December

Okay, so let's be honest, I am not the best at blogging. I probably never will be.
I mean, I am devoted to you 5 readers eagerly awaiting my spaced posts, but maybe it's time you start reading some other blogs too:
The Daily Green
Jon Huckins
& Where do I put the paper?

I've been quite a few places this fall, none of them far, but many foreign.
Most foreign? Los Angeles Skid Row.
Least foreign? Hollister, CA: Current Location

Since we are being honest, I hate being home. I feel useless and bored more times than not, and when I am void of those emotions I feel angry and helpless. I feel trapped in a spiritless house of no ambition. I feel bad for having dreams and aspirations and the desire to fulfill the world, when the time spent in these walls by others is consumed with unending hours of television and video games. There just has to be more to life than this.

It just gets me thinking, how many other houses are like mine? How many places are filled with able, wonderful people who lack the motivation to pry themselves from their selfish activities and apply that time to a greater cause? How many problems would be solved?

And there is no Christmas.
I know I hate Christmas.
but I still want it to be Christmas. I want just one piece of decor. I want this house to have thought about a tree or lights or pie. I want something other than selfishness.

Time Flies

It seems like only yesterday that Mr. McDaniel and I were embarking on the mushy journey of mutual like together. But low and behold, we have reached our half year point, and took to celebrating it in the right sort of way.

Step 1: Wake up early
Step 2: Watch the sunrise
Step 3: Errands
Step 4: Starbucks & a leisurely stroll around Balboa Island
Step 5: Ferry Ride
Step 6: Picture taking on an empty beach
Step 7: Borders book reading
Step 8: Lucille's BBQ

Now on to an afternoon filled with HW and a nice nap!
Thanks for an adventure today Mr. McD.

I am not cool

My whole life I have been followed by the sense that although I am in no way an underwhelming person, I have never been someone to look twice at, physically, mentally, or spiritually.
I was always that loud kid with the above average grades and mediocre looks that scored major kudos with the teachers, and frustrated distant stares from classmates and colleagues.
But when I reached college, I felt different. I finally thought I could dress for the weather, hair in a loose pony, and speak my heart without feeling like an outcast for knowing the answers.
I don't get invited to parties. I get asked out to study dates and paper writing soirees.

I am not cool.
I never have been.

It befuddles me to think that I am just now coming to the realization that the only reason people like me is for the personal gain they seek. It hurts to think I don't get second glances because I wear baggy jeans and flip flops to class. I guess there are two things I want: selflessness and sincerity. College may be all about gain, but I spend a majority of my days trying to save someone else. The least the universe could do would be to try and save me. [Maybe I'm not savable.]

What kind of gain could an ultra-creative all knowing and powerful God want with someone who is full of so little uniqueness that she begins to resemble the herd of people she walks through? I am not different or creative enough to change anything, I am not beautiful enough to get anyone's attention, so I might as well stop trying. I keep waiting for Him to use me, but instead I repeatedly feel like I was stood up at prom by an out-of-league date.

I am not cool.

I used to want to be a book, filled with pages of adventure and stories that could change the world.
But now I feel like a magazine, overstuffed with worthless knowledge that does little more than collect the dust of collective brokenness, created by our consumeristic society.

I am constantly shaken by the feeling of absolute misplacement. I do not belong.
This is not my home. I do not have a home. I do not have a safe place. I do not have a haven.
I am a jackdaw, the frighteningly large Middle Eastern crow that dwells in solitude and travels constantly, lost in a desert of unfamiliarity.

No matter how badly I want to fix everything in the world with my smiles and good heart, I can't. But Martin Luther King Jr could, and Mother Theresa did...

I am not cool.

Letter to A Stranger

Dear S, 

I have always wanted to meet you; to walk right up and say, “Hi, I’m Lizzy. I see you here quite often, care to catch a spot of tea with me?”

But no, that’s much too forward, and even more formal, so instead we share head tilted glances across the crowded shop, until one of us ventures to smile and wave.

Like old friends. That’s what we are, isn’t it? We are two old souls milling about caffeine fueled Southern California like it is our eternal resting place.

Well I don’t know about you, S, but before long I’m going to blow this joint and hop me on the next train outa picture town. Maybe I’ll go somewhere by the sea, where the foam can rise up and carelessly wrap every inch of my body in thousands of tiny pieces of glass. That’d be lovely, to be covered so completely in something that was once translucent, but now envelopes the lines and flaws that years of earthly life can give you. 

