Saying Goodbye to my Childhood for now and Commune Magic Fun Time

On Monday I spent the day with my uncle and his Norweigan friends again (the same Norweigan friends we went into the desert with).  We basically roamed Yafo for the entire day.  Because it was Easter (I COMPLETELY forgot), there were all these parades and festivals going on.  I would say that most of the Arabs that are living in Yafo are Christian.  There are all these small religious Arab Christian schools all over the country, and so youth groups from these schools came together to Yafo to march and play music.  Weirdest thing ever?  Seeing a bunch of young Arab kids wearing kilts and playing the bagpipes (these kids are from the Scottish Christian school).

On Tuesday I spent the day in Pardes Hana.  This was going to be my last time seeing the town I lived in as a child before I return to the states.  Most of my time was with the Berensteins (that enormous family that all babysat me and is still living in Pardes Hana).  David, the only son in the family, had just gotten back from an eight-month long trip in Central and South America with his friend, Baruch.  It's very typical for Israelis to go to South America for a year or so traveling after they get released from the army, which is exactly what David and Baruch did.  Just when David got back, he started getting harassed by the army to enlist in reserve duty.  Apparently that had been a source of great stress in the entire family.  David is the only one who actually did the army (my mother calls their family the Draft Dodgers), and when he did enlist, everyone was shocked/disappointed.  David finally decided that he wasn't going to do the reserve forces, that he was going to try to get out of it somehow.  His sisters are all very proud of him.  I ended up interviewing Ayelet, Miriam, David, and Baruch about the conflict.  I have to say it was my favorite interview so far.  Maybe it's because I know them really well and I love their group dynamic, but I felt like they weren't holding back and were saying very flatly realistic things.  I'd already interviewed people who were sticking with the opposition no matter what happens, and people who are sticking with Israel no matter what happens, but the Berensteins were the first people that I interviewed that had a basic attitude of, "Screw it, we're out of here."  I don't think they'll ever actually leave, but nevertheless their interview was as funny as it was interesting.  Everyone made really great points.

I saw one of my mother's other friends who has known me for years and years that day, and then on Wednesday, my mom's friend Shulamit and I finished our banking stuff for the final time.  We were quiet as she drove me to the train station.  I don't feel sad or anything, and maybe that's because I haven't quite figured out how I feel about the whole 'home' situation, but I do know that years from now I can come back to Pardes Hana and still have the same feelings.  Maybe I'm jinxing it, but I can't imagine Pardes Hana without eucalyptus trees, hippies (ha), or the Berensteins.  I know eventually and probably people will move around, but the same feelings will always exist when I go back - that will never change.

On Tuesday night, I was online and put up a status on Facebook that I was going to be home next week.  Mahmoud, one of the commune guys, read it and then promptly organized a 'party' at the commune for me.  The adorable thing was he didn't exactly let any of the other commune guys know, so when I showed up at the offices yesterday afternoon, everyone gave me a big hug and a smile, but had NO idea what I was talking about when I mentioned a party.  No one seemed to have an issue with it, but Mahmoud did not seem to think it important to let anyone else know.

The commune kids and other members of Sadaka-Reut were meeting with this Anti-Fascist group from Cologne, Germany.  I wasn't at the meeting (I was writing my second article about racism in Israel), but I did go to dinner with everyone after.  The Germans were really cool and really interested in Sadaka.  They're doing a tour of the middle east to learn more about fascism.  I think the fact that they chose to visit Israel should say something.  We had dinner with them in the same Bulgarian restaurant that I had lunch with the commune kids when I first met them.  I only realized then how happy I am that I am friends with them.

The soccer game between Madrid and Barcelona was that night, and Samer went over to my mentor Hana's house to watch it, while Ro'ee, Mahmoud, and Yotam and I stayed in the commune to watch it.  We lost interest very quickly and instead put on Inglorious Basterds.  Eventually we got bored with that as well (I know, impossible), and when Samer came back, we played a rousing round of hide-and-seek in the dark.  This was just a recipe for disaster what with my drowsiness and giddiness, and I ended up slamming my foot up against something as I tried to beat Ro'ee to our base.  Foot injuries seem to be abundant lately.  The best thing is that it was the SAME FOOT AS LAST TIME.  I woke up this morning and my foot was so swollen and sore it was hard to walk on it.

I really regret not pushing to live in the commune more.  I think the combination of my not really knowing the boys very well as well as (I'm being completely honest here) the messiness kind of turned me off of it.  Now, I feel very comfortable around all of them, and I guess they must have grown tired of stewing in their own filth (ha), because when we got to the apartment after dinner last night IT WAS CLEAN!!!  WOOOOOOOOOOO!  I was so proud of them.

I'm going to spend a couple nights there next week before I leave.  Apparently, the five of us plus Diran are supposed to go to Nazareth on Saturday, which should be AWESOME.  The details still need to be ironed out.  In general I just wish I could spend more time with them.  I'm glad I'm going home just on the I-miss-everyone-there level, but I do want the chance to spend more time and get even closer to these guys.  They're all goofballs.

Everything's wrapping up, and this weekend I'll be seeing my people in Moda'in and Kfar Saba for the last time before I leave.  At the same time, I'm working on the collection of interviews I have as well as the articles for Sadaka.  I think I'm going to end up finishing them in Columbus, but it's looking really awesome.  I'm very excited to be able to hand out copies of both to people in Columbus and send them to Sadaka and everyone I interviewed.  It will be a very tangible and physical way of validating my time here, even though I know I don't need a paper to do that.