Shalom Shabbat,

Last night was my second shabbat in Israel and it was completely different than the first but just as wonderful. Adi and Ynon are gone, they left yesterday morning so it was just a volunteer shabbat which I think we really needed. Adi told us to make use of the kitchen and anything they couldnt bring with them, so we had a perfect venue. We turned on some jazz and started the cooking. Devon made the Halla bread, which at first we werent sure would turn out because we didnt have eggs, but it ended up being sooo good! Around 5 we started cooking, Vera made a tomato soup with fresh onions and tomatoes from the greenhouse. I made roasted red peppers in a balsamic vinegar and honey glaze. Elisabeth made a salad and cauliflower and we all roasted some potatoes and made hummus and a basil pesto. At first, Susie was no where to be found. She was in charge of the dessert but there was tons of chopping to do and it was just a fun atmosphere in there, but she had decided to go for a walk. 7 o clock is approaching and, still, she is nowhere to be found. We have set the table and the food is almost ready and she comes in and demands that we eat in the pub by the volunteer kitchen, not in the house. She said "there isnt a good vibe in here". We all said ok, well, we are going to eat in here because Adi said we were more than welcome and there are no flies or dogs in here. I think Vera went to go talk to her though and she decided to come in. I can actually say I am very glad she came. Devon blessed the wine and the bread and we started, the dinner was wonderful. We all just talked, relaxed and ate, and, for the first time, our group had an awesome dynamic. It was such a perfect end to a pretty hectic week, i think we all realized how much we needed the weekend. Afterward, we had baked apples and chocolate and watched Alice in Wonderland in the living room on Devons computer.

Shabbat is a great tradition, even if people don't practice it for religious reasons. Israelis know that every Friday, they will be with friends and family, many travel around the country to make sure they are. Once the sun goes down, they aren't supposed to work until the sun goes down on Saturday. They spend all day reading, thinking and de-stressing from the week. Everyone is out walking around the Moshav and just coming to visit and talk. Public transportation doesn't run, everything is closed. There is no excuse but to look inward and reflect.

I leave for Jerusalem tomorrow, I am so excited! It is about 2 hours by bus from here (the farthest distance in Israel is 5 hours haha). Also, here is the first picture from the farm. I will try to put more now in the "photo" section. The background is of the horses and the date orchard by the house. The greenhouse is in another area of the Moshav so you can't see it in these. If you look closely, you will see mountains in the background, that is Jordan. We are only 5 km from the border here. Next time I talk to you, it will be from Jerusalem. Happy Saturday!

Linz