Bigger Update

I am in the library and should be working on my law take-home exam, or the project proposal for my independent study, or starting to work on my 10 page paper about Shabbat and the environment, but instead all these thoughts and memories from the last few days keep rushing through my mind. I haven't updated this thing in ages. Of course when I finally am in a place where I don't have access to internet I have the patience to type something up and save it as a word document, as opposed to every other day. Oh well…

I can't believe this picture thing worked! I didn't think it did. I erased the program from my computer because I didn't understand how do get it to work, and I didn't want to overwhelm it with too many files since I am just temporarily borrowing it. Oh well.

I REALLY want to get my stuff for IPCRI done, so I can be guilt free and they can start publishing the freaking book. Moussa is going up there later this week, so I could send a memory-stick with all the files, and then feel better about requesting more books from Robin. But I don't know if I will get my shit together in time.

Now the more interesting stuff. Things which I should update about, and maybe will over the next couple of days:
-3 day trip: Dead Sea, Ein Gedi, Jerusalem w/Robin~bus breaking down, overnight Neve Shalom, bike ride/Holocaust movie, Alma's, Netzanim, 8am Water treatment plant, Nir'Am water museum
-back to Tel Aviv/Yaffo. Failed attempt at pro-disengagement rally. Quality time w'Alma, Louisa, Shellie. Overnight in Haifa…
-laundry demons
Mostly the last couple of days I have been thinking about Purim, the most recent Jewish holiday. Here on the kibbutz it's like a month-long festival. It starts with the unveiling of the theme at a Friday night dinner. This year: UNDERGROUND. I think your costume is supposed to go along with the theme, so you could be anything from a carrot to mummy to fraggle rock to sewage pipes or an aquifer. I found a tiara that lit up, so I decided to forget the theme and be a princess. I couldn't remember the last time I dressed as a princess, so I thought it would be ok.
For at least a week ahead of time kids started coming to meals in different costumes. It was really cute.
One of the special things about Purim is that you are supposed to get drunk – so drunk that you forget who is the good guy and who is the bad guy in the story. Isn't Judaism grand? For some people this is a bad idea (for example, in the north, near Nablus, a bunch of settlers got drunk and trashed a nearby village, then harassed IDF officers- not so cool). But for us, when you are protected by a fence in a Zionist oasis in the middle of the desert, its good times. For the adult party, which started late at night, there was an open bar. It was the first time I saw real bottles of Bacardi and scotch and other such things. They also had some kind of Brazilian vodka drink in a big water cooler, which ended up being nasty. Long story short- there was much consumed and much danced off. I left the "pub" (converted turkey house) around 2 am when the music stopped, then sat with some folks and was social with locals til around 3, then watched some basketball until around 4. Good times on kibbutz ketura.
Lunch the next day was the best. Middle aged kibutz members were going up to each other and saying 'hey, how you doing today?' 'Looked like you were having fun last night. Any trouble getting up?' 'where did you sleep last night?' It reminded me of brunch at Smith, and made me reminisce….

wow

intense night down on the machon. we watched "Road to Jenin" and then "Jenin...Jenin" and had a discussion. It was intense. I am really getting good at avoiding certain topics and conversations that I should address. Here and beyond.
Will update soon about more fun stuff...

This is Petra. Pretty.... 

Classic Moment @ Ketura

6 year olds playing T-ball on a soccer field. What country is this?

Haaretz - Israel News: Gunmen wound two Israelis in ambush near Hebron shrine

Haaretz - Israel News

I went to Hebron this weekend. I haven't been on the kibbutz very long and Alma came to visit last weekend, but I just wanted to go see the Abu Turks. The last time I was there (over a month ago) Lulu was due to have a baby any day, so by now I knew that she would have had it. I also didn't know when I would be able to get away next, due to econ classes on Fridays and trips and such. It was a really nice visit. I finally learned how to make Maqloubeh, and we went over to Lulu's apartment to see the new baby- Mohammed. Her older son, Amir, is still super cute. Her husband, Murad(?) introduced me to his dad and some of their friends. I didn't understand what he was saying, so he translated into Hebrew for me, in public, which probably wasn't the best, because the Kafiya-clad men were all "ah. Heya behki hebrani?!?!" I hope this doesn't cause any problems.
On Saturday Lubna took me to work with her, at the UNRWA boys school in al-Fawwar refugee camp. That was a pretty incredible experience.
Saturday afternoon we went to town. I REALLY wanted to go to the old city and see the mosque/synagogue. But instead we stayed in the newer part of town and went to clothing stores. Given what happened today, I'll probably not be able to go Mearat Hamachpela. Oy.
Now I need to get some work done for IPCRI, since I've been putting it off for about a month, and the publication of this 900 page book is resting on me...

Internet in my room!

It is nice to be able to do stuff from my room, instead of the stinky computer lab/bomb shelter, but I don't have administrator privileges, which means I can't download programs like AIM. Hopefully I can get this picture thing to work....