Yovav and the donkeys in the date orchards.
Me watching the desert bloom at Kibbutz Grofit, down the road from Ketura.
More to come!
Love to all,
Sarah
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Chapter 2 continued: A few Pictures...
The barbed wire fence that marks the beginning of the no-man's-land between Israel and Jordan - those mountains are in Jordan.
Yovav and the donkeys in the date orchards.
Me watching the desert bloom at Kibbutz Grofit, down the road from Ketura.
More to come!
Love to all,
Sarah
Yovav and the donkeys in the date orchards.
Me watching the desert bloom at Kibbutz Grofit, down the road from Ketura.
More to come!
Love to all,
Sarah
Chapter 2: Reunited!
Hello, loved ones!
It finally got "cold" here today - it went down to almost 65 degrees tonight! Brrr! (Hahaha...)
So here are the updates:
MIRIAM IS HERE!! She has only been here for about a week, but it feels like much longer. That may have to do with the fact that some of her best friends from Israel as well as her sister are on the kibbutz! As soon as she arrived, she already knew half the kibbutz by association. She has had a great time over the past week making friends with the other volunteers. It is really perfect because not only is she meeting new awesome people, but she is surrounded by people she already knows and loves as well! She spends her days cleaning... mmm fun... but its a kibbutz, what do you expect?! She works in the hotel, which is really one of the better jobs, despite making over 15 beds a day. Work ends in the mid afternoon, and the rest of the evening is just spent hanging out. It kind of feels like summer camp! Anyway, things are off the a great start, and Miriam will be updating you with new stories regularly (we hope)!
Sarah is still really happy, and even happier now that she has her sister around to stop by in the mornings on her way to work, meet up with in the dining hall, and bring her cookies :-)Things at the institute have gotten really insane...free time has pretty much gone out the window, unless it replaces time for sleep or reading. Which it sometimes does. Oops! But really, there's so much going on. Classes are now in full swing, but since we still haven't chosen exactly which ones we're staying in I'm still going to about 9 classes. Oy. But after tomorrow I'll be down to 5 officially... I'm just not sure which 5. We also have endless meetings about every little thing. And I've volunteered to be "co-coordinator" for two student groups: Megamah Yerookah ("Green Course") which is a national student environmental activist group of which we will have a branch here at AIES, and the Music and Dance club, which will be whatever we make of it. Yay! They should both be a lot of fun, and I actually feel inspired to make things happen - lack of time and all. I also said I would be an English support tutor for someone who speaks English as their second language. So much to do! But It's really exciting. Last weekend my friend Yovav from when I lived at Tzuba (3 years ago) came all the way down here to the Negev to visit, which was fantastic. We went for a walk/hike along the border with Jordan and down to the next kibbutz. So beautiful...pictures will come soon, right now the internet is too slow.
Tonight both of us went to meet our new adopted family - a really sweet woman named Leorah (shout-out to our LP's! we love you!)and her two young daughters. She gave us cake and ice cream and tea and invited us to come to dinner every Saturday night, and let us borrow two children's books that she wrote to practice our Hebrew :-D So basically it's a great deal! Don't worry, Mom, she doesn't make apple pie - you're irreplaceable ;-)
This weekend we're going to Jerusalem to celebrate Mir's birthday (!!) with a bunch of her friends. She'll be 18 on Friday, so send lots of birthday love!! Also a friend of Sarah's from the institute is throwing a party near Jerusalem Friday night, so it should be lovely weekend.
Sorry for the switching between 3rd and 1st person...it's a little confusing to write from two people. We'll try to work out a better system.
Lots and lots of love you all of you!
Love,
The Schuldenfrei Sisters
It finally got "cold" here today - it went down to almost 65 degrees tonight! Brrr! (Hahaha...)
So here are the updates:
MIRIAM IS HERE!! She has only been here for about a week, but it feels like much longer. That may have to do with the fact that some of her best friends from Israel as well as her sister are on the kibbutz! As soon as she arrived, she already knew half the kibbutz by association. She has had a great time over the past week making friends with the other volunteers. It is really perfect because not only is she meeting new awesome people, but she is surrounded by people she already knows and loves as well! She spends her days cleaning... mmm fun... but its a kibbutz, what do you expect?! She works in the hotel, which is really one of the better jobs, despite making over 15 beds a day. Work ends in the mid afternoon, and the rest of the evening is just spent hanging out. It kind of feels like summer camp! Anyway, things are off the a great start, and Miriam will be updating you with new stories regularly (we hope)!
