Israeli mind set, traveling, and a general question of what the fuck am I doing here?!

Third week has started and my second week blues are on the way out.  Homesickness is a funny thing.  I was convinced I wouldn't suffer from it before I left, even though I know myself to be nostalgic soul, and then I was frustrated when it finally hit me.  I suppose that's natural though.  Even without thinking about it, my tendencies have always been to flourish the first week away from home, running on adrenaline and new experiences, and then to have a mental break down during the second week, when the fears and doubts about being so far away from comfort finally creep into my psyche.  It's essentially the emotional ride of going from "WOW, I'm here!" to "wow, I'm HERE..."   There should be away to type emphasis to express exactly what the voice can convey.... sorry, side bar.

More and more, all of us are slowly becoming Israelis.  I think it's definitely an improvement, since Israelis all go by the stereotypes that Americans are shallow, stupid, and (as far as the girls go) incredibly easy.  Given the behavior of most of the girls on the program though, that last assumption might not be far off.  Our most authentic Israeli experience, by far, has been getting onto a bus.  Yes, something that simple can be that defining.  In America, you wait by the bus stop, and when the bus comes, you form an orderly line and enter the bus one by one.  In Israel, the concept of the "line" is a fairytale, and entering the bus one by one is just too comfortable for the average citizen.  Waiting at the bus station in Be'er Sheva, we were surrounded on all sides by screaming Israelis, all yelling in hebrew at a bus that wasn't even there yet, and scrambling over our bags to get a spot in the front.  Meanwhile, we were struggling to stick our heads out to find a tiny pocket of clean air to escape the masses of cigarette smoke (we failed).  Then, the bus arrived.  I have never seen so many people move in the same direction so fast.  We had been in the middle of the crowd before the bus came, and in the span of three seconds we were left behind in the dust and had to wait for the next bus to come.  This repeated twice more before a kind Israeli woman held the mass for us and let us through because we "poor americans were never going to get through on our own". Bless her.  

This week, there was a general strike in the southern developing cities (i.e. Arad, Dimona, etc). Underrepresentation in the Kinesset led the mayors and governors of these cities to declare a two-day strike in order to gain lacking government funding.  With the populations decreasing and the poverty increasing, many of these immigrant cities are turning to the Israeli government for help; they are not receiving much.  

Generally, as far as Year Course goes, things are going well.  It's incredibly hard at times, but I'm still glad I made the decision to come.  It's difficult to be a shy, self-conscious person in a world of strangers, but the danger is thrilling, and I can already feel myself coming further out of my shell.  This weekend is Rosh Hashanah, and I'm spending it up in Tel Aviv, the weekend after, I'm off to Eilat, and the weekend after that, I'm visiting Tel Arad.  I love traveling. 

All my love and more to everyone back home,

Rachel