So we've been doin pretty well with our schedule thusfar. Unfortunately, we had to cross Belgium off the list. We needed a break in the schedule, and it woul;d have been a very uncomfortable car ride ( of course I sit in the middle). Thursday was Christmas, so we used it to wake up around noon after a late night at Red Light District. We visited a tiny city on a harbor called Verlondam (not the correct spelling) where we ate and walked around. Most things were closed, so we just hung out most of the day. That night we went to a sportsbar and watched the celtics and lakers game which was awesome. I called the Eve& Steve and fam to wish them a merry christmas. It was first time in a while I hadn't shared the holiday with them.
Friday we woke up early (for us) and drove to a place called Madurodam, which has an exhibit thats a model of Holland on a 1:25 scale. It's pretty nuts and I'll post pictures soon. It looks like I took them from a plane it looks so real.
Today we took a boat tour around amsterdam, and then walked around the center and did a little shopping. The boat tour was great; Amsterdam is made for these things with there very successful canal system. Just looking at all the buildings is astounding, every one is so beautful. Avi, Eli and I are about to go out into the night life. Tomorrow, we're going to the Heineken factory and then to a museum. Monday and Tuesday are for Paris
Until Next Time
Jakey G

AMSTERDAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holy Moley it's incredible here. I can't begin to explain, so I won't (for now).

Monday we had class, but so many kids had left/ were in winter break mode, it was a pretty ho-hum day. It was pretty to be honest. Late in the day I got caught up in transfering stuff from the apartment to hostel, finding where everyone was hanging out that night, goodbyes and other stuff. Eli, Avi and I had planned to hang out at the apartments and get picked up there at 4 in the morning to go to the Ben Gurion airport in Tel-Aviv, but we ended up staying at the hostel so we could hang out with more people. Mike was at the apartments because we thought people were coming there, so I didn't get to hang out with him. Saying goodbye to him was ROUGHHHHH. We were both so excited for eachother and ourselves, but I was still sad to say goodbye to him. It was stupid because I'm seeing in 10 days and I had to say goodbye to life-long friends for 9 months in september, but it was more than that. It was an intimation to what it's going to be like at the end of year course. Not only that, but I could potentially rarely see him from march to june because we could choose different Israel Experiences. It really sucked thinking about it. It made everyone think about the end of year course. Saying goodbye and having it be a real goodbye. I know for a 100 % fact that I'll see Mike down the road, same goes a lot of my friends on year course, but not most. It's going to be a sad, sad day.

So our cab was picking us up at 4:15 outside the Hostel. We opted to stay up all night with the intention of sleeping on the whole plane ride ( which worked out exactly to plan. All three of us slept the entire way, from takeoff to landing). Our british girls stayed up with us and we just hung out and drank tea all night. I was sad to say goodbye to them as well, but I was also ecstatic to embark on our journey. I tried dancing, smiling, and singing to diffuse the sad goodbye. It didn't work. It was really sweet of them to stay up with us when they had class in the morning; these girls are awesome (Sam, Amy, Bianca and Ilana)!

Our cab driver was the man! He made amazing time, taught us about the jewish mafia, and played a pretty cool array of music from techno to whitney houston. Really weird incident ( I know the mommas don't wanna hear this), right before Eli, Avi and I stepped foot into the airport, a guard blows his whistle and 30 security guards come running out the door right next to us. We all stood there kind of shocked until we were calmly ushered to step aside and carry on. Checking into our flight couldn't have been any easier. We were blatenly tourists not from Israel, and they didn't even check our bags. ( Kind of disturbing but whatever).

We arrived to Amsterdam five hours later where I met Eli's mom Mini, and his step-dad Abraham, who we call Seno. It wasn't to hard to tell from the moment I met them they were extraordinarily nice people. They treated us to lunch, and then the three of us took a much needed nap in the apartment. Later we went to dinner in an absolutely gorgeous part of Amsterdam. Since it's christmas time, the streets are illuminated by lights of all colors. The buildings are made of bricks, with the roof tops pointed like a castle. They're magnifacent. After dinner, the boys and I visited the Red Light District....................... I was in shock. Prostitutes dancing in front of windows, the smell of marijuana flooding out of cafes, and all of it legal! I couldn't believe my eyes and ears! When we left it took me awhile to fully understand what I just saw. If vegas is sin city, this is the devil's backyard.

Today we woke up around 9:30 and had breakfast before catching a tram to downtown. Eli's mom had a painting class, and very close to it was Anne Franks house, which was preserved and formed in to an exhibit ( as Anne Frank and her father had wanted it). It was very powerful; I really enjoyed it. We walked from room to room, reading quotes on the wall from Anne's dairy. There were videos in some rooms of interviews from those who lived in the building and knew of the Frank familys hiding. Some artifacts that Anne Frank had wrote about were still there: Her theatre magazines here father got for here, the pictures she posted on the wall in her room, Peter's ( her crush) board game he got for his birthday. The pamphlet we got for the exhibit was great, so I took about two dozen or more to bring back to people. We got to see a great part of Amsterdam during the day today. Water ways seperate streets, it's just gorgeous. And the bikes!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's insanity, everyone here rides bikes. They have the right of way on the streets! It's nuts, It's weird, It's awesome. On bridges that connect streets over the water, there will be 300 bikes locked on the sides of a bridge thats 100 feet long. Madness I tell you, madness.

Afterwards we met up with Minny and Seno, had lunch, and then Eli and I went to a gym right across the street from the apartment. Eli's parents bought us each five day passes to the gym which is great. I had taken a 9 day break from the gym at the Hostel not to long ago without thinking about this trip, so luckily I should be able to stick to my routine somewhat. Tomorrow is Christmas so we might not be up to much. Friday we may go to Belgium, we haven't decided yet. Seno has a break from work over the next couple of days for Christmas so we'll be able to be with him and Minny when we travel which is great. On Monday I think the three of us will go to Paris and stay the night ( so freaking excited!!!!!!!!). We have a lot of things on our to do list, hopefully we get around to all of them. Trust me, there will be plenty of pictures.

All the best,
Jakey G

So I caught a little heat from Momma Levy about my blog tardiness. I hadn't realized it had been nearly a week! Tuesday we had our flag football games. Things are never going to be as competitive as Id like, so I didn't think much of it. I just go out and do my thing, and hopefully we come out on the winning side. Both games I had the ball near my goal-line with a minute left and the score tied. Both times we drove down the field and scored, but we only came up with one victory. Oh well.

Wednesday we had a field trip to a town called Zichron-Yacov and then a kibbutz after. Zichron-Yacov was one of the first zionist settlements in Israel, so we visited a museum that wasn't that great. The siyyur was like everyother one: We spend more time in the bus than whatever we're doing outside the bus.
Thursday was a another siyyur to Tel-Aviv that I didn't go on. Mike had a basketball game late that night thats part of a College league, so I went to watch & support. He played incredible! They lost the game because they got killed on the boards and the defense was pretty bad, but Mike played amazing. Hopefully I'll get a chance to play with them sometime. Later that night was a party my friends threw at a place called the Ocean Club. It was fun I guess; I was fairly tired and not in a party mood. I got to hang out with one of Mike's friends from back home he called Schiff, who was a very cool guy. The next morning, Mike, Eli and I hopped on a bus to Holon to meet up with the scouts. We stayed with Ithai, who was Eli's scout in Holon and a good friend of mine. Friday night was uneventful, just hung out and talked. Saturday I met up with the Pergamits! We caught up on this and that and went out for Sushi. They brought over some necessities from Oregon for me (Old Navy sweats and a HackySack, very clutch). I ended up staying in Holon that night, went to a party in Tel Aviv, went to bed at 3:30, woke up at 5:30 and caught a bus just in time for Ulpan ( a little early actually). Rough Stuff.

So I leave for Amsterdam early Tuesday! I had a little scare today. My mom had told me how she was worried because I don't have an Israeli passport. I have dual-citizenship in Israel ( don't ask me how, I don't have a clue), so she was worried I would a) not be allowed to leave the country b) not be allowed back in. The person I needed to talk to in the office wasn't available, but other staff members around the office were telling me that I wouldn't be allowed to leave. I was surprisingly calm, because I couldn't imagine this actually becoming a problem. The fact I have dual-citizenship is outrageous, and if that were the reason for me not being able to leave, I feel like it could be fixed. Anyway, we got a hold of the lady we needed, and she reassured me everything was ok and taken care of. Mike also leaves to go home on Tuesday, and Jeremy's parents are coming to visit him tomorrow. Pretty exciting developments; a lot of kids have already left and gone home.

Quick Blazer note: BRANDON FREAKING ROY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNy2ugleqes
such a sick vid. Good time to be a blazer fan.

