h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've been on kibbutz beit hashita for a year now... it's certainly unique, and it's definitely dying out. damn shame, too. kibbutz people (I go to school on kibbutz ein harod with kids from 8 kibbutzim and some moshavot) have a lot of opportunities and a really unique way of life. Too bad they can't stop gossipiing where is gilgal?

In the Jordan Valley.
Very hot and very small...
I think I wrote you awhile ago, you never replied.
I have family in Beit HaShitah.

Hi girls

Sorry to butt in! I'm feeling nostalgic!

I was in Israel in '92 and '93, staying on Kibbutzim - first Na'an, near Rehovot, then Ramat Ha Shofet (Ein Harod rings a bell, and I thought you were somewhere South, Elly - sorry!)

Write back and tell me how it is over there *sniff - homesick!*

x x Fenny

I'm now living on the Coast, in Sdot-Yam.
We don't have volunteers here anymore, except for those who married Kibbutzniks.
What do you want me to tell you?

I was feeling nostalgic and upset and wanted to celebrate my time there.

There wasn't anything concrete you could have said, it was more of an atmosphere which I lost when I stopped being an Ulpanist and a Volunteer and returned to England *land of grey skies*.

But I've come home tonight and just read the thread on Palestinians on Peer Review. My support to you - I hate that we get such biased reporting over here, and all my parents' friends in Israel won't say anything about the situation.

So I won't go on, but know my silent support is there *and I wish I knew more about it without a prejudiced reporting!

x x Fenny

Well, I kinda gave up on that discussion by now. Watching BBC and CNN reports- I feel sorry for the Palestinians, too. Actually, I constantly feel sorry for them, being lead by Arrafat and Darkages religious opinions....

Anyway- how long did you live in our crazy country?

Well, I was in Naan studying Ulpan for four months, 1992, and Ramat Hashofet as a Volunteer for another 2-3 months... not long really... but the measure of the impact that Israel had on me, is that I went home and came back - couldn't bear to leave!

I left to join University in June 92, but didn't like Course/Location, small things like that... and I took the rest of the academic year to try to decide what I wanted to do (Finally, I know I want to be a programmer, but it's taken 8 years!) and returned the Summer of 93.

I noticed while I was there that BBC World was ***absolutely*** biased - I was brought up believing that it was the epitomy of objective reporting, and that was a great surprise to me. But I couldn't read the Jerusalem Post, either; I found that too far biased as well! So I just went on gossip for my time there! (you know, the "'top secret' this is gonna happen this weekend" gossip, friends in the army, that sort of thing). But I loved it so much there, which I think is part of being a student or pre-student away from home and without responsibilities. If you visit my (Fenny) page, you'll see I've thumbed a lift twice... that was in Israel. Never in England, before or since!

Re the posting... at the bottom of page 1, I was about to volunteer to be one of the multi-national team... by page two I didn't think so, by page 3 I decided to delete (I'd already written) my £0.02... I do have a "one-world" attitude, and I'd love to make a difference through h2g2 or other media, but that got too bitter! Not going too political here, so we'll leave out attitudes and politics and just be two people comforting eachother in the calm of cyberspace (oooh, did I just type that?)

B Wishes
x x Fenny (Fenchurch the honky whatever)

I guess you did type that...
I'm not much into politics either, so I don't mind...

So where's Sdot-Yam? Did I hear you say you're in the Army, or have you finished now?

Are you studying or working? I'm trying to study computers & programming (limited success since I'm working in my own time) and being a secretary :¬p which I'm not so keen on... but I get paid!

x x Fenny

I've finished the army by now, thank god! I'm 24 in 2 months...
Sdot-Yam is abit north to Hadera, if that means anything to you. If you ever attended a concert in the Caesarea Amphitheatre- that's the place!
I studied one year of Sociology and Education, and now one year of Nursing, and didn't like either. So I'm looking for a job in the UK for a year, hopefully that'll strait my mind out, and maybe work things out for me and my brittish bf...

Good luck in searching for a job here, I can understand the way you're feeling. I got out of school in '91, with a place at uni to go to in 92 (year off for exploring!). I came back from Israel in June & went to Wales to study in September. I HATED it! Long story short, I left Wales in December, spent a few months working, an visited Israel again in June. Then when my mind was clearer I went to University in Leicester in Sept (1993), where I stayed despite disliking the course.

I figured by that time that "It's *brave* to put your foot down and leave somewhere you don't like, if you've never done it before... but it's *cowardly* to do the same a second time!" Oh, and I came away with the motto "Never Regret Anything" because life's too short!

I know it's a load of hot air, but I hope some of it's helpful to you as you travel the same cross-roads!

x x Fenny

Ammm... I ain't sure I intend to come back to Israel! This place is too hot and too stressful for me... I don't know yet.

Well... I know a lot of people who made Aliya when I went to Israel, and then came back. And then went across again. And then came back. It seems that a lot of people are very confused about it, and I think that includes Sabra and immigrant!

I was never going to make Aliya at that age - my mum rules me with an iron hand , even now I'm married, and she was not in favour of following me over there... besides, the boyfriend at the time was an ultra-orthodox idiot, and here's me, liberal and being told off for turning the radio on at the wrong time - he was *never* going to be a reason for immigrating!

Where will you go when you come to England (was that When, or If?) I can give you a couple of pointers if you're near Leicester or London. Do you know anyone apart from Bob? and what will you do work-wise?

I'm sure you'll get it all worked out, but feel free to ask!

x x Fenny

I know some people, most of them from h2g2, actually- all of them...
I'd love help in finding a job- we want to live together, and we don't care where, really. London- I don't know, but anywhere else can be good! If you can help- I'd be ever so greatful!

Will I see you in the Meet Up?

hey you two I disappeared in the process of coming back to america but just wanted to tell you I do exist? media bias is something that I find really frustrating because half the media is all "poor palestinians, why won't israel stop shooting them they're innocent?" and the other half is "all arabs are evil terrorists" and I never understood why it's so hard to find a middle. the closest to fainess in my opinion is haaretz in english [URL removed by moderator] but the world media in general p****s me off. and if they're so screwed up with the middle east I also wonder what are they telling me about the rest of the world?

Sorry I just tend to ramble sometimes.

Rambling's good
I think that discussion still goes on in the Workshop, so you can say your piece again there...
Why do they bother with the rest of the world? Who knows? Mabe they don't want everybod migrating to Israel, so they can stop watching the news reports about it...
Gone back home, ha? Where are you now?