Israel diary
"I flew to Israel Tuesday 19 June 2001 having left
work the previous Friday. I intended to work on a kibbutz
for three months, returning to the UK 27 August. I would be
home for ten days before flying off again to start the rest
of my round-the-world trip. The plan was initially to try
not to spend all the money that I'd spent the last couple
of years saving up and hence the idea to go and work on a
kibbutz for three months. Things didn't quite go according
to plan..." Comments added 16/09/2002
List of diary entries:
and other pages of interest:
Image list
Israel Diary
Arriving in Tel Aviv
If I have to sum this place up with one word, then I'd have
to choose, "hot". It was 15C when I left Heathrow Tuesday
morning (thanks for the lift Dave!) and 30C when I arrived
in Tel Aviv 4 1/2 hours later! Another word to describe the
people would be "friendly" - but I'll reserve that one especially
for the family (more of them later), but everyone has been
extremely helpful to me whilst I've been here - well apart
from the individual who, after we had spent a long time trying
to communicate, and finally we had worked out that, "yes,
I want the bus to Petah Tikva" and we were getting close to
"was this the place to get it?", interrupted our conversation
by him leaping onto a minibus that had stopped for a second
in the middle of the street. Now this might not have been
a problem, but I then worked out that it was the bus that
I needed as well - tosser. On the other hand though, he was
Russian anyway so perhaps he shouldn't count.
There are a lot of Russians in Tel Aviv. The signs read in
a confusing Pollack-esque of Ivrit (Hebrew), Arabic, Russian,
English and bizarrely also in French. I've no idea what the
Arabic or Ivrit signs say, but the French ones make no sense
either! Signs like "Le petite Jarden" grace the frontage of
a clothes shop!? But now a word from our sponsor...
This section has kindly been brought to you by MEGA-GLU-FLEX
Glue makers to the stars...
(I'm told that it's for arthritis - but it is a real name
for a real product)
I heard this advert about a dozen times a day for the
whole time that I was in Tel Aviv.
Miriam, Danny, Yael and the rest of the family should be
stuffed. I mean that in the nicest possible way. They are
possibly the most friendly, lovely people in the world. I
was picked up from the airport, taken into Miriam's home,
fed and watered. I've been taken around the country on various
trips, to Matalan, to Nazerath, Har Maggedon (or Armaggedon
as we know it - the final battle ground where good will triumph
over evil...). Great food has accompanied us at every turn
of the trips, pastries, cakes,quiches and all sorts of dishes
and delicious delicacies appear as if by magic!
This wonderful family are members of an organisation called
'Servas'. It was set up
shortly after the 2nd World War to try and avoid such things
happening again in the future. The idea is to spread peace
and understanding through the world. This idea is nothing
new and admirable. The way that it is done is so simple that
it might just work. What happens is that you can go and stay
with people in the country that you're visiting for two days.
You do what they do, live where they live and see what they
see. In this way you get to meet people who live in the place
that you've come to visit rather than staying in a hostel
or hotel meeting other tourists from countries all over the
world - except from the one that you're in. You get to see
how the people live, to participate in their lives and hopefully
to get an insight into the way that their culture works and
therefore an appreciation of why they live the way that they
do. This next bit's the important bit. Having subconsciously
gained all of this priceless information you are then much
less likely to countenance aggressive action against your
new friends and the country that they represent.
I apologise if all of this is a little bit scatty and disjointed,
I'm still trying to get used to the heat, "don't bother",
the lady at the Kibbutz office said, "I've been here many
years and I'm still not used to the heat". Great, I've got
only another few days to try and aclimatise
before I have to start working in it! I'm going to a kibbutz
called Ashdot Ya'akov Meuchad which is on the southern most
tip of Lake Kinneret (not the Sea of Galilee as it was pointed
out to me - two names, same place as far as I could work it!)
Between now (Thursday) and Sunday when I leave, there is
a family birthday party that I've been invited to ( I'll try
and get some pictures loaded up), and parents, you'll be glad
to hear that I'll be observing Shabbat (well, a party on the
beach is almost the same isn't it?!)
The next installment (when
I've written it!) |
|