Chinabound

China. Pesach. What a swell idea. If we’re on this side of the hemisphere anyway, how could we not make some sort of attempt to get ourselves there? And therefore that is exactly what Adam Finck and I have decided to do. We have the perfect excuse to go; Pesach. How could things work out any better?

Our primary strategy for getting ourselves to the wild wild East is work. Of all of Asia, I found only two Pesach hotels and one is in Guan China (the other is in Nepal). I can’t think of a better set-up; getting jobs as mashgichim, flown to China, and paid all the while! I myself worked under R Morris of the OK last Pesach (which I must add; was amazing) and I left a strong impression (I was called again to work at a restaurant in NY. He also said I would definitely be working wherever he is again next year. Of course, that was before I knew I’d be in Australia) which will be real handy should I need a reference. We wrote cover letters for ourselves and are yet to email them in. Hopefully we’ll get hired (heck we’ll work for free if it means a ticket to China).

If not then we have a plan B; Shlichus! Adam and I know the Shliach of Beijing’s cousin who could put in a word for us. Two bochurim want to come help out and they’re gonna pay for most (or all) of their ticket. You tell me what Shliach would say “nahh I don’t need the free help.”

Realistically, getting jobs as mashgichim is probably unlikely, which means we have to start thinking about fundraising now. That should be a pinch. Of course we still have Yeshivabound.com as a source, but also, when we were working in camp, we discovered that we had wicked creative ability when it came to writing witty and funny lyrics of songs and skits (it was a whole show we did). Apparently, here in Melbourne, Purim is when all the bochurim go out and collect cash for shlichus. Therefore Purim is going to be our big go-out-and-get-cash day as well. We just have to put together a great presentation, and go door-to-door wowing (and collecting from) our fellow Jews.

So far, just about every big thing I’ve pursued so far has come to fruition. I’d say in a few months I’ll be writing about how cool it is to be in China.

An Original Thought

I was listening to a shiur (I don't remember who) and I caught one of those "hm" thoughts.

He spoke about those stories you hear in which a bochur was smacked or scolded by his rebbe and, lo-and-behold, the bochur left the yeshiva for who-knows-what. Of course people blame the actions of the rebbe in such cases. But what people don't realize is it's never a two step process. They assume that; step one is the rebbe giving the smack or a severe scolding, step two is the bochur goes off the straight path.

Wrong. It's a three step process. Step one is he was raised with such a mindset that, when step two happens, he will react in just that way.

Martin Luther King Day and Crown Heights

This Monday is Martin Luther King Day. Obviously it goes without saying that this master of rhetoric is responsible for a fundamental change in American society. A day that commemorates such a leader is more than deserved. When I was in yeshiva in Crown Heights we had half a day off on President’s Day, even Labor Day a nothing holiday, but Martin Luther King Day? No way. What’s so great about him? Just some shvartza.

My whole life I had never experienced or witnessed racism. Not until I came to Crown Heights. I was more shocked than appalled. My own landsmen, so ignorant and insidious? At first I was angry, insulted, and disgusted by the attitude (especially since my father [step-father technically, but that is completely irrelevant.] is black) My whole life I had been taught how America had moved past such old and hateful convictions, yet here it is, in Lubavitch of all places. It isn’t however, what I call, a malicious racism. They are not constantly going on and on about those “damn blacks” like some southern hillbilly. Malicious racism means you don’t have anything to do with them, on the contrary, you wish them harm. Rather in CR it’s more like a passive racism. It’s a general mindset of “the shvartza” and you can hear it in the everyday conversations; “the shvartzas…” “some shvartza on the subway today…” “quit acting like shvartzas and be menchin!” It’s passive racism. Once in a while if someone was really going off I would simply point out that my father is black and watch their reaction in amusement, “oh I’m not racist in fact my neighbor is black and we get along fine and I have a friend who’s black too. I’m just saying…” every time. And of course it’s always pointed out how the prison is so filled up with blacks. I don’t know maybe it is, but I also know that prisons and jails everywhere are filled up, and in places where there are very few blacks, somehow those prisons get filled up too. It is irrelevant none-the-less. I simply say that if your mind wasn’t as narrow as a pencil you’d realize that even if most people in our prison system are black, most blacks are just normal descent people.

