Avokados

Ahhhhh...test tomorrow. This is going to have to be a quicky. I have to make borscht and study.

My goal is to get a 100% on the exam and surprise my teacher. The other day I got all the answers correct on a project and her exact words were "wow, a real surprise". I felt like a little kid who had just gotten a sticker.

Avocados, avocados, everywhere you look on this kibbutz there are avokados (ulpan spelling). South Africans call them avos. My friends are working in the avocado fields and stuff their pockets at the end of each day. We eat avocados all the time. I have two ripening in a paper bag in my room and another one was in my purse and, of course, exploded all over my machberet (notebook). It dried before i noticed and so I turned it into a pretty picture. I am going to send the idea to Martha Stewart..."avoart".

Sunday night was Erev pitot...pita night. It was a celebration of our successfully completing one month of ulpan. We baked pita in an oven outside our schoolhouse. We sat on rugs on the ground and stuffed our faces with fresh baked pita. Some of us...me...ate the pita dough without cooking it first because I was impatient. A stomach ache and really gnarly burps immediately followed. The next day, however, I found two shekels on the ground and I felt better. I used the two shekels to buy a bottle of orange nailpolish with glitter specks in it. Then I REALLY felt better.

Also on Sunday, we got to visit the kibbutz costume collection. The collection is extensive and is set up for Purim in the kibbutz bomb shelter/synagogue. It was like a thrift store except we didn't have to pay for anything. There is an honor code that you return what you take when Purim is over. I think i mentioned before that the theme for Purim is "cowboys and Indians". I had already bought a cheap 20 shekel cowboy hat and so I only picked out a few accessories...including a gun holster. I then went to the kolbo and bought a noisemaker which I put into my holster. It's a perfect fit and will come in handy.

This week has been trouble. There is no work in the madan and so I have been temporarily relocated. This week I am working in the kitchen. There is only one word that could accurately express my feelings about this...ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

On Sunday I fried French fries for 2 hours. Yesterday was fun because I made pizza. Today I cleaned all day. I washed pots and mopped the floor and wiped up salmonella blood juice. One good thing about working in the kitchen is that I use conversational SO MUCH more. At the madan it is easy to get by without talking very much. I have a lot of friends there so usually we are either speaking English or they are laughing at my American accent.

There is another reason why this week has been trouble...on Saturday I flushed my phone down the toilet. Justin had so graciously let me use his old iPhone 3. He worked really hard, before I left, to jail break and unlock the phone so that i could use it with my Israeli sim card. Now, it is dead. When I realized where my phone was, and that I had to somehow get it out, all I could do was laugh. After, I googled "I just dropped my iPhone in the toilet" and the #1 suggestion was to put it in a closed bag of uncooked rice. So currently it is submerged in a bag of uncooked rice. Anyone with any ideas or suggestions of how to save the phone, please share.

Ok. Friends are bugging me to eat dinner and so is my stomach. I love you all.

With undying love for washed up movie stars, girl bikes (there's no such thing), band aids, and milk foam...

I respectfully remain,

J. Michael Hess Webber

First I'd like to start off that Danielle Paula Dictor is the greatest person I've met here.

(Danielle wrote that. She absconded with my iPad while I was buying tea. )

It has been hard, this week, to sit down and write. My mind, my life, and my schedule have been a little confuddled. I think I've been eating too many cookies. In Israel there are cookies EVERYWHERE. Everyplace you go there is a cookie jar and I am realizing that I have no self control. I decided to set myself a daily limit of 4 cookies. 1 in the morning with my coffee, 1 during each break in class and 1 after class. Yesterday, I ate four cookies with my coffee alone. I ate a total of 8 cookies. Oops. I will try again on Sunday.

Sarah has whooping cough. Poor roommate. Justin gave her the nickname "Coughee" because she coughs so much. I thought that was clever.

South Africans use the word "hectic", on average, 3 times a minute. To a South African, hectic can mean something negative or positive and the only way to know is to listen to the context in which the word is being used and then guess.

Here are some recent examples:

"Man, class is getting hectic."