Much love,
Jakey G

Rough Couple of Days

I got a stomach virus on sunday morning........................................... It was miserable. I won't get into details, but it was a simply awful. It was a 24 hour thing, but I'm still feeling the aftermath at midnight on monday. I didn't eat for 40 hours, and I thought I would enjoy my comeback meal more. I pray that by tomorrow I'm good. Not much has happened here. I didn't end up playing frisbee on Friday as I had planned because I haven't been sleeping too well. I think it was a repercussion of my cold medicine, because in the ensuing couple of days I was getting up at five in the morning and unable to fall back asleep. For those keeping count at home, in the three weeks I've been in Jerusalem, I've had tonsilitis, another throat infection, a wicked cold, and the newly aquired Gastroentestiritis ( forgive the spellings).
Tonight was the first couple games of our Year Course Basketball League. Obviously I wasn't a hundred percent ( closer to 45-50%), but it's a three-on-three league with a fourth player as a sub. Our sub didn't show, so I had to play the full game. I'm a captain as well ( there's six teams, each team had a captain and we drafted from there) so I had an obligation to play. We had a small lead the whole game until late when the other team tightened up. We ended hitting some big buckets in the end, with me hitting the game winning three. I think the final score was 21-17. I had to throw up all game( I did so after the game winner) , so I had a little extra motivation in me. In retrospect, I shouldn't have played, because now I feel like garbage.
Looking ahead, tomorrow the sports track is having a group dinner, and later that night we have another flag football double header. We have a field trip thursday to Tel-Aviv which should be fun. My god-parents, Diane and Jerry Pergamit, are coming to visit their daughter Rachel (also on Year Course) and I couldn't be more excited to see them. Jerry is already in Israel, and I believe Diane flys in on Thursday. After that, only a few more days until AMSTERDAM!
Jakey G

I was ecstatic...........

Until I found out the blazers lost by one last night on a banked in 3 from Hedo frickin Turkoglu. I can't believe it.

Anyway, last night we had our 2nd and 3rd flag football game. It had rained all day, and it was the coldest it had been since I arrived to Jerusalem. I came down with a cold two days ago as well and had been resting all day, so I didn't anticipate playing to the fullest of my abilities. The first game we played was against supposedly the best team in the league. I didn't start at quarterback because our "coach" didn't want me to. Our QB threw three interceptions on his first three possessions and was noticeably upset at the way our team was responding to him (similar to someone from last week......). Up until late into the second half I had only played one possession, with my one drive ending a yard short of a first down inside the ten yard line. We tried running it on fourth and got mixed up ( one of the few times I didn't call the play, for whatever reason). My first drive back in action we drove down the field and I threw a touchdown to Mike, and then hit him again for the one point conversion after( in flag football, you can either go for a one point conversion from the 5 yard line, or a 2 point on the 10 yard line). That would be the only time we would score that game, although we showed signs of our capability. We lost by 25+, but other team could tell that with some more experience and practice we'll be a tough matchup. The next game was against a old/not so good team. They scored the first touchdown of the game, and on the conversion we intercepted it and took it to the house for a one point score. I'm not going to go to in depth about the game, basically we dominated. I played QB the whole game and quieted any naysayers about whether I can play Q successfully or not. We scored on every single possession, and until late in the game when we tried to get the ball to people who hadn't got that many touches, I don't think I incompleted more then two passes. We won 45-6, 45 unanswered points. I had 7 touchdown passes, no interceptions. A huge difference in the game was Benny. Benny Bursztyn, who I mentioned won the world championship for flag football about 5 years ago, got to play with us in the game. There's no doubt he was the best receiver on the field and anchored the defense, but it was the intangible factor he brought that was huge. Let me tell you a little bit about Benny Bursztyn: the kid is a cool customer. He's smart with a calm demeanor, although after playing with him you know he's got some fire to him. When he spoke, we listened. In turn, when I spoke up and took control, people listened. That's the funny little cycle: I needed Benny, but the team needed me. I talked to Mike after the two games, and he told me he learned a lot just from watching Benny, which was great to hear because it means he knows he can get better. Mike is the best receiver on the team, and he's the only one trying to learn and get better? I think the willingness to improve will define how the rest of the season goes. I've made my intentions very clear that I don't want to lose, so we'll see how people respond next week.

Tomorrow is the last day of class for the week. Ohad and Neitzan are staying with us this weekend; I haven't seen either since I left Bat Yam, and I'm so stoked to see them! Things are going pretty good for me. I've been trying to keep in touch with friends and everyone sounds like they're doing well. I start playing frisbee on Friday!! It should be loads of fun, I feel like my old self again with the gym, football, frisbee, and we're organizing a Basketball league at the Hostel. I've been lacking on my emails, so I apologize to those who expected a timely response.

Lots of Love

Jakey G

Ok enough is enough

As tired as I am and as late as it is, I can't start December like this. It's becoming increasingly easy to put off my blog ( maybe there's a correlation to starting school.........). Whatever, today has been my catch-up day. I talked to various people via computer and phone, as well as Skyping ( yes, it's now a verb) Chuck and Scott. I didn't get in touch with my mother, which is a shame because I have so many questions pertaining to laundry I don't know where to begin.
Wednesday I chilled out on the whole flag football thing. I shed some blame I was holding on myself because I talked to some of my teammates and they realized how hard of a situation we were in. We had a practice today, and we've got a double header on Tuesday. I think after those two games, we'll really get the ball rolling ( not literally). Thursday night was Eli's birthday, so about 15 of us went out to dinner on Emek Refa'im, a really upscale street near my apartments, to celebrate. I had a blast at dinner; I wish everyone got together the way we did more often. Afterwards, we went to Ben Yehuda and had an uneventful night life. Friday me and the boys went back to Bat Yam to see some friends, although all the Tzofim left for the weekend to see there family. I won't go in to detail; basically I spent more money than I wanted to dealing with transportation, and frankly we didn't do much. But I'm back at the Hostel ready for a new week.
Everyone here is undoubtedly looking towards winterbreak. I'm looking forward to it, but it's not really on my mind; just one day at a time. I think the atmosphere will change a lot after the break. People will really miss one another. I know I will. The British girls were gone this weekend, and I missed every single one ( have I mentioned I'm in love with all the british girls. And it's not the accent I swear; I don't know what it is, but I'll find out). I'm already getting torn between what I want to do for Israel Experience in the last three months, but that topic's fit for another time.
Bedtime
Much Love
Mom pick up the phone
Jakey G

feeling dejected

Last night we played our first flag football game. It was a disaster, yet I'm pretty torn between feeling depressed and hopeful. We jumped out to a 15-0 lead, but the other team just completely toyed with us the rest of the game. After a hail mary, we were down 21-28 late in the second half, but we never got closer than that. The ran designed plays, confused our guys, and made a mess of us. Generally, flag football teams run zones, and we ran man-to-man coverage. Needless to say, they took advantage of us. We had no plays on offense, and we struggled badly against the zone defense. Basically, we need to learn to play zone D and play against it as well. Most of all I feel awful because I feel like my teammates lost confidence in me. I made plays in the beginning by scrambling out of the pocket and breaking down their zone ( the QB can't rush past the line of scrimmage). It was effective, but it was chaotic and didn't leave me satisfied. In the second half I tried to stay in the pocket and pick apart their zone, but we didn't fun effective routes against their zone and I rushed some throws. Nonetheless, I feel like a lot of blame was placed on my shoulders. It stinks, but at the same time I knew what was going to happen when I took the role of Quarterback. Success or failure, the quarterback shoulders the load. I know I can make plays and help us win. Next week we play two games; I can't wait.
Thankfully, we have coaches on the way. Avi Behar, who's frequently mentioned on my blog, and Benny Bursztyn, my other good friend, played Flag football in their middle school years and early high school. They were a part of the National and eventual World Champion team ( look it up!). They know a lot about the game and will be a huge asset to us. Hopefully we'll find time to practice.

(Bianca is awesome)
My classes are going alright. My zionism class is boring, as is my ulpan class. My other two classes, Jewish Bookshelf and Persuasion and Discussion, are awesome. My Jewish Bookshelf teacher is SO cool. He's really funny and a really nice guy. Better yet, it's a small class which is always good for discussion. My other discussion class is rather large, which can make things difficult.
As far as living in Jerusalem and the aparments/hostel, I love it. There's so many people I never hung out with last section. I never saw any of the FZY (british and other international students) kids because they all lived in Holon. They're all awesome; I wish we had got to hang out earlier. Nevertheless, we here now, and it rocks. I think I'm going to Bat Yam and Holon this weekend, and then we're having a family dinner on Saturday. Should be a good weekend.
Until next time
Jakey

Elation

Its 11:15, and I feel as if Ive already had the best day since I've been here. Minor exaggeration, but I'm trying to make a point here. Just a lot of small developments have contributed: Ducks trouncing the Beavers, I talked to Cody (always brightens the day) a few moments ago, as well as TCole, Vinny, JoeShow (soullll) and OT, I heard from Jacob Janin for the first time since I've left which was awesome, I'm going to IChat Shannon later tonight, and I got to talk to the momma bear last night. I heard my sister is loving school; I'm so happy for her promising future. It's a beautiful day in Jerusalem, and the view from the Hostel is breathtaking. All of these factors are contributing to my amazing day/afternoon.

