BREAK BREAK is finally here. I totally need this time just to relax and I can not wait. I am spending most my time in jlem because the family is coming down for shabbat chanukkah as well as CRS is coming on two different missions so that they said I should stay around. TX spent a couple days with me until her friend was done with BR and then they were going up to haifa and coming back to jlem after I would meet her friend sat night when they get back. I have heard so much about him and even partaken in some skype conversations but I just want to meet him in person finally. Shabbat Chanukkah was a lot of fun it was C,J,S,Z,K myself and grandma and grandpa in the tiny jerusalem apt ... read more

In Part One we had a seminar almost close to every other week. It came to a point where a lot of people just didnt want to take part in them. We had one on Slichot, Communites in the Negev, 1st Hebrew City (kotel, har habeit, and holy seplicar) as well as one on Israel politics and society. Some of them were one day, but a couple happen to be over night. The one of Slichot was kinda of pointless to me, since my family is pretty observant and I know what Slichot was, and we were walking around starting at three AM and happen to miss most of the Slichot services it just made a lot of people tierd and cranky rather than worth the eduacation part. Also going into RH I did not want ... read more

I just spent last night on the beach celebrating FLs bday in TA with the entire Otzma group. It was great to see every one and hear stories from Sukkot vacation. Some people when back to the states, greece, and some people just like me traveled around Israel to really get a feel for the country. We were all on a high from just getting back from vacation and no one wanted to go to a seminar but of course that is what Otzma has programed. TX and CO and I we all in a room in hyarkon hostel we all checked out and was ready to meet the group at Allozeroff bus station, we hear that the only sherut that goes there was the number 16 but we thought if another one will drop us ... read more

So I have had some terror stories with exchanges while I was in high school. I did an exchange freshman year, to Paris and the family had two children I remember the age of the children but not the names.. The daughter was 13 and the brother was 17. I was so excited because it was the first time in a long time that I have gone abroad. I walked into hell or at least it felt that way. The parents were getting a divorce, the daughter didnt really speak english (i guess that was the point) and the father spoke to me in hebrew; how ironic. This also took place while the war on terrorism broke out and the French were not the fondest people of America. The second story actually happened in Israel and ... read more