"That song was so hectic."

"These beans are good but the salad was a little hectic."

That was Just a quick note on South Africans...very nice people...kind of hectic.

But for real...

I have a fish scale splinter in my finger. I don't know if you have ever had the opportunity to feel something like this. Take note, FISH ARE DANGEROUS...and not to be messed with. This fish scale is hurting my finger a surprising amount considering that it is just a fish scale. I just wrote the words fish scale too many times...I'm think Im trying to emphasize the torture.

So let's talk about fish more because I love them. I have had to do a lot of injecting lately. When you inject fish, you have a lot of time to think and reflect on the little creatures you are stabbing with a needle. You experience a wide range of emotions. You have to inject the antibiotics under the back fin on the underbelly of the fish. When you do this, the fish raises its fins in the air as if cheering for you. I can almost pretend that they are enjoying themselves. Fortunately, the antibiotics are good for them and keep them strong and healthy. Also, fish only have a 3-5 second memory so they soon forget the pain. Also, we use clove oil to help them relax so they don't hurt themselves by flopping around. In reality, they don't have it so bad.

I finally got a chance to talk to my dear mama last night. I hadn't talked to her in 3 weeks. She called me and my heart leapt. I thought my heart was going to come out of my mouth. I have never missed someone so much. Her call was perfect because yesterday was יום המשפחה (family day) in Israel. It was the best gift. I didn't get to talk to dad, though, because he had just gotten back from California and he has a ganglionic cyst (which mom called his "special pet"). I miss you, pops. Your back pain is stupid.

Last Friday my friend, Alex, and her kibbutznik boyfriend, Adi, took me to Haifa. We went to a wind surfing competition. I am pretty sure that the competition was happening in a hurricane. From the sidelines it was impossible to see the windsurfers through the horizontal deluge. It was great and I got a chance to meet a lot of Israelis. Adi and his friends surf here at the beach on Ma'agan Michael. On cloudy days the waves can get really ominous. The other day, the front half of Adi's board broke in a storm. I told him to tell people it was a shark. Apparently, There are no sharks in israel.

Purim is fast approaching and it is in the air. Purim prep has already started. The theme for Purim 2012 on Ma'agan Michael is 'cowboys and Indians'. Every night we help the kibbutzniks paint purim decorations. I painted a cowboy hat with stars on it. Everybody is talking about their costumes and I even bought a cheap cowboy hat at the shuk in Jaffa.

Speaking of Jaffa...we went on our first טיול (trip) this week. We went to Rehovot to the Ayalon Institute where Ma'agan Michael began. An intersting fact about Ma'agan Michael is that it was begun by the haganah as an underground ammunitions plant. Bullets were made at the original kibbutz in Rehovot, 20 feet below the kibbutz, by the kibbutzniks in secret preparation for the Israeli war of independence in 1948. It was fascinating. My friend, Noam, is the granddaughter of one of the original kibbutzniks who worked underground making the bullets. Her grandmother is really sharp. I like listening to her stories.

After rehovot, we went to Old Jaffa. Old Jaffa is 4000 years old. It is the alleged home of both andromeda and Cassiopeia. While walking through the allies of Old Jaffa you get to see and touch the wear and tear of time. There is something humbling about walking on steps that people have been walking on for millennia. It puts life into perspective. We ate some deeeelicious falafel and then visited the shuk pishpishim (flea market).

I have to go prepare for Shabbat. We are dressing up for dinner to welcome the sabbath queen...and also to feel lovely. Before I go, I want to make a shout out to my homie Michael Rice who is going to be married next weekend! Mike, I am going to be celebrating over here in your honor and I have been thinking about you and Soma a lot. I am going to miss the elephants, and the Indians, and the curry...and your face.

With undying love for walking to the beach at 3am, Bambas, multicolored cotton balls, gato, and Yom sheeshee sushi,

I humbly remain,

J. Michael Hess Webber

הארק

I haven't written all week! The Internet had been down on the kibbutz but now it is back up and I am back at it.

