Contiki European Experience (Part 2: Hopfgarten – Amsterdam)

As a continent, Europe never ceases to amaze. Regardless of where I was or what I was doing I always managed to experience something new, meet someone great or just generally enjoy myself, and the practical embodiment of this concept was felt no more than the second half of the Contiki tour of which I found myself a part. I pick up where I left off in my previous post titled Contiki European Experience Part One (go figure), following a wonderful time in Venice we headed for the Austrian Alps, Hopfgarten to be more specific, where I was to have what I consider the greatest day of my life to date. Picture this; waking up and following a spot of breakfast heading up the alps on a mountain bike before venturing to a beautiful lake which featured crisp waters as well as a submerged trampoline and inflatable iceberg, and then hailing a cab back up into the alps to go paragliding with a view of the entirety of Hopfgarten. As far as individual days go, it simply cannot be beaten, and I am certain that as long as I live I will hark back to that day in Austria where I did experienced things beyond my wildest dreams and enjoyed myself to a level I was unaware possible.

That night we partied in true Contiki style, with a soiree in the theme of tight, white and bright and true to form I donned my tightest pair of jeans and danced the night away surrounded by members of my Contiki family as well as some new faces. In the morning we headed off to Munich by way of Dachau Concentration Camp, a different experience for myself having previously only experienced holocaust related attractions in the company of fellow Jews. However, it was rather the museum and presentation of the camp itself which slightly upset me rather than the company. As I wandered the museum’s 15 rooms I felt conflicted as the historian in me called for a more detailed history which was better structured and less tedious whilst the Jew in me called for a less matter of fact tone and more sympathetic narration towards the victims of Nazi atrocities committed upon the ground on which I stood. I just couldn’t win. I put it to the back of my mind, thankful that Contiki actually cares enough to send its groups to such a historical site and encourages its participants to feel the meaning and acknowledge the suffering related to one of the worst episodes in human history.

Any who, Munich was all I expected it to be, a bike tour in the rain showcased the cities monuments and perks before a visit to the Hofbrauhaus, a traditional beer-hall, gave most what they came for, all the beer they could drink served litre by litre ice cold. A fairly drunk bus ride home made for a cool addition to the memory bank, before an early night was had by most as we prepared for the longish ride to Switzerland’s Lauterbrunnen nestled deep in the alps. We visited Luzern on the way through, and a Swiss army knife and watch emporium therein which sported some rather nice albeit exorbitantly expensive products. Eventually we arrived in the alps and were greeted with cottage-style rooms which were uh, cosy, yes that will do. That night featured a swiss themed party in which fun was had by all. In the morning much of the group headed up Europe’s highest accessible peak without climbing, Jungfrau via steam railway. Being somewhat short on funds in addition to my hangover I forgoed the honour in lieu of what I soon found out was roughly a 7km round trip walk to the ‘nearby’ waterfall system. It was nice, but then again my splitting headache wasn’t. Eventually I headed back to bed for four hours directly in the middle of the day. I emerged a new man and a quiet day and night followed.

In the morning we departed for Germany’s St Goar with a stopover in Heidelberg. St Goar is a city which houses literally one street of stores, albeit two or three of those stores aren’t too bad! With a roughly halfprice Birkenstock store the majority of the girls were satisfied and some of the boys… but who am I to judge! The beer stein store was also rather entertaining aside from its price tags. That night I wasn’t in the best mood as I battled an illness which would stick with me for the rest of the tour. However, it was no worse than the next morning’s departure as I felt as though someone was literally holding a lighter to my forehead. I valiantly forged on and soon enough we arrived in Amsterdam, the stoner’s city of dreams. Not being a smoker I had no expectations of a city I figured would be much like the rest of Europe’s major cities… boy was I wrong. The red light district proved that with precisely one walk up the street as prostituted one and all emerged from their small glass rooms to attempt to lure me and my friends into an hour of ‘fun’ which would no doubt shortly be followed by a long and embarrassing stint in the doctor’s office. Regardless, if that didn’t disturb me enough we were soon taken to a sex show, where the joyless faces of the show’s ‘performers’ had me edging towards the exit with a grimace on my face. Nonetheless, Amsterdam was interesting?

