And we're back... the return of Melanie's Mass Mailings for Summer 2006

date:Jun 16, 2006 9:54 AM
subject: And we're back... the return of Melanie's Mass Mailings for Summer 2006

Shalom friends, families and frisbees,

Hoping this e-mail finds everyone happy and healthy and enjoying the beginning of your summer wherever you may be. I would like to start off this series of Melanie's Mass Mailings by thanking those of you who have read these lonely musings from abroad from my early cow-milking days in Kvutzat Yavneh to my hilarious mishaps as an accidental Catholic missionary in Peru to now, as I embark on a summer of wanderings based in Haifa, Israel. If you have decided you would rather not recieve this mailing please let me know--my heart will be broken, but we can move on.

Tov, here goes....

There is an Israeli saying "there's always bumps in the beginning of the road." This was certainly true of my arrival in Israel over a week ago. My adventures started my first morning--Friday morning, with the realization I had a mere six shekels (about $1.50) in my pocket. A series of mishaps put me in a multi-dimensional Catch 22 situation: 1) all the banks are closed because it is Friday, so I can't change any of my American dollars. 2) After six tries, my ATM card still refuses to work, so I can't withdraw money. 3) My cell phone is broken. 4) I can't fix my cell phone until I have more money, and I can't call the bank to figure out what is going on until I fix my cell phone. Also, to add insult to injury, the internet is down in my building. A desperate, 30 second phone call to my parents (all I can afford from a pay phone) only results in more headaches for them as they try to help and two shekels less for me.

So here's the story of Melanie's life: 12 hours in the holy land--totally isolated in a foreign city--no money, no phone, no friends. So I basically have one option when I'm broke and lonely: frisbee. I used my very last shekels to get to a random field in Haifa where a team plays pick up on Friday afternoons and prayed to the Frisbee G-ds--who surely must be shining down over Israel, land as holy as it is--to somehow help me out.

The Frisbee G-ds were indeed smiling in my favor. The coach had invited me over for Shabbat (Jewish Sabbath--Friday night to Saturday night) and he lent me money on the condition that I recruit more girls to play. Saturday I ended up in Tel Aviv and played with the Israeli National Youth Frisbee Team, which is traveling to Boston for an international tournament August 13--the same day I head home to Boston.

Other than some initial bumps in the road, things are moving along. I am living at the Aba Chushi Absorbtion Center for Singles in Haifa. Every time I see the sign in front of the building I picture a giant Jewish-star shaped sponge sucking up lonely Jewish single people from the four corners of the earth--kind of like a real live JDate.com.

Aba Chushi is the first stop for Olim--new immigrants to Israel--and there are Jews of every size, shape, and color. In the hallways you can hear Russian, Amharic, French, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, English, more Russian, and even a smattering of Hebrew on alternate Thursdays of every third month. Accomodations are, well, modest is a generous word, but it serves my purpose. Thank goodness my grandmother isn't visiting.

Like a real Israeli, I used my "proteccia," "connections" with the woman in charge of the center to knock my rent down from $30/month to free and also finagle free Ulpan classes three days a week. And by "using my connections" I really mean I told her in Spanish that I was rooting for Mexico over Iran and she loved me. I mean, who would root for an Iranian soccer team in Israel?

I am working for Partnership 2000, (http://www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/Israel/Partnerships/Regions/Nesher ) around 20 hours/week in exchange for my apartment. Compared to the absolute awesomeness of my last internship ( www.youngwomendrum.org), the phone calls and copy making and administration yuckiness of this internship is not as awesome, but it should be getting better. I just started working with the youth group at the center and one of my first duties is to translate Queen songs from English to Hebrew so a group of kids can put on Queen: the Musical. We Will Rock You or Bohemian Rhapsody, anyone? Help will be appreciated and repaid in the form of Israeli chocolate....

Plans on the horizon call for basically a summer of as much wandering as I can afford, as I try to figure out what I'm doing in Israel and why I feel so drawn to this place. Along the way, I hope to do lots of camping and hiking and darbuka lessons (Arabic drum). Sunday I am attending a "Women in the Tent" seminar--bringing together Christian, Druze, Muslim, and Jewish Women to explore women's rights in Israel with Sara Newman, of former Hebrew House fame. I think it does actually take place in a tent outside of Be'er Sheba, so that should be really interesting. (See what happens when your roommate is president of the Feminist Activist at Maryland? Things will never be the same....)

Tov, I miss you all and wish you the best of luck where all your wanderings take you. Please write back and let me know how you're doing, any exciting news, funny stores, etc.

Until next time, I remain faithfully yours in flakiness and wandering,
Melanie