Today I was tickled in class when I realized that I am learning Hebrew in Spanish. My מרה (teacher) is Israeli but spent her childhood in peru and speaks fluent Spanish. She does not speak English. Sometimes she looks at me to learn English words...like "emphasis". She can never remember emphasis. I am the only American is class. I like that. Class is full of Argentinians. She is always saying sheket! (quiet!) to them because they never shut up. But they are funny. My favorite, Gaston, is one of the boys I work with at the Madan. I like to look over at Gaston during class because he is always making that face that looks like he is about to die. Today, I looked over and he was stretched out across two chairs with his feet up without any shoes on. He loves Hebrew too.

I have been in a weird place since the start of the day on Tuesday. I feel silly admitting it but maybe it is because Tueday was יןם האהבה (valentines day). I was feeling lonely and blue. I have been getting out of work at 3:30 pm while most of my friends are busy until about 5. I have a lot of alone time and I have been walking alone to the beach. I sit with the waves and the Israeli air and think about what I'm doing and I write and I draw and I try to imagine.

On Tueday night I went to the כולבו (the everything store...literally) and bought some chocolate and a bottle of wine. I was determined to enjoy myself. I ran into my friend from work in the wine aisle. He was also buying a bottle of wine for himself. It made me feel a little better to know I wasn't alone. BUT then I was invited to fill an extra seat in the car of the boyfriend of a fellow ulpanist named Maya. Maya and her boyfriend were driving 20 minutes to Caesaria for a romantic dinner on the beach. I accepted the invitation and I was so happy I did. Caesaria is an ancient Roman settlement in Israel. It was named after Caesar Augustus. It is full of ancient ruins and I was in heaven for the night. It was the most romantic Valentine's Day I could dream of...only without the boy.

Do you want to know what the most useful ipad app is? Google translate! With my growing hebrew skills and the help of google translate, I can now talk to angela (my Ukrainian roommate). It is amazing. Ukrainian uses an entirely different alphabet. Luckily when google translates it gives you the translation in Ukrainian AND the phonetic spelling using English characters. With this I know how to pronounce whatever it is that I am trying to say. Today she told me that she wanted to kill me...maybe it is better that I don't understand her. Now I have to live in fear.

Tonight is eighties night at the pub. I am going to go in my muddy fish-gut covered Wellies and see how many people notice. The other day I went to the coffee shop and EVERYONE turned and looked at my muddy boots. Israelis frown on muddy boots.

Also, a quick note of reference...yesterday I received a package...but in order to pick it up I have to pay 223 shekels (80 dollars) in customs tax. If you love me and want to send me a package please make sure that you ARE NOT honestly filling out the customs forms. You have to lie and list the value of the package below $30 and only list chocolates and candy as the contents. I hope this doesn't deter your from sending packages because I really really look forward to them. Mmmmm...packages.

I will write again tomorrow but for tonight I have to stop before Danielle straightens her hair on fire.

With undying love for squishies, captain America, suggestive shapes in the broccoli, moosh moosh meetz, beau-friends, and Indian hats.

I respectfully remain,

J. Michael Hess Webber

R.I.P. Whitney Houston.

Bleach

I am a bleach machine. I just finished bleaching my refrigerator which had mold growing in it. Then I bleached my toilet which had my roommates tossed cookies in it. Then I bleached my floor which had a cockroach on it. I live with class and style. Despite what it sounds like, i am really growing quite attached to my little Israeli hut and my little israeli life. Which leads me to my topic for the day...my Life.

Before I left to come to Israel it was hard for me to put into words the feelings in my heart. I knew I was supposed to come here. I knew it. I felt my spirit pull to this country. Many wanted to know why I was "putting my life on hold". Sometimes, I wondered that myself. What i know, now, is that my life isn't on hold. Its happening and its happening in such a remarkable way. The sun is out and my window is open and i have the most wonderful people in my life. I have a boy who supports my heart. I have the most caring and supportive family. My friends are beautiful and quirky. This adventure, already, has helped me to appreciate and recognize my stunning life and our stunning world. We each have a power inside of us to recognize our potential. I was very clear that I was not recognizing my own potential or pushing myself to interact with my world.

