Manishma!

I made a few references in my penultimate post to the many Israelis on this island, promising more on the subject. For those of you unaware of this bizarre phenomenon, there are so many Israelis who vacation in Thailand, that there are actually signs here in the islands in Thai, Hebrew, and English. Koh Phangan reins as the #1 destination for Israeli kids when they finish their army duty, and as a result, much Hebrew is heard on the beaches and in the falafel shops.

These kids are not to be messed with. They drink more than you can, they party harder than you do, and they just finished the army, so they could definitely kick your ass. A typical conversation with one of the many Israelis we have met goes something like this:

Me: Where are you from?
Random Israeli: Israel
Me: Yes, obviously. Where?
Random Israeli: Tel Aviv
Me: Oh, cool. I have family there.
Random Israeli: You are Jewish?!
Me: Yes.
Random Israeli: [incredulously] Both your parents?
Me: Uh, yeah.
Random Israeli: So, why are you not in Israel?
Me: Well, right now because I am in Thailand, and typically because I am American. I live in New York.
Random Israeli: Ahhh, New York!

My favorite is when they try to recruit you to join their army. “You know, you could volunteer!” Then I have to break it to them that I’m actually 26, and then I feel old, because divulging this information causes them to look at me like I’m really old. They follow up their recruitment schtick with, “But it’s fun!” to which I reply something really sardonic like, “Yeah, it’s all fun and games until somebody invades Lebanon,” and then they usually walk away looking mildly offended and mostly confused.