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

Sort of. Still in Israel (Be'er Sheva, in the south, the negev desert to be exact) but MBI (my summer program) is over. It was the best, the most amazing, the most incredible five weeks/summer/experience of my life. I lived so much more than I ever have before and I enjoyed almost every hour of it. Almost. I kept an occasional journal (once every coupla days) and I'm thniking I will type it up and put it, in its uncensored glory, here. This however may be a bit disturbing/offensive to some/all. I apologize. Or as Eminem would say (heard this song constantly all summer), "Will Smith don't got a cuss in rap to sell records. Well I do. So f**k him, and f**k you..."

Welcome back! It was a nice surprise to see your name on the Who' Online popup. Looking forward to the uncensored views of your summer.

I have yet to have my journal and net access at the same time, but here's one of the writings I've done so far. Look out...
in other news, how are you? how was europe? our affectionate nickname for alcohol was, for a time "Scandinavia", although that's not really your area of specialty. And when you're drunk and your friend Johannah is standinng on a chair singing "O, Scandinavia, our home and native land..." it's really funny.

stupid computers... finding this file is taking a while... argh

TRANSLATION - my program, MBI, was run this youth movement, habonim dror, a camp of whichh I've been going to for years and years. But after this year I now have leadership status. habo is jewish and socialist basically.

and here it comes:

I odn't know quite how much Johannah's told you about MBI, so let me skip to the most pivotal instant. Mental picture of a moment: I'm in Eilat, in a hotel, drunk off my ass with several friends. (Jox (NICKNAME FOR JOHANNAH) is tipsy, but still has her wits about her. Debbie's s**tfaced. Benj is just mildly buzzed. the others you don't know.) In said moment I'm out on the balcony with this girl Roni. She's going out with my exboyfriend, Nadav, who I'm still crazy about. But she doesn't really like him, she likes this chick Julia. Who in an interesting twist of fate appears to be flirting with me. So the two of us are out there, both piss drunk - Nadav is inside. I'm making out with Roni. Nadav is glancing out the window. That particular second is rather an interesting one, no? Add to it the fact that while going out with this entirely different kid Jon Joxo managed to feel affection for Nadav, Julia AND Roni. Later that night, this kid Lars puts me to bed as Johannah and Nadav help Roni puke.

Nadav breaks up with Roni the next day, and Julia loses affection for me due to my drinking habits.

Next Saturday night, in a hotel in Netanya, we decide "Learn one's lesson? Pah! Lessons are for pussies." So this time it's two full litre bottles of vodka, and the guest list includes
-Me
-Johannah
-Nadav
-Benj
-Roni
-Barkon
-Debbie
-Mark (all you need to know about Mark is that he's Mattea's boyfriend)
-some other kid Aaron and
-Lars
Recipe for disaster, eh? Benj is really really late, so he finishes it after all the interesting stuff goes down. Nadav takes one swig and decides it ain't worth it (he's a straightedge and thought maybe there was something in the taste of vodka to appreciate.) Roni, bless her, decideds not to drink. (She had since last weekend decided she wanted to be in a relationship with me, and didn't seem to have gotten the "I'm straight" message I was sending her.) Aaron had very little. Debbie had plenty, and spent the night saying inane things to the people who were taking care of her. Barkon got kinda drunk and then decided to stop. Mark had lots, but it didn't seem to hit him. Dunno. Lars, and I, were both piss drunk. And he starts making moves on me but I hold him off for a while "No... we're both drunk and we'll regret it... go take a cold shower." Then I puke. Johannah shows up, with her camera, and decides it would be funny if I got with Lars. So she encourages poor little drunken me and I give in. So Johannah has the brief saliva exchange session I held with Lars on film, should you care to see it. Which was pretty f**king evil, but whatever.

Oh yeah, and then there were the times when I was sober. A few of them, anyway. I made the most incredible friends from all over the US and Canada and I had more fun that I knew was humanly possible and I saw Israel from a Habo perspective, which was amazing. My bus madrichim (COUNSELORS) were this chick Danya who lives in a Habo bayit (HOUSE) in Jerusalem and knows everything there is to know and can argue any right wing tour guide's head off without batting an eyelash. The other one was Jamie Levin, who spent the last year travelling around Ghana and will spend the next two being in charge of Habonim Dror North America. I can't decide which one is a better role model, but I know what I wanna be like when I'm twenty-three. And there are a few moments that stick out in my mind specifically. Sitting on the shores of the kineret (SEA OF GALILEE) watching the sunset, with Sharona, the night Nadav dumped me. I went from utter depression to amazing happiness. It was incredible. Or the next day, sitting on a little ledge behind a waterfall during a six hour hike through the Golan, arms outstretched and poised to jump. Or when I fell in love with habonim - in newark airport, before we even took off, we had a group room. The sign said "Continental Airlines welcomes MBI group" but someone, some crazy ass habo, changed it so the end said "Tit Grope." My entire summer was like a big f**king kupa trip(CAMP THING EVERY YEAR WE TAKE A TRIP TO SOME PUBLIC PLACE AND END UP MAKING UTTER FOOLS OUT OF OURSELVES AND ENJOYING EVERY SECOND), habos doing crazy s**t in public places. It's such an amazingly fun experience.

Or the week when I was with Nadav, which was just incredibly happy. Do you know what it's like to be in a healthy relationship? I didn't - it feels damn good. After three days of buildup, we were sitting, all alone, on a staircase a few blocks away fromt he main drag of Tiberias. No one around. I said "Tell me something funny" but he said "I can't, too much pressure." So we talked for a half an hour, me thinking "Why is this taking so long" and eventually it was time to get back. And then, he said "Want to hear something funny?" and I said yeah. And he was all like "I really wanna kiss you." And I said "That's not funny at all." And then... We got back pretty late. That's just the greatest feeling. It really, really is.

So anyway, MBI moments. Skinnydipping in the kineret at sunrise. Doing rikud (ISRAELI DANCING) the first time, when we discovered we all knew all the same dances. It turned out our little circle of friends, from all different machanot (CAMPS), were all rikud people. It was such a feeling... we had such a bond, and we were just beginning to unearth it. Wow. Ezra Brooks from Tavor, who is like my brother, who I can tell ANYTHING, who I totally identify with, and I used to have these long conversations about how much we love Habo and Israel and MBI. I feel like I suddenly got to the horizon and I can suddenly see so much further. I have done so much more, and been so much farther, than before. I have this whole new level in confidence in my beliefs. If I were to walk into Akiba today I would kick some sorry closeminded ass. Wow.

yeah it's better if you know the people but that's the description I wrote for one of my friends. Hope you didn't mind the language... although that was pretty mild for me post MBI.

And there was much rejoicing! Good to see you back. The list kinda changed while you were gone, it is not [email protected] shoot me or Lil an email if you want to subscribe. marv

last post, not=now. I cannot type.

Pretty good description Ruth. You would have gotten with Lars anyway. Don't kid yourself. I love you anyway.

Not true you bitch
I love you anyway

Marv! I arrive into cyber reality, finally, and you decide to leave?

I never did post the journals... maybe if I'm bored sometiem.

Ioreth, I am still about. I am just in rather heavy training for a few weeks. I am still on at home, but usually at hours very late for you. Look for me. I miss our talks.

Me too... you're ten hours behind, which means your evening is my morning. Or my evening is your lunch break... Tomorrow I move ot kibbutz, so I may be out of reach for a few days.