I will now quote Nelson Mandela (because he is very wise and this seems very appropriate):

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant? Who are you not to be? Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that others won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the light that is within us. It's not in some of us, it's in everyone. When we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

That quote is posted on a bulletin board in the Ulpan office and it really struck me.

On that note, I must go conjugate verbs. Again with the brain explosionssssssssssssssss.

With undying love for chocolate squirrels, goldstar, my travel rats, the evil owl, and sand in my shoes.

I respectfully remain,

J. Michael Hess Webber

Ma neeshmahhhhhh?

Today was great. I think today was the first all-around great day I have had so far. These are some of the reasons why:

1) I'm feeling much better. I have been sick from being in the cold water each day. Instead of spending 12 shekels on tissues, I decided to carry around a roll of toilet paper. A lot of Israelis do that. Everyone at the madan has been sick. We are all sneezing and yesterday we each had our own roll of toilet paper in our pockets. Today we were all much better.as a result of my short term illness I learned how to tell someone that I feel sick. Ani margeesha hola. Bam!

2) I found a secret stash of abandoned clothing in the back of the Ulpan office and I raided it. I took a bunch of sweaters and nasty pants that I can wear at work. This way I can save my good pants for school and they won't smell like kaki. The sweaters will keep me warm in the water because it is freeeeeeeeeezing. I shiver at least 12 hours a day.

3) At work, i already have a reputation for being cold...which I assuredly am. I think my boss likes me becuase he has started to tell me to stop working and make myself cups of coffee. Even when I'm not that cold he still tells me to drink a cup of coffee because I'm "too cold".

4) Today at work i met a guy from Burma. His name is Cy. A lot of Burmese people immigrate to Israel for work. Cy doesn't speak Hebrew and he is foreign so I've been noticing that he gets bossed around and ignored. Today I introduced myself to him and asked if he spoke Hebrew. He answered "no" in English. Now we are friends. I am interested in his stories because Burma (Myanmar) is a very interesting and intense country right now. He wore a tight periwinkle sweater vest over his oversized faded black tshirt today. It was stunning.

5) Now I know enough Hebrew to answer questions at work. I am happier there because people respect me more now that I am trying to speak the language. I can also understand better what needs to be done and then do it without being asked. I am learning Hebrew slang and i like to try it out on people from work. I feel more involved. My friend at work, Noam, asked if I wanted to hangout sometime. Duhhhhhhhhh. She invited me to zumba. Today I got to work in the mud ponds again. I learned how to catch koi with my bare hands. If I am ever lost in the forest, I will be able to catch food...especially ornamental fish which I'm sure are delicious.

6) I got my laundry back and an ulpanist working in the laundry found me to tell me my laundry was ready. I asked him how he knew it was mine and he told me he recognized my tshirt...that was nice/weird.

7) I don't have to work tomorrow. Shabbat shalom!

8) tonight, Justin and I talked longer than we have talked since I've been in Israel. He worked really hard to figure out how to call me and I so appreciate him as a person. I had a long conversation with one of the Ulpan managers, amir, during which i got to show off pictures of Justin. My friend, Kelly, told amir that i was dating a beautiful person. She said she could tell by his pictures and by the stories I tell her about him. That is when Amir asked to see Justin's Facebook profile. I obliged. Kelly is right, Justin IS beautiful...both in his heart and in his mind.

9) Sarah told me that she feels like I'm her older sister. She also told me that she was glad to have a weird roommate. I said "thank you?". She then said that I had been making weird noises for the past ten minutes. I hadn't even noticed. I told her it was genetic because my mom and sister make weird noises too. I was spreading the love.

10) we are going on our first trip in a week. I get to go to old Jaffa (yay Nonny!). Ma'agan Michael began in Jaffa and we are going to see the city and to learn about our history which is really important to me. On the kibbutz if you say something like "they have" or "they use" when referring to the kibbutz, the kibbutzniks will correct you and say "we have" or "we use" implying that you are included in what is going on here. I think that is magical.