You know what I think S? I think that in another life, you and I could be dear friends. We could ride motorcycles through winding mountain trails, your manly long hair streaming from beneath a short black helmet, while I struggle to remember which hands reduces the speed. Or follow a ghostly pirate map to a distant country, only to learn it was upside down the entire time. 

I’d like to get to know you, to be brave enough to venture into unknown conversation, to ask you what you draw while sitting in Starbucks before seven in the morning. But I know I never will, and we shall always be strangers. 

-L

Letter to My Dreams

Dear D,

I am waiting for you. Please don’t let me down. 

There is such graceful beauty in unknown. So much potential is what is yet to come. 

But you aren’t real, and it’s up to me to bring you to life. I am so scared that I will never live up to potential I have set for myself, D. But I am no longer a child, and I know that wishing on stars and frosted confectionaries do nothing more than spread germs and false hope. 

I’m up for the challenge.

-L

Letters #3 & #4

Dear Bloggers,

I’m a chicken, a big fluffy delicious chicken. 

and what I mean by that is, blog world, I have spent the last 3 days mulling over what to put in a letter to my parents and little sister.

It’s not that I have nothing to write, it’s that I have everything to write. Enough to fill a thousand parcel pages with more volatile emotion than I knew I could possess. But there are too many secrets, too much pain, and not enough reward to give me enough courage to write what I actually feel to your open eyes.

So I’m playing foul, and skipping these two letters, because I would never want someone to see that painfully honest side of me, especially them. 

-L

Day 2: Letter to My Crush

Dear J,

I promised myself I would try ever so hard to not have any repeat receivers on this list, and here you are falling in first and second place for my love letters.

You are a handsome devil, filled with enough love and joy to power small steamboat from here to Vancouver. Your face is strong and daring, your eyes like four leaf clovers, and a smile better than those advertised by Crest White Strips.

I love learning from you, you’ve taught me so much about life, and even more about myself. Thank you for holding my secrets as dear to your heart as you hold me.

I’m crushing on you because you’re the best part of every one of my days. You make me feel like a woman. You’re sweeter than Americone Dream and more exciting than a Double Rainbow. 

I’m so glad it worked out, mon petit chou chou.

<3 L

Day 1: Letter to my Best Friend

I'm beginning my month of letters! here goes!

Dear C, G, S, & J,

I am so lucky to have you. Even more lucky because there are 4 of you. I could not pick one best friend, because I would be lying to myself about the role that every one of you has and will play in my life. Each of you has been by my side as we waded through fire swamps of hypothetical and actual emotional, physical, and spiritual life. I could never have made it past the trials I have faced without your coddling, molding, scolding, and smiles.

You are my rocks. and not just the big rocks that keep me tethered safely to friends like you, but also tiny rocks that I bury beneath the fresh soil of my future, to make sure the water doesn’t turn sour in the pot. 

So much, I wish that I have given back to you but an ounce of the love you have given to me. I hope that I turn your rotten lemon days into weekends of shaved ice, your frowns into bocce ball filled hot trubs, and your raccoon trouble into the most powerful of sunglasses. 

Please know that at the worst and best of times, all of your voices have brought me tears from nothing more than the sheer joy I have from knowing you. And you should know that your happenstance phone caIls were never a surprise, because I spend most my days consistently hoping that you will call. You always call. When I am lost in my thoughts, bored at work, filled with sunshine amounts of happiness, or driving home from Urban Outfitters after the loss of my grandmother, you always call when I need you most. 

I will never forget the last time we saw each other, although it is likely that I have forgotten the first time we met. But more than that, I will never forget the way I feel when I am with you.

I promise to always be your best friend. I will always chose you, every last one. I am more loyal than a parrot to his pirate. I will never stop fighting for you.        

I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. Thank you for being the gorgeous lights the shine brightly from my chest. Thank you for choosing me too.  

<3 L

Someday

Okay, I've officially been back for almost 2 weeks. and it stinks.
I miss Israel.
I miss feeling unique and respected and hip.
I miss the genuine kindness that the Middle East has to offer through its unique community.
And despite the fact that it is nearly a billion degrees here, I miss the hot clean sun of Jerusalem.
More than anything else I just want to go and swim in the Sea of Galilee, to refresh myself in that blissful lake. Sometimes when I roll down my car windows, I can almost hear the waves sloshing against the shore.