Our final night out in Amsterdam was spent bar hopping and the like and it was an adequate ending and farewell to the 50 people who I had grown unbelievably close to in the preceding 20 days. Contiki was an experience which I would recommend to literally anyone. If you want to explore the world and do it in a way that will make you loads of friends and new experiences then Contiki is for you. Next stop London.

Thanks for reading,

Jake

Contiki European Experience (part 1: Paris – Venice)

A 20 day whirlwind tour around Europe with 51 relative strangers played out exactly how it sounds… awesomely! Prior to beginning my premiere Contiki experience, I could only describe myself as apprehensive, and generally unaware of what to expect from the relationships and experiences I would be creating over the length of my tour. However, as I arrived at the Royal National Hotel in London prior for the briefing session the night before the commencement of the tour, fresh from a drawn out 24 hours in transit from Mykonos, my nerves were almost immediately subdued. I swiftly realised the all-round nice and easy-going attitudes of everyone I was to be sharing my Europe experience with and my mind was put at ease. The next day the coach was packed and we headed off on the way to our first stop, Paris, travelling via ferry across the English Channel between Dover and Calais. During the bus ride we became acquainted with each other via set of short introductory questions we had to answer for all to hear… hilarity ensued and first impressions were formed. Arriving in Paris it was very quickly clear who the party animals in our midst were as some opted for late nights while others struggled with jet lag and hit the hay what would soon be considered relatively early. My first night was the cliché Parisienne experience every tourist must have, dining on crepes and sipping champagne at the bottom of the world famous Eiffel Tower.

The following night we headed out to an optional Cabaret show which proved ridiculously entertaining as members of our group were thrust onto stage for audience participation in between traditional cabaret song and dance. That night more group bonding ensued as we all headed to a bar situated next door to the Moulin Rouge itself for drinks. The next day we headed off early to the France’s Beaujolais wine region where we stayed in Contiki’s very own chateau which we shared with a few other groups. Whilst there, we participated in a wine tasting including some of the finest wines from the region, we ventured off on a picnic up a mountain where we managed to get unseasonably lost and never actual find the picnic spot, and were treated to an awesome party in the chateau’s underground club known as the cave, with the theme being ‘p’ needless to say there were Parisiennes aplenty around… as with all Contiki parties numerous hilarious stories emerged the following day, but none rivalled Christian’s managing to urinate in Niqi’s bag on a routine drunken walk to the bathroom, which he missed by one door.

Next we headed for the French Riviera, and that night into the principality of Monaco and marvelled at its collection of ludicrously expensive cars as well as heading to the Monte Carlo casino where some fared better than others…. Personally I managed to lose my solitary betting capital (50 euro) in two hands of blackjack before recouping 5 euro on the slots. The next day saw us leave France and head towards the land of pizza and pasta; Italy. Initially what is perhaps the world’ most celebrated architectural mistake, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and a foray of touristy photos ensued. Next we headed to our campsite in Florence. Our first night in Florence was spent as the Red Garter, a karaoke bar which was filled by Contiki and top deck groups exclusively and as such proved unbelievably enjoyable. The following day we were left to our own devices in Florence, viewing a leather demonstration as well as surveying the various beautiful squares around the city. That night we partied at Space Electronic Disco, a decent club located in the heart of Florence, before retiring early enough thanks to our impending journey to Rome in the morning.

Arriving in Rome we began by visiting the stereotypically touristic sights, first up the colosseum followed by the old Roman ruins which surround it, needless to say cameras were not holstered for a solid period of time. The next day we departed Italy, albeit briefly, and headed into the world’s smallest sovereign state, Vatican City, home of the pope. We headed in on a particularly hot day and being a redhead with unbelievably fair skin I joked on the way there of the third degree sunburns I would be receiving come days end save for maybe one of those hilarious umbrella hats… which is exactly what I found 100m down the road and promptly purchased, and thus looked like a moron the entire rest of the day. That night another party was organised for us, with the theme “I heart Rome,” everyone was to wear an I heart Rome t shirt which was written on in texta with messages. The party was fun as per usual as the alcoholic heavyweights of the group continuing to flex their metaphorical muscles, extending their undefeated streak of drunk nights yet again. For some the streak continued to extend and lasted the entire trip, but not the fainthearted.

