The clock says it's just about 8pm. I am in a fantastic mood and very excited to have some time to myself and to blog. My roommate Allie who continues to amaze, challenge, and inspire me is out for a run, so I have the privilege of having the room and her computer all to myself. My favorite songs are playing on my MP3 player, and I am a happy happy girl.
Today has been a very busy day with not one but two trips into town, Ulpan, and a "Night Before" lecture about our tour tomorrow to Zichron Yaakov. (Typing my grandfather's name just caused a wave of sadness to wash over me, but I hope I can find a way to make peace with the feeling before tomorrow morning.) Essentially we are going north to Israel's wine country and the location of the arrival of what is considered one of the first official waves of Jewish immigrants here. The first aaliyah. I'm really excited for the trip. We've been told it's one of the most beautiful places in Israel, and the description of the promenade, shops, gardens, and wineries sounds incredible.
Let me back track a little... our tiyul (hike) through the Negev was fantastic as expected, although I would like to report that there were not one million stars. To be fair, it was a cloudy night and we had minor light pollution, but around 2am I counted "only" 800,000 stars. Give or take a few. So many bright stars! :O) I will post pictures soon of the trek around the Machtesh Ramon and the other places we climbed, but I know the pictures do not do justice to what we saw and experienced. The night we spent camping out we also had a bonfire complete with singing and roasting marshmallows. The food was delicious both days! Lots of fresh cheeses and dairy products with vegetables and baked goods. Of course there were meats for those of the carnivorous persuasion.
I loved challenging myself physically and am relieved and happy to say my body cooperated and has been responding very well to all the walking, climbing, and hiking. We're walking everywhere including up the six flights of stairs to our apartment and getting into great shape.
Coming back to Arad for Shabbat was wonderful. We were all dirty and sweaty in a very back to nature sort of way, and it was great to rest, shower, and prepare ourselves for our first Shabbat together. I wasn't crazy about sitting separately but beside the boys in our Beit Knesset (sanctuary) or the structure of the service, and it made me think of home and miss the connection I've come to feel with Reform Judaism. Most of my friends here were raised in either the Conservative or Orthodox movements, and they were surprised to learn that I brought kippot with me to Israel. (I decided to wait to mention I also brought my tallis!) Hopefully I will be able to spend at least one Shabbat in Jerusalem either at HUC or with some of the students there or maybe some of the other Reform Jews I know who are currently in the country. (Josh... Cole... Andrew... what are your services like??) This coming weekend I may be in Jerusalem but for a pluralistic leadership conference. More on that if it happens.
Saturday was quite restful. We went on what was supposed to be a 20 minute walk and instead was a 3 hour tour. Arad continues to amaze me. We passed Amos Oz's house- a famous Israeli author. As we were walking down a lush and colorful street with many plants and flowers on either side of us was the desert. At one stop point to our right in the distance we saw a boy riding a donkey. Soon there was a herd of animals which seemed to appear out of nowhere that came over the crest of a hill. Imagine seeing that in Raleigh walking down the street! To our left, a few cars occasionally drove by. Beyond the cars a sign pointed to Masada. When we got to the look out point where we were headed, we could see for miles including to the Dead Sea and beyond to Jordan. We can see the Dead Sea from nearby where we live! I would have taken lots of pictures, but it was Shabbat and we plan to go back soon. Havdalah that night was quite lovely, but it has always been one of my favorite services.
Yesterday we began our Ulpan, and I sat in on the environment class which I'm still deciding whether to add. (Choosing only five of nine possible classes all of which sound interesting is a challenge! A wonderful wonderful challenge.) Those of us in the PSJ (Peace & Social Justice) Track met with our coordinator to hear about Atidim. Atidim means futures, and the organization works with scholastically gifted high schoolers from underprivileged areas around Israel especially here in the Negev and in recognized Bedouin villages. A number of us are very interested in volunteering through them in some of the local schools just outside Arad. Again, more on that as it happens.
Then last night Allie and I took a very fortuitous trip to Be'er Sheva. In the interest of brevity and getting other things done tonight, I will say we saw our friends, made some new ones, and had a terrific time. Ori came to meet up with us at dinner, and it was nice to see a familiar face. Although we were in the "real world" and in Israel, so it almost didn't feel familiar since it was so far removed from camp. We came back on the last bus around midnight and high fived as we walked to the building at having successfully navigated Israel outside of Arad. (Be'er Sheva is about 45 minutes from here by bus, and the bus ticket is only 10 shekels (approx. $2.50). )
Janet asked me in an email today what an average day here is like. I have no idea. No day here has been average so far! :O) In some ways, I hope soon there will be some sort of sense of routine, and in other ways, I hope every day continues to be unique and surprising. I mentioned in the beginning of this post two trips into town today. One was with Allie to the shuk. Yes, it's Monday again! There were more people shopping today. Maybe because we went earlier. I didn't buy much, but we tasted fruits I had never seen before. My market friend Aber was there and definitely remembered me. So funny. It's so cool walking around and seeing people from all walks of life... some speaking Russian, some dressed in veils and completely covered, some wearing all black and tzit tzit. I'm in Israel! Still beyond words and beyond any gratitude I could express to family, friends, and others for helping me get here.
The second trip was more amusing than anything. I was hired (for the price of a delicious lunch in town) by my friend Shlomo to come with him and translate so that he could get his haircut. It was a successful endeavor for everyone although not as simple as it seemed at first. Essentially we found a nice Russian grandma to translate to the barber... Shlomo to me to the babushka to the barber. Good times!
Okay... one hour after I sat down, and I am hungry! Time to go downstairs to microwave some potatoes with the butter I bought last week (ps peanut butter is so expensive here but spreadable delicious chocolate is not at all). It may sound a little pitiful, but I'm adding fresh rosemary I picked during our walk through town. It grows wild on the sides of the street. Rosemary potatoes doesn't sound half bad, right? :O) While they cook I have Ulpan homework to do then shower and bed early. We leave at 6:30 am.
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