Today I had my first day of class. I have only one real class on Sundays which is Ulpan (hebrew). It was ok, but I have a feeling I'll learn a lot quickly. I anticipate it'll go much better than my ulpan class in Bat Yam. I'm excited for some classes, others not so much. Israeli dancing, however, I'm stoked for.

This weekend, Year course made everyone stay in the Hostel, even the apartment kids. I learned quickly why everyone who comes to Jerusalem tells you to leave on the weekends. A) J-Ru sucks on the weekends B) The Hostel is worse. It's not close to anything. On Shabbat( the weekends, Friday and Saturday) the buses don't run, and cabs are more expensive. Inside the Hostel, there's nothing to do. You can't go on computers or watch T.V in the lounge because they're not on for Shabbat. You can't play music too loud because you're technically not allowed to, and some people observe(obey) Shabbat. It's boring. It's not awful because it's fun hanging out, playing games and just talking with people, but it's no picnic. Everyother weekend at the least I plan to leave.
On friday night, Year Course visited the Cotel ( the western wall, which I have pictures of from my October 8th blog). As most of you know, praying is not my shtick. I guess you could call what I did praying. It was freezing cold, I had hours to go before we were allowed to go back to the Hostel, and I was staring at one of the most Holy artifacts on earth. I got time to reflect on life, as well as religion. The hostel is about a 2 hour walk, but my apartment is only 25 minute walk. I might go again on the weekends I stay here. Looking back on it, I enjoyed it more than I thought. In Bat Yam, I rarely got time to think, let alone about life. It aint healthy. I got alotta stuff floating around upstairs, and sometimes I need to sort it out. This blog helps, but only to a certain extent. I think future trips to the Cotel would be very beneficial. I gotta run to lunch now. As of tomorrow, I've officially been here three months. Six more to go.
Luv
Jakey

Relaxin at the Hostel

Today we had a so called "orientation," but frankly we didn't do anything. Tomorrow is the thorough intro to our classes. I decided to stay at the hostel tonight because I didn't want to get up early because the bus ride to the hostel is 30 min, and if I stay here tonight I get a bomb breakfast in the morn (yay!). Today was the first day everyone in the Hostel got there rooms. I'm staying in Eli and Avi's room tonight, as I'll probably do often for the next three months. The Hostel is truly amazing. It's breathtaking. I'll try to do a video tour and post it someday. It has four floors, a dining hall, a lounge upstairs with couches and computers which I'm using right now, outside there's basketball courts and a pool. It's awesome, but I'm so glad I live in the apartments. The hostel isn't close to anything, and it can feel like a prison at times (from what I'ev heard). I can stay at the hostel whenever I want, and I get other perks for living in the apartments such as stipend money and a buspass. Nonetheless, it's so cool having most of my section in a dorm setting. I love just walking around and seeing friends pass by. Ok Im tired and going to bed. I get internet at my apartment now, but it's very slow. Luckily, I'll be here a lot so hopefully I'll keep this thing updated
Late
Jakey

A matter of moments

I'm sitting in my apartment, waiting for the O.K to go to Ulpan to eat lunch and take off for Jerusalem. These past couple days have been a little crazy. My cousin Jerry left Israel yesterday to fly back home; it was unfortunate his weeklong trip overlapped my final week in Bat Yam, but at least I got to see him a couple times. He told me had a powerful experience this time, which was great to hear.

Thursday night Year Course had a final party at a club in Tel Aviv called the V.I.P lounge. It was kind a small place, but I had fun. Friday our apartment went to Ohad's house in Hertilyah for dinner. It was far and away the best meal I've had since I've been here. It trumped the final sports track meal I wrote about, no question. I gorged myself on a variety of meat, including possibly the best steak I've ever consumed. Ohad's parents were wonderful and gave us a few presents, and Ohad and Nitzan gave us picture frames with a picture of us together in it. It was overwhelming to be honest. Getting the presents from Ohad's parents was special.....................................................................................................................................

Annnndddd I got interrupted because our apartment got the O.K to go to Ulpan to leave for Jerusalem. Back to what I was saying, the dinner at Ohad's was really something special. We got together the next night and got burgers for dinner before going to the bars, but coming together at Ohad's was different. I think we all realized how much fun we had and how much we'll miss eachother, or atleast I did.

After arriving at Ulpan, we muched on pizza and hung out before splitting up on the buses. Those living in the apartments got on one bus, hostel in the other. Saying goodbye to Ohad and Nitzan was rough. Wellllll thats not entirely true. Our goodbyes were aweomse; we had some chants and some dancing. It was a pretty funny sight, but once we were on the bus it was hard, and it hit everyone. It was hard to swallow the fact we didn't live with them anymore.

Our drive to Jerusalem was about an hour and fifteen. When we arrived, the look on everyones faces told it all. We were purely ecstatic. Our apartments aren't necessarily big, but they're very high quality, and the neighborhood is awesome. It's so cool living in a building that's all year course kids; we just leave our doors open and hangout with everyone. After unpacking all my stuff, I got a tour of the area. There's a plethora of places to shop and eat. Ben Yehuda Street, which I mentioned in a previous blog, is only a 15 minute bus ride. I went there last night in an effort to watch the Dolphin game with Mike. It was unsuccessful, but I went to a few places were other games were on bigscreens which was awesome. One noticeable difference in Jerusalem is how Americanized it is. I'll turn a corner and see a dominoes pizza. I'll elaborate in a later post. Right now I'm hanging out at the Hostel in my boy Avi's room and using his computer. Today I ate lunch here, played ball, and caught up with some friends. Right now we have a three day transition period where we have nothing to do, so a ton of kids are staying at the Hostel. I gotta go eat dinner, I'll try to write another post as soon as possible. I have no internet as of now at my apartment, so that might be difficult. I hope not.

Avi Behar Avi Behar Avi Behar Avi Behar Avi Behar

Jakey G

I can't believe I haven't written since Saturday. This week has been pretty mellow, with each day having some sort of goodbye activity. Sunday night we had a talent show, which ended much better than it started. The highlights included my boy Landis doing some Hip-Hop dancing, a Shalem girl named Debbi who played piano and sang A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton and a song called Many the Miles. After her, my friend Kunis played two of his songs on guitar, and then him and Debbi finished with a duet. Debbi really blew the crowd away. A lot of people had heard Kunis play or knew that he did play, but Debbi's talent was relatively unknown. She really stunned everyone; I looked across the room and saw a good 50 jewish boys falling in love simaltaneously ( she's quite gorgeous as well).
Monday was the first serious packing/cleaning day. It was pretty overwhelming trying to cram everything back into my suitcase, given the fact I've also added a few items since I've been here and I was barely able to close it when I left Eugene. Our apartment went through a vigorous cleaning session, which left me pretty disgusted at the filth that had amounted in our apartment. My allergies have been awful as of late; everyday I feel I'm sick. I don't think I would be able to last a day longer than I have to in this place given my condition.
Tuesday we had an Ultimate Frisbee Day in Tel-Aviv, where the sports track were required to go, and the Tzofim and kids from Holon joined as well. It was fun to toss around and stuff, but it wasn't too competitive. The Sports Track won the championship easily, 7-1. After the championship, we played a team composed of the better players from other tracks, and some of the Israeli pros that were helping out. We played a game to 3, and had a 2-1 lead before losing 2-3. It was still fairly sloppy, but I got to guard a guy who played for Cal two years ago and went to Nationals. He was very good, and it reminded how much I love the sport and competing in it. Lately I've been talking with Mike about how much I've lost in terms of sports ability and how much I missed it. I was use to playing ball everyday at the Y, lifting everyday, playing frisbee whenever possible, and just flat out playing sports daily. Over here I don't play anything competitively, so I never get a good chance to push myself. In Jerusalem we're participating in a flag football league, and I talked to one of the Frisbee guys about joining a Jerusalem team as well, so I'm optimistic that things will pick up in J-Ru.

