So, the Ulpan ended. I am very sad to be leaving Kibbutz Ramat Yochanan. I had a really wonderful experience, that at some point I will blog in more detail about. The last weekend we had a big party, with a big dinner, a talent show, slide show, and dance party. I couldn't have asked for more.

After the Ulpan ended Hannah and I traveled for about 10 days. We went to Jerusalem for Jackie's birthday, then north to the Tel Dan nature reserve and Tzvat. We then took the LOBGEST bus ride of my life to Eilat and then spent a few nights in Tel Aviv with Eado and his family (related to the Cohens and their amazing family in Haifa). (Pictures of all of these places will follow, but my computer cord is in Jerusalem, and I am not).

In Tel Dan we hiked all day. It is absolutely gorgeous, and there is an awesome hollowed out tree called "Pooh Bear's Tree" that I fell in love with. There are also old ruins from the tribe of Dan during biblical times. There was a Christian tourist group there with their Pastor. They were from Mississippi and very sweet. Hannah and I sat and listened to the Pastor's explanations/sermon, and for the most part I enjoyed it, although I had a really hard time staying quiet when he started to talk about the golden calf archeologists found at Tel Dan. When the tribe of Dan came there, they established it as an alternative religious cite, but it was cultic, unlike the Judaism being practiced in Jerusalem. He said that since they found the calf, and it was only the size of your hand, it didnt reeaallly count as an idol, and so they werent really cultic/pagan... Since they were already kind of staring at us, Hannah and I also got a kick out of acting like a couple...holding hands and being cuddly to really freak them out. Unfortunately I think it bit us in the ass. Later we needed a ride to town when they were leaving and they did NOT want us on the bus...ooops.

Tzfat is one of my favorite places in Israel. It is beautiful and old, and all winding roads and artist colonies and ornate old synagogues. It is the home of Jewish mysticism, and I swear you can feel something in the air up there, it is just different. To start off our stay, Hannaha nd I managed to royally piss off the ultra-religious woman working the front desk at the Ascent hostel (a jewish learning hostel that provides classes, sabath meals, and many other things that I have forgotten...it is a very interesting place, although a little too restrictive in atmosophere at times). We asked if it would be ok if we got a bottle of wine and brought it back, thinking this was a fairly innocuous request and that if it was a problem she would just say no. Instead she just threw up her hands and looked at us sideways in akward silence for a few moments. Apparently this was an odd request and she just didn't know what to do with us. She didn't seem to want to say no, but she made it veerrryy clear that it was not socially aceptable. So, like the trashy 16 year old rebels we truly are at heart, we got a couple of bottles of wine, flavored cigarretes and chocolate covered halva and drank on some steps in town. It actually turned out to be an awesome night. Since there is absolutely nothing to do at night in Tzvat (its small and 70% religious) there were a couple of girls also hanging out on the steps. They only spoke hebrew, but we hung out with them for 3 hours!!! It turns out that when there is no alternative, we can communicate pretty well in hebrew.

Eilat was gorgeous, and we met up with two other Ulpanists, Ramon and Kirsten, who were also there. We went snorkeling and just hung out in the beautiful warm weather. Tel Aviv was great, but very rainy at first. We went to the art museum and just generally bopped around. Imet up with Rachel, a girl fromt he Ulpan who has been teaching me to bellydance for the last 5 months. I went with her to her dance class, and I did pretty well if I say so mysel! The teacher was incredible and I am really excited to find a place to bellydance around Boston this summer.

When I got back to the north I returned to the kibbutz to stay with my adopted family there and see some friends, then I went to Haifa to stay with the Hechts and help celebrate Anat's birthday. Her family and friends were so nice and very interesting. I met a wonderful, very passionate left-wing zionist named Noga who lives in an "urban kibbutz". It is a new movement trying to return Israel to its more socialist roots and I am very very interested...

Now, I am working on a farm in Rosh Pina, in the north. My friend Ben and I found this farm through WWOOF, although Mark, the guy who owns it refuses to call it a farm. He says it is a "Happy Hippy Homestead". He and his wife Amira are in their late 50s and she had a stroke 5 years ago, leaving her without the use of the left side of her body. Even so, she can do an amazing amount of work, but they need help. They have goats, chickens, a bakery and they make cheese. On Fridays they open a restaurant and store in their house to sell all their baked goods, cheese and other amazing food. They used to distribute on a larger scale, but it's too much for them now. We have been here for 3 days, and so far I have baked, cleaned tooonnns of dishes, done lots of gardening (it has been neglected since Amira's stroke, so there is so much to do) and MILKED A GOAT!! I am beyond thrilled to be here and I think that Amira is going to teach me to make homemade hummus this week!!! And, next week is my birthday, and then I move to Jerusalem!! I am pretty sure I couldn't love life more right now :)