Thursday, June 22, 2006

T.G.I.T.

Thank goodness it's Thursday! The work week in Israel runs Sunday through Thursday. Friday is a holy day for Arabs, Saturday is the holy day for Jews. We are now off duty until Sunday morning, which makes me happy because I am tired. * Tomorrow I will board an expedition bus with other workers for a trip to the Sea of Galilee. Plan to spend the night in Tiberias and return to the kibbutz Sat. even. * A dozen or so Arabs have been hired to haul dirt in Area L (Solomon's palace and stables.) They sit at picnic tables on the outskirts of the area during breakfast. This morning they started clapping in rhythm and singing a song. One of the women in the group got up and started to dance an Arab folk dance. It was cool looking. * A group recently got together in a sheroot (ten person cab) for a trip to Nazarath. Since they were wearing shorts they were not allowed to go into the Church of the Annunciation (the church built supposedly on the site where Mary received the visit from Gabriel informing her that she would bear the Christ child.) The girls went to a store nearby and bought large scarves which they wrapped around their waists - and thus were let in. When the boys saw this they went and bought their own scarves and wrapped them around their waists, but were still denied entry. Boys in skirts not wanted in the Church of the Annunciation. * Yesterday evening three young people and I hired a taxi and rode into Yoknean for a falafel (Middle Eastern "sandwich" featuring deep-fried chickpea balls and salad on peta bread) because we were getting tired of kibbutz food. Nice change of pace the falafel. * Today I didn't work in a square, but hauled dirt in buckets and a wheelbarrow. Hauling dirt is the hardest job on the tel. After a while Mollie, a nice 19 year old Jewish girl from the Northeast, asked if I needed a rest. She volunteered to spell me for a bit. I told her I was fine. "Are you sure," she asked. "Yes, I'm okay." "Well, let me know if you need a break." "Okay. Thanks." "And wear your sunscreen. And drink plenty of water." "Mollie," I said, "you are acting like a typical Jewish mother." She gave me a big smile and said "I'm in training."

1 Comments:

Blogger Kate said...

I haven't been able to check for a few days; I didn't realize the Wells have limited Internet usage per month, so I'm now on line at the Wichita Public Library. I hope you are enjoying your weekend travels. I look forward to seeing your pictures of the trip!

June 24, 2006 10:31 AM  

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