Sarah is still really happy, and even happier now that she has her sister around to stop by in the mornings on her way to work, meet up with in the dining hall, and bring her cookies :-)Things at the institute have gotten really insane...free time has pretty much gone out the window, unless it replaces time for sleep or reading. Which it sometimes does. Oops! But really, there's so much going on. Classes are now in full swing, but since we still haven't chosen exactly which ones we're staying in I'm still going to about 9 classes. Oy. But after tomorrow I'll be down to 5 officially... I'm just not sure which 5. We also have endless meetings about every little thing. And I've volunteered to be "co-coordinator" for two student groups: Megamah Yerookah ("Green Course") which is a national student environmental activist group of which we will have a branch here at AIES, and the Music and Dance club, which will be whatever we make of it. Yay! They should both be a lot of fun, and I actually feel inspired to make things happen - lack of time and all. I also said I would be an English support tutor for someone who speaks English as their second language. So much to do! But It's really exciting. Last weekend my friend Yovav from when I lived at Tzuba (3 years ago) came all the way down here to the Negev to visit, which was fantastic. We went for a walk/hike along the border with Jordan and down to the next kibbutz. So beautiful...pictures will come soon, right now the internet is too slow.
Tonight both of us went to meet our new adopted family - a really sweet woman named Leorah (shout-out to our LP's! we love you!)and her two young daughters. She gave us cake and ice cream and tea and invited us to come to dinner every Saturday night, and let us borrow two children's books that she wrote to practice our Hebrew :-D So basically it's a great deal! Don't worry, Mom, she doesn't make apple pie - you're irreplaceable ;-)
This weekend we're going to Jerusalem to celebrate Mir's birthday (!!) with a bunch of her friends. She'll be 18 on Friday, so send lots of birthday love!! Also a friend of Sarah's from the institute is throwing a party near Jerusalem Friday night, so it should be lovely weekend.
Sorry for the switching between 3rd and 1st person...it's a little confusing to write from two people. We'll try to work out a better system.
Lots and lots of love you all of you!
Love,
The Schuldenfrei Sisters
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Chapter 1: Life in the Desert Begins...and It's Beautiful
So...I'm in Israel!
Can you believe it?? I couldn't at first, but somehow - amazingly - I already feel completely at home here in some ways.
I arrived in Israel on Saturday night after many hours of travel. Traveling with my banjo put an interesting spin on things. I got some funny looks and a lot of smiles, and it ignited a few interesting conversations with nice strangers on the planes and in the airports. It was great to feel like a traveling musician, even if my banjo skills still aren't quite up to professional level. Here's the sunrise I saw from Heathrow:
I stayed with our family friends in Jerusalem Saturday night, then met the group at the bus station in the morning to come to the kibbutz. We got in Sunday night, and woke up the next morning to the mountains of the desert - Jordan on one side, the rest of Israel on the other.
It seems like so much has happened in the last three days that I can't decide what's important to tell all of you. So I'll start with a few details about the people here. About 1/3 of the people in the program are American, one third or so are Jewish Israelis, and the rest are either Palestinian or Jordanian. I'm amazed by how wonderful just about every person here seems. It's incredible to be surrounded by such an open-minded and driven group of young people. When I say young I mean everywhere from 18 to 32, and we all mix together entirely. So far there haven't been any lines drawn between nationalities or age groups in terms of who hangs out with who. Everyone welcomes everyone else into there circle with a smile at any given moment. It's really beautiful to see. Already there have been some amazing moments when politics and history have been discussed - Israelis and Palestinians laughing and joking together, talking completely openly, talking about the pain they are in without even the slightest hint of blame. The respect that every person here has for every other person has already astounded me. The Israelis and the Americans want to learn Arabic from the Jordanians and the Palestinians, and the Arabic speakers who don't know Hebrew are eager to learn. Last night we had a bonfire and took turns playing and singing songs in Arabic, English, and Hebrew.
Yesterday morning we left at 7am for a hike through the mountains behind the kibbutz. It's amazing how much we are actually in the middle of the desert. By the time we got back around noon, it was already insanely hot. We drank water the whole time, but even so we were all weak with heat and dehydration when we returned. Every moment was worth is though - the hiking was exhilarating, and the views, well...