Well, life here is back in full swing. and somewhere between my current jobs and preparing for my future one, I feel trapped in isolated mediocrity. It's not that I don't like either of them, or want to explore the opportunities, it's just that...nothing I do right now helps anyone else.
In the grand scheme of life, my impact right now is nil.
People in other countries are dying of malnutrition while being stuck in places they can't leave with their houses being torn down without warning. And I help fix computers for people who can afford them, as well as safety and nutrition. And then on the weekends I cater to the children of the elite, helping celebrate growing up in luxury, where all little girls are princesses.
It's not that computers are bad, nor is having royal ideals.
What if those people used their influence, technology, and earnings to help someone other than themselves?

What if everyone in privilege took just one day a year to help one person in poverty, no strings attached?

Well, then maybe I'd be content.
I'd be happy to watch "Someday" by Rob Thomas and know that a world like that can exist.


And instead of working towards that, I am busy being tested (in every way possible) to see if I will be a proper DCFS employee. Then, maybe, I can start helping people, but being controlled by the state can never make it easy for me to make the impact I want. I'll be working for the system that I am consistently frustrated at for oppressing people. But God has power beyond them, so hopefully I can work for Him and not them...

I guess we'll see, and maybe, someday, we'll figure all this out...

Jetlag

is the worst thing ever.
I thought it was a myth.
I thought, it can never happen to me, I felt so great flying over and adjusting with just one day of sleepiness.
Well, America is different, and jetlag is awful.
The first day I got in at 6:30am, felt woozy all day, took an hour nap at like 2, and then couldn't keep my eyes open past 10pm. and then I woke up at 6am. I thought, okay, great I'm adjusted, not too shabby.
Yesterday I felt sick every time I was in the car, could only eat small amounts without wanting to barf and would have random sleep attacks throughout the day, eventually leading to me falling asleep around 5 and having to drag myself awake until 10. and then I woke up at 3am.
I've been up since then and I have to work in an hour and a half.
Let's hope I don't crash or barf on the way there.

Homeword Bound

Today was an odd last day.

Got up, had a nice chat with the man, and then walked to the Moslem district for coffee with a friend working in Jerusalem for the summer at a cardiac clinic. Seeing where she worked was amazing, and meeting those adorable children who are being given a free chance at normal heart functioning. 

Then I came back for lunch and had some last minute errand bonding time with the gals and we watched Friends for an hour instead of napping. I said goodbye to my friends in the Old City, good ol' Shaban, Louie, Lutzfig, Munir, Abdab, and Soloman. I almost felt bad telling the airport security people that I had not spent time with any Arabs, as most of my favorite people in Jerusalem were...

I will always miss the Old City, while hating its overwhelming nature none the less. The thick smell of cumin mingled with freshly carved flesh and ten thousand sour candies beneath the bright flagged scarves of the Moslem district. The constant chatter of anxious shop owners, foreign jewelry and tacky ornaments in the Christian district. The faint lingering of pottery dust cluttering the air in the Armenian district. And the crowds of devout Jews towing children, wife, and tractor all the way to the synagogue on shabbat. 

I can never explain so many things of Israel.

I can never explain the way one feels more valued in conversation, and more accepted because of a smile. How do I explain the doctor in the hospital smoking in his scrubs with pointy Italien patent leather shoes, or the sound of a tractor pushing its way through the Old City? I want to, but I can never spell out an accurate picture of the way a priest looks at you, compared to the rabbi, or the way the Sea of Galilee's waves flow with you through the following days, the constant movement of the water becoming your stroll. 

i won't even try.

After my shopping and goodbyes and Friends I ate my final questionable dinner with my closest friends (save April) and packed up my bags for the last time. I can't believe I've left, well...that I am in the airport. I want to start over again.

The ride here was more terrifying than all the Los Angeles traffic in the world, don't ever trust a sheurut driver, they'll drive you 95 miles per hour off a cliff. 

but I guess the day is finally done. I am sleepier than a sloth and ready for this flight to begin, only another hour till boarding...

see you tomorrow America. Happy independence. 