Health aside, I'm still sad to leave. I don't think there could have been a better living situation than the one I'm in now. Sure, it's really hard at times, but living with 6 other guys isn't supposed to be easy. It's our first time living outside our parent's housing, and in retrospect we did great together. I can't wait to come back to Bat Yam over the weekends to visit my Tzofim, Ohad and Nitzan. I hope over the next three months I make as good of friends as I've become with them. I wish I could be living with Seth and Zach next term, but we'll be in the same building so it's all good. Aside from leaving the Tzofim, there's not a whole lot to be sad over. It's absolutely nutty that I'm a third of the way done with Year Course. The funny thing is that I don't know why. It hasn't gone fast or slow; it's just happened.
In terms of going home and seeing family, I'm in a different position than most kids. Of my 4 American roommates, Mike and Seth are going home for winter break, Jeremy's parents are coming to Israel, and I'm not sure what Zach is doing. I know many kids who have already seen their parents. My mom's coming in March, which is a looonngg ways away. By then I'll be in my last term. If I could choose, I would definately have my mom come see me. Coming home would be too hard to leave again. Plus, the thrill of coming home for good after 9 months is pretty special. Oh, and I miss my mom a lot. If I go to Amsterdam though, that should offset some disappointment.
So what do I make of the trip so far? I've had so much fun and so much to be thankful for, I don't really have anything to attribute it to but luck. I'm lucky I got put with Shalem in Bat Yam, getting to meet so many awesome people. I'm lucky I got to be with Landis for the first three months. I'm lucky for each and every one of my roommates. I'm lucky I was in Community Volunteering first. I'm lucky that I was in Bat Yam first, so close to my family during the holiday season. I'm lucky that everything has been smooth sailing and haven't hit a bump in the road to date.
I hope my luck doesn't run out
Jakey G

The Blazers beat the Heat

Thank god. Although I did short change the Heat in my rankings, so I'll make sure to fix that in the next one. Thursday was uneventful. Ulpan in the morning, and the rest of the day was a big buildup for the arcade/club party. A lot of people had a good time; I wasn't one of them. The whole process of buying drinks with tokens you won was pretty misleading. You had to win an insane amount of tickets for one drink, so that part was a bummer. I would have been content on just playing the games then leaving, but the only buses that came back were at 3,4 and 5 in the morning. Not a big deal though. Friday my cousin Jerry arrived in Israel, and some of the family got together for a nice dinner. I relaxed when I got home and just played guitar. In the morning I got picked up for another family meal, this time Leot, Aviv and the kiddies came. We had lunch, looked at pictures from my cousin Gabe's (Jerry's son) wedding last June, and I went to the nearby playground and messed around with the kids. Now I'm at home and I believe I'm going to a bar soon with all my roommates. This upcoming week is a chilling and packing week. No volunteering, and we're not even allowed to stay in our apartments over the weekend because they're doing inspection. I reserved a room at the hostel in Jerusalem, where I'm sure a ton of kids from other sections are staying.
At a more opportune time I'll write a more reflective piece on this trip. I'm a third of the way done, and it's hard to say whether it's gone by fast or not. I feel as if it has, but I know that I'm not going home for awhile. Anyway, that's talk for a different post at a later time.
Much Love
Jakey

Bout to go to bed

I'm exhausted so ima be brief. Monday I had ulpan and went to a Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball game. Maccabi has Carlos Arroyo, former NBA point guard, who leads their squad, and the opposing team, Netanya, had former Ohio State star Ron Lewis as their leader. It was a quality game, but had a ton of BS fouls which slowed the game down. Afterwards I went out for Sushi for my friend Sammys birthday, which was scrumptous. I've realized my love of Sushi in Israel, go figure. Tuesday I had an Orientation for Jerusalem. I chose my classes and found out my typical schedule which was exciting. I take Hebrew classes five days a week, Jewish Text three days a week I believe, and I have an elective class that's an indepth look at the Israeli-Arab conflict. Oh and I have Israeli Dancing once a week. Some exciting developments: I potentially may be going to Amsterdam for winter break. It's a long shot that's still in the works.
Today we went to a waterpark in Holon. We had to wait an hour and a half before it opened which sucked, but the slides we got to go on were awesome. There's a funny story to be told..... I'll write it in depth sometime soon. Tomorrow night is a big going away party/ 5 way birthday party at a unique place in Netanya. It's a club/arcade. With the arcade tickets you win, you can purchase drinks. It's going to be a massive party, so I'm pretty stoked on that. My cousin Jerry is coming in to Israel on Friday so the fam will be getting together for some meals this weekend. Basically, I have a lot to look forward to. I got to talk to Susan from the Y today which was awesome; I owed her a call a long time ago. Next up is that Rich fella. Anyway, I gotsta go to bed. Tomorrow I have to be at the gym at 7 in the morn. Oden returns to the blazers tonight versus the Heat. If the Heat win, I'll never hear the end of it from Mike.
Jakey G

So to no surprise, I've been keeping up with the NBA diligently. College football hasn't captivated me like it has in recent years, most likely to the demise of the PAC-10. I have a fantasy basketball league with some friends in Bat Yam and Holon, which has me pouring over stats to an unnecessary extent. My favorite sports writer, Bill Simmons, does a weekly column ranking the NFL teams, and splitting them in to divisions to group them. So without further ado, here's the first ever Jakey Gelrod NBA summary.

The Doghouse Division

30. Oklahoma City Thunder

This article, I hope, will be unbiased and reflect what I feel is the current order of the NBA teams. Except the Thunder. Thankfully, they stink. They might merit the last place standing with their record, but they'll have this spot locked for the rest of the year. They're a gift for every other team in the league. If your a coach, you're not losing any sleep at night wondering " How can we contain Nick Collison and Earl Watson?!" Having them stuck in the West doesn't bode well for them either. This is the last paragraph I'll write about them all year. For now, they can call this division their own.

The Retief Goosen Division (gimmes, but not quite.....)

29. Washington Wizards

 As the NBA's last winless team, they left me no choice. They're opening loss to the Nets hurt. Gilbert ain't comin back for awhile, but even so they're giving up 110 a contest. Eddie Jordan should start searching the help wanted section.

28. Minnesota Timberwolves

27. New Jersey Nets

I know there's teams out there with worse records, but they beat one of the three teams ranked below them, and grinded a win with the Pistons in a transition faze that needed a career day from Devin Harris. The one nice thing about the Nets? They share the love. They have 8 players playing at least 20 minutes, not including Brook Lopez's 18 min pg. Definitely a lottery bound team thats looking ahead.

26. Charlotte Bobcats

Just a bad looking puzzle. Jared Dudley starting 4 of 5 games? Gerald Wallace isn't even shooting ten shots a game? I love ya MJ, you to Mr Brown, but if you guys don't make changes, you're joining the Thunder in the doghouse..... Ok that's a little too harsh, but seriously, it's move makin time.

The Darko Milicic Division (more likely to get worse than better)

25. Sacramento Kings

Love the three game winning streak. The fact that you're in west, I'll give you guys some dapps along the way, but you gotta show me some defense. Winning on the road would be nice. Giving up 107 a game? Not cutting it. K-Mart ( Kenyon Martin hasn't merited that nickname in 5 years people) is a stud, Spencer Hawes is improving, and John Salmons is a viable 3rd (no no, not second) option. It's just...... it's that defense........

24. Memphis Grizzlies

23. Golden State Warriors

An ugly 98-115 loss to the Kings help me justify putting them this low, as well as two losses to Memphis. They've still got good pieces and getting Maggette back will help, but it's still a bottom of the barrel team in the west. Don't forget the front office turmoil.

The Report Card division ( How they look on paper doesn't reflect on the court)

22. Milwaukee Bucks

They've lost to teams they should lose to, and beaten teams they should beat. A legit big man, two proven veteran scorers and two unselfish point guards is a nice mix, but it ends there. Depth wins in the NBA, and they don't have it. Neither does the next team. We'll categorize them as the "Jakey Gelrod vision division". And without further ado, I present to you.......

21. Miami Heat

20. Philadelphia 76ers

They're playing unselfish basketball to a fault. They have five players shooting over ten shots a game, with none of them shooting over 14. Regardless of Iguodala's struggles, he needs to shoot the pill 15-18 times a game, as does Brand. Note to Andre Miller and Louis Williams: You play point guard. Your team doesn't need you to chuck up 13 shots a game with your subpar 40% shooting. Distribute, defend, repeat.

The Peter Pan Division (the lost boys)

19. Los Angeles Clippers

Ok, I pity them. You try playing the Lakers twice in week!! They lost to the Jazz twice, lost to nuggets in OT, lost to Houston, and beat the Mavs. But that's the West for ya. It's not an excuse, but it is a exceptional reason to say a 1-6 team still looks better than a 3-3 team such as the Heat. Nonetheless, I don't think they're a good team. Baron Davis isn't the player he was a year ago ( repeat after me: Contract year!) and without him they have no viable offensive source. Al Thornton looks like a stud and a half.

