Ladies and Gentlemen, please buckle your seatbelts, we're going through 2 weeks of news...

Marjaba! Hello after 2 weeks of silence! I apologize for my lack of updates; There have been so many things going on here that it is hard to find time to compose any semblance of a coherent blog post. Yet at 11:10 local time on a Sunday morning, here I go. (And notice the time difference—we've moved into a 7 hour discrepancy now.)

Many, many things have happened worth mentioning since my last post, and so I'm going to start with the largest, and unfortunately the saddest one. On Monday, October 25, the machon held a culture night, when people displayed or presented something of their culture to the rest of us, and any other kibbutz resident that wanted to come. The evening was fantastic, with dancing, great food, new music, and lots of laughter. Later that night, incredibly vulgar graffiti was sprayed on one of our unit doors, directed towards the Arabs of our group, with a star of David beneath it. Come Tuesday morning, this act of hatred had already shaken the students and administration to the core. Nothing like that has ever happened at the Arava Institute in 15 years of operation, and it was shocking and sad that it had to occur now. Many of the Arab students lost their sense of security, and the Jewish students were appalled that someone had implicated them in an act they thought despicable. Even though we've only been here about a month, we are all good friends, and this painted message was an insult to all of us. We met as a group several times to determine what actions needed to be taken by the students, versus the machon leadership or kibbutz administration, and we made it known what we expected: that the perpetrators would be caught, and we would get the chance to talk to them. As of this past Thursday, we have learned that there were two young men involved, one a volunteer and the other a son of kibbutz members, who were both very intoxicated. The volunteer has been dismissed from the kibbutz, but before he left, we were allowed to meet with him to talk about the incident and what he is thinking now. He expressed what I believed to be genuine remorse, and he stated something that reaches beyond simple vandalism. He recognized that he could have stopped the entire thing from happening; He didn't hold the spray can, but since he didn't stop the person who did, he takes full responsibility for the action as well. I don't know what exactly I was expecting going into that meeting, but I can say now that I feel it was a healing experience for all parties involved. The son of kibbutz members (or ben meshek, but don't rely on my spelling) is currently in the army, and when he returns home we will have a meeting with him as well. I can only hope that it goes as well with him as it did with the volunteer.

After this incident, understandably all of us at the machon were slightly off-balance for a few days. What helped us get back on track was a special event in the life of the kibbutz: Ketura's 37^th birthday! There were festive meals, a party with skits, music, and dancing, and a general sense of joy. Many kibbutzim are becoming privatized, and some are shutting down completely, which makes a birthday like this all the more special. As part of the celebration, at the party we students sang 'Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu' together, with many of the children of the kibbutz joining in. After our rather impromptu performance, the song devolved into an hour of dancing. (Side note: Don't know the song? Click in to the Arava Institute's With Earth and Each Other event on November 14! We'll be singing it live. More details to come.) It was simply a great time, and it helped us to remember just how much fun being here can be.

Last weekend, as any child in the United States would know, was Halloween! Although it is a rather distinctive American holiday, we thought it was necessary to have a party. So on Saturday night, we all got together on our central lawn, dressed up with whatever we could get our hands on. I went as a black cat, complete with ears and tail; We also had a devil, two pumpkins, a pirate, a garden of hope, and a hippie, among others. Everyone brought food and whatever drinks they had in their fridge, and we had a blast. I actually managed to make yet another apple pie, this time big enough for about 15 people, which was my contribution. After the party, a few of us went to the pub in costume, myself included. We may have gotten a few amused looks, but it was worth it--and not just because of the half priced drinks from the laughing bartender! Even more fun than the costumes and the dancing, was the opportunity to explain Halloween to non-Americans who had absolutely no idea what it was. After communicating the general idea of it and how it's celebrated, the Israelis debated with us about Halloween versus Purim, and the Jordanian and Palestinian students were laughing about the sheer amount of sugar involved in the holiday. At the end of the day, I could only shrug and say, “It's just the way it is, and I love it.” It was a fun time, and I'm so glad we did it.

That following week, classes really kicked into high gear. The first 3 assignments of the semester were due, and there were some other events related to a group that is currently here, the Mashav participants. During this past week we turned in all 3 papers, took a tour through some fascinating experimental fields and orchards run by Dr. Elaine Solowey, and had our first group movie night (showing the Princess Bride, of course). Each day flew by, and before I knew it the weekend was upon me. This past Friday I went to Eilat for the first time, and it was absolutely beautiful. It is a tourist beach city, much like Rehoboth, and so it felt familiar even though all the details were different. Three of us rode the Egged bus down, surrounded by soldiers going home, and the bus was so full we wound up sitting on the floor. When we got to Eilat, we stopped at an ATM, got shawarma for lunch, and proceeded to walk to the beach. We walked along the tourist strip of Eilat, from the cheap vendors all the way down to the five star hotels. The beaches are so much closer to the stores and attractions, and you can be at the water in barely a minute. There are chairs and umbrellas all over, and most of the beaches are free and accessible. Needless to say, I'll be going back very soon for a beach day. When the round trip bus fare is about 11 USD and only 35 minutes away, how could I not? Pack a lunch and some water, and that's a pretty cheap, relaxing day.

Yesterday was also a day of firsts, only they were mostly culinary, not exploratory. I had shakshuka for the first time last night, and it was amazing. Shakshuka, if you are not aware, is a simmered-down dish of tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, and whatever other vegetables you want to throw in, and then once everything is cooked down, you crack eggs over it and simmer more until the eggs are set. Throw some zatar on top, grab a pita (or in our case, left over halla bread), and you have an amazing dish. We also had a salad with lemon, onion, garlic, rosemary, and oil dressing. It is worth mentioning that a salad here isn't quite a salad in the U.S., because normally there isn't lettuce. It's just vegetables chopped up and tossed in some amazing dressing. Note to future roommates: expect this to be made in any kitchen with which I am associated!

So this brings me to today, and looking forward into the next week. On Tuesday morning the machon will be going on a four day field trip, to the upper Negev. We will be spending a day at a Desertification Conference at Sde Boqer, by Be'er Sheva, and listening to research and presentations regarding the desert ecosystems of the area. After that, we will be traveling to an independent Jewish goat farm, the Jewish settlement of Yerucham, the unrecognized Bedouin village of Wadi Al-Na'am, and the Abu Basma Regional Council. It promises to be an amazing trip, and I'm incredibly excited to have this opportunity. It is possible that I will also be traveling after the trip to either Jerusalem or Tel Aviv; however I have yet to decide. I would like to be able to take a full, 4 day weekend to stay in Jerusalem, not just a day and a half, so this weekend I may instead come back to Ketura for Shabbat and go to the beach for a day instead!

Shukran for bearing with me through this incredibly long update, and I will make a point in the coming weeks to write more frequently, as I cannot imagine posts this long are all that much fun to read. I hope all is well back on the other side of the pond!

Salam, Shalom, Peace!