Last Shabbat was fantastic. We had a long, relaxing morning at the kibbutz, then took a bus to Tel Dor, where we had a beach excursion at the Mediterranean. Oh my goodness, I can't even explain how wonderful it was. Granted, the beach was pretty busy, but ohhhh. The water was a gorgeous clear blue, the sand was light brown and soft, the sky was perfect, and there was a cool breeze the entire afternoon. We had a really nice picnic lunch under some pavilions, walked down the beach for a while to look at the tel, then swam. Sigh. The water was perfect. Clear and cool, nothing gross or alive floating around feet-level, and really fun waves. I did discover eventually that the water contained an unbelievable amount of salt (mainly by facing the shore and being engulfed from behind by waves that I didn't expect to reach my head and pour down my lungs), but because I was at the Mediterranean Sea and it was everything I've ever wanted it to be, I forgave it.
After showering off and cleaning up, we went a hop, skip, and jump away to Caesarea for a concert by the Idan Raichel Project. It was at an ancient theatre built by Herod the Great, right on the coast. It looked a lot like an amphitheater, and like the Coliseum in Rome, but apparently it's still technically a theatre. We sat pretty high up, and our seats were numbers on the stone benches that served as rows. The concert was amazing. I'm not entirely sure what genre of music it was - I heard it described once as world music, but since I didn't know much about music, I can't verify this. They sang in Hebrew mostly, and there was at least one song in Spanish that was really fun, and there might have been other languages I didn't catch. I can't really describe a concert; how does one explain how incredible music can be? Nonetheless, we all loved it, despite the lack of sleep we got that night. Note: when we arrived at the theatre, the sun was just setting, and the colors streaming over the edge of the Mediterranean Sea flooded the world with beauty and my heart with happiness (I had to make that sentence as cheesy as possible because the setting was exactly like a scene from some sort of romantic comedy).
Back to the present:
So, it all comes to an end. The month is finally up, which is hard to believe but probably about time in coming. Day before yesterday we finished digging, and yesterday and today we continued the closing down of Areas 2000 (ancient village) and 3000 (ancient synagogue). I already miss my square and my frat. Area 2000 looks so lonely without the shade cloths over it, tools piled around it, and sandbags lining the balks. The squares I worked in look so much smaller without people in them or shade cloths covering them. I already miss our breakfast area under the tree by the synagogue, where we'd feast on salad/olives/cheese/cottage cheese/eggs/french toast/bruschetta/cereal/bread/coffee/tea/cake. Today we'll pack our own belongings, and have a party in the evening. A few people have left already, and a few more are leaving this afternoon. It's sad to realize that I will probably never see most of these lovely people again, but it makes me happy knowing that I got to share a month of my life with them - working, eating, talking, and just living - removed from normal everyday life, doing such incredible things in this beautiful place. Shalom, Israel - you'll be forever inscribed on my heart. (That last line is a play on words. "Hakuk Balev" means "inscribed/etched on the heart.")
Some random thank-yous/acknowledgements:
- Alaina for being such a fantastic roommate the whole month
- Allison for bringing me food from the dining hall when I didn't go to dinner
- Andrej for all the Slovakian jokes
- Austin for the hand hugs and for seeing me as an individual
- Bailey for calling me "ma'am"
- Chad for the Trinity people field trip
- Irene for being such a good sport about the Canadian and Russian jokes
- Jesse for helping me read Judges in Hebrew
- Jocelyn for having the greatest laugh and letting me and Bailey call her "Mama J"
- Jodi for being so understanding whenever I was sick or hurt
- Joshua for everything, always
- Karen for getting all of our breakfasts ready on site
- Kyle for cheering me up
- Sara for massaging everyone, especially me
- Shua for teaching me how to braid challah and eat Lebanese food
- Tony for wearing happy colored shirts and keeping up conversations in the square
- Xander for the creepy faces, and for always lifting the heavy rocks
- All the staff for being in charge and making everything happen
- All the amazing friends here - specifically mentioned or not - for making this one of the best months of my life
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