The next day we arrived in Venice, where we engaged in all the typical touristic Venetian activities, visiting a glass blowing demonstration and shop, cruising the canals on a traditional gondola, visiting the main square and eating Italian delicacies namely pizza and pasta. Yet again Contiki’s campsite did not disappoint as the food and lodgings were more than satisfactory.

To read about the rest of my Contiki adventures, click on the part 2 post!

Thanks for reading,

Jake

Mykonos Madness

Gapyearing is all about getting out of your comfort zone, doing things you wouldn’t do at home and basically creating all manner of whimsical stories which you will tell the kids and grandkids one day. I can honestly say my four nights in Mykonos yielded some ‘challenging’ experiences and I definitely did numerous things which I would be thought idiotic or ridiculous for doing at home…. However there is no chance my kids or grandkids will ever be hearing about the four days wherein I disregarded any thought of my health to simply party to the best of my ability - that would constitute irresponsible parenting/grand parenting. The Greek islands possess some of the most beautiful sights and opportunities for exploration anywhere in the world, and I am proud to say that I did eventually make my way into the town and managed to dote at the famed windmills of Mykonos, which slightly disappointed me thanks to their inability to actually mill wind. However for me Mykonos rather yielded an opportunity to test my partying pedigree, relax by the pool and make new friends.

Arriving at Paraga Beach Hostel, fresh from a two leg journey via Vienna (or Perth as Haim likes to joke, due to my consistently odd flight paths) I failed to take into account my ability to contact Eli, Ben and Dazz due to a lack of simcards on all our parts. Thus I sat in the designated ‘wifi area,’ (it earns inverted commas due to the lack of actual internet connection it boasts) and attempted to make contact to little avail. However, this was actually a blessing in disguise as I eventually used this as an opportunity to befriend three British staying in my room and further a larger group of people whom I remained friends with my entire stay in Mykonos. I did eventually manage to locate the boys along with a larger group of Emanuel friends most of whom I had not had the pleasure of meeting their acquaintance for upwards of 5 months. It was a beautiful reunion which was followed by predrinks and then arrival at Mykonos’ most famous club Cavo Paradiso, which did not disappoint. The club ships in internationally acclaimed DJs almost every day of the week and even contains a swimming pool and multiple bars, I ended up visiting it three times to witness performances by W & W, Benny Benassi and Alesso, in chronological order.

Days included relaxing by the pool at the hostel, numerous authentic Greek souvlakis, a visit to the ‘day’ party (we attended between 7PM and 11PM) hosted at Tropicana as well as copious amounts of alcohol. It was a beautiful thing how a morning at the pool after a big night out could have you raring to pollute your bloodstream with further alcohol in just hours. Honestly, my body took an absolute beating, however I managed to emerge with just a lost voice, a valiant tale of survival. It really was a fun time and to any of my parents/granparents/family members who may be reading, you were young once too, so try not to judge me too harshly.

One of the most amazing experiences, something which I will never forget, was going tubing with Sam, Eli, Haim and Ben. For a mere 20 euro investment we were hurled around on the waters of Mykonos at ridiculous speeds holding onto pieces of plastic for dear life, needless to say we loved every minute of it. These are the experiences which we will never forget and it was unbelievable to share it with some of my best mates!

