Ok so we returned to drop off Chris..jet lag and late nights finally caught up with him..and we went to Bet Yam to pick up Noah.  Bet Yam is basically a suburb to the south of Tel Aviv, just south of the old City of Jaffa.  Shawn and I picked him up and off we went to Caesara but we never got there ROFL....we decided to hit it on the way back so we headed straight to Nazerath.  In about an hour and a half we reached Nazerath and honestly, it looks like a ghetto.  Noah said it's all Arab.  What cracked us up is right after his statement/joke was that we saw an OBVIOUSLY Arab pick up driving on its RIM!  The back tire blew out and they were just driving as if they had no care in the world. LOL  So we role through Nazerth taking pics and stopping at some of the sites and we are having excellent conversations in the mean time.   He knows I am interested in making the Aaliyah (emigrating to Israel) and in Nazerth Illat (Nazerth in the hills) is an absorption center, the same one he used when he made the aliyah.  So we stop there and he introduced me to the employees and he catchs up with them.  What I immediately noticed is that EVERYONE knows EVERYONE.   The absorption center was like a fort.  Noah explained  that only schools and absorption centers have TOP priority in security issues.  The point is to make the people inside have no other care in the world beyond learning Hebrew and the norms of socity to become the best person and to have the best chance for success in Israeli society.

Then we went to a local restaurant that was like a strip mall.  There we met Tom.  Tom runs this restaurant and while he was serving us lunch (Schwarma) we learned he was a hero in the 1967 war!  He immobolized between 20-30 tanks almost singlehandedly!  All the while he was burned in over 60% of his body and had his skull nearly crushed!  Amazing!  Of course he didn't want to discuss it...instead he was more interested about where we were from.  When Noah told him I was interested in the Aliyah he said that I would LOVE Israel and Israel would welcome me with open arms.  He did not even charge us for lunch.  He kept saying America is the father and mother of Israel!  So we stayed there for a bit and then went travelling through Nazerth again. Saw Mary's church and then headed to a boarding school (for lack of a better word)  this is a place where parents who are having difficulties can send their kids for school and a safe place to stay.  We visited with Nataniel there - Noah's son.  It was great.  No matter where we met we were greeted as friends and with some curiosity.  Shawn was swarmed with kids almost the entire time.  When we left we saw a artiliery observation post and we were going to see a minefield but didn't manage to fit that in.  Though we did get a glimpse of the West bank from the hills in the area.

By now it was starting to get late in the day.  And we still wanted to hit Caesaria. By the time we got there it was just too late since we had dinner arrnagements with Yair!  So, we headed to Bet Yam and dropped off Noah and promptly got lost trying to get to Tel Aviv.  I swear I must have annoyed Shawn with my backseat driving as we were getting low in gas! LOL But he hasn't admitted it to me. LOL  We finally got to the hotel as I had been texting Yair and we finally got to the Agadir at the Tel Aviv port for dinner.  We had hamburgers in Israel LOL.  I laugh because it was my thought to try to stay ethnic - I have been eating fish most of the time here, but Yair insisted on a familiar comfort food, so to speak. 

By the time Shawn and I got there Chris and Yair were already there relaxing and drinking Goldstars.  We were fashionably late.  But man, it was a totally great evening!  Yair is just as cool in person as he is on Gtalk and email.  I gave him the skittles that he asked for.   It was a very relaxing evening with good friends, good food and good conversation!  And, while it might surprise you guys, we rarely discussed Lital (which was good!) and instead we learned more about Yair and then we took his picture LOL.  After about 3 or 4 hours we started wrapping up.  Again, Chris and Shawn wanted to continue the evening, but I passed.  So, Yair took me to the Hotel.  When I get back to Tel Aviv on the 15th, I am defiantely going to hook up with him to have dinner again!

That about wraps up day 3!

Posted by: Robert Woolwine at 04:45 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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