Michal's return to Israel after leaving at age 6

Greetings everyone!!!

I hope all is going well, I thought it was time to fill you
in on what I’ve been up to…

Well, it all began when I said goodbye (as quickly as possible) to avoid tears. Then, of course, ended up waiting over an hour for the plane. I met two ladies in the meanwhile. Got into my seat, feeling slightly dazed and confused. I did not have a window seat but the guy next to me  who did, seeing my obvious excitement, kindly agreed to exchange with me and gave over the prized seat.

It was an incredibly long first flight. I landed in Zurich, Switzerland in the morning still enthusiastic. I chatted away to whomever I could. The flight to Tel Aviv was a lot less comfortable. It was really cramped and I was becoming really tired. All the swiss chocolate they were feeding us on Swiss Air did not  help the situation either.

Anyway, I finally arrived at Ben Gurion airport. I had to mission to find my
dear moms rug (a present for my aunt) , got my luggage and found a taxi to Kiriyat Byalik without a hassle. The cart was a major help with my 23kg
backpack. I really did over pack but hey I can always send some back.

OK- I shocked my aunt and uncle when I finally arrived in Haifa that evening at 6pm. They thought I would not be able to speak a word of hebrew. They said I speak better Hebrew than Yossi (my younger brother) did after a couple of months. Impressive!!!

Anyway they were really sweet, and have been making sure there is no chance to lose any weight. They have been very hospitable and I appreciate the love of family.

Shockingly enough I have also been getting on well with my two nieces, I'm sharing a room with the youngest. Shes five years old and an absolute brat, but I can deal with it. It sure has been interesting.

On Friday we went to visit the apartment I lived in when my family lived in Israel. I did not remember much of it. We also visited the nursery school that my siblings and I went to. The teacher there remembered Ron & Sharon, not us, but I guess twins are more memorable but amazing that she remembered them after almost 15 years!

 I'm trying hard to get to know my way around but all I’ve
seen so far are a few parts of Haifa, I have much yet to see in the rest of the country, but I am trying to plan properly.

Friday night Yossi and I decided it was time to go on the jol (South African slang for party), so our aunt found an ad in a magazine promoting the Jet Club. We decided to give it a try. Yossie & I got there early at 10:30pm.We were slightly over eager.  The party only starts at 12:30. So to keep ourselves entertained we met and chatted to all the managers and bouncers. In the end, we didn't pay for a thing and were looked after the whole night. It was interesting. They played much music I recognize from South Africa but also mixed in a lot of commercial and even cheesy stuff, but the vibe was good. I managed to party the night away. What
a good time we had. I met quite a few people. Unfortunately they were mostly men and the guys here are something else. They are all after one thing, and boy, are they persistent.

We went to a classical concert in a small nature reserve on Saturday and had a quiet evening. I've even been going up to people on the street to start conversations. They are interested to chat as I’m not from here and they want to know what its like in South Africa.

Sunday we went to Akko, its an ancient city. I did not really like it. I found
it dirty, it stank of dead fish, and was tourist orientated and a rip off.
I bought an ice cream there and dropped my wallet. Yossie and I hitch hiked back to my Aunts place and then I realized I had lost half the contents of my wallet at that Arab store where I had bought the ice cream. Freaked out!!!!!!

The dude that had picked us up hitch hiking ended up taking me back all that way and believe it or not the arab at the shop had kept all my stuff. It was not money, but my insurance card, hostel card, phone card etc. He had put it all aside in a plastic bag for me. Lucky, ain’t I?

Somehow, I can’t really imagine living here. I have not met anyone I really
understand. Life is very different here and everyone keeps telling me to be
careful. They say I’m too open and should not be as friendly as I am. This I find very hard to understand. I have not really felt in danger but I guess I
don’t know what happens here. After living in Johannesburg I think I should be able to manage.

