Now that we have been together as a group for over a month,
firsts are a rarity, however Jared Engelman managed to achieve the rather
arbitrary feat of being the first Aviv group member to celebrate their 19th
birthday. The latter half of our 34th day on the program revolved
almost solely around Jared’s milestone and was dedicated to making him feel at
home and attempting to give him a birthday to remember. Following wakeup and a
quick breakfast we were again put straight to work in our various disciplines,
again without many remarkable developments. Work was split into two sessions,
either side of lunch, for which we were served yet another meal of schnitzel.
After the completion of our individual work days preparation got underway for
Jared’s birthday bash. First we were to indulge in a beautiful birthday
barbeque, consisting of both chicken and meat, as well as pita and Doritos, a
meal which all were craving (of course with the exception of our vegetarians.) Our
cooks, Toby and Jared Ellison, served up a delectable feast, and achieved the
remarkable feat of managing to completely avoid a salmonella outbreak. Following
our delightful meal, the boys and girls went their separate ways, he boys
heading up to a nice spot overlooking a cliff face here they enjoyed a nice
bonfire and a few beers. Whilst the girls had a nice night in enjoying each
other’s company. It was truly a nice night, which Jared declared to be one of
his best ever birthdays!
The next morning we awoke at a variety of hours thanks to
our individual Ulpan start times. For my class, the lesson was dedicated to
learning the Hebrew words for a multitude of transport-related words. Following
Ulpan we powered up with a meal prior to engaging in a program run by the
fitness committee, which consisted of a hike and the always popular 8 minute
abs, for the girls. Whilst the boys participated in a 5-a-side soccer match
which was fiercely contested. Showers then preceded dinner which featured meatballs.
Our final activity of the day was a film screened in the moadon. As Grant
rightly commented, our arguing over which movie to watch was just as
entertaining as whatever movie we were to choose. Eventually, despite much
bickering, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s Good Will Hunting was chosen, and those
who stuck it out until the end of the film were more than happy with the
choice, it is, after all, an absolute classic. Bed soon followed.
As with every morning prior to our departure for a free
weekend there was a buzz in the air, and the words “Tel Aviv” featured in
almost every second or third sentence. Thursday followed the mould of the day
which it proceeded, in that Ulpan dictated the wake up times of every single
one of us. Various breakfasts were purchased from the mini-market, some more
healthy than others. Morah Meital educated us on some conversational nuances and
greetings followed by food-related words which certainly will come in handy for
some this weekend. An irregularly nice lunch followed, consisting of miniature
sausage rolls, beef patties and rice. Next was family time in which we outlined
our individual high and lowlights from the week past. Cleaning was next up, in
order to prepare our rooms to the satisfaction of kibbutz staff before we
headed off for the weekend. Finally, people headed off in taxis to Tel Aviv or
similar destinations via Nahariya to enjoy their free weekends away from
kibbutz life. A small percentage of us remain on Yechiam.
Another awesome few days down, 114 days to look forward to!
Jake
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