After my last post, I think we all know I have a flare for dramatics. So here’s another picture I’d like to paint, describing my year in Israel: marriage. Yes, I am in a romantic relationship with this country. One where I go through feelings of infatuation, frustration, confidence, vulnerability, hate, love, and all the accompanying emotions in between the highs and lows of this roller coaster. Now that I’m nearing my six-month mark, the honeymoon phase is officially over people!
Not that there are any problems arising in this pseudo marriage to Israel I’ve got going on, but like any marriage, I think the biggest struggle after a while is keeping things exciting and fresh. Yes my little stint in the hospital and having time off from school provided a tweaked schedule and slower pace of life. But, now that I’ve returned to work and have two months before my Passover vacation, I am looking for ways to spice up my marriage.
Ulpan has ended, mifgashim is over, MASA seminars are becoming sparse, and the most self-destructive thing I can have is too much free time. To help assuage the antsy side of me, I’ve picked up another English tutoring job (so I now work with two different families, for a total of two days per week), and am delving deeper into my volunteer project at the Petah Tikva Department of Environmental Education.
Today I had a meeting with the Ra’anana Director of Environmental Education, and I’m excited to say that I will be working on a new research project! I will be spending my volunteer hours conducting a scan of successful sustainability case studies in other similar cities, focusing specifically on water, energy, and community engagement aspects. The end goal is to put together a presentation, and give a lecture to the PTK and Ra’anana office staffs, as well as interested colleagues, to provide new information that looks at adaptation and resiliency techniques in the face of global climate change.
Speaking of global climate change, there is a current heat wave sweeping through the country-- this means lots of beach days in my future! I spent Saturday at the Herzliya beach and Sunday at the one in TLV. Valentine's Day was also on Sunday, and I must say it was the hottest one I've ever experienced ;)
Not that there are any problems arising in this pseudo marriage to Israel I’ve got going on, but like any marriage, I think the biggest struggle after a while is keeping things exciting and fresh. Yes my little stint in the hospital and having time off from school provided a tweaked schedule and slower pace of life. But, now that I’ve returned to work and have two months before my Passover vacation, I am looking for ways to spice up my marriage.
Ulpan has ended, mifgashim is over, MASA seminars are becoming sparse, and the most self-destructive thing I can have is too much free time. To help assuage the antsy side of me, I’ve picked up another English tutoring job (so I now work with two different families, for a total of two days per week), and am delving deeper into my volunteer project at the Petah Tikva Department of Environmental Education.
Today I had a meeting with the Ra’anana Director of Environmental Education, and I’m excited to say that I will be working on a new research project! I will be spending my volunteer hours conducting a scan of successful sustainability case studies in other similar cities, focusing specifically on water, energy, and community engagement aspects. The end goal is to put together a presentation, and give a lecture to the PTK and Ra’anana office staffs, as well as interested colleagues, to provide new information that looks at adaptation and resiliency techniques in the face of global climate change.
Speaking of global climate change, there is a current heat wave sweeping through the country-- this means lots of beach days in my future! I spent Saturday at the Herzliya beach and Sunday at the one in TLV. Valentine's Day was also on Sunday, and I must say it was the hottest one I've ever experienced ;)
The last thing I want to leave you with in this life update is this PTK video advertisement my cohort created and submitted to MASA as a contest entry. We earned 2nd Place and a free meal :D Try to guess which voice is mine!!