11) yesterday was tu b'shvat. Treees. We celebrated in class by planting rosemary bushes outside. In class we talked about the holiday and why we love trees. We also ate lots of fruit. I ate too many prunes...that's all I'm going to say. Chag sameach!

12)I am actually missing fish right now. There is a carp that I grew especially fond of. I found him mixed in with the goldfish yesterday and my boss told me to throw him to the cats. Instead, I kept him as my pet all day and when i left work i hid him in water amongst the bigger goldfish. Today i caught him again and sent him down a pipe into the canal. He was a good fish. Very soft.

13) I was one of four people to stay after class, tonight, to mop the floor in the school house. it was pretty fun. It is nice to be needed and to be part of something so much bigger than myself. It is nice to work really hard and to have that hard work pay off. I was too comfortable at home. Now, everyday I have to push myself. I have to push myself to speak Hebrew instead of English, to strike up conversations with people when I normally would sit alone, to stop eating cookies...that one was only a half joke.

I have been writing for a long time which means that you have been reading for a long time. Send me updates too! Prontezza@gmail.com.

With undying love for squeegees, ziploc bags for packing farts, sasson hachatool, nail polish remover, guinea pigs, and J.P.F.b.f.f.,

I respectfully remain,

J. Michael Hess webber

(mem yud yud kuf yud)

OMG! Haber dagim katim b'yad sheli!

How intense must a five hour Hebrew class be if it induces a headache!? Magically, the ache in my head disappears after stepping out of class. I can feel my brain burning as we go through. Literally...i can feel it. It is stressed out. It is saying..."mikey, ma at ovsah? What are you doing?! It is going to melt. I made a list of all the words I am supposed to know so far and the list covers the front and back of a sheet of Israeli notebook paper (8.5x12). So, today i had a Hebrew brain explosionnn! By the way, I really need index cards.

Next...onto fish.

Yesterday, I had to work with the boys outside. The crew in the fish factory were out so I worked in the mud ponds and helped the boys catch big koi with the net. It was hard labor but the day went by fast and I got to meet some new people. Now, when I say mud pond what I mean is a pond FULL of mud. When I stepped in the pond, I sank down mid-shin in the mud. I nearly fell on my face three times. Every time I took a step it was like moving through quicksand. (Full Disclosure: I have never experienced quicksand). the mud smells of sulfur and fish poop. Did you know that fish poop has a smell? One might not think so because usually there is a substantial amount of water to cover the smell. Not at my job! Today I had to put all my clothes in the laundry because they smelled so badly of kaki shel dagim (fish poop).

Today, I worked inside. I got to sort goldfish. I learned how to sort them by size and color. I also learned how to clean out the tanks. Poor goldfish. Any goldfish that were the wrong color or who were sick got pulled out and put in a tank which gets taken to the zoo. The fish get eaten. Poor fish. But at least they don't go to waste. My boss, abigail (pronounced ah-bee-guy-eel) said it was like hashoah for the fish. Hashoah is the holocaust. Again with the irony of life. That wasn't meant to be funny...

Quick fish fact...both koi and goldfish are members of the carp family. However, if you leave koi in a pond without controlling the reproduction, they will revert back to wild and unpretty carp in only two generations. Goldfish take five generations. Ta-dah.

I am so so ready to have some quiet alone time. Only 4 months and 3 weeks to go until I have my own room again. I am finding that Americans have a pretty bad rap in these parts. People commiserate about how fat we are, how loud we are, how stupid we are, how we have a terrible accent, na na na. They say all this knowing that you are American while you stand next to them. It is unfortunate and isolating. What is more ironic is that I am one of the quietest people here.

I am feeling a little homesick today. Can you tell? I miss my family. I was thinking about Grandma's beef vegetable soup and the fact that it is Tuesday and I would normally be at her house. I miss home.

Tomorrow is tu b'shvat. To celebrate we had figs and apricots in the office today. Tu b'shvat tov!

Holy dag!

