Sorry that I dont write full blog entries anymore - I just havent found the time. i am quite busy these days, but it is Good busy - I'm happy about it.
So this next entry is actually a facebook message I sent a few of my friends yesterday. Although it does not talk about my India trip itself, it speaks of what India taught me at the end of the day. It tells a little about what I have mentally gained from some recent awakenings. So just remember I was writing this to my friends:
April 30, 2008
I’m back in Israel from spring break. I was in Jordan with my mama. It was really nice returning to Israel - I just felt a sigh of relief returning to a country that I don’t technically call home, but I feel like its mine. I don’t have to remain the stupid American who only speaks English and doesn’t understand the language of the country. In Israel I can speak broken Hebrew and I know the life style and how things go here. It’s just so weird that I wont be here in like 5 weeks. wow, 5 weeks I cant believe it.
Now that I have settled back into my life here after my trip to India I have really thought about some things. over spring break i realized how much i have. India really made me realize that I have way too much STUFF. my mom told me she wanted to buy me a nice bracelet in Jordan and I was just like "no, I don’t need it."
I hope the word need is going to make many appearances in my life in the upcoming months. i would love for you guys to analyze what you have as well – what you want verses what you need. i know that you havent been to India and seen the poverty over there, and its impossible to imagine, but its there ad I’m telling you about it.
I am going to organize a clothing drive before I leave my program. I want to send clothes that we find unflattering or "out of style" to people who cant choose what they wear every day. To people who wear ripped dirty clothing daily and have no shoes. I am specifically talking about a community i met in Uganda so i hope to send the clothes to them, but there are communities all around the world that are in need. I would highly suggest that you guys try to do the same thing at your schools. I dont know what college campuses are like, but i assume you could make flyers or a facebook event and get friends to help. online you can find addresses of needy communities.
On the subject of not buying so much stuff that we don’t need - next time you go shopping don’t go to any new clothing stores. try to stick to used clothing-second hand-vintage. This helps the world go round, AKA REUSE REDUCE RECYCLE. the production of clothing is horrible for the environment, so trade shirts with friends instead of buying new ones.
could i BE more of an indoctrinator? haha i love you girls.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
South Africa
Here is a little something I wrote after my trip to South Africa. This hardly covers the whole of my trip, but it's a start. I didnt even talk about the Black Jewish community with whom we spent Shabbat.
March 6, 2008
South Africa.
I don’t know what my Year Course experience would be like without Olami. The trips that Olami has taken me on have been phenomenal. I had an absolutely amazing time in South Africa. My trip was well balanced between Judaic studies, touristy sights, and educational activities. I learned so much without even realizing it.
One highlight for me was going to an orphanage. The Israeli embassy of South Africa decided to adopt an orphanage and we went to visit. I expected the kids to be reserved and held back because of hard pasts with being abandoned or something. I was so wrong – the kids immediately played games with us, showed us their beds, and modeled for the camera. A few girls asked me when I was coming back and it was so hard for me to tell them that I would only be there for one day. They spoke English and could understand about five different languages. South Africa has 11 national languages and 63 known other languages.
I learned a lot about the apartheid. It’s absolutely mind blowing that I was alive during the apartheid and never even learned about it. Like it’s one thing that segregation was legal in the US and then it was outlawed before I was born and it’s a whole nother thing that integration was IL-legal! Goodness me.
I stayed with a White, Jewish host family for one night. The different opinions about race were present between the father and the two girls – ages 16 and 17. Their family had a black housemaid who lived in their house. She wore a long blue dress with a collar, the typical southern maid uniform. The father treated her like a slave almost. He told her to come into the living room. She responded, “yes master.” Then he demanded her to dance. He wanted us to be able to see traditional South African dancing. This poor old woman was like 60 years old and not so fit. She told him she couldn’t, not on her old feet. My friend Sophie was with me. We went with the very sweet mother to pick up one of the girls form dance class. I loved this. Not only did I get to see a very good hip hop class, but I feel like I witnessed change. The class included Indian, Black, and White kids. None of them saw color when looking at each other – they joked around and danced together in harmony. This shows that when the next generation in South Africa takes over political offices all will be right. Also, once the older people are not there to indoctrinate their racist opinions on the youth, racism will hopefully be forgotten.
March 6, 2008
South Africa.
I don’t know what my Year Course experience would be like without Olami. The trips that Olami has taken me on have been phenomenal. I had an absolutely amazing time in South Africa. My trip was well balanced between Judaic studies, touristy sights, and educational activities. I learned so much without even realizing it.
One highlight for me was going to an orphanage. The Israeli embassy of South Africa decided to adopt an orphanage and we went to visit. I expected the kids to be reserved and held back because of hard pasts with being abandoned or something. I was so wrong – the kids immediately played games with us, showed us their beds, and modeled for the camera. A few girls asked me when I was coming back and it was so hard for me to tell them that I would only be there for one day. They spoke English and could understand about five different languages. South Africa has 11 national languages and 63 known other languages.
I learned a lot about the apartheid. It’s absolutely mind blowing that I was alive during the apartheid and never even learned about it. Like it’s one thing that segregation was legal in the US and then it was outlawed before I was born and it’s a whole nother thing that integration was IL-legal! Goodness me.
I stayed with a White, Jewish host family for one night. The different opinions about race were present between the father and the two girls – ages 16 and 17. Their family had a black housemaid who lived in their house. She wore a long blue dress with a collar, the typical southern maid uniform. The father treated her like a slave almost. He told her to come into the living room. She responded, “yes master.” Then he demanded her to dance. He wanted us to be able to see traditional South African dancing. This poor old woman was like 60 years old and not so fit. She told him she couldn’t, not on her old feet. My friend Sophie was with me. We went with the very sweet mother to pick up one of the girls form dance class. I loved this. Not only did I get to see a very good hip hop class, but I feel like I witnessed change. The class included Indian, Black, and White kids. None of them saw color when looking at each other – they joked around and danced together in harmony. This shows that when the next generation in South Africa takes over political offices all will be right. Also, once the older people are not there to indoctrinate their racist opinions on the youth, racism will hopefully be forgotten.
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