Achieving Perspective

I’ve had this blog for a solid year now and I’ve posted 6, count ‘em 6! blog posts. Eek!

I’m leaving for New Jersey this Friday to hang out with my sister for a few days before we ship off to Spain for 10 days. So excited! We’re flying into Barcelona, then to Grenada, Cordoba, Seville, and finishing up in Madrid. The plane tickets are bought, the hostels are booked (for the most part), and we have absolutely no idea what were going to do when we get there. This should be an adventure!

Both my sister and I have taken Spanish at one point during our lives, but lets just say we’ve lost most of it. We’re most likely going to blurt out phrases such as “Hola, donde esta el museumo de Gaudi?” “Quiero eato los tacos” “No hablo espanol, tengo un gato en mis pantalones”. I’m betting that we’re going to get stoned by the time we get back for what we will do to the beautiful Spanish language.

Our whole motivation for going revolves around the fact that we didn’t get in to birthright this summer. Birthright is a program for Jews aged 18-26, where we have the opportunity to go to Israel for 10 days on a guided tour – all for free. And after so many years of offering this program (and the recent plummet in the state of the economy), it is only expected that their funding is beginning to run dry. This year they had to cut the program from 25,000 to 8,000 travelers. So naturally, my sister and I didn’t get it. Looking back, I probably didn’t help my case. There was a question on the application, something along the lines of “How do you identify yourself as a Jew?” The chocies were Orthodox, Reformed, Conservative, etc. And which did I choose? The last one on the list, obviously the worst one: Just Jewish.

I’ve never been a religious person. My mom grew up going to church every week, Sunday school, she was in the choir and the youth groups. My dad grew up going to synagogue, he was mitzvahed, his grandfather, great-grandfarther, great-great grandfather (you get the point) was a rabbi. So you would think that both my parents growing up in pretty darn religious settings that they would want their children to experience the same. False. I went to a Jewish Sunday school growing up, celebrated Channukah, Easter, Christmas and Pesach. But it was never really about the relgious aspects of the holidays, it was more important to be with my family than it was to celebrate Jesus’ birth or the Jews escaping from Egypt. And even now, we’ve cut out Easter and Channukah from our annual holiday celebrations.

But regardless of my religious dedication, I would still love to go to Israel. I definitely identify more with my Jewish side anyway (and I think even my mom would call herself a Jew at this point). Who knows, maybe if I go to Israel I’ll come back a changed woman who rediscovered the religion that was buried down deep somewhere.

But until that day when I get accepted into the program, I will have to put up with going to Spain. Woe is me.

Just kidding – SUPER excited about going to Spain. Incredibly nervous, too. I’m hoping with my sisters travel experience in Kenya and Sri Lanka that Spain will be easy to conquer. Does anyone have any advice to offer about Spain? Anything I NEED to see before I leave? Keep in mind we’re only going to be there for 10 days and we’re trying to travel on a budget, so nothing too extravgent.

I’m hoping to try and blog about my trip here, but I’m not sure about the Internet situation over there. A lot of hostels offer free internet, but that might be free wifi and I’m NOT lugging my computer along with all of my clothes in my back pack. My back and shoulders are in terrible shape as it is.

Next stop, Espana!