Hello Students!
Hola estudiantes!
Привет студенты!
こんにちは学生！
안녕하세요 학생!
To Ms. Skiffington's finest students,
My, my it’s been quite some time since we’ve last seen one another – I hope this letter finds you all doing extremely well, enjoying school, working hard, and being super kind to your fabulous teachers and lunch ladies.
It has been three months since I left the comforts of being the coolest substitute teacher at Westfield High School and headed 6,000 miles East, to Kiryat Ata, Israel (Key-ree-at, At-ah) to once again become a student.
I came to Israel knowing almost no Hebrew; I couldn’t count to ten, I wasn’t sure how to ask for directions or order a pizza, and I could not read the language at all, not a single word. To say I was lost when I first got here is an understatement.
I literally got lost riding the buses from Tel Aviv to Kiryat Ata and ended up lugging my luggage around a small neighborhood on a dark, cold, and rainy night. Great symbolism huh??
Tired, wet, and scared it seemed hopeless. I kept asking myself, WHY would I come here? Was taking on this challenge worth it? I mean COME ON! Most of this world speaks English anyway, I don’t need to learn another language. Right?
WRONG!
A fruit vendor named Eli who spoke English, Hebrew, and Arabic saved me that fateful night. Seeing I was hungry and lost he gave me an orange, called me a taxi, and let me know if I could get through being this lost on my first night in a foreign country, it could only get better. Just like that everything was fine once again. I was ready to try my hand at living in a foreign land.
BUT WHY did I want to do this? Many people at home called me crazy, there are people who still say I’m crazy, and if I remember correctly some of you all even told me I was crazy!
I came here because I wanted to challenge myself, to see first hand what this amazing world has to offer, and truly experience how different it really is to jump out of your comfort zone and place yourself in a foreign country, with no idea what lies ahead.
Yup, you’re all right, I am crazy.
Believe it or not, when I was deciding if I should pursue teaching or go on this trip – it was talking with many of you that gave me the confidence to give it a shot.
Your advice on how to go about learning a foreign language, the importance of being patient. that it’s not only the classroom where you will learn; but the stores, restaurants, and listening to people on the streets which are just as important. The personal stories of hardship and triumph you shared with me, and your patience as I tried to learn words in your native tongue proved to me that this would all be worth it.
So to you all I say thank you!
It has been an astonishing adventure thus far and I wanted to take a few moments, and fill you all in on some of it.
I live up in northern Israel in a place called Kibbutz Romat Yohanan, twenty minutes north of the famous port city Haifa. A kibbutz is a self sufficient community, which is ran collectively and dedicated to the principle that production work and domestic work are of equal value. Simply put, it is a community where everyone works together for the good of the Kibbutz – everyone here is considered equal, and everyone is paid the same amount despite whatever your job may be. The Kibbutz president earns the same amount as the person who washes the dinner dishes!!
We have our own dining hall, laundry mat, hair salon, gasoline station, super market and a farm chock full with cows, chickens, horses and peacocks. There are Fish ponds and enormous fruit fields. There’s a plastics factory that distributes plastic and PVC goods across the world. A nursing home for the elderly and schools for all ages, babies up to high school. Safe to say, we have everything we need to be a self sustaining community right here.
There are just over 800 people who live on the Kibbutz -- a collection of people both born here in Israel and immigrants from all over the world.
I live with 44 other people who are all in the same work-study program with me. You want to talk about diversity? The 44 people I live with represent thirteen countries and speak seven different languages.
The ladies and gentlemen I live with come from; Argentina, Columbia, Venezuela, France, England, The United States of America, Canada, Japan, South Africa, Russia, Bulgaria, Australia, and Ukraine.
Until I came here I never sat a dinner table where I asked for the salt in Spanish, the ketchup in Russian, and the bread in Japanese. How crazy it is!
A typical week here consists of going to class for three days, and working the other three. When I’m not busy learning how to read and write Hebrew, I spend my my time working as a cook. It is quite a challenge cooking for 44 people of all different ethnicities – but I promise you this, the American Classic, Sloppy Joe is well received by every nation – and no one can say no to a chocolate cake, trust me.
Cooking for the masses and talking to thirteen other nationalities is just one of the many daily challenges.
As many of you forewarned me there would be numerous challenges and uncomfortable situations that come with moving over to a foreign land. Thanks for the heads up, but I do believe it’s safe to say that one can never be fully prepared to confront all of the situations that present themselves.
Luckily though, despite my first night being lost – and the few other times I’ve ended up somewhere I wasn’t supposed to – most of my troubles have been humorous, or at least great learning experiences :)
Because a kosher diet restricts meat and cheese together you have to search long and hard here for a Pizza Hut Meat Lovers pizza – instead I usually find my topping options to be corn, olives, mushrooms, or tomato and onions (gross). And good luck if you want to eat a cheeseburger :(
Weekends here begin Friday afternoon and end Saturday night -- only 1.5 days -- not a full 2 days like in America.
Israel ranks top ten in the world for cigarette smokers per ca pita. It is not uncommon to sit next to a cigarette smoker anywhere in this land, and it’s not uncommon to see kids as young as 15 smoking -- gross!
 |
| A french-fries vending machine, don't see those in the states! |
My grasp on the Hebrew language is still in the beginning stages, so it’s always awkward/funny when a young child or elderly adult on the streets ask me a simple question and then looks into my eyes and says. “OH you’re American.” This happens less frequently now as my Hebrew is getting better!
Because fruits and vegetables are grown right here on the kibbutz, I have the luxury of getting to eat fresh fruits and vegetables with every meal. A much-welcomed turn of events from my old eating habits of Oreo's and Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich.
Sports over here are no where near as important as they are in the USA – that is, other than soccer. Like most countries (other then America) soccer is the king sport. It’s always on TV and dominates the local newspaper, so if you don’t like soccer you are fresh out of luck.
Hebrew reads from right to left, unlike English.
We have no Starbucks but we do have Dominoes Pizza and McDonald's -- although neither is as fatty or delicious as the American version, I don’t have a car so I take public transportation everywhere -- taxis, trains, buses and even occasionally I hitch hike. We use Shekels instead of dollars, I live with people who are getting ready to join the Israeli Army instead of continue their travels or find a job after our time here is up, Coca-Cola uses real sugar and is served in a glass bottle, dogs and cats run freely all over Israel, there are security checks before you go into any establishment, and despite what you may read or hear in the news I have never once not felt unsafe at any point anywhere in this country.
Heck, I could list off the differences and challenges I face over here but I won’t – you all are very much aware of what it’s like to be in a new country, and living each day not truly knowing what to expect!
My respect for each and every one of you is higher then it’s ever been, I always "knew" it was difficult adjusting to life in a new country; but, now I KNOW the difficulties and challenges it entails. I hope you will all continue to strive toward greatness both at Westfield High School and beyond, and know that you will all reach great heights as long as you never stop striving to keep learning!
As for me I’m not sure what I’ll be doing after my travels in Israel come to an end; maybe I’ll be off to Asia or Europe, I hear Nepal is gorgeous, South America has always intrigued me and there is much to see in South Africa. Maybe I’ll just roam around Rome or head on home to the good ole U.S.A. I’ve taken your advice before, I would be much obliged to take it again! Let me know if you have any suggestions on where to go, or if you have any questions about anything I could help answer, it would be my privilege. Send me an e-mail at SAYoungberg@gmail.com if you have suggestions or questions!
Your friend,
Sean...I mean Mr. Youngberg....I mean Young $ Money.
