ANOTHER VID.

RANDOM.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei2hhXfUMz8

Oh! Vendors want your dough!

Well I have a bit of catching up to do. There are so many interesting things that happen I have to keep everything straight.

1. Arab vendors are COMPLETELY obnoxious. You can hardly even make it out of a shop. Here is a sample of how it usually goes.

Vendor: What you want to buy?
Dad: Oh, I'm just looking
Daniel: ....
Vendor: We have beautiful gifts! You come buy, I have special deal for you!
Dad: (looks at a t-shirt)
Daniel: ....
Vendor: You like shirt? What size you wear? Only 50 shekel, special for you!
Dad: Oh, I'm just looking
Daniel: ....
Vendor: This is very nice! You buy! For only 50 shekel, this is yours! This special price, for you!
Dad: No no, I'm just looking. Thank you!
Daniel: ....
Vendor: Your son like star of David?
Dad: (looks at me) Daniel, do you like the star of David?
Daniel: .......mmhm
Vendor: I tell you what, for only 180 shekel you get t-shirt and star of david! Yes?
Dad: Thanks, we're just looking though
Daniel: ....
Vendor: Good! You buy t-shirt for you and star of david! Very best! Only for you! Special price! No more than 190 shekel!!
Dad: Mhm, not today, but thank you!
Daniel: ....
Vendor: What else you buy? Over here, these special fabric! Only in Jerusalem! 600 shekel!
Dad: (still polite) No thanks! Maybe sometime later.
Daniel: ....
Vendor: I tell you what; for only 900 shekel you get fabric and star of david, and t-shirt! Only 900 shekels!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Apparently one of the girls in our group was watching some haggling and noticed the arab vendor getting frustrated. "I'm an honest man! I don't smoke and I don't drink! I'm honest!" She looked at him and was like "Good for you!" So he proceeded to ask her if she smoked or drinked and she said no. He then asked her if she would marry him.............

"What will you give me for her? Said her older adult companion. "My best camel!" He said with enthusiasm.


.....,
Daniel

YES! A BREAK!

Today we were going to go to the dig again but one of the guys stood up and said instead we were going on an "archaological walkthrough" which is just code for "fun tour where you don't have to do any work." That's great. Also, on a random note, I'm getting kind of sick of eating falafals everyday (combined with a Sprite they make you feel kind of sick).

Yes yes I will post a food post soon, don't worry mom...wink.

I'm also developing a quite accurate israeli accent (and a new zealand accent, and an australian accent...)

So anyway.


Falafals,
Daniel

the uh...third post

A couple nights ago me and dad were sitting in the courtyard and dad asked me to go get some sodas (he hates ordering things) and he gave me 50 shekels. I walked up to the counter and was like, "Um, I would like to order a soda with a couple of empty cups." It was really awkward because I've never paid for anything in "shekels" before and I wasn't even sure what a shekel is even worth. The lady at the counter was like "12 shekels please" and I handed her the 50 shekel......bill. She looked at with humongous eyes and asked me where I got it. By that point I was totally confused and was like "Um....its my dad's?" The girl next to her looked at me and told me that that was a very rare bill and that I should sell it on eBay, but that it was really old and they can't take it. Unreservedly uncomfortable, I kind of smiled and shrugged. I looked like a complete idiot. (Its like some foreigner offering you guys a confederate silver certificate for a candy bar or something)....

I asked her if she took "american dollars" and she shook her head no.

Yesterday was the first day of the dig, and it went really well. Only a few near death experiences (turns out these shoes are really slick with no grip, and there are a lot of really narrow steep places).

THE FOOD HERE IS AMAZING. (pics coming soon) Every meal here is a work of art.

See you all back home,

Daniel

Day 1 vid

RANDOM.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv3AR5qDASc

DAY 1

I arrived yesterday after an all-night flight overseas, which I wouldn't have survived had it not been for the built-in video player. They started asking us if we wanted to buy earphones for $5 each, and we already had our own earphones but we bought theirs anyway because we thought that only those work with the video player. We ended finding out that ours worked after all and even better than the plane-issued ones (Dave Ramsey calls that "stupid tax")...

The guy sitting beside me was in dire need of some sort of deodorant, but other than that the plane ride was fine. Jet lag is bothering me though (as I right this I'm pretty sure all you lucky folks are sleeping in your lovely bed) whilst I am just nodding off. It was pretty weird because me and dad woke up at 1:00 this morning quite awake, and it hit me that all my friends were still at school while I was trying to sleep....trust me its a lot weirder than it seems.

We rented a car and drove into Jerusalem and immediately went to the hotel (quite a rustic castle of a YMCA). I think I will shoot some footage here for my movie (it could be easily mistaken for a medieval castle or grand hall or something, so I 'm taking advantage of the scenery).

I will be uploading all my videos to Youtube via http://www.youtube.com/user/onefortheocracy