I just got home from my first day with the fish. I love the fish. I have never touched so many fish in my life as I did today. My hands were so cold that I eventually couldn't hold onto the fish anymore because I couldn't feel them. Noam, a girl I am working with, told me to go run my hands under warm water in the bathroom for a minute. It helped. Right now, it is still cool outside so my hands were frozen but in a few months, I am going to be the luckiest girl in the Ulpan. Being in the water during the summer while others are shoveling cow poop (which is what I originally wanted to do) will be awesome.

So here is my schedule...

5:30- wake up

5:50- get on the bus

6:00-6:30- coffee

6:30-9- work

9-10- breakfast break (we eat together at the heder ochel)

10-11:30- work

I will be active all morning so work will go by really really fast. Today I started by counting/weighing goldfish to be packaged and sent to retailers. Then we realized that there were red goldfish mixed in with the yellow goldfish. So we had to sort and separate the two kinds of goldfish. Then I got to measure and sort koi fish by size. Then I learned how to inject the fish with antibiotics. It is really fascinating. I like watching the fish breathe. They are quite pretty. I get my own pair of Wellies to wear too.

Sometimes, there are fish who are sick. We have to throw them to the cats who sit and wait for them. The first time I saw a cat eat the fish I was sad. The fish was helpless. But sacha, a coworker, said "this is nature". It's a good lesson for me.

I learned the words yellow, orange, red, buddy, and okay. I am also getting better with my numbers. One of The kibbutzniks I am working with made fun of me and told me I sound like their 2 year old niece. I was so proud.

It's class time...more later.

Shabbat shalom!

Today there is nothing to do. Everything is closed and quiet for Shabbat. I thought it would be a nice opportunity to catch everyone up on Israeli life.

So, after 2 days of wondering around and aimlessly exploring, we finally had our Ulpan orientation on Thursday morning. All 89 Ulpanists met in the moadon ( clubhouse) and drank wine (at 1030 am) to mark the start of Ulpan. We received our Hebrew class placements and our work assignments. Neither of these turned out the way I had hoped.

I was placed into kitah bet (second class) for Hebrew. That means that I am not starting from the beginning in kitah Alef. Kitah bet is like Spanish 2. I stayed after and talked to my madricha (teacher). Her name is Tamal and she is lovely. She is the one who chose me for her class...she gave me the oral Hebrew exam. I told her that I thought I wasn't quite ready for kitah bet and she said she thought I had a lot of determination to relearn my Hebrew and that I should stay in bet. She said speaking Hebrew is like riding a bike...you never really forget how, the skill just hides in your brain until you want to use it again.

As for my work...i got fish. I get to work in the koi fish farm. There are 8 Ulpanists assigned to the fish farm and I am the only girl. It is dirty work but I thought my friends from the cvc would get a kick out of the fact that I get to throw fish around all day. FISH! The fish farm is called the madan. Tomorrow is my first day of work so I am sure I will have a lot of stories. At 5:30 tomorrow morning, a van will come and pick us up and drive us to the madan. Then we clock-in and enjoy a mandatory coffee break for 30 minutes before work. Then, we play with koi fish until 11:30am and then the van drives us back to the Ulpan and we go to school for the Rest of the day.

I am still so tickled that I will be working with fish...life is funny.

Yesterday was the start of Shabbat so we only had until 2pm to get errands completed before the kibbutz and the stores shut down. Sarah, Danielle, Dan the Canadian, my friend kelly from Australia, and I walked 3 miles down the highway to a shopping mall called mall zigrot. We had lunch at aroma...the Israeli version of Starbucks. then we went shopping. I was on a mission. I needed a hair dryer because mine blew up. Anyone who has traveled before probably knows all about this. I also needed a pillow. Then I bought a shirt that says "I wish I was a pit bull" because it made me laugh. Then we picked up 3 bottles of Shabbat wine and headed home.

Upon our return, Dan, my German friend vidhura, and I walked to the petting zoo and then to the beach to watch the sunset. It was a great day.