Backity-Back

I don't know where to start with the amazingness that was the Sea of Galilee.
I loved the kubutz we stayed at so much, I would go back in a heart beat. I was even thinking it'd be a great honeymoon spot someday: horseback riding, beach, clean water, fishing, parasailing, hot springs...oh man.
I loved riding on a boat across the Sea that Jesus calmed, fished, and walked on.
I can't believe this trip is already coming to an end, I have learned so many beautiful things, most of which are heard to articulate in a blog.
I'm ready for some popcorn and grilled cheese and fresh fruit and macaroni and cheese and veggies :) :) :)
I have to get to bed soon, BIG day tomorrow in Samaria and the Holocaust museum.
I just posted pics on Facebook, enjoy!

Gone to Galilee

Leaving early tomorrow for the Sea of Galilee area! I won't have internet again until Wednesday night!
Please text me if you need me!

Relaxi-Taxi

Wow. I love Israel.
The last couple days have been so nice to relax and get to know the people of Jerusalem.
Yesterday we met two men named Abdah and Ali. Today is Ali's wedding (we just found out he's Muslim after asking the director about the type of ceremony it is) and he invited us to come! Unfortunately, we can't, but just the hospitality of these nice shopkeepers was overwhelming.
We also met a man named Louie yesterday. He was Palestinian and Irish and owned a travel agency/ cafe inside Damascus Gate called the Gate Cafe. We ended up nearly trapped in his cafe to avoid being trampled by the hoards of responsible Muslims quickly trekking to the Dome of the Rock for afternoon prayer. What was sad was that this meant we would now have to wait 45 minutes until we could eat the delicious falafels that we can traveled all the way to Damascus Gate to try.
Luckily, we ran into Louie. He invited us into his cafe/travel agency and made us mint tea and then sent one of his friends to buy us falafels from a closed shop. they were DELICIOUS. omg, first falafels ever are the best falafels. yum yum yum. french fries and cucumbers and pickles and mustard. om nom nom.
He then gave us a two hour "sermon" about his views concerning religion and politics. Louie is an agnostic by our standards, believing in God and good morals, but not organized religion. Basically, he said that we each have God and the devil in each of us and have to decide who will win in each situation, but that we can never be respected and loved if we don't give respect and love, which will in turn bring peace and confirm our morals. I loved hearing his perspective, but it was hard to see how much religion has hurt someone so badly. If you want to hear more about our talk I would love to tell you, but it's much too long to blog.
Today was study day for our test this afternoon, and since it is Shabat, Jessi and I found a lovely little Armenian Christian cafe and had 12 NIS lattes while we studied Israeli rocks and roads. After, we strolled through every district and bought nothing, which felt great. I ever got a free pen from a nice man named Ishmael who just wanted to say hi.
Good day so far, and I hope it continues to improve through the test and class to packing for Galilee tonight. Can you believe it...only 8 more days till this adventure is over...

Negev-erific

The past 3 days have been both amazing and exhausting. The Negev is basically a giant desert wasteland with spurts of amazing architecture, history, and awe inspiring bodies of water.
I never thought it would feel so amazing to be back in this centuries old fortress of a university, but it is amazing to walk up those stone stairs and feel the crisp Jerusalem wind funnel down the corridor and give you the final strength to conquer the last few steps.
The wind feels especially good because I am incredibly sunburned. which is odd. I swear I put on enough sunscreen to easily protect 90 albino infants in the Sahara. ugh. Maybe it is the combination of intense heat (which causes me to sweat more than a wrestler with a glandular dilema) and the multiple applications of different sunscreen brands, and my attempt to get wet as often as water exists.
On the first day in the Negev, we went to the Mediterranean, the best ocean I've ever seen/touched/swam in. While we were there I got stung twice by jellyfish, and then a middle aged ocean man hit on a friend and me (this consisted of pulling out his penis and asking us to come swimming, very politely).
We stayed in Arad, where the weather was much milder and more comfortable and there were billions of young cats running around like roaches in LA. I loved the youth hostel, we had GREAT food and air conditioning and a TV and our own bathroom and everything.
The next day was so much hiking I thought my legs were going to fall off at Tel-Arad of the Wilderness of Zin or the Nabatean Fortress. but sleep was amazing that night, I even had my first dream since I got to Israel.
Today we went to Masada, En-Gedi and Qumran. We hiked both up and down the 1300 ft mountain of Masada and saw all of the amazing architecture that Herod created. The place felt real eiree though, and I eventually found out that it was because 960 Israeli defendants committed a mass suicide in 73 BCE after the Great Revolt. sad.
At En-gedi was swam in the Dead Sea which felt SO weird. I loved it and hated it and it burned so bad on my bug bites and scratches and sun burn, although my skin feels like butter now. amazing experience.
Last we went to Qumran to tour the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. They smelled like guano. but it was neat to step in ancient caves and get warnings about leopards that are living in them now!
Annnnnyyyywayyyysss I am in desperate need of bed, so off to be mosquito food I go. Goodnight!

