In a way, I've dreaded writing this entry. Not because I was concerned I wouldn't have anything interesting to say or that there wasn't enough to include, but for the exact opposite reason. From the minute I arrived in Israel to the moment I left I was certainly kept busy.

One of the most common questions I get asked about my trip this year has been how Israel and Greece factored in to a trip that otherwise sweeps across the Southern Hemisphere. The answer really is something that goes back to the last time I was in Israel on Birthright. Birthright, while it was an overall incredible experience, flew by in a blur. From the moment we woke to the moment we went to sleep we were so busy, rushing through cities and sites so that I felt I hadn't even seen the country! I knew that I would one day want to come back, and this year seemed like a justifiable opportunity. That aside, there is the fact that its only 9 hours from South Africa versus 16 or so from Los Angeles (and more than likely cheaper). Greece ended up on the itinerary for the reason I mentioned in my last blog, to see and spend time with my sister. Again, it was much closer and cheaper to do from Israel than it would be from home.

After making new friends on Birthright and over the last several years, it turned out that more than a handful of people I knew could be found in Israel. So, there will places to go and people to see !

The day I arrived I went straight to Haifa where I was able to see my good friend and the ex-Hillel Israeli fellow, Guy. His girlfriend Lisa, who I also knew from Hillel in Davis was visiting from the states at the time. On Birthright we didn't go to Haifa so Guy gave me the official city tour, including the Bahá'í Gardens, we went out to eat, and spent time with Guy's super cool parents. The time there, though short, was very sweet.

After those few days however, I was already off to Ashdod to see Sagiv, another good friend of mine who was a soldier from my birthright trip that I kept in touch with. For the next 2 days I stayed with Sagiv and his family, one of those 2 days being his birthday. From a night out, I went straight to the airport for my 5 o'clock flight to Greece the next morning.

When I came back, I returned to Sagiv's house and ended up staying there almost every single night for the remainder of my trip. His mom speaks English quite well and cooked for us I believe every single night, and some delicious stuff included malawah, chicken liver (which kinda freaked me out), chicken schnitzel and other delivious things. Sagiv's dad doesn't speak much English and I don't speak much Hebrew, which made things really a lot of fun, I have to say. The random phrases he did know really made me laugh and included "toast," "natural sugar" and "thank you very much." On the weekends, Sagiv's brother came back from the army and was also very cool to hang out. During my stay,Sagiv introduced me to many of his friends, schlepped my ass around, and really was on board with everything I wanted to do.

As I mentioned before, a handful of people I know have relocated to Israel recently and though I didn't get to get see everyone, it was great to see those who I did. On three separate times I saw a good friend Netta. Once when Sagiv and I met her for lunch at Dizengoff Center, a second time when out to Mike's Place in Tel Aviv (where I got to see several other friends from Davis) and a third time when we met up to have the greatest hummus of my life. (Anyone who finds his or herself in Israel anytime, you MUST go to Abu Hassan in Yaffo. Prepare yourself for a long wait, but trust me, those people in line aren't wrong).

One of my closest friends from UC Davis, Natalie, is another one of the people that I was able to see while I was in Israel. Even though she will be making aliyah in the upcoming, she was headed home for a bit and thus we had only one week of overlap to see each other. On the day that it finally worked out, I took the train back up to Haifa, where I was able to see Natalie, her sister, and Elad, another friend who was an Israeli shaliah in Sacramento who moved back to Israel. That day, Elad drove us all around the North of Israel and he was a great tour guide! I can't even remember all the places we went, but of what I can recall they include: Carmel Mountains, Sea of Galilee, Tiberius, an Artist Village in the Golan, Tzfat (where I had gone on Birthright), and some random spice store. Anyone going to Tzfat, which irritatingly has multiple spellings, Safed, Zefat, Zfat etc, must go eat at Laffa shel Rafi. After that meal I thought I'd never eat again, seriously. That night we even were able to bring our friend Guy out of his study shell for an hour and visit with him too.

Later on, and in two of my favorite days, Sagiv and I went to Jerusalem. I was particularly happy to be there because, as I mentioned about Birthright, we did everything quickly and were constantly obstructed by dozens of other Birthright groups. We spent one day walking through the Old City, visited the wall, walked through the central shuk, and visited another delicious restaurant that Natalie recommended called Hatzot. The next day we returned to Jerusalem, and visited Yad Vashem (The Holocaust museum). Last time, simply because so many people were there, I really didn't take any of the museum in, and told myself that I would one day return and do it at my own pace. We spent about 4 hours there in which I think I watched almost every video and read almost every sign. This time, I felt that I had the experience there that other people explained to me I would. It was really an incredibly well planned museum that doesn't just unravel the history of the Holocaust like a timeline, but rather takes you through the experience and shares the stories of those who lived through it. When we finally emerged from the museum, the weather had turn for the coldest, so we quickly went to the shuk again so that I could try an extremely strange looking drink called sahlab, which was both gelatinous and delicious, and we then headed home.

After a few complications, it was on my last day that Sagiv and I visited the Weitzmann Institute of Science. While I'm not completely sure of the details to the story behind it, many years ago my grandfather made a donation to the institute and as a result of that, there now exists the "Bunny B. Dorsey Laboratory for Brain Research". Being able to see that, and the laboratory and meet the researchers really was a great experience for me for several reasons. Firstly, my grandmother passed away when I was no older than 3 years old and my memory of her really exists through photos and stories mostly. And secondly, as far as I know, I don't have any family in Israel, so seeing my family name there really made me feel like that fact weren't the case. It was a really proud moment that I was glad the visit worked out in the end.

Leaving Israel was very bittersweet. The time flew by so quickly and while I was ready to come back to South Africa and continue to spend time with my family here, I felt that what I wanted to accomplish there was not yet fully realized (Don't worry Mom and Dad, I'm not packing my bags to move there). I want for my kids to grow up visiting Israel, to feel like it is there home away from home. In light of recent news with regards to the turmoil in the Middle East, especially with the things that Ahmadinejad has been saying, I have genuine concern for the long-term status of Israel. It saddens me that how the rest of the world watched and waited during World War II, that the same thing still happens today. While it is not my intention to spark a political debate, I wonder why Arab countries have millions of square miles of land, why they must seek to take what little we continuously must fight to protect as our own, a land that was both divinely and legally promised to us. More than that, it disheartens me my contemporaries remain apathetic about it.

Anyway, despite this being my blog, I seek not to push a political agenda, but rather to share my experiences and the things that have caused and continue to cause change and growth in myself.

I want to send a very big thank you to the Stekolshik for family for truly going above and beyond for me throughout my stay. I hope that one day I will be able to reciprocate the generosity they have shown to me.

Alright folks, I think I covered all the major things that happened while I was in Israel and want to thank you for continuing to read my blogs. I do really hope you still enjoy reading these. I really like when you are interactive with me, so leave a comment with questions, thoughts, and concerns!

P.S. I saw all the Star Wars movies for the first time. I'm not a sci-fi person by any means, but they were awesome.