Week 2 (including a trip to Akko)

Sunday morning (after getting back from Jerusalem) I woke up early to lesson plan, only to find out that the teacher just wanted me to observe the class instead of teach. Mika and I taught a math class afterwards though - and it went really well. The students were very interested in us, and the problems we gave them.

After teaching, our MIT group met with a student group at the college called Ayalim. The group built student villages all around Israel to populate areas of the country that were predominantly inhabited by Arabs. It was interesting to meet with them, but also made me very uncomfortable. I don't want to offend anyone who is reading this, nor do I have any solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but I do know that racism is wrong, and the obvious racism against Arabs in this country bothers me more and more each day. We got to talk to the students in the group, and I was pretty straightforward about asking them about their customs, their views on Arabs, and the state of Israel. Some of the students tried to beat around the bush, some were overtly racist, some just had a lot of pride and admiration for Israel. One of the students also asked me quite a few questions - about Christianity, my views on Israel, American life, other places I had traveled…overall it was a good, relaxed, but complex conversation.

Afterwards, I worked out in the [tiny] weight room at the college. It is very odd for woman to work out in Israel, especially by lifting weights, so I got plenty of weird stares. For dinner, our MIT group went into downtown Karmiel and got shawarma (they roast meat on a spinning pole and then shave it off) and falafel. When I got back I celebrated one of my roommates birthdays with some cake.

Monday was another typical day of teaching. But it was a day filled with lots of JOY - the sun came out, and it felt like a warm spring day in Boston. I went for a beautiful run through Karmiel, found a park, and like I was 6 years old again, went down the giant slide and climbed a big rope thing they had and sat up on it, soaking in the sun and praying. I also found a wall to play lacrosse on - which drew tons stares and students talking about me in Hebrew.

On Tuesday, I only had to teach one class in the morning. So Bridget and I went for an adventure to Akko - a nearby city on the coast, which has barely changed since Ottomans lived there a few hundred years ago. Smelling the salt air, feeling more sunshine, and getting to talk with Bridget made it a perfect day. Hopefully pictures can express some of the beauty:

Bridget playing Jonah.

Today (Wednesday), I got to teach Chemistry again! Its the class I enjoy teaching most, the class I am most confident in teaching, and feel like I am actually giving the students a better understanding and enjoyment of chemistry. Played more lacrosse today, spent lots of time with God, and skyped Chantine!!

Friday morning our MIT group is headed to the Dead Sea, to hike, swim/float, and explore. So expect a post about that sometime after Sunday!