After a while I became desensitized. I simply accepted the fact that I was just a little more civil and carried a broader perspective than the rest of CR. I began to grasp where this mindset came from. In CR, almost everyone who’s not Jewish is black and the ones who live in Brooklyn really are hoodlums- it is Brooklyn. However, since they are like that, then everyone else must be like that as well. It starts w/ parents who develop convictions (perhaps from the CR riots) and raise their kids with the same outlook. In turn the children grow up with a predetermined attitude which is bolstered by what they see in Brooklyn itself. The ill frame of mind is then sustained thanks to a lackadaisical attitude and ignorance of the world outside CR. It’s just simple narrow mindedness. It’s what really bothers me the most about CR; the “Whistle off the world” syndrome that seems to be cultivated there. To an extent such an approach is good, but not when exaggerated to the point of—to save myself from elapsing into a bashing-rant, to the point of a lot of things.

I thank G-d I was raised and think differently than most people. Unfortunately, the entire world has lost all sense of dignity and respect. A few decades ago people would actually pull off the road out of respect for a funeral procession. Now you can witness someone honk because of the irritation. What happened to people?

What is nice to take into account is the people I came across that were the most outspokenly racist were those that already seemed to me as unintelligent as it was. Nevertheless, racism is just the product of a bigger issue that irks me; Whistle off the world syndrome.

The Epic Walk

Every time we take the kids to line-up, Adam and I look to the distance and see the most epic sight; A huge tree at the top of a story-book hill straight out of a children’s tale. I had been wanting to walk to the tree for the entire duration of camp. Finally on the last day, Adam, myself, and our mutual friend Shmaya were planning out a time to hike. We decided to hike in the afternoon. However, in the meantime we knew not what we would do. I proposed we walk to the story-book tree.

I had assumed the tree was at the end of the road that was right across the street. So we started on our way. Hardly a second passed when we came across a horse. We scooped up handfuls of grass and allowed the horse to take it from our hands. It’s always a funny ordeal. We continued and came across ponies as well. We walked and walked soaking in the scenery of the distant hills when the road began to turn the other way. We just followed it w/ the faith that it would take us to out tree, but then it ended. And our simple walk wound up being far more interesting than expected.

The road led right up to a gate into a big field. Luckily the gate was latched but not locked. W/ no one watching we simply opened the gate and slipped in. We immediately discovered that we were not alone in the field. A dairy cow, the proper kind white w/ black spots, greeted us w/ relentless and very loud moos. I suppose it was not happy w/ us there. Since the field was bordered by a barbed wire fence, and we would have to cross it eventually to get to my tree, and because the cow was unhappy w/ us in its field, we used a nearby tree to hoist ourselves over the barbed wire into a sort of field-between-fields. We stared walking up the hill toward an opening to the next field. We finally came up to the cow (still mooing) and fed it some grass from our hands. It came and stuck out its large tongue and we had a pretty fun time w/ the cow for a bit. We continued up the hill where the fences on each side of us eventually wedged together. Luckily there was an opening in the fence to the next field. When we crossed over the sight was spectacular. The hill was covered in daisies and we could look down the rolling hill to a pond at the bottom. There was a patch of thorn w/ lovely blue flowers within in one part of the field and the rest was just an endless curved world of daisies and dandelions. The gentle breeze from the west sent waves along the sea of flowers that surrounded us. Never in my life had I seen such a place. One might have thought they were fast asleep and dreaming.

We began walking still to our ultimate destination, being sure to make noise, wary of the poisonous snakes that are likely to lurk in the tall grass. We came to another barbed wire fence that also had and opening into yet another field. A little further and we came to small farm w/ a dozen cows. We were separated from the cows by a fence giving us the field to ourselves. We came across a gigantic tire which I wanted to roll down the hill, but since we were on someone else’s property, refrained from doing so. Our tree was dead ahead now- protected by a barbed wire fence. The fence was well maintained, constructed w/ planks of wood and four taught strands of barbed wire. There was a top wire that was simply a smooth wire across the fence. My friend Shmaya warned it could be electric. I thought nonesense and was just about to put my hands on it to climb over when I heard a distinctive SNAP SNAP. Shmaya had already drawn his knife to use it as a conductor between the smooth wire and the barbed wire. I was ^ this ^ close to touching it!

