Pool day at the Kefiada

It seems like I've been in Israel for a while now, though the summer camp itself is just starting. I met some great people, some of whom are unfortunately not in my group... although, everyone whodid end up in Karmiel is awesome. And we have great support staff too, which is incredibly helpful.

Israel itself is a great place. We are hiking, touring, seeing religious and cultural landmarks everwhere, and really enjoying ourselves. The food and the land are incredible. The news stations' reports are less positive, but the actual people I've run into do not really reflect this. Of course, Karmiel is an area with less tensions than some, but it really does not seem like the picture the news paints. Of course, this is not to say that I have never felt threatened- I fear for my life every time I go near a road. Israeli drivers have all the confidence/recklessness of New York drivers, just without much skill.

Kefiada is wonderful. We are working with some great kids, and they are very excited to play games with us. They like to sing, they like to make bracelets, and they like to meet anything phrased as a challenge. We have only been playing together for two days, but they have become very close (well, at least the boys are close to each other and the girls are close to each other). I am very excited about the rest of the Kefiada program.

Av 5761 - July 2001