The End of Week 1

Though I haven't actually been here for an entire week, my first Shabbat on Sde Eliyahu has come and gone. After such a crazy week, it was nice to unwind. I was really nervous before coming about being on an orthodox kibbutz. I was afraid that I'd be much less observant than everyone else and that I'd feel intimidated or uncomfortable. But it's so much easier to keep Shabbat on a kibbutz where everything is a little bit different than during the week and (much like on the main line) everyone you pass will greet you with a hearty "Shabbat shalom."

Because it's so hot here - it was 110 degrees yesterday - after services, a kiddush, and lunch, all I wanted to do was sleep. I ended up napping for most of the afternoon, which was lovely. Then, after Havdallah, my Garin helped move all of the kids' books from the old library to the new library. The librarian was helping us, so when she walked away for a second to take a phone call or something, of course we accidentally messed everything up, and when she saw what we had done, she made that "tsk" sound that only Israelis can make and that is virtually impossible to convey via text. She then kicked us out of the library. Awesome.

This picture was taken right before we were expelled from the library, and it's of me and one of my madrichim who was also my madrich for pilgrimage last summer. He's the best. Anyway, my dearest mother asked for me to post some pictures of myself, so keep an eye out for some of those. Lila tov!!

Eyal and Me