So it was. We could not reach our tree. We started to head back, heading on a lower part of the hill to check out the pond previously neglected. As we approached we could see a mound of dirt that formed a sort of bridge to the other side. However a cow conveniently blocked our path. Not only this, but a barbed wire fence served to deter us. Luckily we found a section where the middle wire had been cut and we went in one at a time; One of us held the wires apart, while the second went in, and the third guided them so as to not come in contact w/ the menacing fence. We checked out the pond, nothing there, and the guardian cow was gracious enough to let us through. A little more walking and fence jumping and we were back on the main road to camp.

Alas, we never made it to our destination and may never will, but this is a clear example of how it’s the journey that really counts!

The Longest Week of my Life

Whenever I have a job that is hard I simply get by knowing that at least for the rest of my life things will be that much easier. Otherwise I'd go insane. I believe the main reason this was so incredibly crazy was because Adam and I actually did our jobs extremely well. Call me stuck up, but considering the circumstances, and the things we accomplished, we really were the best candidates for the job. It got to the point where I would stop and think, "Woa, I just performed a miracle."
We were briefed before hand that we would basically be their mothers for a week and we would have to handle almost everything. This is not an embellishment. Not to mention this is the first time away from home for all of them. And we had no experience working w/ children. That being the case how did Adam and I get sucked into this? through circumstances which I consider unfair. The options were; work in camp or go home. Now I would not have minded at all- had we been getting paid. But that's a bitterness I'll keep to myself.
Needless to say we did not do a half-job at all. We were given a duty and we took it w/ full force. Not having any actual experience w/ kids I drew from what made sense to me and what I remember my parents doing and what they taught me about discipline. I also recalled effective teachers I've had and the methods they used to keep us in line. Discipline and behavior are a staple to the success of the camp. The main point is to have fun but this only happens is every one shows the proper respect. A few methods I used from what I know from growing up were:

• No means No. Especially w/ small children. You say no once and make it known that you do not say it again.
• You do not owe the kids an explanation. At times telling them the reason (w/ older kids) will make them more co-operative in which case I'll give the reason. However, if they ask "why" right off the bat, I will simply reply that it's because I said so.
• No talk-backs. I see it all the time. As soon as a kid is allowed to argue or voice his opposition ("go from the kitchen" "but I....") he is elevated to the same level as the counselor, it turns into an argument, and nothing gets done. Instead I cut them of before they speak ("You can't be up it's lights out" "oh but I wanna-" "I didn't ask for an explanation..."). They continue for a few tries to get a word in, but simply standing firm and shutting them down will have them give up. It's almost like it shocks them that they can't argue w/ you. So they simply do whatever they are supposed to do.
  
• Don't forget about rewards! It's now all about the firm authority. Suppress the bad but bring out the good. I dished out prizes here and there, icee-pops, a party, and at the last night a runaway. When a kid is doing a good job, say so!
  
• Always hold to your word. Even more so when others hear you. Kids are not stupid. They know how to manipulate, they know who's buttons they can push and how, and they know how to get around what they want. One 6th grader flat out told me that he didn't care that the counselor "took 10 minutes off the activity" since he knew he'd wind up not missing anyway. Also the old, "Well if your good I'll think about not making you sit out." Lethal. The kids know full well it's just a pansy excuse for not carrying it out. When you give a punishment you must carry it out. It's hard. I hate having a kid sit out. I really do. But when you lay down the rules and they break them you must show little tolerance. To many times I hear staff say "If you do that again.." because the kids learn that it doesn't matter and you lose control. Obviously if the kid didn't know that's a different story. But for example I made it very clear that anyone climbing through a window would sit out 15min. Lo-and-behold someone did. I had to take it off. The little kid of 7 began to tear up and and say he forgot and never do it again, but I had to simply tell him that I made the rules and stop arguing. I really wanted to let it slide, but you can't.
  
• Be their boss but be their friend. Talk to them, joke w/ them, be cool. But be careful. You still have to maintain authority. For example in the room I was really cool w/ the kids, but no one was allowed on the counselor's bed. I would wrestle w/ the boys too, but again, I would never let them beat me.
  