18. San Antonio Spurs

 The only win they have, they had to grind in to OT vs the wolves. I don't know what to say. They're reserves, except for the surprise of Roger Mason, play such a minor role compared to recent years. Michael Finley is fading, the Kurt Thomas/Fabricio Oberto faithful are getting nervous, and Tony Parker's now out until early December. They got a favorable November schedule that helps, but even when Parker's back, there's some question marks.

17. Dallas Mavericks

The Geena Davis Division ( they look good...... but not that good)

16. Chicago Bulls

Definitely a blessing with the Kirk Hinrich injury, as well as Larry Hughes, to D-Rose. When has a number one pick ever been such a surprise? With all the talk of Beasley and Oden, people seemingly forgot just how good this kid is. He's an exception to the Geena Davis Division. There are few guards in this league who will be able to guard him over the next 7-9 years, he's just too big and quick. Chi-Town has to make a move on a suitable big man, because they have a point guard talent who can lead this team in to the postseason. And if those questions whether Ben Gordon deserves that extension are still hanging around the front office, than there's really no way he's sticking around next year.

15. Indiana Pacers

14. New York Knicks

13. Denver Nuggets

Starting off 2-0, the Billups trade seems to be working in their favor as most expected, but they still have problems. With Kenyon Martin out with an injury, they really have no frontcourt. Nene can't shoulder the load of the down-low dirty work when you gotta play in the West. They gotta face Cleveland and Boston back to back later this week, so I'll get back to you on Sunday.

12. Detroit Pistons

Great win versus Toronto, bad loss to the Nets. Nobody's got a harder schedule than the Mo-Town boys coming up. Lakers, Suns, Cavs and Celts in a week span............................................... That was me saying a pray for em'.

All Hands on Deck Division (Ready to improve Captain! )

11. Orlando Magic

Started out 0-2, peeled off four in a row, and dropped one the other night to the Blazers. If you got Dwight on your squad, you're prolly near the top ten. He just needs a little coaching. Not like Patrick Ewing coaching or Olajuwon tutoring, but some mugging tips from Mike Fetters or something. If this guy gets a snarl down, the east will crumble. But I digress. Rashard Lewis and Hedo gotta start shooting over 40% at some point, am I right? If they win the games they should, steal a couple here and there, they'll be fighting for homecourt come April.

10. Houston Rockets

9. Portland Trail Blazers

OK OK FINE. I said I hoped their wouldn't be a bias in this article. I got my reasons so hold on to yo britches. Their losses are to the Lakers, Suns, and Jazz, while their wins include a healthy (well not fully) San Antonio team, an OT win against Houston which should have taken up atleast 4 of the Sportscenter top ten spots, and a road win versus the Magic. Some look to the scores and point to the margin of victory, but this early in the season I take it as an encouraging sign. To fight off the Spurs and Rockets the way they did shows a helluva lot for such a young team. Those are the games they aren't expected to win. Oden reportedly looks ready for game time. Be skeptical if you'd like, but all he does is make them better if he's healthy.

The DMV Division (waiting in line to contend)

8. Phoenix Suns

The likely candidate to be the team that drops off in the West has surprised over their first 8 games ( minus the 17 loss to the bulls, with D Rose throwing a hammer in Barbosa's mug). They've had 5 different top scorers, and you gotta love the production from the Big Aristotle. Nash is no doubt declining, and he's the difference maker between a playoff team and a title contending team. When it comes time to face the premier guards/teams in the west, we'll truly see how good this team can be.

7. CP3

6. Toronto Raptors

Despite the record that included losses to top teams, they look spectacular. They have an allstar pointguard, a top 5 player offensive talent in the league, and 3 point shooters to boot. Their best ball has yet to come.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers

No bad losses, no good wins. In their two losses, Bron Bron averaged 42% from the field, 18.5 points and only went 7-12 from the line combined. So it's no surprise, but we know that he dictates the games. The man's puttin up 30, 8 and 7 and I feel like he's underachieving. Is something wrong with me? The averages don't tell the story. I feel like he picks and chooses each game what he's going to do and sticks to it. 

Jakey: He Bron, how many times you gunna go to the stripe tonight?

LBJ: Dawg I went sixteen times last night! I'll try to board and dish, but I ain't takin it down the lane tonight (9 boards, 8 dimes, only 7 trips to the line but hoists 24 shots)

Jakey: What about next game verse the Bulls?

LBJ: Ima be straight with you........ Ima go off. No assists, just me doin' me.

And then he goes out, shoots 13-29, 11-13 from the line, and scores 41 agains Chi-town...... again ( oh and he dropped 41 again last night vs the bucks).

4. Utah Jazz

Despite the weak schedule, who here thought they would go 6-1 without Deron Williams.......... Precisely! Their just a good team. Excellent wing defenders in Kirilenko and Brewer, a bangers downlow with Boozer and Milsap, and the second best point guard in the world. When you talk of the logjam at the top of the west, the Jazz figure to play a part.

3. Atlanta Hawks

With the injury to Josh Smith, we'll see if they slide or not. They escaped the other night vs the Thunder, which isn't good. Great wins over the Magic, Hornets and Raptors are convincing, and the pieces of their puzzle look really promising. Depth is an issue, but aside from Bibby at the point, they got pretty young legs. It'll be interesting to see how Al Horford responds to the Josh Smith injury. Last night against the Bulls he posted 27,17 and 6 blocks. Yikes

2. Boston Celtics

They preach defense, they play defense. It'd be ignorant to argue with them potentially going back to back. If you don't think they will, it's most likely because you're siding with........

The Ring Bearer

1. Los Angeles Lakers

A trusted, credible source of mine told me he thinks this team can beat the 72-10 Bulls record. For obvious reasons, that's a stretch. The same thing was questioned about last years Celtics. All it takes is a two game losing streak for those whispers to end, but nonetheless this team is loaded and coached by the best. Based on Offensive and Defensive Efficiency ( points allowed per 100 possessions) They're 2 and 1 in the league. They're winning by an average of 20 points per game, and they're simply not going to drop games to bad teams. There's an argument to be brewed over on who's making a bigger impact on the team, Trevor Ariza or Andrew Bynum. Oh and did I mention that have the most talented player to ever play the game?

My trip with my family this weekend was awesome! I had a great time with them and getting to see a part of Israel that I hadn't got to explore yet. I wasn't with them for long, but I'm really glad I went and I hope to visit them again soon. My cousin Jerry is coming to Israel on Friday and everyone is coming together for dinner, so I'll get to see Leot, Aviv, and the kiddies again later on in the week. To add some clarity, Leot is Tal's sister and Yehuda's daughter, and Aviv is her husband. Friday I arrived to their Kibbutz around five. We had dinner, I played monster with the kidlets ( I get under a blanket and they jump on me while I growl), and by 9:30 everyone was exhausted. Saturday we visited a bunker that was used by the English during World War II as an escape precaution. It was also used to manufacture sulfur. I had my camera, but it was out of battery. My camera sucks the life outta those things, so Im probably going to use it very seldomly. After walking around we settled down for lunch and various games such like Frisbee and Matcot, which is a game where you and a friend hit a small rubber ball with a jumbo sized ping pong paddle and try to keep it in the air. Then we picked food from the fields of their Kibbutz as well as their neighboring Kibbutzim. We picked potatoes, carrots, oranges and some spices. Most of all, it was just fun being with them. I see them the least out of the family in Israel. They're genuinely nice people with adorable kids. I'm hoping during my two week winter vacation I'll get to stay with them for an extended period.
Right now I'm hanging out in my apartment. I had Krav Maga and volunteering today, and in a little bit im going to the gym. After that I'm attending a lecture about Israel's current water crisis. I would tell you a little more about it, but I don't know anything, hence I'm attending the lecture. To all my friends who enjoy sports and talking sports with me, I plan on writing an NBA column soon, just because I have to talk sports, whether it's to a wall or through a computer.

More to come,
Jakey G

Quick summary

I'm leaving to get on a bus to tel-aviv in about five minutes to meet up with some of my family, Leot and Aviv, and their three kids. I'm going to stay at their Kibbutz in the south for tonight and tomorrow, and be back Saturday night after Shabbat ends. I rarely get to see them, but they're really great people and I'm excited to stay with them. Just wanted to give a quick update of the events that have transpired since my last post.
- I didn't do anything wednesday night because I still didn't feel good
- I talked to Eve for the first time this trip. It was great to hear her voice.
- Thursday was a sports day for section 3, but the sports track got to go visit, watch and participate a little bit. I saw Rachel Pergamit and some other friends from orientation which was excellent. When I'm in Jerusalem next term, they'll be in Bat Yam and Holon, so I'll most definitely visit them and the Tzofim quite a bit.
- That night I was feeling better and really wanted to go out, but I knew it would be a good decision to stay in. I got to clean up the apartment and rest up, so I can't complain.