Field Trip!

Leaving for the Negev until Thursday night!

oh, and I got a B+ on my test :)

Tel-me about it

Sorry for the lack of blogging yesterday, the heat really took it out of me.
Yesterday we went to Jericho and a bunch of Tels, which was pretty hot and dry.
Jericho is technically the oldest city in the world, with archeological findings dating back past 9,000 BCE.
It was also 115 there yesterday, yuck.
Then we drove for a while to the church in honor of Samuel and a tel there, and then another tel and lookout in Gezer.
Today was so wonderfully relaxing, I finished almost all of my shopping for friends and family, and I even got myself the most beautiful ring ever, real silver with a piece of glass for 2 BCE. certified and everything! AHHH! It's so pretty and it was only $30!!! I'm getting it sized so I'll post pictures tomorrow, but either way, it's pretty cool Roman glass from the Temple Mount excavations.
I'm just watching Friends with my friends and studying for our first exam tomorrow! wish me luck!

Mount of Olives

Welcome to Shabbat everybody! Jerusalem has been quiet since last night (Muslim sabbath's beginning) and will continue to be still until tomorrow night. It's nice to see the streets deserted (save the Christian shopping district) and families at home, or in church, worshiping God.
Today was our first "field trip" day, which meant we left at 7am and didn't get back till 5pm. whew.
First we went to the Church of Christ's Agony, where the Lord's Prayer is displayed in hundreds of languages, to commemorate the place where Jesus taught the disciples how to pray.
Then we explored more of the Mount of Olives, like the Church of all Nations, Orchard (Garden) of Gethsemane, the olive oil press where Jesus and his disciples often met, and the Church of Saint Mary (where Mary is said to be buried).
After than we ate nutella and pita overlooking the entire city.
Highlight: saw a segway tour riding around and could not stop laughing at how dorky they looked. 
Next we traveled to Herodian Fortress, where we saw some more of Herod's handiwork in protecting Israel and his safe escape if a siege did occur. We also go to experience all 3 different types of limestone today, which may sound dumb, but it is so cool to stay in a building made of one, touch the soft chalkiness of another, and use the third to write on black boards.
Last, we traveled to Bethlehem (it's amazing how close together all these places are!) and went to the Church commemorating Jesus' birth. It was very interesting to be in this sanctuary after visiting the Church of the Holy Seplicur, it felt almost fake. What was cool was the amazing Palestinian district that Bethlehem sits in! The shop owners were so nice and flattering and truly welcoming, while most of the Christian and Jewish vendors are pushy and rude.
The best experience was at this store where I bought a gift for someone, and the Palestinian woman spoke with me for a few minutes, and then slipped a bracelet on my wrist and told me I was her daughter, since she only had sons.
It was so hard to experience the honest generosity of this displaced people, and then head back through the giant 20ft tall wall that separates them from Jewish districts like animals. I know that it is a tender and painful subject for everyone involved, but everything is so much different here than it looks on the news.
Anyways, I am just watching Princess Bride with a few other students and getting ready to head to Jericho tomorrow! Maybe I'll finally meet a camel...

