Traveling down South

Hello curious people! Tonight, for those of you that care, I will be bedding down in a small and sweaty room with three of my (literally) closest friends. Shirts will be off, beds will be stripped, the AC will be blasting, to no apparent avail.

Yesterday I and the rest of the Shorashim crew were a few hours north of our present condition, in the less oven-like area of the country. We opened the day with yet another sweltering hike, through a surprisingly beautiful desert, complete with waterfalls and slight streams (yes, as Lior is sure to tell you, over and over again, there is sometimes water in the desert). After a brief and revealing discussion about the various wildlife that populate such an area, and the methods by which they reproduce, we bused our moist selves to the grave of David Ben-Gurion and his lovely wife Paula. After a wonderful discussion, and a well-put together game show hosted bv Shorashim’s own, the magnificent and might I add painfully handsome Jake Seiden, the group skipped over to BG’s desert kibbutz. Within the man’s humble home a number of the participants found solace. They viewed the collection of books with awe, and admired the various freedom fighters memorialized on the walls of BG’s desert shack, such as Ghandi and Abraham Lincoln. Now, one might think that after so much learning and general hectic activity that the kids of Shorashim would beg their merciful and understanding Leaders for some sort of break. WRONG. They asked to go farm. So with smiles plastered to sun burnt cheeks, the children went to an organic farm where they picked mint leaves and tomatoes and pigeons. After releasing the pigeons, having taped wonderful wishes to their scratchy feet, the Shorashim group finally returned home for the night, where they participated in a wonderful discussion about the IDF verses college. It was an eye-opening experience for all involved.

The next day, upon waking, we engaged in a breakfast that need not consist of whitebread and butter and took to the road to try our many hands at the complex art of rappelling. Into Mitzpe Ramon we fell, with bright smiles and shaky hands, and those that survived were stronger for the experience. When feeling had returned to our legs, we were off again into the heart of the heat of Israel. Near Eilat we stopped to rest and learn about life on a Kibbutz. It was really great for all, and we celebrated the heat with a swim in the public pool and some American food served in pita form.

Until next time!

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