Spring Break Part 3?

This past week we had our third and final big trip. It started on Friday when we left Tzuba for Pesach with various host families all over Israel. I went to my friend Careen's house with her Israeli family that is from Iraq. This type of Judaism is referred to as Mizraki Judaism and it was interesting to see their different cultures mixed in with the secular Israeli culture. The first thing that was slightly uncomfortable for me was that they eat rice and beans over Pesach, unlike the Ashkenazi traditions that I uphold. I wanted to be able to still celebrate what I consider a traditional Pesach, but instead I decided to do Pesach how the Mizraki Jews and certain secular Israelis celebrate. Part of me did this because I didn't want to be rude, but another part of me wanted to experience Pesach the way that they do. The seder itself was also very interesting. Pesach is by far my favorite Jewish holiday. My seder at home is so much fun because my whole family is together and we have a great time. This seder was very different. We started our seder at 8:30 which is around four hours after we start our seder at home. The seder itself lasted less than 45 minutes and contained a lot of rapid fire Hebrew because they were all done with the prayer part and wanted to eat. It was interesting to hear the different tunes that the Mizraki Jews sang, but it was also hard to follow what was happening because everything was in Hebrew. There was no socializing for the most part because they were trying to get through everything. In my seder, even though it has gotten shorter over the years, we are always having discussions and focusing on the family aspect of the seder. My favorite part of the seder was the amazing food. The matzah that Careen's grandma made was amazing along with all of the other traditional Iraqi dishes. I was also really surprised that Careen's extended family, whom I had never met, got me presents, and I felt like that was particularly nice. I also had a good laugh when I was offered bread the morning after the seder.

On Sunday, we left from our host families, to our Yam el Yam trip. This trip was amazing. I really enjoyed cooking for myself again and how close we became as a group. We were able to navigate by ourselves at times which was also really fun because I felt like I was getting to know my way around Israel instead of having someone else show me. I was also proud of myself for not showering for five days, even though I didn't have any other options. This trip definitely made me appreciate nature more and my resources. I know that when we are on Tiyul again, I won't hesitate to nature pee. I realized that before the trip, I used to kill ants or bugs that were on me, and by the end of the trip, I was only brushing them off me. I wish that I had accepted being dirty a little more and not bathed myself in hand sanitizer every night, but I think this means that I will just have to have another hiking trip when I get home!