• Every kid is different. All the above has to be slightly tailored for every kid. They all respond differently.
• When teaching, drop the classroom approach. It sucks. I was given a class that was supposed to be the most rambunctious. They don't shut-up, they don't sit still. Others would have thought the solution is to force them to sit still, don't talk, but the actual case is these kids have a different method of attention. To concentrate they must remain kinesthetic. Let them doodle, let them shift in their seats, they need too. Obviously draw the line. and be interesting. Don't bore them to death like a factory-made teacher, be creative. Get them involved! My class of "hard kids" has wound up being known as one of the best classes in camp.
• Keep a system, especially for night. Every night each kid got a shower according to an order I made, and every kid brushed their teeth, in the same order every night. Eventually, they just did it themselves!
• Lastly, before anything, lay out the ground work. Kids are not mindless. Sit them down and firmly explain that they will have fun, that you will be really cool and nice, and they will get stuff. But let them know what you expect, and make it clear that you do not tolerate misbehavior. They will have a good time only if everyone works together and is respectful. Do that, and your problems are halved.
  

Following these rules I found that I had to punish very little and reward quite often. The kids quickly learned they could not find loop-holes and instead behaved. Therefore I hardly had to worry about punishments because I was consistent and the kids knew it. Toward the end of camp I was able to, w/out a word, just give a look and/or a point and the child knew exactly what he was meant to do because we had a system. We therefore maximized our fun by minimizing the tolerance for disrespect which minimized time wasted arguing. And so my kids had the best first year of camp they could possibly have had. Throughout the whole period, they did not call home yet not one camper was homesick.

More details about the thrills and perils of camp to come...

Stoked for Camp- EVERYTHING Will Kill Our Campers

So it is. Summer camp in December. Chanukah hasn't even crossed my mind because it's just to warm for it! This Monday starts Summer camp. Now; being that they stressed all the hard work involved, and being we are not getting paid, I can't say I was too certain I wanted to sign up. However the choices were; sign up or go home. Call it usury, exploitation, whatever, all Americans must work.
But aside for not getting paid I must say I am looking forward to it now. This will be my first time seriously working with children and of course anything I am charged with I master immediately. My friend Adam Finck and I were chosen t o be councilors for the youngest age group, year two, whom are all in camp for the first time. We were selected because we were deemed "savvy, aware, sensitive, caring" zzzzz... nah but really, we're gonna give these kids an awesome time.
In the meantime we've been having weekly mini-seminars about working w/ kids. From safety issues to discipline to bed wetting (Which of course mainly pertains to our age group :( ) Apparently, everything will harm our kids; Poisonous snakes, poisonous spiders, animals in general, deep water, shallow water, any water, lack of water, hikes, walks, runaways, not going anywhere but sitting around the sun- the sun will kill them, people coming into camp, people outside of camp, bush fires will destroy everything, giant birds, nuclear attacks, rogue robots flying jellyfish! Alright things aren't that bad.
We are ready none-the-less and we are more than qualified for the responsibility. The year 2 kids only stay for a week so our work is half of the rest of the camp, woohoo. Not to mention there is a chance I could host a cooking seminar for the kids thanks to my exquisite skills in the kitchen (thank you mom!)

An Awkward Moment in St Kilda

I'm taking an early morning jog to St Kilda beach and back. On my way back to yeshiva I reach into my pocket for my Palm to check the time. Rats. I forgot it in my room. However I see a woman walking the opposite direction as me. Good then, I shall ask her for the time. When our paths cross (across the road from a church) I stop and inquire the time. A quarter-to-six is what I learned. "What brings you out here this time of the morning?," she asks. "Just taking a morning jog.," I reply, "You?" "I'm just working." Now we're in a residential part of the road and I see no venue that would offer work of any sort. "Working? Where?" "Right here on this corner" I should have taken the hint but of course I naively blurt, "Here? Doing wha-... oh, well uh ahem that's nice I gotta go hope things are good." I turn away as she replies, "things are usually good but it's been slow lately." "Oh well uh the weekend's coming so things should pick up right? really running late now" and I continue my jog back bewildered at how humdrum that seemed to be.