MADA

    Twelve days ago, I traveled to Jerusalem with three of my roommates to enjoy a 60-hour intensive MADA course. From the moment I was confronted with Jerusalem's chilly air and into a stuffy classroom, I realized that I would be bombarded with information that could potentially save a person's life. Whereas, in the ambulances, my range of activities is fairly limited, I realized that I would have the skills necessary to help a stranger who could collapse on the street at any moment in time. Upon finishing the course, I traveled back to Rishon where I rejoined my five roommates. This morning,I walked into my apartment at 8:15 this morning, sweaty and exhausted from my first MADA shift.
    The romanticized idea of traveling to Israel for a year seems noble and exciting to people who live outside of the land. It is interesting to hear Israelis react to our program. At MADA, most of the people I work with wonder why I chose to pay to come to this country, when they are all dying to leave. The lack of 'patriotism,' if it can be stated that way, is surprising. I suppose our Jewish schoolteachers neglected to inform us about the difficulties inherent in Israeli life, other than joining the army. With political scandals nearly every week and a severe lack in central authority, the Israeli government has failed to provide for its people. Interesting, since we are all Jews and should be concerned with the well-being of our people as a whole. Instead, we find ourselves discriminating against each other based on our origin, skin color, and income.
    It is difficult to work at MADA. I thoroughly enjoyed my first shift, but I must recognize that I did not have many challenging tasks. Surely, the next two months will bring me experiences that I will remember forever.