Insight and Reflection

Most of my posts thusfar have been summaries of my days. I haven't really shared my thoughts, primarily because I haven't had time to ponder over them. Its almost ten now, and Ive got a few moments on my hands, although this post is going to be fairly scattered. The first insight to Israel I've had is the quality and way of life. In a word, its simple. They don't live lavishly, and they use their weekends for partying and being with loved ones. Most people take the buses, because you can pretty much get around to what seems like the whole country on them. There aren't many rich people here, and if the ones that are live in Jerusalem and are from other places around the world. There's much more equality you could say; whether you're rich or poor, you're still going to serve your time in the army. My biggest realization is that a lot of Israelis don't like Americans. And I mean A LOT. I'm so shocked by this. America helps out Israel a tremendous amount! They wouldn't exist without America, although I'm not quite sure how aware they are of that. Others are really interested in us; how we live, how we talk, all this stuff amazes some. People will just stare at us sometimes walking down the street, it's really rude actually. I went to the gym again today to lift and every move I made I was being watched by people. I really started to get mad at them, and I'm still a little perturbed as I type this. I wanted to just yell at them and ask them what they wanted! I think there's a strong feeling of jealousy. Most people have never been to America and would never be able to afford living there, even if they live comfortably here. Another observation: There are no overweight people here. There's literally none. This is outrageous because food here is pretty cheap. Maybe it's because people walk everywhere. Also there's less of a pop culture influence. It's hard to say how that affects the average weight here. Are you more likely to eat healthily without much outside influence? It definately raises some interesting questions. There's scales planted all around the streets of Bat Yam which is kind of funny, although I don't think it makes a difference in my argument. One more interesting fact: Israelis arent religious. Sure there are a few really jewish israelis, others keep kosher, but most of them don't practice judaism. Ok thats enough scattered thoughts

May the force be with you

Jakey