Travels in the South.

 I took the train to Sderot (after buying an almond croissant). A delightful man named Eitan picked me up and took me to Nahal Oz. He invited me to accompany him to Ein Gedi kibbutz where he would be giving a talk. I agreed.

It turns out my volunteer gig was in the dining room, not the kitchen. The kibbutz only does a hot lunch ( not breakfast or supper), and about 50 people come for lunch. We prepped the tables, brought plates, trays and silverware out. It's self-serve, and there was little to do during lunch. The participants all have to wash their dishes, which means we have to check the quality of the dish cleaning (not many had to be rewashed ( by us)).

I went with Eitan, who is a funny guy. We stopped at a scenic overlook on our way down (yes, down) to the Dead Sea. The mountains always get me.

 

Kibbutz Ein Gedi is at  -840 ft from sea level. The Dead Sea is about -1000 ft.  His talk was teaching the commonalities of Arabic to Hebrew which included a bunch of songs that everyone in the audience knew except me. 

Dancing on beach in Tel Aviv

 I walked down to the beach to see people dancing near Gordon Beach. It's all free and people just come and go from 1900-2300 on Motzi Shabbat. It's wonderful. All ages dancing together. it's amazing how many dances people know.

 

Readying for shabbat

 I did indeed go to Jerusalem. I stopped by the shuk in Jerusalem (Mahane Yehuda) to buy some peanuts. Israelis roast peanuts better than anybody in the States- they're toastier. And I met my friends,  bought some flowers and returned to Tel Aviv . On the way to my apartment, I bought malabi.

 

My neighbor will take me to Erev Shabbat services. Shabbat shalom! My next post will probably be from Nahal Oz.

Thursday's report

 The sing-along was great. It was held in a club in south Tel Aviv so there weren't a ton of people there. But they did American songs in English so that was easy for me, although I certainly didn't know them. There was a remarkable trio of women who led "Killing Me Softly" that was amazing .  They started out a capella. I sat with a couple and the guy led "Fame" in the photo (left).

 Then, Thursday morning I went running on the beach, and cooked for shabbat . Thursday night was Lila Lavan (white night) in Tel Aviv . Lila lavan means all night. There are free concerts all over the place and the restaurants and bars stay open really late. I wasn't prepared to stay up all night because I planned to meet friends in Jerusalem on Friday ,  but I found an interesting concert around the corner from me. It was pretty cool ("I'm not in Kansas anymore....).

 

Volunteering plans

 My friend Efi has found me a place to volunteer. So far, the IDF station hasn't worked with his schedule. But I will stay with his friend, Anat, in Nahal Oz, and work in the kibbutz's community kitchen. All my experience doing food for Yom HaAtzmaut and the Ethnic Festival will pay off. Big food. I'll take the train to Sderot and get picked up there. Good thing I have an extra small suitcase. Who knew? 

 

Tonight, I'm attending a group sing-along.

 

 

  

Shopping

 My first full day is always food shopping. I can do something, bring it back,  and rest a little. I did today's errands in two pieces: one at the shuk, and the other at the grocery store. Here's the haul:

•  eggs, parsley, green onions, broccoli
• Olives
• Peaches , lemons, tomatoes, cucumbers, mangoes
• Kleenex, napkins
• Cheese 
• Grapefruit juice, milk, pasta, pesto, tahini salad, lemon cookies
•  Bedouin bread (at the bakery)

And I found the bus stop for #18 that will take me north to the bus/train station along the way. 

 

Arrived

 Passport control, etc. were very smooth. I changed some money (the exchange rate stinks), bought a train ticket, checked the balance on my transit card (Rav Kav), took the train to Tel Aviv. Then the fun started. A. I came out the wrong door of the train station. B. I haven't been here in 2 years and the construction  for the light rail is profound. I couldn't find the big, surface bus station. C. GPS got me going in the right direction and I found the bus station. But where will I find the #18 bus? It's usual spot was eaten up by construction,  but there was a #18 sitting in  the lot on a break. Good sign. D. I walked all the way around the bus station to ask the information desk with the suitcase. She assured me that the bus pickup spot had not moved. OK. I go back, the bus starts moving and picks us up where it did before, but now it's just a chain link fence. E. The bus' route has changed because of the construction. Now it drives down by the beach. OK, I'm not lost.

 I made a first-night supper of a nice backpacking meal.It's a better food choice than in past years. But I will shop for fresh food tomorrow.