I'm not sure if I'll have access to a computer over the weekend. This upcoming week is pretty much my last real week in Bat Yam, and then the following week deals with orientation stuff for Jerusalem.
Gotta run ..................................................... HOW ABOUT THAT BLAZER GAME!! I know given the circumstances (early season) it's hard to throw this out there, but that has got to be one of the most amazing finishes of all time.
Jakey G

Looking forward to the future

My thoughts are extremely scattered right now. I'm ecstatic over the election for such a wide variety of reasons. The one that distinguishes itself from the others is one that had honestly never occurred to me until now. I can say in all truthfulness I had never considered the epic proportion of having a black president. It had crossed my mind, but until six in the morning it had never settled in how meaningful it is. Seeing Jesse Jackson cry touched me, someone who fought against service stations that refused to provide Restrooms for African-Americans. Someone who stood alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, possibly the most heroic icon this world has ever seen, and was one floor below him at the motel in memphis when Doctor King was assassinated. To imagine what it must feel like to see Barack Obama be elected President of the United States of America through his eyes has to touch anyone and everyone. There are millions of African-Americans who must have never thought this day would come, and although racism is still prevalent, it gives implications to the type of change Obama preaches. Obama was elected because the content of his character could not be ignored, rather his skin color could be. He won't be sworn in as our President until January 20th, but already the inevitability of that day is inspiring and encouraging.

I haven't learned of any concrete stats, but the record turnout for voters has been widely reported, especially of those 25 and under. Obama won the electoral vote by a staggering amount, but with this system, it doesn't take many votes to swing a landslide victory to a slim victory, or even to a defeat. Ultimately, my generation decided the election. We decided our own future. By captivating the young voters, this nation will no doubt be politically active in the following election as well as elections in decades to come. For years and years before I could vote, I would constantly hear the message of "Rock the Vote" or "Vote or Die", a variety of messages aimed at young voters to get out and make a difference. I feel truly blessed that in my first election, that message came to fruition and played a decisive role in the outcome.

My final thought that I'd like to share: I believe in Obama. Although many political ideals I've obtained from my three mothers, I can call my belief in Obama my own. I've watched him countless times , and I'm confident that he'll deliver on his promises and will change the way this country does politics, and set the standard for the American president. 

loss of words

I want to say furious, just because that implies how mad I really am. I'm not really that heated though. I'll say perturbed. I'm extremely perturbed at the way my trip went today. Today was a 12 hour trip called "Riding for the Fighters". We were told we would bike around the Golan Heights and visit various battle sites, such as where the Yom Kippur war took place. Although it was a twelve hour trip, we were told that we wouldn't be riding bikes for that long........... We spent ten hours on the bus, and 15 minutes bike riding. I wish I were kidding. I had to get up at 6:30 so we could drive 3 hours to listen to a 10 minute shpiel. Then we drove another two hours where we got to the biking portion. I have no idea why we rode bikes. We went down a rocky path, and looped back around. I'm pretty sure the historical significance meter of the trek was at zero. If there was any, I wasn't informed. Then we drove 30 minutes to a huge gathering of other programs to watch tanks shoot bullets and blanks. Pretty exciting for a grand total of seven minutes. Then we hopped back in the bus and drove back home. Four more hours. I'm so disgusted. I'm pretty sick as well, and could have easily missed it. I thought it was going to be really powerful and educational. I'm really pissed I went. There's a trip tomorrow in Tel-Aviv that I signed up for, but now I need to bow out because I have to see a doctor and likely stay in the apartment all day.

Bummer

So I just buzzed my hair for the first time ever. I'm pretty satisfied with the way it turned out. Here's some other pictures I took on Mike's computer with a scout named Shir

Wild, wacky stuff

Im currently sitting in my apartment, filled on burgers and hummus, and I felt compelled to write a blog for several reasons

1) I was due

2) Being november 1st, it would be a good way to start the month

and 3) There have been several weird events that occurred in the past two days, I needed to document them to set them straight.

But I'll go in chronological order, because wednesdays morning activity was unlike anything I had done before. Maybe I'm out of the loop, but I had never heard of spinning before. Is it just me? Is it Oregon? Spinning is like bike dancing. You listen techno music and pedal to the flow. There's two positions: leaning forward and standing straight up. Towards the end of the hour long session, we would have sprints that ranged from 30 seconds to two minutes(They're brutal). Nonstop pedaling for an hour. There were a few "spinners" who were raving about it, but I wasn't in a spinning mood because it was the day after the tournament, I was still a little sore (figuratively and literally). I ended up loving it! Finishing was definitely the best part. I took a killer nap afterwards. It's a quality workout thats difficult yet very doable. I was extremely proud of our group; not one person quit. We had a choice for next wednesdays activity between spinning and yoga, nearly everyone chose spinning. 

Thursday started with Ulpan class. I had to make up a test, so I had a written and an oral test. I did so-so (caha-caha) on the oral, and on the written test I did exceptional. After ulpan everyone started packing for a hiking trip on Mount Carmel in Haifa. A lot of my friends went, and at the last second I decided against it. I really wanted a relaxing weekend to myself, and the trip cost 200 shek. My roommates (all but one went) called me a second ago and said they should be back soon, and they mentioned I was lucky I didn't go, so it's nice knowing I made the right decision. Thursday night was weird. I went to Tel-Aviv with my shalem boys, and it ended pretty poorly. While getting Pizza, apparently Green spilled water on this russian guy who wasn't too fond of americans, and smashed his head into the table. Green's best friend, Zide, got in this guys face and the Russian headbutted him and socked him too. I ended up holding the russian guy back, trying to take ahold of the situation. Some Israelis saw that I was trying to get everything in order, and they let me know that this guy is not someone we want to mess with (he was fairly big too). Everyone was getting really heated up and it was just a bad situation, so I called a sheirut ( big taxi cab) and got everyone in. Green was fine, Zide's nose got a lil' jacked up, but we avoided what could have been something awful. I couldn't help but make some parallels to the basketball tournament and this incident (hear me out). What bothered me most about the basketball tournament was that I needed to step up and take control, which I didn't do, and we ultimately lost.  I don't know what would have happened if I wasn't at the fight, but I don't think it would have been good. There was a good six guys with us, none of which were making a strong effort to resolve the situation. Sitting on the bus, I felt pretty good that we averted the scene and all that came of it was a slightly crooked shnoz. 

Thursday and friday night, our apartment was having electricity issues. There was none. Very, very frustrating. Friday night we found out how we could have our lights on, but that was all. Even with that, they would go out every five minutes. I didn't do anything for halloween, pretty lame but oh well. All I did today was play basketball, which didn't end well. The shalem guys had a good friend visiting them, and towards the end of what would have been the last game, he got his arm caught between people and his arm popped out of his socket. It wasn't pretty. His arm looked like it was 4 feet long. As the ambulance took him away, I quickly ran through some of the events that had transpired the past few days: the fight, the power outage, Yoni's arm popping, and there's more random things that don't make sense( Avi's beating phil 8-1 in fantasy basketball, everyones baffled). I looked to my friend who inexplicably shaved his head except for the very front, and I say "weird couple of days huh?"

I'm starting to get nervous over the election. Upon the advice of my mother, I watched the sarah palin interviews ( and the SNL skits) and became terrified. Matt Damon summed it up very well. It's like a bad disney movie. The small town hockey mom from Alaska becomes president, who would watch that! She's a complete moron, which scares me for two reasons. A) a moron could potentially run the country ( the obvious one) and B) I think this helps her. For the past 8 years, our country has been run by a moron. He was voted in by morons. These people blatantly feel more comfortable with one of their own in office. Between the old guy and the moron, their quota must cover over 50% of America! OBAMA, STOP APPEALING TO SMART PEOPLE. He should just announce that he's hooked on phonics, I guarantee his numbers rise.

But I regress. I'm very nervous about the election. My eternal pessimist is coming out. I got an email from Democrats abroad telling me where I can watch the election around Israel. I think I'm going to Tel-Aviv at the American embassy, where there's supposedly a big screen. It should be fun I guess, we'll see. I'm getting antsy now.

