Plans

Wednesday 13 - Sunday 17: Kfar Saba 
Monday 18 - Wednesday 20: Ashqelon
Thursday 21 - Friday 22: Jerusalem
Sunday 24: Jerusalem checkpoints?
Monday 25 - Tuesday 26: Pardes Hana
Thursday 28 - Saturday 30: Moda'in
Saturday 30 - Monday 2: Kfar Saba
Friday 6: Home

There it is.  My plan for the next three and a half weeks.  It's frightening.  Very frightening.  Suddenly I have very little time to do the nothing that I was so enjoying.  Remember how I needed to learn to do nothing?  Well, I've learned.  Quite well, in fact.

Tomorrow I will be working at Sadaka-Reut.  They're having a HUGE gathering of all of their youth groups - Israeli and Palestinian alike.  THIS is what I am here for, this is what I am excited about.  From there I am taking the train to Kfar Saba and spending my vacation with my friends (I have been promised a trip to the beach, which isn't particularly new - I was at the beach yesterday - but this will be different because it will be with friends).  I'll be back in Tel Aviv on Sunday night, but early the next morning I am taking a SHIRUT! to Ashqelon.  I would take the train, but my adopted grandmother person that I am seeing said she doesn't think trains are running there anymore because of some unfortunate missile situations that may or may not still be happening when I get there (shh, everything's fine).  So if I don't get to take the train, I can take a SHIRUT, which I am very excited about (hence the capital letters), as I have never taken one before.  SHIRUTs are basically just group taxis.  WOOO!

Anyway, Ashqelon is going to be lots of food for Passover.  I'm very excited.  This is the adopted grandmother person who is very happy with me if I just eat her food and watch TV.  I'm happy to comply.  After Ashqelon I'm coming back to Tel Aviv for a night, and then taking the bus to Jerusalem.  Here is where I'll be doing less nothing.  I'm staying with my Famous Uncle Last of the Mohicans Guy and interviewing him.  I'll stay with him for a night.  That Sunday there is a possibility I will be visiting a bunch of checkpoints around Jerusalem with this organization that goes and keeps track of what goes on there.  It's an organization of only women, as it is apparently easier for only women to go because of the stereotype that they're there as nurturing 'oh please don't hurt anyone' rather than there to collect information about a political situation.

My days in Pardes Hana will be spent finishing up the last of the banking stuff I needed to take care of as well as seeing everyone in my hometown one last time before I go.  After that is my last weekend in Israel, which I will spend with the Kagans in Moda'in again, and then from there I'll work in Kfar Saba one last time at the school teaching English.  After that...I'm...leaving...

HOW WEIRD IS THIS??  I can't even handle it.  I have SO LITTLE TIME LEFT.  HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?  I AM BOTH ANXIOUS TO LEAVE AND ANXIOUS TO STAY, WHAT ARE THESE CONTRADICTIONS WITHIN ME?