An aerial view of the kibbutz...
When we got to the top of the mountain, after 3 hours of brutally hot hiking, someone asked, "who wants coffee?" and proceeded to make Turkish coffee on the small propane stove that he had carried in his pack.
What really got me was when someone else pulled out his stove and asked, "who wants tea?".
Oh Israel, you crack me up! :-)
All in all, I'm living in a dream world, and I expect that things will only get better. Tomorrow we are taking a field trip to Eilat, and on Sunday classes will begin and MIRIAM WILL GET HERE! So life is good.
I love you and miss you all and hope that you are well. Be in touch!
Love,
Sarah
Can you believe it?? I couldn't at first, but somehow - amazingly - I already feel completely at home here in some ways.
I arrived in Israel on Saturday night after many hours of travel. Traveling with my banjo put an interesting spin on things. I got some funny looks and a lot of smiles, and it ignited a few interesting conversations with nice strangers on the planes and in the airports. It was great to feel like a traveling musician, even if my banjo skills still aren't quite up to professional level. Here's the sunrise I saw from Heathrow:
I stayed with our family friends in Jerusalem Saturday night, then met the group at the bus station in the morning to come to the kibbutz. We got in Sunday night, and woke up the next morning to the mountains of the desert - Jordan on one side, the rest of Israel on the other.
It seems like so much has happened in the last three days that I can't decide what's important to tell all of you. So I'll start with a few details about the people here. About 1/3 of the people in the program are American, one third or so are Jewish Israelis, and the rest are either Palestinian or Jordanian. I'm amazed by how wonderful just about every person here seems. It's incredible to be surrounded by such an open-minded and driven group of young people. When I say young I mean everywhere from 18 to 32, and we all mix together entirely. So far there haven't been any lines drawn between nationalities or age groups in terms of who hangs out with who. Everyone welcomes everyone else into there circle with a smile at any given moment. It's really beautiful to see. Already there have been some amazing moments when politics and history have been discussed - Israelis and Palestinians laughing and joking together, talking completely openly, talking about the pain they are in without even the slightest hint of blame. The respect that every person here has for every other person has already astounded me. The Israelis and the Americans want to learn Arabic from the Jordanians and the Palestinians, and the Arabic speakers who don't know Hebrew are eager to learn. Last night we had a bonfire and took turns playing and singing songs in Arabic, English, and Hebrew.
Yesterday morning we left at 7am for a hike through the mountains behind the kibbutz. It's amazing how much we are actually in the middle of the desert. By the time we got back around noon, it was already insanely hot. We drank water the whole time, but even so we were all weak with heat and dehydration when we returned. Every moment was worth is though - the hiking was exhilarating, and the views, well...
An aerial view of the kibbutz...
When we got to the top of the mountain, after 3 hours of brutally hot hiking, someone asked, "who wants coffee?" and proceeded to make Turkish coffee on the small propane stove that he had carried in his pack.
What really got me was when someone else pulled out his stove and asked, "who wants tea?".
Oh Israel, you crack me up! :-)
All in all, I'm living in a dream world, and I expect that things will only get better. Tomorrow we are taking a field trip to Eilat, and on Sunday classes will begin and MIRIAM WILL GET HERE! So life is good.
I love you and miss you all and hope that you are well. Be in touch!
Love,
Sarah
Monday, October 06, 2008
Introduction Part II: Contact Info
Hello all!
As promised here is our contact info so you'll know the best ways to get in touch with us once we're overseas.
Sarah's contact info in Israel:
EMAIL: sschuldenfrei@gmail.com
SKYPE: sarah.schuldenfrei
SNAIL MAIL:
Sarah Schuldenfrei
Arava Institute for Environmental Studies
Kibbutz Ketura
D.N. Hevel Eilot 88840
ISRAEL
(Send me lovin'! But if you're sending packages use regular USPS - UPS and FedEx don't deliver to Ketura. ...Just in case you were wondering ;-)
Miriam's contact info in Israel:
EMAIL: mschuldenfrei@gmail.com
SKYPE: miriam.schuldenfrei
SNAIL MAIL: Coming soon!
Drop us an email or skype us if you want our cell and/or landline numbers.
Hope to hear from you all soon!
As promised here is our contact info so you'll know the best ways to get in touch with us once we're overseas.