Mykonos was an amazing experience which I am exceedingly happy I was able to undertake. On the morning of the 18^th I headed to Athens via ferry, boasting not a single minute of sleep at time of boarding due to a huge night at Cavo. When I arrived I was an absolute wreck, so much so I headed to bed rather than visiting the Acropolis (Sad I know). Following a night at an Athens hotel I made my way to London via Hamburg to begin my 20 day Contiki tour through Europe. I arrived at the airport and made my way to my hotel for the night via the London Underground which was largely halted due to enormous pro-Palestinian demonstrations (Just what I like to hear). I made it to the hotel and that night met the people who I was to spend the next 20 days with, an assortment of people from all over the globe, featuring Canadians, Americans, Brits and Aussies, who I’m sure I will become incredibly close to over the next 3 weeks.

I cannot wait to see what Contiki has in store for me!

40 days till I return to Sydney!

Thanks for reading!

Jake

Barca Boys Bonanza!

Barcelona is one of the world’s most beautiful cities and I am so thankful that I got to experience it with a group of my closest mates! The boys simply tore it up in Barcelona, we were on the go constantly, we saw the sights, sampled the delicacies and most of all created the memories! Barcelona is a city which has an unbelievably lively street culture, and I am loved living a simple 5 minute walk from La Rambla, a promenade which never fails to disappoint with an array of street performers, annoying Indian men attempting to sell you an annoying voice changing device as well as some nice restaurants and shops. The architecture is absolutely out of this world, some of it needs to be seen to be believed, notably the Sagrada Familia which is without doubt the most impressive piece of human architectural construction to which I have ever bore witness. As well as enjoying great times with mates in a wonderful city, I also managed to learn something and feel as though I have come out of my time in Barcelona with an increased knowledge of its social, cultural, economic and political climate.

Arriving in Barcelona in the middle of the world cup is usually something special…. However with Spain’s dismal group stage exit we were privy to only showings of German and Argentian national pride in Catalyunya’s capital. We often headed to various bars to watch the games, and were continually shocked by the results as well as the ability of football to spark a conversation and bring people together. At one point we headed to El Raval (a neaby suburb) with our football to have a kick around and soon found ourselves engaged in a match with some local kids, it is simply amazing what a ball can do!

As a 19 year old in Barcelona I felt an obligation to head out and sample the nightlife, and boy did it not disappoint! I managed to get to Europe’s second biggest club, known as Razmatazz, twice and saw performances by Pendulum and Lil’ Jon both which yielded nights which I will remember for a long time. I also sampled a club known as shoko, a name which harked me back to my favourite Israeli drink. In addition to this, we spent an awesome night in a bar which specialised in various interesting shots, some of which were delicious, some strong and some downright ridiculous. It was one of the most memorable nights I have had since my departure from Australia!

We simply went to too many sights in Barca for me to mention all of them in depth, so I will endeavour to pick a few in order to prevent this blog post from hitting multiple pages. We had one particularly spontaneous and memorable day spent in a country club with a membership fee of 2000 euro which we gained entry to by simply waltzing through the front gate with confidence. It truly was a gapyear triumph, we used the gym, the pool, the football pitch and dined at their magnificent restaurant. It will be a tale written in gapyear folklore forever. We took the cable car up to Montjuic and took in its remarkable views of the rest of the city, the same can be said of the summit of Parc Guell. Guy and myself visited the stunning Palau Guell, another Gaudi masterpiece which yielded even further opportunity to utilise my new camera/phone. We visited the food markets on the Rambla on numerous occasions, with Sam managing to find a new love - one euro fruit juice.

We undertook two different walking tours, the regular introduction to the Gothic Quarter as well as the alternate tour through El Raval which showcased the plethora of street art which can be found all over the city, both were hugely educational and entertaining. I headed out on a Tapas Tour with Aviv girls Lucy and Sarah where we sampled the three different ways tapas is prepared in various parts of Spain. We visited Blai Street twice, the home of our favourite pinchos establishment. There is simply not enough room to document everything we did during our time in Spain’s most famous city.

I wish to apologise to myself as well as anyone who follows my blog closely about the lack of posts as of late but I am simply too flat out! I no longer have the time to blog frequently, but I promise to do everything in my power to keep up my blogging regularity during my time in Europe!

Barcelona was amazing, and I now head to Mykonos via Vienna!

