The past few weeks...

To all my wonderful followers,

I want to apologize for keeping you guys waiting…believe it or not, a lot has been going on here in the desert!

This post would be way too long if I described everything in detail, so I’ll list a few highlights since Sukkot Break.

A few days after returning home from our break, nearly our entire section took a bus to the Dead Sea to attend a Matisyahu concert. The bus was noisy, packed, and short a few seats but we all made it there in one piece. The stage was in between rock formations that were lit up all different colors. Everybody in the audience joined Matisyahu in singing the infamous “one day”—the energy of the crowd made the concert an awesome experience.

The next day a few friends and I biked into the middleof the desert, hoping to get a decent workout. We ended up getting just that, plus a special bonus. After reaching the top of a hill, my friend Dan exclaimed “Hey! Is that a camel?” Turns out there was a Bedouin strolling through the desert on a donkey with his thirteen camels. We introduced ourselves to the Bedouin, and he kindly let us take a few photos on his Donkey. Only in Israel.

On Friday night we had a costume party at a local restaurant/bar to celebrate two of our friend’s 19^th birthdays. The theme was Greece vs. India, but we could dress in anything that had some “Greece” or “India” in it—for instance, some people were “greasers,” one person was “indecent exposure,” some were “Indians,” and so on. A few friends and I decided to be Independence Day celebrators, so we got decked out in red white and blue, glitter and all.

From Monday until Wednesday my friend Jake and I worked very hard at volunteering. We’ve been raking, shoveling, and clearing out rocks and garbage to create a play space/ garden in the backyard. Before we got a hold of the space, it literally looked like a garbage dump—the transformation is pretty incredible. We are going to lay down fake grass soon….I can’t wait to see the finished product! I’m actually working on raising money for the foster home (they really need it), so I sent out a mass fundraising e-mail. If you haven’t gotten it and you would like to, shoot me an email to Lkaufman972@hotmail.com and I’ll forward it to you.

Every Thursday our section goes on a Siyur, which is a little day trip. Last Thursday we went to a Bedouin village to explore the market, hear a speaker, and go to a lookout point. We heard a woman speaker named Mariam describe how she started her own cosmetics business. The story is really inspiring—it deserves it’s own post (coming soon).

That weekend I spent in Jerusalem on a student-run volunteering Shabbaton. I stayed with my friend Rachel (again) and had a great time. We went out the first night on Ben Yehuda street, and of course, ran into tons of long lost friends…I’ll spare you the details. Anyway, I decided to join the volunteer group for helping victims of shock and terrorism (it’s called a garin aravim.) We already made some plans to raise money, spread awareness, etc. A few of us visited the tent built for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who was abducted by Hamas in 2006. There is strong evidence that he is still alive, so Israel is strongly fighting for his return. I hope to get really involved in this volunteer group, and maybe even take on a leadership position. Oh, I also forgot to mention that I have a new roommate! Her name is Davita and she's from Holland. We've gotten pretty close in the past few days...she's hilarious. I didn't think I'd like having a roommate (because I had my own room before she moved in) but it's been nice so far. Plus, she feeds me biscuits all the time, which I like.

This past weekend I stayed in Bat Yam with my two friends Ben (from home) and Jake. We stayed with section 2 people in the Year Course apartments, but spent most of our time in Tel Aviv with Ben’s family.

The weekend couldn’t have felt more like a lavish vacation—and to say Ben’s family spoiled us would be an understatement. They took us out to eat at least three times (Israeli, Italian, Japanese) bought us desert, paid for our cabs and took us on a day trip to Haifa. We spent two half-days on the beach, read a bit, played scrabble, and simply relaxed. On Saturday night we walked around old Tel Aviv, and I could have sworn I was in Soho. The trendy shops, small hip restaurants, and young crowd took me back to the US for the evening. It was a strange feeling, I must admit. But the spicy tuna roll was incredibly comforting and, well, delicious.

Throughout the weekend I thanked Ben’s parents profusely but it still doesn’t feel like enough. My plan is to cook them a delicious meal and maybe buy them something when they come visit Ben in Arad. I need to do something to express my gratitude! We’ll see…

Ok, so now I’m pretty much up to date.

Again, if you’re considering donating money to the foster home, send me an e-mail! Don’t be shy! Make a difference!

Ok I’ll stop harassing you now. Have a wonderful week, Shavua Tov!

ליאורה

At Matisyahu

Dan, in an intense staring contest with a donkey

In a tunnel at the lookout point in Tel Sheva (Bedouin village)