We will go to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover in a religious fashion
with our family there and I think I’ve decided that I will work in Eilat, as
it is the best tourist destination and it sounds like there is much to see and
do there. I will possibly work in a hotel, hopefully I'll manage to find a job even though I cannot read Hebrew (although I am working on learning the
alphabet).

A funny thing is that there are signs on the street and in the parks that
show a dog defecating. Apparently, you can get a fine if your dog does his business on the grass. It’s your responsibility to pick it up. That really tickled me as I have never seen anything like that in South Africa.

Then on Monday we decided to go to Nazareth. So we hitch a ride with this
Arab. It turns out he is one of the coolest guys I’ve ever met. He’s 38 and a
man with an open mind and a heart of gold. He took us to his place for coffee and introduced us to his entire family, half the town is related to him
as his family has been living there for 400 years. Took us to the Church of
the Annunciation in Nazareth, where I took a couple of photos. We then walked through the market. Then we went to have dinner with his family. Their hospitality is something else. Never in my life have I ever experienced such kindness and generosity in people. My preconceived notion of Arabs is shattered. After dinner a whole bunch of his friends came over for a session. All of them good, honest people. From there we went to his friends
room. This room had a UV light, a strobe, a light ball, and an assortment of
glow in the dark toys etc that could entertain the eye for an entire
evening.

Met almost 30 people in one night. All of them like minded individuals that
want peace and love in the world, and nearly all of them Arabs. Amazing is
it not, what can be discovered when the eyes and the heart are open. I’m at a loss for words to describe the kindness of these people. They treated us with such respect and caring, I felt like I was in my own family. Absolutely incredible. Yossi and I slept over at Siyaddi's house, the guy that picked us up hitchhiking. He gave us his bed and did more than what was necessary to make sure we were comfortable.

The next day we woke up to be served coffee and tea like kings in our beds. After some faffing around we went to the Sea of Gallillee, where Jesus supposedly walked on the water,  and we had a swim. Its actually a huge lake, not a sea, with calm & warm water. From there we drove around Tiberias. It’s a beautiful area. I'm finally starting to see why they say Israel is the Chosen Land. I had to phone and let my aunt know all was ok as they were worried because we have been hitch-hiking around.

All I know is that I am so glad that I finally met some people that
understand what I am about, and unlike all the other idiotic men here have
the wisdom and understanding to actually talk to me like a human being and not just an attractive body. It felt good to find consensus with people
of a different culture. We all want peace, we all want to lead good lives.
Who needs war and hatred? For what?

Siyaddi returned us home safe and sound other than a few mosquito bites, and tonight we are going jolling (partying) with the Arabs. We’ll hit a club in Haifa and probably spend the night at his place again. We discuss things that matter, things that open the mind. Yossi and I both just cannot believe our luck since we got here. Awesome!!!!

So, we spent Wednesday night missioning with the Arabs. Quite a party! It
was a memorable evening. At about 4:30am we went to a spot by the sea of Galilee to watch the sunrise. Gorgeous. From there we went all over the show, stopping off to see the sights. Even tried to go horseriding but
although both Yossi and I tried, the horse refused to move for us. It seems to  only be used to its owner and won’t take commands from anyone else. Returned to my aunts place at 6pm the following day and after a much needed shower, we hit the sack.

Which brings us to today. I went with my uncle and niece to watch the
Israeli symphonic orchestra. My uncle plays the violin in the orchestra so we had free tickets, of course. It was nice to chill for a bit. Tonight I’m going to a family birthday. I'll meet family I've never yet met. It should be interesting. After that we’ll probably go jolling with our good friends the Arabs.

Shame, my aunt has already complained and told me not to give out her home number to everyone we meet. She says the phone is constantly ringing for us, and we are way too popular. I don’t even recognise half the names of the people that have called.

So, things are going well. I'm getting itchy feet and we’ll make the trip to
Jerusalem early next week. Looking forward to seeing more of the country.

Love and blessings
Michal