Dome-seplicur-tastic

Today I went to so many important places, like the Dome of the Rock, Temple Mount, Pools of Bethesda, and Church of the Holy Seplicur.
I still haven't bought anything other than food and drinks, which makes me sad because everything is so beautiful and the shop owners make you so sad when they say you have pretty eyes or are starving their children.
Dome of the Rock is the most amazing place I have ever seen, I am so in awe of the devotion of Muslims to this Holy place and how intricate they have built this magnificent place to be. I love all the mosaic work and the reverence surrounding the Dome.
The Temple Mount was right next to the Dome of the Rock and there were multiple bar and bat mitzvahs going on, which was neat to watch. We learned about the processes of pushing thousand ton rock onto more rocks and building the walls. I felt really irreverent walking all over the steps that led into the Temple, but it is a pretty normal tourist attraction i guess. 
The Pools of Bethesda were pretty neat, we learned the the main pool was not where the lame man was healed, but actually in a special pool designed for healing, which the Romans eventually built a church over.
The Church of the Holy Seplicur was THE MOST AMAZING PLACE I HAVE EVER BEEN. I am so lucky to walk through a place where Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose again. There are also so many pilgrams who journey through this church for the last thousand years and it is amazing to see the "graffiti" they have inscribed in this place. There is a rock in the church that is said to be the rock that Jesus' body was prepared on, and we saw Christians come and kiss, rub relics, and cry over. The most touching thing I felt was when a little tiny old grandma came and pulled out little pink baby clothes and spread them all over the rock. It was so beautiful.
Anyways, I am beat from more walking than ever before. Goodnight everyone! Shalom!

Tunnels of Fun

Today we went through Hezekiah's Tunnel! It was really fun, despite the waist deep water and pitch black limestone walls. We walked about 3 miles each way to get there, plus the tunnel itself, so by the time we got back tonight I was EXHAUSTED.
Last night I went to West Jerusalem and a concert with some friends. The concert was an Italian pop opera soprano trio, German singer and Israeli band, super eclectic. However, the cooles thing ever was that the President of Israel and the Major of Jerusalem were there! sooo awesome.
After that we walked through the Festival of Light and watched some of the show. not as spectacular as the concert, but pretty neat indeed.

Old City

Today was an eventful and fun first day of touring. 

I woke up at 5am due to the jet lag, so I got to Skype with the guy and then had breakfast. After that we left for a walk of the Old City along the ramparts. This journey took us over the 4 main and 3 lesser gates of the city, and through each of the 4 districts (Moslem, Christian, Armenian, and Jewish). 

We also went to the church of St. James, walked through the Christian selling district, and stood on some of the oldest foundation in Jerusalem, built during the Middle Ages. 

Other highlights: got an adapter, sat in a watermelon, exchanged money, tried awesome Jewish sesame seed bread, started a nice farmer tan, and drank 4 refills of my Nalgene on top of a kosher coke and orange juice.

I’m definitely more liquid than guts now. 

I am heading off to dinner right now and then to the Festival of Lights with some of the friends I have made. 

I’m dreaming of real coffee like no other, so maybe I’ll find some of that too…

Arrival Day!

Today is a day that feels like many days. I am surprisingly not tired, even though I barely got an hour of sleep on the plane.
Here is the day:
-wake up early, have a nice snuggle and head to APU with the bf and his roomie.
-drive to LAX and check in
-go through intense interviewing about my background and luggage
-make it through security *whew*
-LAX power goes off...so we left an hour and a half late, which really isn't too bad, just boring. besides I met TRAIN. i know. pretty cool.
-watched Whip it and 2012. i really liked Whip it, but 2012 wasn't bad enough for me to enjoy.
-played back of seat airplane tetris
-14 hours later....threw up in a travel bag, landed in Tel Aviv and went through more intense questioning about my intentions in Israel.
-drove to Jerusalem
-walked a .4 miles (mostly up hill) with all of my luggage, and then up 7 flights of stairs to my room
-ate some chicken (i was STARVING), apple, baked potato, salad and weird punch
-shower shower shower shower shower shower shower
-and now I am here, laying on my bunk bed, typing away while half the group sleeps and the other adventures into old town...which I will do tomorrow.

Basically, so far Israel looks like a much cooler version of central California.

and my converter decided not to work :( so I'm off to buy a new one tomorrow...

T-Minus 1 Day

Tomorrow is the big day.
Only 15 hours till I leave the ground, and then just another 15 till I touch down again.
goodness gracious.

Fears:
Plane Travel: small children,  megashark vs. giant octopus, sitting next to flatulent old ladies, etc.
Sunburns
My power converter won't work: phone, computer, camera, straightener, fan...
Camel Mouth Herpes (i AM going to kiss a camel)

Excited about:
-Sea of Galilee
-Negev
-Camel Kisses
-Making new friends
-ADVENTURES!

