Bitter End

Dear Everybody,

I haven't been here for quite a while and I'm coming back with quite sad news. You all probably know that the current situation in Israel is getting more and more harsh, bombs and rockets fall on both sides of the border, several civilians and soldiers got killed or wounded, the online world is as full of violence as the real one. Of course, thanks to the Iron Drome intercepting a vast majority of the Hamas rackets, life on the Israeli side is incomparably more 'normal' than the reality in Gaza. People keep working and going out, in spite of the tension created by daily red alert sirens, terrifying news and violent political demonstrations.

However, the organisers of the Arava Valley of Peace Camp found the situation in the area too dangerous decided to cancel the camp. I can't blame them, it's obvious they want to avoid the risk. If anything happened to such an international youth group (and there's always such a possibility, even in the safest areas) Israel and the EMIS school would have to provide about 30 countries with apologies and explanations. That is clearly the last thing they need at the moment. It is quite an irony though, that a peace-focused camp got cancelled due to a military conflict. 

Personally, I'm rather devastated. I've been waiting for this trip for such a long time, counting days and holding my breath with excitement... And suddenly, this summer-dream vanishes, leaving me with nothing but a long, pointlessly free month. Of course, I'm going to spend it immersed in the news articles, tracking the next stages of the conflict and impatiently waiting for an efficient, peaceful resolution. And hopefully, as things get calmer, one day I'll catch a plane to Tel Aviv and experience everything I'm longing for.

Thank you all for crossing the fingers for me! No matter if I'm going or not, I can't underestimate the importance of all the amazing encounters, conversations and experiences. I've learned a lot during those months and I'm truly grateful for that. Even though my blog adventure is over, I strongly encourage you not to give up on your interests. What I managed to describe here is just a minute fragment of the multilayered Israeli reality, waiting for us to discover it.

Campaign: Update

Hello Everyone!

It's been quite a time since I last mentioned my crowdfunding campaign (Julia's peace-building adventure). Shame on me, there has been so many things happening! As for the numbers: I have received 5 new donations - that means I've already collected 300 euros, or 1/4 of the cost of the camp. This is really a lot, thank you very much for your support! 

But what matters to me even more are the non-measurable things. Thanks to this whole project, I have met so many interesting people; I got help, positive feedback and critical advice from places I would never even think I might ever reach; the blog has been read by visitors from all the continents, my friends and family have turned out to be even more supportive that I'd guess... Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart!

Speaking of gratitute: I had a great fun preparing all the claimed rewards: two Hamsas (shown on the photos on the left), one Surprise (let me reveal the secret: I prepared hazelnut truffles and a handmade bracelet) and one Report (that will be a real challenge). I'm hoping there is more to come, stay with me!

Campaign

Dear Everyone,

I am very very excited to announce that the crowdfunding campaign has just been launched :D

It took me a couple of days to get everything prepared but finally me and the FundAnything website managed to find a common ground. Here is the link:

https://fundanything.com/en/campaigns/julia-goes-hebrew

If you like it and think this is an initiative you want to support - don't hesitate to comment, contribute and share ;)Thank you guys, you've no idea how happy and motivated I feel by your interest in this blog. I have recently got so much of positive feedback and support from friends and family that I really feel this is something worth doing. Thanks a lot!

Apart from that, there is a lot of interesting things to come: the Week of Israel in Kraków is about to begin tomorrow. I'm planning to take part in loads of great events, from language workshops to cinema... and obviously I will write you about it in detail. Stay tuned!

How it all started

Israel came out of the blue, uninvited and unexpected. It didn’t fit my previous beliefs nor interests . To tell you the truth, this tiny spot somewhere in the Middle East was one of the few countries that would never virtually fascinate me. But one day, all of a sudden, I fell for it. Head over heels.

In order to understand this irrational infatuation, I decided to get to know this country as much as possible. I guess you all know this stage: borrowing books from friends and family, watching docs at night, taking loads of notes, desperate surfing the Web in search of some authentic music, hours spent on chat with the natives, reading three different local newspapers, downloading dictionary apps on your phone etc etc... Interestingly, the more I'd learn about it, the more my interest would grow. It was only then when I realized that there was quite a lot of aspects of the Israeli culture that would fit me perfectly. Take migration issues and multiculturalism: they've been my main passions for years. Uhm, helloooo... Here is a country consisting of nobody but immigrants! What could be more multicultural than that? Another one: I am fascinated by politics, learning about the complexity of international relations from MUN conferences and FP newsletters. Well... The Middle East is considered to be the hottest political zone of the world, torn by numerous territorial, religous and ethnic conficts, isn't it? This list could go on forever, ranging from top-class universities, through modern architecture and perfectly spicy cuisine, up to just-my-type guys. I felt I must go there. 

It was about the time when my friend mentioned some international highschool in Israel and a summer camp they organise. I checked out the website - the course seemed too tailor-made to be true. Three weeks of discovering the region, with emphasis put on peace-building, environmental activism and leadership. I prepared my application, crossed my fingers so hard that my middle finger touched my thumb and, two weeks later... BANG! I couldn't believe my own eyes: I got the acceptance letter.

(Let me omit a detailed description of the following seconds, just in case you find squealing and jumping of joy something awkwardly and childishly cheesy)

Having got back to reality, I decided to set up a crowdfunding campaign to finance the journey. In the meantime, I kept trying to discover Israel from a distance, immersed in the exciting world of books, news, films and workshops. And then is when I came up with the idea of combining these two: sharing my passion and allowing the people wishing to support me to track my progress in the preparation for the summer.

So, here is the blog. Written for traveller wannabes, experience seekers, open-minded bookworms, crazy philantropists, schoolkids and Israel lovers. I hope you all find something for yourself over here.

 Enjoy!