Link of the Day:

http://www.shibumi.org/eoti.htm

...It made me smile.

Adventures of the First Day Back

Let's just say its been quite a first day. It started around 3:30am when I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep for a couple hours. I eventually did sleep another hour or two. "Welcome to the land of jet-lag" one of my flatmates said.

After a quick breakfast I went on a "walking tour" of some sites of historic and cultural importance in Jerusalem with my friend Cameron (from last year) and his friend Adam. Adam is visiting from the states for about a week and Cameron is trying to show him the highlights. Today we hit the Temple Mount/Dome of the Rock, The Church of All Nations/Gethsamane, Dominus Flavit, and the Mount of Olives, just for a start. Then we headed back down into the Kidron valley, took a gander at Absolom's Pillar and then headed to the City of David. Gaby would have been disappointed at the small amount of time we spent there. Our main goal was Hezekiah's tunnel and we made our way there with a rapidity that was stunted only by the heavy crowds. The tunnel itself was enjoyable, in large part due to the cold water on my feet. Ahhh... It was a warm day.

After emerging from the tunnel we finally headed to the Jewish Quarter to get some lunch, in the form of falafels that we bought from a Jewish Iraqi man. (Bet you didn't know such a thing existed, did ya?) Then we ran a couple errands in the old city, purchasing pita, bread, nuts, and a notebook for Adam. We finally limped back home to rest our aching feet.

For dinner we decided on tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches (which is a delicacy here with the rarity of cheddar.) Fun in the kitchen was had. I like not cooking for 200 people at once.

It was a bit chaotic here at the apartment too, with the land lady coming, the juice man coming, and several guests here beyond what will be normal when school gets going. It is fun though.

So there's a day in my life. I have yet to arrange my room and organize my stuff, but that will come in time, and in time a new rhythm of life will set in.

Life Transitions...yet again

I think my life for the past year or so has been a series of transition interrupted by brief periods of daily routine. This time the transition back to Israel is waning. I made it to Tel Aviv, to Jerusalem, to my new apartment, and even started moving into my room. All of my "flatmates" are here, as well as a couple others in transition. It will still be a few days until the dust settles and the daily routine sets in, but the major hurdles have been crossed. Re-adjustment to live in the Middle East has begun.

More updates will follow. :)

Another day, another year older

Yes, I had a birthday.

Yes, it was a particularly good birthday.

Why?

No, I didn't get any large and exciting gifts (though the ones I did get were wonderful and thoughtful and fit me well).

I did get to take a trip...to eastern Montana. Hardly the vacation spot of choice, though I enjoyed it.

The best part, though, was that I got to spend it with (almost) my entire family (from my dad's side). I am so blessed by the family God has given me. As far as I can tell, all of them are believers, which gives us another common ground (besides blood).

We went out to Sleepy Hollow, the old homestead, and went for a drive across the rolling hills, roasted wieners and marshmallows over an open fire, talked, and sang worship songs together. Most of us live so far apart and get to see each other so rarely, it was a great blessing for all of us to be together for just a short time.

And now? I head back to Jerusalem in a few more days. I pray that as I go through the year ahead God would help me to grow in knowledge, wisdom, and love for Him.

Why I love where I live

...in no particular order:

1. Wiener roasts in the back "yard."

1a. I get to play with fire!

2. Wild strawberries, huckleberries, and raspberries.

3. Beautiful waterfalls within hiking distance.

4. Rain in the summer, accompanied by rainbows!

4a. It's GREEN!

5. Mountains, 360 degrees.

6. Family.

7. Things to climb on...like grain bins. :)

8. Cute and furry mountain creatures.

...I reckon Montana runs in my blood.

Soak it up

I took the time to take a little walk today, exploring a small meadow near camp. It's a little late in the season for many wildflowers, but there were some.

There was also lots of grass. Have you ever thought about grass? How many different kinds there are? So many colors, so many different shapes on top, some of them so delicate and lacy. Have you noticed how it bends in the wind and changes color as it shifts? Have you noticed how verdant the world looks with a rich layer of grass covering the ground and how barren it looks in the absence of grass? Even brown grass is better than no grass. Do you ever hear the wind sighing through the grass and feel a sharp pang of longing and loneliness? Have you ever noticed how grass is the first thing to come back after a fire, restoring loveliness to a burned and barren land? Have you ever seen grass covering an old ruin, concealing the places where people once lived, loved, worshipped? I love wildflowers, but I'm coming to love grass more and more. Its beauty is more subtle, but can also be more poignant.

It also is incredibly difficult to photograph well.

In addition to the grass I saw numerous bugs, including thousands of mosquitoes with single-minded desire to suck out all my blood. They failed. I also saw this cute little bug. I didn't manage to get a very good picture of him, but he was pretty cool.

Time here is short, both time at camp and time in Montana. I am excited to have a break from camp, and I'm excited to go back to Israel, but I know I will miss so many things here when I leave. Things like flowers, grass, and bugs; mountains, rivers and rain. And of course the people. So for now I'll try to soak up all that I can from my beautiful Montana, and enjoy as much time as I can with my dear friends and family before heading back to beautiful Israel and my other friends there.

Reflections on the end of summer

Here I sit, at my cluttered desk, contemplating the last food order of the season. The summer has gone incredibly quickly, and, at times, incredibly slowly. We've finally come to the end, though, the last week of ten. Staff memebers are starting to leave for sports, school, and jobs. We lost one on Saturday, another on Sunday, and yet another leaves tomorrow.

It's a bittersweet time. I'm excited to have a break. I feel like I've been cooking 24-7 for years now. I will enjoy not always smelling of food. I'm excited to see family briefly after camp. I'm excited to head back to Israel (in a little more than 2 weeks). On the other hand, I'm sad to leave the friends here, many of whom are like a second family to me. I'm sad to leave the sights and smells of camp. This place feels as much like home as any place on earth, and I miss it when I leave. I'm also a bit nervous to get back to Israel...there's a lot I need to do before I'm ready to leave, and a lot I need to do and decide on once I get there.

For now, though, I have about 4.5 days left here at camp and I want to make the most of them.

Yesterday the staff had a little "Cook Appreciation" ceremony and they gave us cards and a little gift. It was nice.

My parents were campers up here last week, so it was fun to hang out with them. We even got to go on a picnic one day. We found a beautiful spot along the river to eat and then explore a little.

omeday I want to come up here with some extra time and just explore EVERYWHERE.

This summer I/we have made, in rough estimates:

- 60 gallons of Granola
- 10,000 cookies
- 80 loaves of Challah
- 1500 hot ham and cheese sandwiches

- 2000 pancakes

We have used (approximately)

- 400lbs of ground beef

- 120 bags of potato chips

- 120lbs of bacon

- 800lbs of shredded cheese

-1000lbs of apples

...and much, much more, obviously.

In addition to "good ol' American food," we have served ethnic foods, which, if not totally

authentic, are at least reminicent of Italy, China, Mexico, Greece, England, and Israel/the

Middle East.

Tonight is a recipe party...all sorts of new favorites. :)