Sarah's contact info in Israel:
EMAIL: sschuldenfrei@gmail.com
SKYPE: sarah.schuldenfrei
SNAIL MAIL:
Sarah Schuldenfrei
Arava Institute for Environmental Studies
Kibbutz Ketura
D.N. Hevel Eilot 88840
ISRAEL
(Send me lovin'! But if you're sending packages use regular USPS - UPS and FedEx don't deliver to Ketura. ...Just in case you were wondering ;-)
Miriam's contact info in Israel:
EMAIL: mschuldenfrei@gmail.com
SKYPE: miriam.schuldenfrei
SNAIL MAIL: Coming soon!
Drop us an email or skype us if you want our cell and/or landline numbers.
Hope to hear from you all soon!
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Introduction
Greetings!
Sarah and Miriam here...
As you may or may not know, we're both heading off on adventures around the world within the next two weeks. We've created this blog so that you can keep track of us a little bit, and check in at your own convenience, rather than being bombarded by mass emails every few weeks.
So here's the dealio:
Sarah is leaving on October 10th to travel to Israel, where she will be until July 1st, aside from the traveling in the Middle East that she plans to do during her breaks. She'll be at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies at Kibbutz Ketura in the Negev Desert in the south of Israel, about 1/2 an hour from Eilat (and the Egyptian border and the Red Sea!). She'll be earning credit towards her studies at Barnard, taking classes about environmental issues, especially those specific to peace and politics in the Middle East. For more about the kibbutz, the program, the people, and the classes...stay tuned!
Miriam will be leaving October 15th to join Sarah on Kibbutz Ketura in Israel (:-D) as a kibbutz volunteer. She will be there for three months - until mid January - doing who-knows-what (again, stay tuned)! After a quick trip back home to regroup, she will be leaving on February 11th for... AFRICA! To answer a few obvious questions, Miriam is traveling to Uganda, Tanzania, and Zanzibar with an organization called Carpe Diem Education. She, approximately 10 other students, and two group leaders will be working on various volunteer projects focused on environmental conservation and community health. She'll fill you in on details as it gets closer, but for now she is getting excited about Israel. Can't wait to tell you more!
For the time being we're livin' it up in Rose Valley, enjoying our last few weeks (days?!?) at home with mom & dad, packing, voting, and finalizing plans. Feel free to give us a call while we're still in the country!
We'd love to hear from all of you, so comment on our posts, email us, skype us, call us, IM us, facebook us, SEND US LETTERS (!!!), ESP us, or yell really really really loud....
*Contact info coming soon*
Shanah tovah and lots of love!
Sarah and Miriam here...
As you may or may not know, we're both heading off on adventures around the world within the next two weeks. We've created this blog so that you can keep track of us a little bit, and check in at your own convenience, rather than being bombarded by mass emails every few weeks.
So here's the dealio:
Sarah is leaving on October 10th to travel to Israel, where she will be until July 1st, aside from the traveling in the Middle East that she plans to do during her breaks. She'll be at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies at Kibbutz Ketura in the Negev Desert in the south of Israel, about 1/2 an hour from Eilat (and the Egyptian border and the Red Sea!). She'll be earning credit towards her studies at Barnard, taking classes about environmental issues, especially those specific to peace and politics in the Middle East. For more about the kibbutz, the program, the people, and the classes...stay tuned!
Miriam will be leaving October 15th to join Sarah on Kibbutz Ketura in Israel (:-D) as a kibbutz volunteer. She will be there for three months - until mid January - doing who-knows-what (again, stay tuned)! After a quick trip back home to regroup, she will be leaving on February 11th for... AFRICA! To answer a few obvious questions, Miriam is traveling to Uganda, Tanzania, and Zanzibar with an organization called Carpe Diem Education. She, approximately 10 other students, and two group leaders will be working on various volunteer projects focused on environmental conservation and community health. She'll fill you in on details as it gets closer, but for now she is getting excited about Israel. Can't wait to tell you more!
For the time being we're livin' it up in Rose Valley, enjoying our last few weeks (days?!?) at home with mom & dad, packing, voting, and finalizing plans. Feel free to give us a call while we're still in the country!
We'd love to hear from all of you, so comment on our posts, email us, skype us, call us, IM us, facebook us, SEND US LETTERS (!!!), ESP us, or yell really really really loud....
*Contact info coming soon*
Shanah tovah and lots of love!
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