And yes I voted

Cross your fingers

Jakey G

Bummed out

I'm in a pretty mellow mood right now. An hour ago I would have told you I was frustrated and angry, but I've calmed down since. Still very disappointed. Tonight was the Section 2 basketball tournament, and we lost in the semi-finals. We played awful. It was a really gross game, everyone fouling one another with no calls being made; I'm equally disappointed by the way the game was played as I am by the we played. We were supposed to win it, and I think that got in the heads of some of our guys. Pretty bad feeling. Hopefully we'll get a redemption game against the Shalem (orthodox) guys soon, some of whom are really good. Overall I played alright, but I needed to step up and make something happen in the end and I didn't do that. I hit the eventual game winning free-throws in the first game, but the fact that it came to that was pretty bad as well. There's a soccer tournament soon which should be a lot of fun, and right before we leave there is an ultimate frisbee tournament. I've only met one other legit frisbee player who's on shalem, so It'll be fun playing against him.
The weather in Bat Yam has turned awful. It's been raining the past three days, which is odd because it never rains in Israel. As I was leaving Jerusalem this past weekend it was raining as well! I'm only in Bat Yam another three and a half weeks which is absolutely nuts. I'm really excited to move on to the next step, which is Jerusalem Academics. The primary reason I'm excited is there will much more interaction between kids on our section. Everyone goes to school in the same building on the same days. I hardly ever see the kids in the neighbor city of Holon, and I don't see Shalem that much either. I think Jerusalem will be the place we click.
Monday was uneventful. I had Ulpan in the morning, no volunteering in the afternoon, and then I went to the gym. Today was a trip to Nitzan (not my roommate) which used to be off-limits because it was so dangerous because bombs used to strike there frequently. Thats really all I know about it. I had signed up to go, but I didn't sleep well last night so I passed. I wanted to rest up for the tourney as well. I had a fantasy basketball draft last night with some shalem guys which was a bunch of fun. It was only second time ever doing fantasy bball, but I made out with a very formidable squad. I need to go to bed, tomorrow I have to wake up early to go spinning at the country club. To those who don't know what spinning is, I suggest you look it up; it's wild.
Keep on keepin' on
Jakey

The return of the blog

So I haven't been up to much lately, which I thought I would enjoy more. After the slew of holidays, Im very thankful to resume my routine. Today started with volleyball in the morning, and volunteering in the afternoon. Today was my first day at my new volunteering location. Mike and I decided to switch because we weren't really enjoying it, and Peace Players had more then enough kids helping them. Our new spot is right up the street from us which is a huge perk. We helped out in a practice that had about 25-20 kids that were no older 6. They were awesome! Between the lack of dribbling and continuous tripping over their own feet, I had a blast! It was a great way to start the week. Tonight is karaoke night, but I don't see me going. I'm telling myself I'm going to the gym, but we'll see if that comes to fruition ( editors note: It did not!). Tomorrow is casino night and the night after is a section two basketball tournament. All this comes after an interesting time of year. From what I've gathered from Israelis and Americans as well, everyones thankful the holidays are over. During holidays, buses stop as do trains, and markets and corner stores close (most), so although I had time off, there wasn't a plethora of things to do. This past weekend was pretty interesting. Thursday night was a (over)hyped foam party at club called the Ocean Club in Jerusalem. I had planned on making the shlep to the party, crashing wherever I could, and go with Ohad to a camping trip with his scout tribe ( a group that brings teenagers together before they have to join the army). We went to the club, danced, went to ben yehuda street, and then crashed at a friend of Ohad's place. Ben Yehuda street is probably the most well known street in Jerusalem. It's strictly for tourists and bar hoppers. You hear far more english speakers than Hebrew speakers when walking out and about. It's a good place to visit and shop, but I'm not sure how many visits it would take before it became a bore. I'd say four. Anyway, the next morning I awoke to find that there were floods where we had planned to go camping, so the trip was postponed to next week, when Ohad and I both can't go. The scouts have organized an camping trip in Haifa next weekend that sounds like potential epicness(I know it's not a word mom). To sum up, there's a lot to look forward to in the upcoming days, which should make for a semi-interesting blog. I have more thoughts to share, but I'll save them for another time. Sorry for the absence, but I'm still doing great.

Luv

Jakey

Im baaaaacckkkk

Wow that was corny. First off I'd like to thank everyone who wished me a happy birthday via facebook or email. Feeling the love from so many close ones meant so much to me. It was the first time I had heard from a lot of good friends, and I hope it serves as a catalyst to stay in touch.
I finally got back to my apartment which I missed oh so dearly. Between going to Haifa, my cousins Kibbutz, and Caesaria Sea, I've spent one day here in the past week and a half. Caesaria was an awesome experience though. We arrived Wednesday around 10 and split into 3 groups. My group got to go kayaking first, which was mild but pretty fun. Just being on the water was really enjoyable.








After that we ate lunch, which consisted of crappy pasta, rice, and low quality meat. This is what we ate for wednesday, thursday, and friday (except for dinner and breakfast, where they took away the meat). After lunch we went windsurfing, which was far and away my favorite activity. It was very challenging, but after the second day I really started to get it down.

Me learning on land how to windsurf

I was kind of upset that my group didn't get to go out on the water with Gal Friedman (Only group 1 did), the only Israeli to ever win a gold medal in the olympics, which he won in Athens for windsurfing. We talked a little with him about his experience, and what he's up to these days. That night we had planned on going out, because my birthday was the next day, so technically at 12 I was 19. We weren't aware that transportion would be so difficult from where we were, so nothing ended up happening either night. It was a bummer, but I've never been a huge advocate of partying on my birthday.

My friends mobbing me at midnight

Thursday consisted of surfing, and some more windsurfing. Surfing was extremely unsuccessful for me. Kind of a let down, but oh well. Friday there was Kite Surfing and some other activities, but I was pretty burnt out on the water sports, so I just chilled and tossed the disc with Mike and Jeremy.

Practicing our technique

All in all it was a great trip. Now I got nothing to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This next week is another holiday, so I don't have any activities until thursday. NBA STARTS IN 11 DAYS. Go Rays! To all those who wish to call me, feel free............. even though it's not free. I try to keep the convos brief due to the charges, but I'd love to hear from those who take the time to read this. Be aware that my time is 7 hours ahead of those in Eugene. 011-972-52-525-5103.

Peace and Luv!

Jakey

SO MUCH TO TELL

not really. Right now I'm on my cousins Kibbutz watching the Red Sox-Rays game at 1:30 in the morning ( GO RAYS). I haven't had any developments since Haifa. I arrived back in Bat Yam on saturday. Sunday I played basketball. Monday is today. Not that interesting................. Don't gimme that look........... Wellllll I best be saddlin' up bout now. I'll keep ya posted. Things should be gettin saucier soon. Wednesday I leave for a three day trip at Caesaria Sea where I'll be surfing and parasailing! Pretty wicked, I know.
Outro
Jakey G

so....very...hungry

It's currently 14:40, and I gotta make it to 18:00. Technically you're not suppose to use electricity on Yom Kippur, so using the computer would be unacceptable, but I figure fasting is enough. There's a ton of rules, all aimed so that the only thing you can do is atone and repent. Fasting is the most common tradition though, so I feel like I'm participating. According to a poll, 63% of Israel fasts for the 25 hour period.
Last night we went out and mingled with Nitzan's friends in Haifa. We were working on using our Hebrew, and we actually had a really good time. It took our mind off of food, which was good considering we were hungry an hour after we started fasting. We got back relatively late ( 3 ish) and woke up around 12. Jeremy has been sleeping all day, and I wouldn't be surprised the slightest if he slept all the way through the fast (he goes in to hybernation mode often). I've been using my day to brush up on Hebrew, play pool, and do fantasy basketball drafts. Minutes are passing by very slowly.
Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday. Not a lot transpired on thursday because we got the majority of the day off due to the slichot at the wall the night before. I went to Tel-Aviv around noon to do a variety of things: get my camera from Tal, check out the vitamin store, and get some guitar accessories. The only success was with my camera. The vitamin store had a weak/expensive selection, and the guitar store was closed apparently (the guy working was a shmuck). I was in a rush when I got back to Bat Yam because I had signed up to go to Dialogue in the Dark, a blind museum exhibit. It... was... AWESOME. Everyone who went on it had a good time, but my group had the best tour guide (who's blind). He travels to America often as the Israeli representative of Dialogue in the Dark. He's 31, and lost his sight 3 years ago due to a degenerative disease in his Iris's. We were in total darkness for an hour, going from room to room ( as well as on a "boat ride"). Some rooms were suppose to be cabins, other were food markets. Then at the end we ordered food in a completely dark cafeteria. An awesome exhibit that I would consider doing again. Afterwards, Mike, Jeremy and I played ball at the open gym in the country club. We were all on the same team, and I thought we played great together. I had a particularly good day, so I left feeling satisfied. That night was a chill night because we had to get up fairly early to travel to Haifa. Ok im in the middle of a fantasy draft, go away.
Jakey G

חתימה טובה(chatima tova, easy fasting)

It's Yom Kippur tomorrow, but it officially starts on the night before when the sun goes down. Yom Kippur is the day of repentance. It's very typical on Yom Kippur to fast for a 25 hour period, and the more orthodox spend many hours in the synagogue services. The prayers are considered very intense, as they ask god for forgiveness as we atone for our sins. I tried going to services about an hour ago, but it was not my cup of tea ( I never was good at apologizing). I am however attempting to fast. So far I'm an hour and a half into my fast, and I could really go for a jug of water. This ain't gunna be easy. Right now I'm in Haifa with Jeremy and Mike; we're staying at Nitzan's house. Haifa is the third biggest city in Israel and is located on a mountain ( I'll have some sweet pics comin up). Nitzan's house is really nice, as is his family. Tonight we're going to some sort of center where thousands of people from Haifa goes on Yom Kippur. Basically, it's a huge party where there's no music or drinking.





