http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Leahpi/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Leahpi en-us Mon, 04 Jan 2010 08:06:58 +0000 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 08:06:58 +0000 Well finally after a several month hiatus from blogging while I was back home in the States I have returned to Israel and to my blog. Its hard to believe but I've already been in Israel a month. Part of me feels like I just got here and part of me feels like I've been here for such a long time already. The last few weeks have been spent settling in and taking care of lots of beaurocratic st http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-218764.html Well. I am officially back home in the US. But before I talk about that let me sum up my last week in Israel.Last weekend after my cousin Lisa left me I went to my cousins for Shabbat and then Saturday night I went back to my friends's house where I had been staying for a few weeks. I spent Sunday with my friend Abigail walking around town and just hanging out and said goodbye to all my fr http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Virginia/Fairfax/blog-146103.html Well the beginning of March was Purim. Purim is a big party. It is similar to Halloween in that everyone dresses up in crazy costumes and there are parties but that is where the similarities end. Purim is actually a religious holiday. Traditionally you go to synagogue to hear the reading of the ldquoMegillahrdquo the scroll telling the story of Purim the defeat of our enemy Haman and http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/blog-143711.html Well its finally come to the end. My 6 month internship program is officially over. I canrsquot believe it I really canrsquot. As usual 6 months has gone so fast. For the last week of our program we had a 4 day trip to the north. It was full of emotions especially me only days after my cousin passed away and just the overwhelming situation of the program ending and friends leaving. But http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/North-District/Mount-Carmen/blog-137926.html So my internship is over. Goodbye to Branco Weiss the name of the organization. It was a bumpy ride but not without its positive moments and people. So I wanted to tell you guys about some of the special teachers and students I met while working in these schools in Israel. Yasu is a thirtysomething man. He came to Israel from Ethiopia part of the lost tribes of Israel. In the 1980s the Isr http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-135675.html Hey Folks... so I know I have been MIA lately and well theres lots of reasons for that. But I have a few entries to add now so it should catch you up on most things. I meant to write this weeks ago but February passed with a blink of an eye. In the beginning of February was the holiday of Tu Bersquoshevat. This is the holiday of trees and in general the beginning of spring. Kind of like t http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-135673.html Part 2... Day 3 Today we drove to Zfat in the Galilee. Zfat is one of the holiest cities in Judaism after Jerusalem and Hebron. It is a beautiful little town on the top of a mountain and is home to the Jewish mystics of Kabbalah. It also happens to be my most favorite place in all of Israel. You can just feel these special spiritual mystical powers flowing all around you. As a very religio http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/North-District/Safed/blog-140216.html So I have been sick. It has been most unfortunate especially at the end of my program. Thankfully I am FINALLY starting to get better thank you antibiotics. So with all this free time of lying in bed although most of it I was too lethargic to be able to do anything I've had lots of time to think about lots of random junk and I thought hey its time for some anecdotes and political comm http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-127939.html Hello All Its just another day here in Israel. It rained. Actually it poured. While the sun was shining. And last night I think it hailed. Ok this is totally NOT typical in Israel. Rain is very rare although this is certainly the season. But sun storms and hail Just give me snow alreadyLuckily the entire last week that my mom was here we had perfect weather. It was relatively warm it was http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/blog-121262.html Happy New Year This is my official new years greeting to all my readers even though its already a week past. Here in Israel the holiday is mysteriously called Sylvester... but I'll get to that in a few minutes. So I last left off on my return from my trip to Eilat and the Negev and Chanukah. That week I returned to work my teaching English to the troubled kids. While the situation has gott http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-117480.html Hello Happy belated Chanukah And Merry Christmas tonight I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season. I had a great Chanukah here in Israel. The first night also happened to be Shabbat so me my roommate Vanessa and our friend Yonatan made shabbat dinner together. I made latkes for Chanukah and chicken. Ok well I cooked and they helped hehe. I am the cook of the group and I e http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/South-District/blog-113405.html Hello This entry's theme is as noted in the title. I was at 3 different seminarprograms in one week all of which happened to be in Israel and the main seminar involved security and spending so much time in Jerusalem gave me a sickness aka. a cold hehe. So lets see a week or two ago I keep losing track my group had a 3 day program in Jerusalem. We all went down on Thursday to see an Israe http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-110167.html hello everyone I hope you al had a fabulous thanksgiving As I mentioned in my short email last week I just cooked a thanksgiving style dinner for me and one of my roommates. One of my french roommates to be exact. hehe. It was strange to be away for the holiday. I realized that I've been away from home for every other major holiday both Jewish and American before but never thanksgiving. So i http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-106726.html Hello All Another lovely entry from my life in Tel Aviv. I continue to love this city. I always said that I never wanted to live near the beach because the beach was like a paradise for me and I didn't want it to lose that special feeling. And I love living in the city and I didn't want to give up the city life for the beach. I guess I never realized you can have both at the same time. Tel Av http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-104106.html Hello I would like to welcome all those who I just recently added as subscribers to my blog thats most of you although I hope more than 7 people were reading my blog before even if you weren't subscribed. Well Tel Aviv is still awesome. The weather has finally started to change. Who knew that it wasn't always 90 degress and sunny out So its the beginning of winter in Israel which is bas http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-100891.html Hi I'm writing to you from my new apartment in Tel Aviv We moved in a week ago and I have to say that the apartment is great. It is in the absolute center of Tel Aviv 5 minutes to the beach the main shopping areas all the buses and plenty of cafes restaurants bars and grocery stores all within short walking distances. The kitchen and living room were just restored so all the kitchen is b http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Haifa-District/Haifa/blog-97389.html Hello All Here's another blog as promised. Right now I'm in Jerusalem for shabbat staying with a couple friends from my program. We've had a very very quiet and relaxing shabbat seeing as there isn't much to do around here once shabbat starts stores close down and all. We made ourselves a nice little dinner and have just been relaxing the whole time. Its also the holiday of Simchat Torah tod http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Jerusalem-District/Jerusalem/blog-95249.html Hello everyone I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to write on here in a while so now I'm going to write a really long entry to make up for it haha. Ok so when I last left you I had just spent my first week at Ulpan. The whole time in Ulpan in Netanya was a lot of fun. Kinda like the beginning of college just because you're living with so many people your age and just hanging out and having fu http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Center-District/Netanya/blog-94646.html hey folks this is just a short bulliten to let you know that yes im still alive and well. i have so much to write about but i haven't had any time things have been quite busy and without a constant internet access. i'm going on a trip for 2 days to the south with my group and then i promise to finally write a very long blog to catch everyone up and everrything that i have been doing. talk to http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Tel-Aviv-District/Tel-Aviv/blog-93858.html Shalom Last sunday we arrived at ulpan intensive hebrew class. Ulpan classes are 5 days a week for 5 hours a day in class and then we have homework. It is very exhausting and takes a lot of concentration. But I am learning which is really the point so its good. I am in a higher level than most of the people in my group because of my hebrew ulpan last summer and since i've been here for 2 m http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Center-District/Netanya/blog-89135.html