A Tale of Two Commutes

There are two experiences that bookend my interning in Ramla each time we go— the trip there from Tel Aviv and the trip back. While these bus rides might seem to lack substance worthy of a blog post, the respective experiences of travelling to and from work are so indicative of the experiences we have at the ENP youth center in Ramla I felt it was well worth sharing.

It is 2:30 PM, we (my co-intern Haley and myself) meet on Alenby to catch a bus to our first destination: the Central Bus Station. We are a little tired, a bit reluctant, and honestly looking forward to around 9:30 pm when we will be back in this exact spot, especially considering the CBS is not the kind of place you want to be at night. We then take one bus to another. We dread this second bus. It stops. And starts. So. Many. Times. But eventually, in what consistently takes twice as long as it should, we make it to Ramla. Our walk from the bus stop to the center leads us through a neighborhood full of life. Kids on the playground, kids too old for the playground, a multitude of cats, graffiti adorned buildings, beautifully designed traffic circles and the occasional ancient mosque.

The first day it took some maneuvering to find the actual building, an inconspicuous one-storied white structure quietly tucked away in a corner. We only made it to water and air-conditioning after a series of phone calls that highlighted my extremely mid-level Hebrew skills. We were about to discover if our build-up fears for the summer were warranted: a vacuum of English, a lack of tasks for us, kids who wouldn’t engage, and most importantly that the commute wouldn’t be worth it. However, as I said, our demeanors were quite opposite upon leaving our first day.

Instead of trapping us, the language barrier intrigued and challenged us. We met some kids who were definitely happy to try and speak to us in Heb-lish. We were kept busy in meetings, learning about the history of the Ethiopian Jews, touring the center, and getting to know the kids. We genuinely felt like we could build a community for ourselves.

The bus ride back is always full of conversation. We talk about why Israel exists, how the Ethiopian community even got here, how funny it is that we spend as much time commuting as working, the laws of international relations and exchange stories about moments we had with kids. Our time at ENP gives us a new perspective on life—our creativity is sparked, our minds are energized and new friendships have been forged.