On monday we had hebrew class.....snnooooooze. It stinx. Although my hebrew is getting better rapidly. It's primarily due to Jeremy and Mike. The three of us are always trying to speak in Hebrew and learn new words. It's getting to be a lot of fun to learn, and I think our plan is to try to get an intense learning session tomorrow, considering we're not suppose to be doing anything. After Ulpan I chilled before going to volunteering. Volunteering on monday was special because Peace Players invited the American International School to play a game versus their combined Israeli/Arab teams. They played two games, and they were both a definate success. Mike and I just chilled, helping with the scoreboard, warmup music and whatnot. OH MY GOD IM SO THIRSTY. I had no time after volunteering because I had to immediately had to get ready for my night trip to the Old City in Jerusalem.

The Western Wall



Jeremy, Jonathan (Kunis) and me


I had visited the Old city on my first trip to Israel when I was six, and also in the first week of Year Course, but the atmosphere this time was like nothing I had ever seen. The 10 day gap between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur is called the 10 days of repentance, so even though it wasn't Yom Kippur, there were Sephardic Jews atoning a plenty.
Our tour started by visiting a couple historical sites, most notable King David's Tomb, and above it where the last supper took place. Afterwards, we got an hour of free time before we left, which was largely given to vistit the wall. Jeremy and I hung around the center of the hoopla before venturing to the wall. It was pretty captivating to see such such a variety of routines of intense pray. I didn't really have any praying in me, so I just closed my eyes and tried to just be in the moment. Jeremy wrote a note and put it in the wall, a common tradition. I kissed the wall, also a tradition. Ok, im about to go out into the Haifa night life, I'll update on Tuesday later. An extremely interesting event transpired...........................................

Just some pics

Just couple pics from the first week together . I also added pictures throughout my blog.



the top row from left to right is Nitzan ( an Israeli scout), Michael, Myself, Zach. Those crouching are Ohad (Israeli scout), Seth,and Jeremy







Our first dinner










At the bowling lanes








Just doin' some shopping












After the Tal Brody speech, we got
our Athletic track jerseys! Pretty sweet.

hardly over the hump

So I haven't written a recent post because I could not have been more wrong about getting over my little cold. Thursday I woke up feeling miserable! I got a doctor to come check me out and apparently I had a throat infection that looked like an allergic reaction. I got some antibiotics that helped tremendously and I stayed in bed pretty much all of thursday,friday, and saturday before going out that night. It was a close friend of Mikes and I guy I really like named Avi's birthday, and there was an organized hoopla at a club called Clara, a very exclusive place off the Meditteranean Sea thats normally 23 and over. It was by far the nicest club I've been to, and there was a surprising amount of people there. I randomly gave Baron I call while I was there and actually got a hold of him for a brief moment, which was a definate plus on the night. I made it home at a decent hour because I had soccer drills Sunday morning.

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From left to right: Jo, Eli, Avi and me

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Although soccer's not my sport, I had a great time with the drills. It was a great cardio workout, which I hadn't had in quite some time. After I took a well needed nap, and then headed to volunteering. Mike and I will actually be switching our volunteering placements after the holidays.

We're much more interested in coaching rather than participating in drills, and we made some connections with the local Maccabi team recently. It's definately something to look forward to, but at the same time by the time we start we'll already be halfway down with this section! Wild wacky stuff.
Anywho, Jeremy and I went to gym after and came home to Mike going buck wild over the Dolphins quality victory the Chargers, adding some spirit to the apartment (noise,spirit, same shtick). Now everyones pretty much out the door heading to the beach, so I gotta scram.
Peace and Luv

Real quick Happy Birthday to Momma Levy! Much love from Bat Yam apartment 77. WE LOVE YOU :)

Jakey G

Chag Sameach (joyous festival)

These past few days I haven't had access to a computer as I've been with my family since Monday. All of year course has had the past three days off to be with family for Rosh Hashana, the jewish new year. The Fam all got together for dinner on monday, and lunch on wednesday. On Tuesday my cousins Yehuda, Chaya and Tal all went with me to a couple places, most notably The Qumran. The Qumran is located about a mile from shore of The Dead Sea ( the lowest point on the surface of the earth I might add), and was home to a sect of Jews, where the outlining of their homes ( carved in the rock) have been preserved. The interesting piece comes from further from the shore, where you can see cliffs that extend for miles. The cliffs have caves in them where shephards and archaelogists have found the oldest known versions of the Torah and the Old Testament in the form of scrolls. We also visited a battle ground where the Six Day War took place. My cousins have done a great job with using the time we have to show me the country and feed me tidbits, they're really helping me make the most of my free time. Seeing the country and getting a feel for the history is important to me; I'm not sure how I would do that without them.

One of the caves in which the Dead Sea scrolls were found

My cousin Yehuda telling his daughter Tal she's not allowed to walk up to the caves.....................................

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And this is what Tal thinks of the rules

This piece of marble writing explains the following cave.

Yehuda, Tal, and his wife Chaya.

The remains of the village of the bedouins that lived by the caves

Me and my tank just chillen.

This pic is overlooking a little bit of Israel and some of Palestine.

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Anywho, time to backtrack. Friday ball sesh with Mike went way down then way up. Both of us HATE playing with the Israelis. All they do is complain, then cry, then complain some more; it's so childish. We were on seperate teams, and we both had teammates who kept whining, only Mike's teammate was whining at him while he wasn't airballing threes. We were both in a fit of rage and ready to leave, when the best player on the court, Yoni(who's not necessarily good, he's just 6'6 250 pounds), asked us to be on his team ( they play 3 on 3, first team to six). From then on , we flat out dominated. Yoni didn't even do anything, he could see we were frustrated and just gave us the ball. It felt good to play the way we can. After returning home later then expected we had to get ready for a casual shabbat dinner at our place. Later, we went to a club called The SKY club. It was supposed to be the biggest party yet, with year course reserving the balcony section. It was a bumpin' club, and I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time. Something went wrong with the balcony thing though, and the kid who set it up got kicked out of the club (weird) and many others as well. I could have guessed it wouldn't fall through, these things never do. Nonetheless I had a great time, and Saturday was reserved to do nothing. I did a little bit of napping, little bit of video gaming (ive been playing spiderman on our playstation, and all I'll say is I gotta stop), and getting updates of college football. I ended up hanging out with Mike and Bonnie during the evening and did nothing, although I heard there was a Pool party in Tel-Aviv, which was bound to be a bust ( I never heard if it was). Sunday morning was our final meeting of Krav Maga, which was sad, but I have a feeling we'll do more in the future. We had good instructors and got good exercise out of it. After that I went to the gym with Jeremy, and then went to a couple of meeting in the evening. That night was a beach night, and a good one at that. Normally we wouldn't do anything Sunday night, but like I said we had the next three days off for Rosh Hashana.
I've been feeling pretty sick recently, but I'm just getting over the hump I think. I have Hebrew class tomo and that's pretty much it and then it's the weekend. As of today I've been here exactly a month! I'm feeling really good too. I know in some of my posts you could definately detect some homesickness. I don't deny missing everyone and everything back home, but I couldn't be happier that I left. I can think of so many friends who need to leave Eugene to appreciate it, and so many who know what they have and would never leave it. Whats made things easier here for me is my two best friends, Mike and Jeremy. We pretty much do everything together, and they're just making this experience that much more fun. This month has so much time off, including a couple other bright spots. Next Tuesday I'll be going on a night hike in Jerusalem which will be amazing, and wednesday and thursday we have off for Yom Kippur. On Yom Kippur the country does nothing. It's frowned upon to do stuff! Nobody drives, and if you do you will most certainly get stoned. I'm pretty good at doing nothing, maybe i'll offer a class to prepare the others. I'm hitting the hay now, peace and love
Jakey G