49 days till I return to Sydney!

Thanks for reading,

Jake 

Bittersweet – Goodbye Israel/Hello Barcelona!

I am legitimately lost for words. As I sit here and attempt to summarise my feelings about my 5 months in Israel on Aviv I struggle to find adequate vocabulary to quantify the number of great memories I have accrued, friendships I have made as well as positive changes in my character I have undergone. Israel is a very special place which means a lot of things to a lot of people, to me, the past 5 months have led me to believe that it represents hope for the Jewish people and without it we are significantly less rich as a people. Leaving Israel has brought me seriously mixed feelings; on one hand, I am very ready to move on, have a great time in Europe with new and old friends and eventually return home to Sydney and continue with daily life. On the other hand, Israel has been great to me and I leave behind some of my very best friends and in addition to this, I depart at an exceedingly volatile time following the discovery of the corpses of the 3 Israeli teens who were kidnapped whilst hitchhiking in the West Bank. I sincerely hope the situation does not escalate into yet another war in Israel, where there quite simply will be no victor thanks to mutual loss of life.

Aviv ended rather anti-climactically, after a final few days which included many introspective style programs as well as reflection on various relationships established, culminated in a farewell to the madrichim, a receiving of our Aviv jumpers, a slideshow of our time in Israel and a tear-jerking final goodbye session, I headed off to the airport still without a real comprehension that it had already been 5 months since I headed overseas. I sat at the airport for a full 6 hours waiting to checkin for my flight, which I passed by doing various quizzes online, before I boarded my flight from Tel Aviv to Munich, I flight which I slept the entirety of… including take-off. I then completed the final 2 legs of my poorly planned flight with a few hours spent waiting at each airport, Munich to Berlin and Berlin to Barcelona… yes I did go backwards to go forwards.

I finally arrived in Barca suitably exhausted, I collected my bags after my fears that the typically rude El Al staff had lost were thankfully not confirmed. I then attempted to head off to my accommodation only to be informed that the cab drivers were on strike today, using my newfound independence I hopped on a bus and headed for the city centre, arrived and then headed down to the metro station and hopped on a train, thinking how easy this travelling thing is and how soon I would be reclining in my accommodation. How wrong I was… soon after I realised I had boarded a train going the opposite direction that which I desired, and so promptly hopped off and headed in the correct way before missing my stop, opting to walk and getting lost in the winding labyrinth which are the streets of Barcelona. I did eventually arrive, and was shown to my quarters by the owner of the apartment; I sat down on the bed after over 12 hours in transit, let out a great sigh and thought “what have I gotten myself into?!” I was soon put at ease as I met up with Sam, Eli, Robbie, Robbie, Haim, Stevie, Ari, Jordan and Hannah, all people who I spent the much of my schooling life with, a good ol’ fashion reunion which really overwhelmed me. We soon headed off to the Park Guell, where we marvelled at a beautiful view of the entire city of Barcelona… also a dog slobbered on me. I soon retired home for a much needed rest.

The next day I awoke and ate some breakfast before heading off to the Camp Nou, home ground of the world famous FC Barcelona with Jordan, Eli and Sam. It was a truly wonderful tour, we saw the stadium inside and out, gazed at the museum and history of the club as well as some of its most captivating plays and players. I was truly able to comprehend where I was and I sure loved it! It was the perfect welcome to Europe! We soon headed back to our accommodation.

It truly was a whirlwind end to Israel and beginning to Europe, I sincerely hope I can make as many connections, new memories and cool experiences in Europe as I did in Israel. I am so excited to continue my travels for the next month and I hope that you can live the next two months vicariously through me via this blog!

Love from Barcelona!

