סי ב ה ל מ סי ב ה W hen we first heard about O Y P (“One Year P arty ”), images of empty Macabee cans strewn everywhere, rampant orgies and drugs galore came to m ind - th at is the only reason we signed up! Then, they had the nerve to ask for our marks. So, after a hefty “B” average, a little protectzia and a few beads of sweat on the forehead - tada, we finally arrived. Greeting us upon our arrival, as I’m sure we can all remember, was a picture of a raven-haired buxom beauty naked from the waist up. Okay, we thought, a little tacky, but still very pretty. So, we left “Club 11”, our senses still heightened. No beer cans to be found - fine. No orgies anywhere - still okay. But where the hell’s our VCR? T hat’s the last straw. W hat kind of party is this? Well, w ith thoughts of calling home, and claiming the atmosphere here just wasn’t academic enough, we considered hopping on the 1st plane back to civilization. But, being the “pioneers” that we are, we figured, “Gee whiz, if for 4,000 years people have been dying to come to this country, we’ve got to hang around for at least one week.” One week later, and still no hint of “partying till dawn”, but the magic of Israel had already begun to seep into our souls. Soon after, the magic was replaced by fear - “Oh no! Not those questions again. Talk to me about existentialism, about Islam, even about making A liyah, anything but my: a) home e) ulpan level b) hometown f) Ram ah c) school g) any or all of the above d) major No sooner had those questions become passe, then ,Jewish Geography” became our favorite form of entertainment. “So, you’re from Toronto. Do you know ? And you went to Ram ah Berkshires? Then you must know , My friend’s older brother went out w ith her.” A h yes, those fine Ulpan Days! Memories of those sunshine filled moments: shopping in Machane Yehuda, cruising through the Arab shuk, a sonic boom every now and then, and maybe a little Hebrew thrown in. (But tell us, why is it all the Japanese spoke better Hebrew than we did?). Yet even w ith all of this, we still had tim e to get to know the country better. Touring Israel, of course, was top priority, and there was no better way to do it than w ith Dynamic Dahlia et al. (Okay, maybe we did skip Hebrew to go to the Beach, but heck, we’re young and still impressionable). Those famous Hebrew U. orgies may have been a long time coming, but once they came, they didn’t stop (Guys, there’s just no denying it, there was a lot of promiscuity on campus). But let’s give ourselves the benefit of the doubt, and chalk that up to adjustment. Funny we should mention adjustment... first of all,this place definitely took some getting used to. A ll these luxuries at our beck and call. For only 50 U.S. dollars per month, we could get all the essentials plus lots of freebies (what a bargain!). For example, free pets everywhere you looked (cats, dogs, cockroaches), free wake-up calls every morning thanks to Aisha and Sayeed (in fact, they were so busy trying to wake us up, they just plum forgot to stock us w ith sand paper, (oops, we mean toilet paper), and of course, there was nothing like those fully equipped, spacious, luxurious kitchens. Okay, we can get by without the ice-maker, the juice-maker, even without the chocolate-fudge Royale ice-cream in the freezer, but once we get home we don’t know how we’re going to get by without th at dripping brown liquid from the fridge (our food just won’t taste the same). Oh and let us not forget our hot H 20 every night from 5 - 11, or was that 6 -1 0 , or maybe it was 7 - 11 in the morning; wait, we’re so confused, we just got out of the shower and our brains are frozen solid. But, there is a bright side to all of this: if it wasn’t for those showers, we would have forgotten the word “ice”! However, th at’s not the only thing authorities were so thoughtful about. They didn’t want us to remember what we were missing out on at home, so they gave our m ail an all-expense paid trip around the world. Nevertheless, it wasn’t too long until we not only adapted to, but also learned to love our new environment. Secondly, w ith all the new faces, we were like kids in a candystore (“Mom, I w ant that one! And that one! And...”). So many people to meet as friends or more. Friendships here formed fast and stayed strong. We all got used to certain sayings: “Let’s do the lunch thing.” “What are you doing this weekend?” - and of course everyone’s favorite, “Why don't you ever come by my room?” The initial friendships soon blossomed into full-fledged R E L A T IO N SH IP S (Ooooh!). Everyone wanted to play the field, and w ith so many positions to play, the game went well in extra innings. Yet, sometimes the game was rained out by the 5th inning; “I do care for you, but I have a serious boy/girlfriend at home.” Those of use lucky enough to make it to past the 7th inning stretch were sometimes h it by a curve ball, “It’s been fun, but... I’m just not ready for C -C -C O M M IT M E N T yet.” For some though, the relationships became more serious (authors excluded, our phone # ’s can be found at the back of this book); that old Israeli magic beginning to cast its spell... Adjusting to dorm life was not the only change we had to make; Israel is not the easiest country to get used to, as we’re sure you all know. It’s just a question of learning the tricks to get what you want: a sharp elbow at the א ג ד busline, finding the rare taxi w ith a working meter, and getting your food after you park your cart in line at the Supermarket. When in Rome... But having been in “Rome” it has been an incredible experience, unparalleled for most, if not all of us. Our time in Israel has changed us, and only for the better. Israel’s gifts to us of lasting friendships, of a new sense of m aturity or self, of a greater awareness of our Jewish roots, and above all of a renewed love for Israel are priceless. The “O ne Y ear P a r t y ” has taught us far more in a short tim e than any university could have at home — about Israel, about ourselves, and about people. There are no other words to describe the people on the program than down-to-earth and special (cliche but true). As Jerusalem is golden, so our memories wil be. P.S. Japs don’t hike. by Ely Razin and Tracey Vogel
Time it was And what a time it was Tw o h e a d s a re b e tte r t h a n one W h a t a n a m a z in g shot! L iv in g i t u p in th e M iddle E a s t We a re j u s t to o o o o cool! ״t ...A nd you p u t y o u r le ft fo o t firs t, follow ed b y y o u r rig h
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