Sunday, 22 September 2013

Why Israel?


A lot of my friends and family have been asking why I have chosen to go to Israel so here goes:
Beautiful..and they don't really have winter.
Idea began back in China when I had finished teaching and started travelling around  enjoying myself and meeting Israelis all over the place!  Most had just finished military service and were enjoying the sights in China before heading off to University.

 Until  this point the thought of going to the Middle East had never crossed my mind. Attitudes to women the tendency to bomb each other and their own people had erased it almost entirely from my map. Apart from maybe a trip to the Pyramids at some point.
The foodie in me salivates at this beautiful food!
As ever when I travel my ideas and perceptions of different places and people change.  After a few chats over watery Chinese beer with various different travellers, some from Israel others Americans who'd been over as part of their Birth Right (American Jews get a free trip there!), I decided it's a place I'd like to see for myself.  

It took chat with my friend Paul about what makes me happy and dismissing the idea of going back to teaching English in Asia or doing a PGCE, as a result, to come up with the idea of working on a Kibbutz and it being my next venture!
Spice heaven!

 I mentioned Travel being the thing that makes me happy. Next came the question of where?...up cropped Israel. Paul mentions his dad having worked on a Kibbutz and says his dad describes it as the best time of his life. This sparked an in depth Google search and a few clicks, pages of forms and months later.. here I am!

 When you're at a loose end as to what to do with your life a Kibbutz seems like a good chance to put my skills to the test.  I am also interested from a political perspective as I am a bit of an idealist and would love a world that was further into the Socialist spectrum  than the ConDems.  I am interested to see a society based on equality and community in practice.   
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6 comments:

  1. Rebekka @ Becky's Kaleidoscope22 September 2013 at 20:19

    While there are many (many!) things I find problematic about Israel, I also have great friends from there, and my mum spent 3 months in a kibbutz when she was young and absolutely loved it.

    I hope you have a great time!

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    1. Anna24 September 2013 at 12:12

      Thanks Becky! I have kinda skirted around the Israel vs Palestine issue. Might have to make it the topic of my next post. I have been doing some researching trying to understand how it all started and such..
      Good to here from you and looks like things are going well for you over in Ireland!

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    2. Rebekka @ Becky's Kaleidoscope24 September 2013 at 12:17

      It is a difficult topic for sure. I grew up in a very pro-Israel family, but then in secondary I went to school with several Palestinians. I have to say it is definitely not black and white, but I have to admit that there are a LOT of things that I do not think the Israeli government is handling very well. But I won't hold that against individual Israelis (tbh though, most of my Israeli friends feel similar to how I do). One of the best sources I've found is Amira Hass, an Israeli journalist who've lived in Gaza since the 1990's. I've found her work very compelling and she is good at remaining critical about both sides.

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  2. Unknown22 September 2013 at 21:14

    Would love to go there too, especially to see it for real and not through the biased media's point of view. Food there looks good too, and that to me would matter even more than religious conflict. Enjoy your trip!

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    1. Anna24 September 2013 at 12:15

      Cheers Julien.
      Bit warmer than Iceland that's for sure.
      You planning on heading off anywhere new or sticking to the Icelandic hospitality sector?

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  3. Unknown29 September 2013 at 15:30

    A bit warmer indeed. And still sticking to Iceland for now, apparently adulthood was waiting for me there. But then again, who knows?

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