Jake

Aviv: The Penultimate Post (Sderot, Raphsodia, ATVs and final Shabbat)

As I stared up at the kotel for a final time, I received a sudden burst of reality, an epiphany-style realisation that I would be departing the amazing country that is Israel on Monday following an unforgettable 5 months. It has been one unbelievable journey which has passed ridiculously quickly – most can still remember stepping off the plane! However, as a group, this final week has been about each other and been dedicated to the memories and friendships and more which have been realised and nurtured in a 5 months where we learnt just as much if not more about ourselves as anything else. A gap year is a special occurrence, one which most do not have the privilege of undertaking, and I believe it is important for each and every one of us to not take this experience for granted and use it as an opportunity to better ourselves, others and the world.

This week saw us visit Sderot, a town which has been ravaged by rocket fire from nearby Gaza for over a decade. It is a town where local playgrounds, schools and almost any other building you can think of also functions as a bomb shelter, a sad reality, and one which we learnt has hugely psychologically damaging effects on the population. We were guided through the area by an organisation known as ‘Kol Voice’ who work to ensure that both sides of the conflict are heard by groups and individuals both in Israel and all over the world. We were afforded the perspectives of both sides before and after viewing what like is like in Sderot, at one point we stood just a few kilometres from Gaza itself, a somewhat worrying thought. A large amount of discussion came from this, as all attempted to ingest the politics and reality of the situation with which Israel is faced, something which I found hugely positive. Sderot really gave me the reality of the situation on the ground, and that is the fact that people are being injured and for some bombs, death and destruction are the reality. Something that is unacceptable and must be stopped by any means – short of mutual death and destruction.

That night we watched the Socceroos be comprehensively beaten by Spain as Australia tumbled out of another world cup, however I wanted to document my pride in them on the internet… well done boys, you did your country proud, keep your heads high and come back stronger in 2018!

The following day we headed up north to the Kinneret where we met up with the other Australian gap year programs for the ZFA’s first annual Raphsodia, an event where we were to build a raft and sail across the Kinneret. Aviv one managed to build their raft and get it in the water with a few indiviudals doing the bulk of the work… I shan’t name names. Nevertheless, we eventually got our raft together and she was more than seaworthy, we boarded and sailed three hours across the Kinneret before arriving at Golan Beach! Raphsodia was a great opportunity for team building during the construction process as well as an amazing chance to say a final farewell to our friends, new and old, from other programs some who we won’t be seeing for a number of months if not years.

Leaving raphsodia we headed to Jerusalem, our final accommodation of Aviv, arriving late at night and heading straight to bed. The next morning we awoke bright and early, much to the derision of my roommates Jason and Toby, and headed to the Judean Desert for a spot of ATV driving. This activity was exceedingly enjoyable as everyone harked back to five months ago, the last time we had all driven anything even resembling a car! After this we were afforded a few hours in the city centre to run our final errands.

Friday night saw our final Shabbat of Aviv and we fittingly headed to the Kotel, our first and last group Shabbat there. Of course being a group of Australian teenagers, a flurry of photography ensued, but following this we headed off into the wall itself where the boys conducted our own little kabbalat Shabbat service. It was an incredibly fitting symbolic end to the program as we all sang and linked arms for a final time at the amazingly spiritual place that is the Western Wall.

That night we gathered and voiced our first memories of Aviv as well as our concerns for the future, knowing our time together is now running out. Our final three days will no doubt yield more amazing memories and nostalgia from the past five months.

\This is my second last blog post Israel, it has come to the point now where almost everything I undertaken is the last time I do so. This is a scary thought, one which seemed millennia away months ago, but it has now arrived and it is incredibly bittersweet. A summary of my feelings on the entirety of Aviv shall feature in my final Israel blog post.

Another awesome few days down, 3 days to look forward to!

Shabbat Shalom,

Jake

Aviv: Masa Seminar, Home Hospitality, Masada and the Dead Sea

The past week has seen a return to the constant intensity experienced at the outset of the program. In the past week alone we have spent a few days at a MASA seminar for all Australian gap year programs on the subject of Israel Advocacy, some of us visited Modiin for home hospitality and in the last day or two we have learnt about the Bedouins who reside in the Negev and their history and culture, and finally climbed Masada and visited the Dead Sea, much to the delight of Instagram enthusiasts everywhere.

