Just to give you a warning...this weekend was such a fun weekend, but these posts are going to be pretty long...get ready...

THURSDAY:

happy birthday Naomi!!
We had to wake up early to go wait for the bus for shevet at 8. Before we left we saw that it was raining outside...what?! I didn't bother with my umbrella. It wasn't bad, just chilly outside. We had to wait so long for the bus and it wasn't even a bus, it was only a van! Shai was the madrich for us and there were only 10 of us-all girls. The brits were running/walking/just participating in the marathon in Jerusalem. I was thinking about running it (10k) with Katie, but I guess not!! We headed down south (to Kitbbutz Ketura-Yj founded it; 30 minutes from eilat) and I passed out until we got to a pit stop. There were animals! Animals with me and my friends when we are over tired is not good. We were going crazy and cracking up. There were these 2 baby goats that did everything identical. So cute!!! There also were some peacocks and roosters with weird unicorn looking things on their heads. Katie broke the YJ rule of not driving in Israel.

A couple minutes after the pit stop our tour guide who was from the kibbutz and just a crazy, funny, kind man. We all loved him. He is just nerdy! Our first stop is where there are stones that were the remains of an ancient temple-I think from caveman times. We saw a couple of them and some mosaics praying to find animals, such as lions and deer. There is more history in the desert than in Jerusalem because people have been living in the desert for a longer time. The problem is that Israel doesn't have enough money to pay for everything to be found and properly kept. The best to have/live off of is flint stone. Our guide compared it to the Jews on how tough we are and הצור which we say during Chanukah and basically comparing God to this stone and saying how He is the best stone. I forgot to mention that it was really windy and we later found out that that we were in a sand storm and it hadn't been like that for a long time. Cool. Also, we saw the desert green and blooming (I feel like I'm my parents for saying that!) It rained so much that people in the desert haven't seen that much green in 20 years!!!

Our next stop was I think where I went on TM08. We did a little, easy hike to a sand dune. The hike was nice and pretty because of the little flowers. Our guide mentioned how in the desert there is a scarcity of a lot of things. Usually scarcity is a word to show something negative, but when you see the scarcity of the flowers, it makes it more special-a positive thing. When we got to the sand dunes only Cara, Rach, Katie, me, Naomi and I think that was it ran down/rolled down. The others just walked to where he said he would meet us. It was so fun to run down, practice my basebal sliding, and rolling down. I got sand ALL over me. Then Katie and I walked/crawled back up the sand dune to get our/everyone else's stuff. Then I rolled back down to where everyone was. Tee hee hee. Then we were given a piece of paper and pencil and were told to go somewhere to be alone to write down our thoughts and to relax and meditate. We were asked to write about how we feel in the desert, etc. It was so nice to just be there and being able to relax. The desert is just so huge. I used to just like being in the north where there is green and water but now I really find the desert beautiful and really peaceful. We then walked down (for a few of us I mean to say run down like lunatics screaming) and walked on this path to where our van was and another car with some people. They were setting up a fire for us for lunch. We got to make our own pita. I ate some of the dough-so yummy. Stupidly, a few of us made a lot of pitas and put them on the same plate before we cooked them...they all stuck together. After lunch we got on the bus and then we went around talking about what we wrote on our papers. Before we left I went to go get my water bottle and below it was my sheet...my sheet was gone when I went to get it. :( While people were reading what they wrote I kept on brushing sand off of my head and it just wouldn't stop. I created a mini desert in my seat! Oh, my camera got sand in it (like everyone elses) and won't open.

Then we drove for a bit to get to the Kibbutz. We were right by Kibbutz Yahel!! When we got there we toured the Kibbutz while in the van...so nice! Half of their yearly profit comes from dates and nearly the rest comes from their self made algae. They sell it for so much used for research and cosmetics. We also saw the cows and how they seperate them based on their age. There was the kindergarden which was so so so cute, milking cows, cows who were 2 (the people working there wait for the cows to jump on each other because that means they are ready to get prego so then they take them to a place where a person sticks his hand with stuff up her,) and pregnant cows...they are huge! Then we went to the merkaz and some of us went outside to go paint with watercolors!! Katie and I worked together because there weren't enough sheets of paper and we drew the scenery. It ended up being pretty good! Then Katie got paint on my face, so then I painted her face into a clown and she made me harry potter!! Then after some of the other girls drama, we went and some of us did this arts and crafts thing with napkins. There was this really cute napkin with such cute animals on it!!!!

We then had a seminar about nature (desert) vs. man and read different sources. It was pretty interesting. Then we had a delicious bbq with some students learning about environmental science on the kibbutz. There are americans, israelis, jordanians, and palestinians. I talked with this guy from jordan and this guy who is from Jerusalem but talked about how he has a different license plate-i realized that he meant a P.A. one. I had nice convos with them and then he told me that a woman who is also studying on the kibbutz is from MI! He called her before I left and then I talked to her on his phone. She is from Kalamazoo and went to U of M! She misses it so much and is so excited for me. Everyone I talk to that is an alum is so jealous that I'm going there...that makes me even more excited!

After dinner we headed back. I couldn't sleep and the stars were so pretty. It was crazy how without really looking I saw the big and little dipper-it was so easy to see!! I want to go out into the desert with some friends one night and camp out and just look at the stars. The van dropped some of us off at Be'er Sheva to catch a 10pm bus to Jerusalem, luckily we made it!! The ride wasn't too bad. We then walked to town in our sandy gross clothing and i was wearing katie's sweatshirt with the hood up because it was cold out and this israeli grabs my arm and said that I looked familiar...um nope! We bump into Nathan and his friends and talk with them for a bit before walking to katie's apartment where we showered and rach and I slept in the cozy, dream bed!!!