Kibbutz, Walking, Bonfires, Lice, and a Barbecue in Arad

Whew!!! I have had quite the past few days. When I last wrote I was obsessing over twitta and social networking, now I have a new obsession: avoiding the lice infestation in my apartment! More to come on that later.

I spent Wednesday and Thursday night on Kibbutz Ein Tzurim and had quite a splendid time, save for the pesty mosquitoes who made me their breakfast, lunch, dinner, and aruchat eser (Israelis eat an additional meal around ten in the morning and so do Israeli mosquitoes, apparently). I enjoyed ice cream from the Kol Bo (the kibbutz corner store, if you will), I twittered, I slept in, and I worked on the Nativ Yearbook. As an added bonus, I got to see a premier showing of "Gang Bangers of Catan" an all male "porno" (you don't see anything, don't worry) made by some of the Nativers on the kibbutz, based off the popular cult board game, Settlers of Catan. It is really funny. If you don't believe me, I think you can see it on Youtube soon and I will link it to my blog!

From the kibbutz, Meir and I traveled to Jerusalem by bus. I needed some fresh air once we arrived at the bus station in Jlem, so I suggested we walk a little bit. After we had walked a little bit and purchased some sweets from the shuk, Meir suggested we walk a little bit more. We ended up crossing the entire length of Jerusalem (from the central bus station to Derech Hevron in Talpiyot) which totaled almost 6 miles. It was all made possible by the clutch backpack switch made 2/3 of the way there which entailed me switching to a lighter backpack. Thanks, Meir!!

We prepared for Shabbat and had an amazing dinner at JJ's house with Meir's brother David, his girlfriend Yael, the whole Jonah family, and even Shira's grandmother, who is 91 years old and used to live in Russia and then Shanghai and moved to Israel in 1948! She spoke perfect English and it was so amazing to hear her story. She was also a star track athlete in Israel, and it was so weird to see a frail 91 year old woman in front of me, mostly blind, mostly deaf, the works, and hear that she once medaled in sporting events. It was a great dinner table!

Saturday morning we slept in and then set off for Rehavia. We decided to take a short cut without really knowing the short cut, so that was another hour or so of walking. It was a fun adventure though, and it ended with a beautiful apartment in Rehavia, a nice family from Los Angeles feeding us delicious food, two socially awkward seminary girls, and a really, really cute dog. The lunch lasted a long time, but it was worth it because we got proper directions to get back to Talpiyot so it didn't take as long. My feet hurt afterward.

We ended Shabbat at JJ's with a USY alumni reunion, complete with the USY Central Shaliach, Nahum Binder. There was a little tension after Shabbat when I needed to catch a bus and I really needed to not be late for that bus, but everything turned out fine and I made my bus and got home to Yerucham by midnight. When I arrived home, I walked past a dozen bonfires because it was LAG BA'OMER!! So exciting! Israelis really go all out for this holiday and burn a lot of fires and stay out until all hours!

That same night, I arrived home to the LICE APARTMENT! I really don't want to get it! I really don't! I don't know what to do. Everyone is using shampoo and washing things but they are so close to me! It is really freaking me out. Four out of nine girls in the apartment....AAHHHHH!

This morning, we cleaned up bonfire garbage around Yerucham as a group (Sarah made this analogy: it was like going to someone's house after they had a party and washing the dishes for them) which was not the best use of my time, but I was with a fun group of boys so at least I had a good time. Right after the clean up, I showered and got on a bus to Be'er Sheva with the other volunteers from the high school, and from there, a bus to Arad. Our favorite teacher, Karen (also a Nativer on Nativ 2!!!) picked us up from the bus stop and brought us to her GORGEOUS home for a barbecue! It was delicious, we met her family, we saw a beautiful view of the Dead Sea and the mountains beyond, we reminisced about Nativ, we learned about her Nativ experience, we vented about education in Israel, and we generally just had an amazing time. Karen is an exceptional person and my connection with her has really made the difference working at school.

We got home around 7:30 pm and Rachel and I were welcomed by a fantastic apartment dinner! I love coming home to those. The evening ended with Nativ yearbook and blogging. Great day!!!