Aviv Days 42 – 45

As our time on kibbutz comes to an end so do our short-lived Hebrew lessons with our beloved teacher Morah Meital. Wednesday was the penultimate lesson and it was followed by a lunch of spaghetti bolognaise and then a movie named ‘Bufor’ which chronicled the experiences of soldiers stationed at a fortress just inside the Lebanese Border during the Lebanon war. Dinner consisted of sausages and was proceeded by an extremely interesting program which explored the positives and negatives of social media use in contemporary society and its connotations upon youth and adults alike. Bedtime completed another day at Yechiam as we drew closer to venturing off our now accustomed surroundings and heading back to the big smoke that is Jerusalem.

Thursday brought our final ulpan lesson which was highlighted by the consumption of copious amounts of junk food provided by, without doubt, our favourite ulpan teacher in the entirety of Israel (Our only one…). Lunch was next up and featured Basel’s patented shwarma meat. Room clean up followed as the squeegees were once again removed from their resting places and engaged in the cleaning of numerous tiled surfaces. As each and every room passed our room inspections we proceeded to relax until dinner which comprised of meat patties, rice and peas, a more than adequate meal. Our final activity of the day was a program which highlighted the evolution of television via the medium of a documentary hosted by a British man whose pompousness and dark sense of humour had some immediate disliking his each and every statement. Nonetheless, the premise of the program certainly had a heightened validity whether or not it got through to everyone.

Friday was the day in which we were to head off to the big bad city of Nahariya and scour the vendors for cheap yet satisfactory Purim attire which was to last us both for the kibbutz’s own Purim party which was to be held that night as well as our nights in Jerusalem. Of course when in town everyone opened up their wallets and splurged upon delicious foods and drinks and most visited Nahariya’s premier shwarma dealership. With costumes in hand and stomachs full we gradually headed back to Yehiam mentally prepared for the big night which we knew was ahead of us. Sure enough, the night finally arrived as everyone donned their costumes and hit the bar. The theme was Las Vegas, a theme ignored by most, props to Harry for going as a magician the most Vegas-y of the group.  After an exceedingly hazy night we headed for bed at various hours, all assured of numerous new stories which we would vaguely remember for the months and years to come.

As we awoke the next morning, some remembering more of the previous night than the others, people steadily emerged from their quarters looking not in the best of sorts. We were granted the chill time we so dearly craved and were allowed to do however we pleased for almost the entirety of the day. Following lunch, the majority of the group headed up to Yechiam’s very own fortress, which was built by the crusaders in the 12^th century before being occupied by the Ottoman’s during their empirical reign and finally being used by the kibbutzniks to defend against invaders in more recent times. It was a fun experience and many got some solid photos out of it. After dinner we spent our final night on kibbutz Yechiam with a short program run by the media committee comprised of two short videos in which we reflected on our kibbutz experience both verbally and photographically. Family time featuring red light green light was the final item on the agenda as all retired to their rooms to pack their bags eager to depart for pastures new at the bright and early time of 7:45AM. Well Kibby Yechy, it’s been real! Thanks for having us!

Another few awesome days down, 107 days to look forward to!

Jake

Aviv Days 24 + 25

Shabbats on Aviv provide a chance for some much needed relaxation, facilitated by our amended wakeup time which was this week set at a mouth-watering 1PM. Not all took their opportunity for additional sleep, with most awake only slightly later than usual whilst Harry ‘could sleep on a bed of nails’ Rosen managed to grab more shut eye in one night than some have had cumulatively for the entire trip! All those who made the tiring 5 minute trek to the dining room discovered that breakfast was surprisingly nice, consisting of actual challah, shakshuka and cereal amongst other edible items. Following breakfast was lunch which was yet again comprised of chicken in various shapes, accompanied by sides, which on this occasion were corn and some less than scrumptious potatoes. Chill time followed as gradually people headed off to the Wi-Fi area near our rooms to Skype those who they miss most, close family and friends. Our next program of the day was a Judaic themed one, in which we were split into groups, handed a summarised torah portion, a genre and a sect of Judaism and assigned the task of acting out the portion, in a manner owing largely too our genre and sect. The portion shared by all was the story of Jacob’s marriages to Leia and Rachel, his years of work in the field followed by his dream and arrival in Canaan. Some genres included science fiction, rom-com and soap opera, whilst sects included modern orthodoxy, ultra orthodoxy and Reconstructionist to name but a few. Performances were… entertaining… to say the least.

Next up was havdallah, a short service was conducted by Oded and Jared Engelman, in which the traditional candle and odours made their appearances as we bid farewell to Shabbat for another week. Dinner was next and yet again indiscriminate slabs of meat and sides were served, with vegie patties provided for our vegetarians. Our after-dinner program was run by the Media Committee consisting of Millie, Sarah, Bec and myself. The program featured an ‘Aviv Quiz’ in which participants were split into pre-determined groups and asked to answer questions on the goings-on of our first three and a bit weeks of Aviv. Questions were humorous... if I do say so myself. Smiles dictated me to believe that the program was a success. Chill time and bed time soon ensued, with all aware of the impending birthday of one Grant Goldman which would fall on day 25.

As Grant awoke on Sunday morning he was greeted with ‘happy birthdays’ from all directions, mitigated only by the fact that he was forced to wake at the earlier than desired time of 8AM. We headed off to Nahariya, our nearest somewhat major city, looking for a spot of non-Kibbutz fun and to complete our necessary shopping and personal upkeep. We were rather disappointed… after some were ripped off by pushy Israeli cab drivers, the Nahariyan sign which read “a resort for fun-lovers” gravely misled us. Basically put, there was nothing to do in Nahariya bar sit in coffee shops, purchase products and fill our stomachs. However, some of the girls manage to occupy themselves as the beautician as after just three weeks they could not bear to go any longer without a wax. As most completed their shopping there was nothing to do other than take a seat at a coffee shop, eat as much as our budgets dictated we could and waste time until it was time to depart. We did so gradually, returning to the kibbutz just in time for lunch which was skipped by most owing to the large meals eaten in town largely thanks to the availability of food which was actual edible, which has been few and far between as of late.

Next on the agenda was Ulpan, we learned about times and the days of the week, in a rather conversational method. Following Ulpan was dinner: beef patties, bread, runny tomato sauce and salad were the best of a bad bunch. There was a buzz at our various tables as most discussed what they were to wear to Grant’s secret 18^th birthday party which was to be conducted that night, subtlety was encouraged. As the boys preoccupied Grant, the girls set up the party, complete with costumes and drinks. As Grant entered, his look of surprise brought happiness to all as we completed a short program including various discussions in ‘speed dating’ style before getting into the party or as the Israelis like to say ‘mesiba.’ Drinks flowed and games were played until the night came to an end, as all departed back to our rooms, ready for chilling followed by bed. Grant’s birthday was celebrated by all, and each and every one of us are grateful we got to spend his 18^th with him!

Another couple of awesome days down, 125 days to look forward to!

Jake