Day 2 - Tuesday, March 6th.
All 15 of us woke up bright and early to play with some kids. We got in our costumes for purim and painted our faces so that we could fit in with all the children who would be starting to celebrate purim in israel. Our first stop was HeEmeq Medical center where we played with the children who were staying in the hospital. Its crazy how a children's ward of a hospital can be turned into such a happy place in just a few hours. There was music playing and all of the kids were dressed up for the holiday. We blew bubbles, did puzzles, and even decorated "chia pets" with seeds that grew out of a pair of tights. Although there was a language barrier between us and most of the kids, we had a great time. They loved our company and i could definitely say that we loved theirs.
After playing with the kids for a while, we finally got our shopping fix- kind of. We went to lunch all together at a great burger place, got our favorite coffee from aroma, and then walked around an outdoor shopping mall.
Our second stop for our volunteering was the Emunah Afula Children's center. This was an incredible place with an incredible story. There are around 100 kids living in this house. It is for children who come from broken homes and places of where the parents could not care for them. We made hamuntashens with the kids and watched their Purim play. During this time, I ran into an interesting event. While sneaking out to go to the bathroom, i found myself in contact with a woman, not too much older than me with rotted teeth and tons of makeup. I turned to her on the way out of the bathroom to say hi and she stopped me in my tracks. She said to me "where are you from? my daughter is here and please take care of her. I miss her so much. thank you for taking care of my daughter" she then proceeded to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Although I had not met her daughter, it really felt like I was making a difference for that one day I was there.
We then proceeded back to the Kibbutz for dinner and a program that our Israeli correspondents have planned for us. This program taught us a lot about the differences in political and religious views between the American and Israeli students here. It was very interesting and I definitely could say that i've learned an incredible amount from them.
And now on to day 3 =]
By Dani Gittleman
After playing with the kids for a while, we finally got our shopping fix- kind of. We went to lunch all together at a great burger place, got our favorite coffee from aroma, and then walked around an outdoor shopping mall.
Our second stop for our volunteering was the Emunah Afula Children's center. This was an incredible place with an incredible story. There are around 100 kids living in this house. It is for children who come from broken homes and places of where the parents could not care for them. We made hamuntashens with the kids and watched their Purim play. During this time, I ran into an interesting event. While sneaking out to go to the bathroom, i found myself in contact with a woman, not too much older than me with rotted teeth and tons of makeup. I turned to her on the way out of the bathroom to say hi and she stopped me in my tracks. She said to me "where are you from? my daughter is here and please take care of her. I miss her so much. thank you for taking care of my daughter" she then proceeded to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Although I had not met her daughter, it really felt like I was making a difference for that one day I was there.
We then proceeded back to the Kibbutz for dinner and a program that our Israeli correspondents have planned for us. This program taught us a lot about the differences in political and religious views between the American and Israeli students here. It was very interesting and I definitely could say that i've learned an incredible amount from them.
And now on to day 3 =]
By Dani Gittleman
 |
| Dani Gittleman and Elizabeth Belsky at HaEmeq Medical center |
 |
| Zach Firestone at HaEmeq Medical center |
 |
| HaEmeq Medical center |
 |
| Dani Gittleman leading an Ask Big Question conversation - "What is Your Identity?" with students from Yizrael Valley College Hillel. |
 |
| Julie Lowenthal, Jillian Sallan, Sydney Wolf, Hannah Weiss, Zach Firestone, Dani Gittleman and Aaron Klisman making hamuntashens with the kids at Emunah Afula Children's center. |
No comments:
Post a Comment