After our week at the kibbutz and at Oranim College, we made our way to the small city of Nazareth for the next stage of our adventure. We are staying in the middle of the old city in a nice hostel with nice people, but then again, when aren’t the people nice here? We spent....
Free Travel Reports from Guatemala
After 8 weeks of Spanish classes and living with host families here in Guatemala City, we had a week of free travel where we could go anywhere we wanted (within reason, of course). Our group of 20 students split up into smaller groups and most people headed to the beach, but my group of five....
Experiencing Israeli culture
Last week was packed with opportunities to learn more about Israeli culture with the Oranim program. We stayed in Kibbutz Ramat HaShofem, one of the first kibbutzim set up in Israel. The original kibbutz system was set up with a mix of socialist and zionist ideals, focused on communal living. This kibbutz has lost many....
Three reflections from India
India is a land of vast diversity. So far during our time in India we have experienced a plethora of different religions, customs, rituals, ways of life, cultures, etc. A prime example of this has been the clear contrast of our recent village study in the Himalayan Mountains to the rest of our stays in....
Stories from Matella and Amritsar – India
Seeing the cities of India it is easy to believe that India is the second most populous country in the world with well over 1 billion residents. Ironically estimates place the rural population of India well in the majority with around 70% of the population living in towns, and villages of less than 1,000 people.....
Jerusalem
This has been such a powerful week for me. On Sunday Olivia, Steve, Andre, Ben and I returned from our week of free travel in Egypt. We found our way back to Old City, Jerusalem and to the Ecce Homo Convent. Thus began our week. We spent our free time on Sunday evening exploring the....
Poetry from Guatemala
I am tired of not being allowed to study where I wish And yet studying anywhere is a privilege I am tired of not being able to decide what I eat And yet having food is a privilege I am tired of not being able to wash clothes, dry dishes or clean my own room....
Free Travel reports from Israel
While many of our group chose to plan ahead and have a relaxing time, James, Tim, and I decided to leave much of our trip open-ended. The first day we spent at Tim’s uncle’s house in a town near Tel Aviv. All the people in that family were characters, and we had a good time....
India – Taj Mahal, zip-lining, camels, Delhi, and more
Let’s play a game. I’ll say a word, and you say out loud what your first thought is. I know that I’m just a journal entry, but just do it anyway, alright? So what do you picture when I say “India?” I would bet 100 rupees that you just thought of the Taj Mahal, which....
Globalization, coffee, chai, and more
I am not sure that the best cup of coffee in India could beat the worst gas station coffee from the U.S. in a taste test. Just as Indian food in the U.S. only tastes half as good as a generic curry in India, the quality of many U.S. staples gets lost in translation/transportation on....