Every Friday night at Ma'agan Michael there is a kibbutzwide Shabbat dinner. They put table clothes on the tables in the heder ochel (dining room) and everyone lights the candles together. They also serve wine. It is really nice. It feels special. after dinner, at the coffeeshop, they serve complimentary cappuccinos and cake. The whole kibbutz comes out. Then...at 11pm, they open the pub for dancing. Friday night is a big night on the kibbutz. I think I might adopt a kibbutz family so that I have somewhere more intimate to light the candles before going to dinner.

Today, sarah and I are going to clean our room from top to bottom because she found a cockroach on the floor.

That brings us to now.

I miss everyone so much. Please keep reading and commenting. It makes me feel less homesick and very very loved. You guys are my life.

With undying love for olives, bleach, my new blow dryer, UNO, and FISH!

I respectfully remain,

J. Michael Hess Webber

I have arrived!

I arrived in tel aviv yesterday at 3:15 Israel time. The plane was almost entirely occupied by a tour group of seniors from Tennessee. I sat next to Skip, a pastor from one of the churches involved with the tour. He is active with his youth ministry and thought it was really fun to fist bump. I shook his hand to say goodbye and he fist bumped me and then gave me 3 peanut butter chewy bars. He told me I looked like the type of person who would like peanut butter. I wondered how he knew this about me. Is it it my glasses? It's always the glasses...

I rode the commuter train from the airport to Binyamina train station (about an hour). The commuter trains are much much nicer than the Marc trains I have grown so accustomed to. They smell like clean. They are also soundproof and, i think, electric. All i know is that when you sit in them, you feel like your in a hospital waiting room. I was a little self-consious because I was riding the train during rush hour and I had two suitcases in the aisle and everyone had to squeeze past them. I kept reminding myself that I was never going to see any of those people again and so it didn't matter how obnoxious they thought I was.

When I got to Binyamina I found a young man who I knew was American (he is actually from Toronto). I could tell by his hat and his English and the Canadian flag on his bookbag. I asked where he was headed. He said Maagan michael. We split a cab for 60 sheklim and arrived here at about 6:30. We got all checked in, ate dinner and went for a walk around the kibbutz and down to the ocean with a girl from Guatemala and a girl from Argentina. What I am appreciating a lot right now is my Spanish education. Since I speak Spanish much more than Hebrew, I am able to communicate with a lot of the Argentinian Jews fairly okay. I have only met one American. Her name is Danielle and she is very cool. Today she is wearing a vintage Bob Dylan sweatshirt. I like it.

My roommates:

1) Sarah. Age 18. From Holland. Just graduated from high school. She speaks English well. Thank goodness. She loves to make jewelry and has really cute chucks. She is helping me with my Hebrew words since classes haven't started yet. Today I learned the words: summer, water, cellular phone, computer, rat, butterfly, we, coffee and cat.

2)Angela. Age 21. Angela is from the Ukraine. She speaks no English. Communication is almost impossible. She asks questions in Russian really fast and then we stare at her and then we start laughing...not at her, of course, but at the humor of it all. She definitely lives life differently than me. She has Skype on ALL the time, even when she is not talking. You can see the sofa at her house in Ukraine on the video feed. It looks lovely. She talks on Skype without a headset in Russian. It is half fascinating and half annoying because it lasted until 2 in the morning. So, Sarah and I were really tired today. She also smokes A LOT of cigarettes.

As for the food...I'm in heaven. There are more cucumbers and cabbages on the kibbutz than I have ever seen in my life. Today, I had tuna pizza for lunch. They also have a cappuccino machine and a coffee shop.

It has rained all day so we spent the day in the moadon (the clubhouse) playing apples to apples, scrabble, and then putting together a puzzle. Sarah, Danielle and I also went to the kibbutz green store (grocery store) where I bought a loaf of bread and some cheese.

I am going to go Skype my mama. I hope everyone is healthy and happy!

With undying love for angry bird fruit gummies, rain boots, my Hebrew/English dictionary, and the upcoming summer,

I remain,

J. Michael Hess Webber