I wax poetic about our first week...

We have two small mattresses and a low wooden table, a ladder, which we use to hang our dresses. The domes have about 5 or more 6 circular windows to make use of the cross ventilation. Although they are insulated, they are burning hot during the day and frosty at night. Home, sweet dome.

On the first day, new participants popped in and out of the our room. Already it had a festival like atmosphere. We heard storied of tramping across Israel, apple picking and lost underwear along the way.

A word about the food so far. Food has become a more sacred affair and we practice a moment of silence before each meal. Every meal has been delicious with some misfire dishes along the way. Breakfast is usually fairly simple: toasted oats with raisins or apples, goat’s milk (if we are lucky) Turkish coffee, teas from our garden and perhaps something random like fried sweet potatoes. I have been eating peanut butter on bread with Ceylon (date honey. Lunch is shared with the entire farm under a large tree. Dinner is held near our domes, generally under our Zula, which was built by the last generation of eco participants.

Our first night the entire group left the farm and walked along the fence to a lone fig tree. This quick trip changed my view of the landscape. When I first arrived I thought it ugly and barren. Than landscape here does not overwhelm you, but is beauty has a starkness and a simplicity. Think ugly beauty.

Sept. 10

Today I woke up at 5:30 am. and taught a small yoga class. We practice on a large wooden platform while the farm comes alive. While stretching we hear the donkeys braying, a rooster squawking and most importantly we watch the sun slowly rise before us. Sometimes the farm dogs come on stage and do a downward dog stretch next to us (one time but it funny).

On this day, we were still participating in group bonding exercises. We hiked towards Petya Modi’in where our teacher Nadav showed us the map of Israel on E’s body. We tasted our first sabra fruit off the cactus and we learned how to pluck them without getting hurt.

I wrote this journal entry form my front porch. I never get tired of the view. I get to incorporate sentences into my vocabulary like: “Today I showered outdoors beneath a pine tree, while someone was serenading me from the zula. Today I journaled from my porch while like looking at craggy hills. And most importantly today I learned tahina can be eaten with any meal, any dish.”

9-12

Last night celebrated Shabbat dinner as a group. First we discussed the menu at length on Thursday. I lost track of the number of dishes. Friday morning was late start (7:00!) Anna and I scrambled to make breakfast which was fairly informal. Afterwards we scattered to prepare for dinner. I harvested basil for the pesto. Then I went to a challah workshop. There were some negotiations , a lack of eggs and much scrambling around. I helped prepare the dough while some people sang and played on their guitars. I was reminded of the book/movie "Like Water for Chocolate" Oh what a happy challah it will grow up to be.

It was my first time participating in a Shabbat dinner preparation. Our group had fun with it, since everything was still so new to us and overall cooperation was easy. For me, the meal was special. It was held in large dome in order to accomodate 20 or more people. Something about it being held in a ten where I could watch the sun set on the craggy landscape, the rituals really came alive.

While everyone was singing, I was watching their faces. There was such a range of emotions from bored to complete apathy to exaltation and joy. I wonder what my expression betrayed to the group as I held scraps of Hebrew songs; curiosity, confusion and then maybe a hint of understanding. The significance of it and some of the singing was beautiful. For the first time I learned why the Shabbat dinner is referred to in the feminine. Our permaculture teacher shared a story of the myth of creation: there are 6 days of masculine driven energy where we work and then one day of feminine energy where we relax.

After dinner, a group of gathered on the zula where we shared drunken storied. So much laughter. Such a funny group.

Got through the first week. Much more to come on the actual farm itself.