First Few Weeks...Long Overdue

Upon first arriving to Israel, I met the 35 other OTZMA participantsn Jerusalem and had a quick meeting before immediately heading to a beautiful overlook where we broke bread and had a glass of wine with our madrichim (staff) to welcome us to Israel.

After seeing the beautiful city we went to a Bedouin tent for the night where we road camels and had some delicious food! The next few days continued with hikes at Ein Gedi and in the south, along with going to the dead sea and getting to know each other. 

About a week into the program, we moved to our new home in Ashkelon. Ashkelon is a beautiful little town about 50 minutes south of Tel Aviv. Our home in Ashkelon is a Mercaz Klita (Absorption Center) called Beit Canada. I live with three other girls in a one bedroom apartment and while it may seem small to some, I love it. We have our own kitchen and everyone gets to live together in one building. And to top it off, we are only four blocks from the yam (beach). The beach is really nice and a great way to relax at the end of the day (if we have time). 

A little about my days... I have Ulpan (Hebrew Class) from 8:30-1:30 during the week and then volunteering in the afternoon. Since most of our individual volunteering opportunities haven't started yet, we have been doing quite a bit of group volunteering. We have volunteered a lot at the absorption center where we live. The absorption center is mainly filled with Ethiopian families who have recently immigrated with small children. The children are adorable and we have gotten the opportunity to throw parties and carnivals with them. They are really outgoing and super excited anytime we get to hang out with them.

In addition to volunteering at the absorption center, one day we helped deliver fresh fruits and vegetables to poorer families for Rosh Hashannah. We are also currently painting apartments around Ashkelon.

When we are not volunteering we have had some incredible guest lecturers who have talked about topics such as Israeli Arabs, Israeli Culture, Shlichot, Rosh Hashannah, and Volunteering Jewishly. The lectures to this point have been great and I'm really excited to see what is still to come. This weekend we are heading to Jerusalem for an educational weekend. I am really excited to be in Jerusalem during Yom Kippur as I have heard the city shuts down and that it is an incredible cite to see. Plus, we have some great lectures lined up for us and the overall experience should be inspiring. 

As for now, I must go study some Hebrew or my Ulpan teacher, Nana, will not be thrilled with me. These updates should start to come more frequently now that we are settled. 

Sending all my love home,

Jenn