Kibbutz Ketura - Hoorah, Hoorah!

before I begin, I will clarify two things:
1. I am no longer living in Jerusalem. However, as it is still the same "Year" and making a new blog would be a silly waste of time, I will continue posting (infrequently, as usual) from here. My apologies for the discrepency between the blog title and what will now be discussed within it.
2. The title of this particular post sounds a) really stupid or b) rhyme-y depending on your pronunciation of the Hebrew language. So to avoid sound stupid, I will give a brief tutorial: Usually, the emphasis is on the second syllable. This is indeed the case with the name of the Kibbutz at which Matan was born and raised and we currently reside. Say it with me now, "ketu-RA" which then rhymes quite nicely with "hoo-RAH", yes? Yes.

Moving on.

Hello, blog readers! As usual, it's been a while. At least I'm consistent.

Since I last posted, I have finished school in Jerusalem and moved to the middle of the southern Arava Valley in the Negev desert - the southernmost part of Israel. As many of you will remember, this is where I spent the first semester of my gap year. So I'm back. But this time as a volunteer working in the Educational Programming department of the guest house. My job has many facets - I am part camp counselor, part hotel receptionist, part cafe barrista, and part odd-job doer. This keeps things spicy. Knowing me as well as you do, you can probably guess that my favorite of these tasks are those of the camp counselor. Throughout the summer, groups of teens from (mostly) North America and Europe come through the Kibbutz on their whirlwind tours of Israel. It is our job to give them a taste of Kibbutz life in the desert. I have learned to lead the various educational (and fun) activities that these kids participate in, like: Desert Arts Workshop (think sand painting and rock sculptures), Kibbutz Values in Practice in which the group becomes a kibbutz of their own and have to make a tough decision in the same democratic manner that Ketura uses, Desert Solo Experience (often after a bike ride to the dunes), and many more. We do pool-side barbecues, hikes up the mountains surrounding the Kibbutz, and tours to the date orchards. It's a lot of fun, a ton of work, and I'm learning something new every day. While doing the receptionist shift is admittedly not as engaging, it has done wonders for my spoken Hebrew as I'm forced to speak with (often impatient) Israelis on the phone about what our guest houses have to offer.

When not at work, you can find me these days at the pool or the pub, lounging with new volunteer friends and old Kibbutz friends. Not bad.

In other exciting news: my mama is coming to visit! I fought tooth and nail to take a bunch of days off while she's here, so maybe we'll take a fun trip somewhere!

I hope all is well with all of you, and for now I'm sending sandy, smiling kisses your way!

xo!