Touristy things I will do:
-float in Dead Sea
-Ride a camel
-buy potentially tacky misspelled touristy t-shirts
-take pictures like crazy

You can see the pictures I take @ flavors.me/madagascarellie
You can contact me on skype @ madagascarellie or iChat @ deipnosophist54
You can text me all you want with no cost to either of us. and email! I love mail!

I'm going to miss you all, thank you for reading my blog and I'll see you in 22 days!

Skype, iChat and Website

When I am in Israel, I will be on Skype & iChat anytime I have wireless access.
I have had interesting experiences with Skype already, including, but not limited to: being video sex accosted, proposed to, and offered to be bought for 9 bars of gold.
Needless to say, I would love to talk to anyone who refrains for the scenarios listed above, and who sends me their screen name/adds me before I leave on Sunday.
You can either reply as a comment to this blog, or simply add me: MadagascarEllie

iChat is somehow significantly safer...so you can chat me up there at: deipnosophist54

Other than this bloggy blog blog, I have a webpage that connects my Blogger, Twitter, Tumblr, and Picasa account...so you can go to that page and view what I am writing, tweeting, tumbling, and taking pictures of.
You can't "follow" or comment on it, but if you click on a blog post, tweet, or tumble post, it will take you to my actual page, where you can do so there.
I really do love comments, they are my favorite. So don't be shy like I was today!

flavors.me/madagascarellie

Pre-Departure Class

Day 1 and 2 of class are done. everyone seems nice, I hope I can make new friends...
I'm surprisingly shy for myself. hmph.

The Basics

According to behavioral analysts, serial killers and mass murders are less likely to kill a victim if disclosed personal details. So, on the off chance that any of my readers enjoy a little ax murder in their spare time, here are some important things about me.
I am 21 and a senior social work major at a large university in Southern California.
I work as the training manager in my university's IMT department, which consists of constantly updating oodles of handbook documents, as well as working to train each new employee. I'm super organized, which makes this job easy...and me a nerd.
I also work at Once Upon a Princess...as Ariel, Sleeping Beauty, Tinkerbell, Belle and now Cinderella. Although the hours are weird, I love getting to celebrate birthdays and other major events with families that I otherwise would never have met.
Next year I will be interning and eventually employed by Los Angeles County's Department of Child and Family Services. I'm not sure exactly what I will be doing, just that I will be a caseworker and probably extremely stressed and overworked, but happy to be trying to make a difference.
I want to make humanitarian documentaries for a living. This dream occurred to be after seeing the awful way that America has been reacting to events in our country and around the world. I think that the main reason that Americans have become so close minded to change is because they do not know who the change actually benefits. If the majority had a chance to watch an honest unbiased film about every day people and their struggles...who they actually are, not a stereotype or an assumption, then we'd be a lot less resistent to help those people. So that's why I want to make documentaries, to show who people actually are.
I am leaving for Israel on June 13th, and this will be my journal while I am gone. I am so excited to travel to the Holy Lands and bring all of my Bible learning to an end.
Welcome to my adventure...

First Impressions

First posts are always so awkward. Similar to first meetings,  anyone reading this blog will subconsciously judge whether or not we can be friends, lovers, roommates, of just blog buddies, and all in about 10 seconds.
Well, let me tell you this now. I am worth more than 10 seconds. Give me 10 days at least, I promise I'll keep you reading.
Besides, I already have a handsome lover, grand roommate, a handful of great friends and plenty of blog buddies. So, the tables have turned, and you're going to have to be just as interesting, loving, and internally gorgeous, as they are, if you want some sort of relationship with me.
If you're still reading, we have made it past first impressions. Greetings! Welcome. Glad to have you.
You should know, my name belongs to me, and like most of my personal belongings, I like to keep it safe. So you can call me Ellie. Madagascar Ellie, to be precise. Madagascar because I'd love to go there, and Ellie because Pixar taught anyone watching that she was the girl looking for adventure.
My favorite season is Autumn, animal is sloth, and sound is wind. I love all forms of art, especially those found in nature. I am a content caffeine addict, poison of choice pouring into me from The Coffee Bean. I think that knowledge is power, violence is usually bad and every single person has a brilliant piece of goodness within them.
Now you know a little about me, and if it's quite alright, I'd like to know a little about you. Leave me a comment with your favorite season, animal, sound, and a random fact about yourself. I'd also love it if we could follow each other, and I'll electronically walk alongside you on your journeys as you walk beside me on mine.