As we edge towards the final days of our stay in Israel one question must begin to enter the psyches of all Aviv participants, how will our Aviv journey help us to return to Australia and make a difference in our respective Jewish communities? This exact question was addressed in our latest MASA ceremony, co-ordinated by the ever so familiar George Schneider, we were encouraged to explore our own Zionistic thoughts and the ways in which we intended to engage our new skills and thoughts learnt in the holy land in a beneficial way in our Jewish communities at home, whether it be Sydney, Melbourne, Perth or even the perpetual Aviv joke that is Toowoomba’s J-Com. Throughout the 3 day seminar spanning from Tuesday to Thursday afternoon we heard speeches from Jewish people in various fields such as peace and negotiation, education and the Zionist communities back home. In addition to this, MASA generously scheduled time for the entire seminar to view the Socceroo’s epic clash with the Netherlands in the world cup which we came oh so close to grinding out a result in, however the same cannot be said about the state of origin… just ask Toby and Ellison.

We were allowed the opportunity to choose between a few skills sessions, of which I decided to attend one wherein I learnt the ins and outs of interviews and the tactic of speaking with a purpose to one’s agenda as is so elegantly practised by our politicians and ambassadors. Other interesting sessions were also on offer such as ones about advocacy at university and media within the IDF. The seminar offered an opportunity to engage in an Israeli Frisbee prototype known as ‘Patriot’ which is a cross between baseball and Frisbee using a magen david shaped disc, it was odd to say the least. The final session saw state time ensure, wherein we split off into small groups and discussed possible solutions to already present issues within our respective Jewish communities. All up the seminar was fruitful and as well as providing a forum for improving advocacy it allowed people to nourish and begin friendships with indiviudals who they had yet to really meet.

The weekend saw roughly 20 of us head to Modiin where we were paired up with a family for the home hospitality segment of the program. Robbie and myself were hosted by the Ottolenghi family who had three children, Noam (19), Shay (16) and Shalev (10). This weekend really allowed us to become immersed in real Israeli family life and sample some of the everyday fun Modiin had to offer. We were taken to the local swimming pool, the movie theatre, a bar and as well as this we enjoyed delicious home cooked meals for two whole days! Something we had not even had one of in the past 5 months! Needless to say, this experience really made me miss home! It really was an amazing weekend, an experience which I wish the entirety of Aviv had joined us on.

On Sunday the entire program reconvened at Modiin train station and headed south towards the Negev to learn about the Bedouin peoples who reside therein. Our guide Amir informed us of the plight of the Bedouins as well as their history within the land of Israel as a sort of quasi-indigenous peoples who were previously nomadic before the establishment of the modern state who require them to have a permanent residence in order to pay the necessary taxes. It is a plight similar to that of Australia’s native people, the aborigines. We travelled around and were shown Bedouin villages and shanty towns and learnt of their living conditions. Finally, we visited the home of a Bedouin woman who was a prominent artist who regaled us with the tale of her family and herself and the struggles which they had been through, it was fascinating.

The next day we awoke at 4:30 AM, yes that’s right AM, and hiked up at varying speeds to the top of Masada, a mountain which means oh so much historically to the Jewish people. It is the home of the remains of King Herod’s palace as well as the site of perhaps the most famous mass suicide in history where the Jewish people sieged at the summit decided to end their own lives rather than take their chances with the Romans who surrounded them, whether or not they made the correct choice is up to the individual. We made it up to the peak for a truly magnificent sunset which almost made it all worth it. Almost. Jokes aside, it really is a humbling experience which I would recommend as a must do to all travellers in Israel. Following a tour around the historical ruins which were, like every other historical site in Israel, inundated with American Taglit participants, we took the cable car back to the base and ate a quick breakfast before heading off to the Dead Sea. The dead sea really was relaxing, refreshing and fun… before I managed to get salty water in my eyes, mouth and cut myself on a rock, needless to say I was in blinding agony. Again, it was a great experience which everyone must do!

Another awesome week down, 7 days to look forward to!

Jake