dinner to top everything off. I'm really very thankful for the Partnership to include me in all these fun trips because I'm getting to see many things that I would not be able to if I went on my own.

Oh in other news...I got my camera fixed! I'm so excited so I took some random pictures today at school. They aren't all that great but I'll post them anyways. Enjoy...

Alex, Veronika, and Mike enjoying the delicious/cheap sandwiches at the school cafe. Alex didn't want this taken and that's why her face is hidden. haha

Veronika drawing for a student in the 7th grade. If the students do their work, she rewards them with a drawing.

And of course, you know me and my love of small dogs! This one wandered into the 7th grade and I went crazy. You can obviously tell from my facial expression that I'm in love.

All for now. I hope all is well in the States and I miss everyone tons and tons.

let the new year begin...

hello! I hope everyone has had a good first week of 2010. I think I have, all the weeks here are really starting to run together at this point. I'm loving it still, but I'm definitely more than excited that the end date is slowly but surely approaching.

Yesterday, instead of volunteering, a few of us chose to go on a day trip to places around the North. Honestly though, I'm not even really sure all the places we went and were lectured on but it was a nice break from volunteering. For some odd reason, I was so tired and was basically a walking zombie the whole day. It was fun, but I definitely crawled into bed at about 7:30 last night with every intention of getting up and going to the pub later but instead, woke up at about 9:15 this morning. I feel like a new person so I guess I really needed that. It was quite the epic nap.

Also, I was very stupid last week when I managed to drop my camera (last year's birthday gift) and break the lens. So I now have to steal pictures from friends. Major bummer.

Jackie, me, a girl from another group that was along for the day, and Emily on a train at one of the stops on the day trip.

A beautiful view from a short hike we took.

While on a watch tower looking at some beautiful views of Israel and its borders, a group of Israeli soldiers came by below us. We had a fun time watching them to say the least...

We also visited the site of an ancient Roman city that was built over 2,000 years ago. It was an absolutely beautiful day to be outside and walking around. It was probably close to 75 degrees. The ruins were spectacular and quite the site to behold.

So on a different note, I have started to make a few decisions about what's going to happen when I return to the States in under 2 months. I have decided on Pittsburgh (get excited Phil and Deb!) because I have a few friends there and it is close to home. It is also far enough away that I feel like I'm going somewhere different because I barely know the city at all. This is very exciting for me actually. Now, I am working on the job search. Grad school is still in the cards but I think I'm going to wait awhile until that actually happens.

That will do it for now.

Much love,

Sara

2010!

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! It is officially a new decade and I know it'll be a good one. Also, I have been here now for a little over 3 months, which is literally insane. Time sure knows how to fly by when you don't pay close attention to it.

The same as usualy has been happening lately. Still going to volunteer at the high school and I'm still really loving it. Last weekend was interesting actually. I traveled to Rechasim to visit the Branse's. They are cousins from my mother's side of the family and the father and mother moved to Israel many years ago where they decided to become observant Jews and raise their family here. I had never met them before and the experience itself was very interesting for me. I have never been to a real observant Shabbot before. There are many rules that are followed which include not turning on or off lights or tearing toilet paper.

Overall, it was a great experience in which I was able to meet family and have an amazing learning opportunity as well. I really loved Freyda too, she is 21 and lives in Jerusalem but came home for the weekend for Shabbot.

The Branse's and me! (Definitely not the best picture of me...)

So the rest of the week was a good one and last night was a ton of fun celebrating the New Year with my fellow Americans and our Israeli friends at the Pub. We all got dolled up and just had a great time. Apparently, New Year's is not that big of a deal here because everyone celebrates Rosh Hashana - the Jewish new year in September.

Happy January and I will be home soon! I love it here but boy do I miss home. Expecially you mom! (I thought you might like that shout out.)

Love.