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
3 comments:
ahhh, that's so beautiful! i'm so glad to hear you're getting adjusted so well!
we all miss you a lot, lady.
hugs and kisses!
The pictures are beautiful and you sound raptuorously happy. It gives me great hope for the future - for you and for all of us.
We're following you closely and with much love.
Aunt Diane
Grandma and I are following your adventures with excitement, concern, and amazement. We wish you joy and fulfillment. What you are doing is so important for the world and for shaping your lives.
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