"I love you"

I know, it's been a while! Since I last wrote I've gotten even more adjusted to Israel. I was having a pretty rough time the first week and a half. I felt pretty homesick for the comfort of familiarity of language and food and people. Now, I'm getting more in the swing of things and finding my own.
This past week I learned a lot of new Hebrew words and grammar structure. I got to practice my Hebrew with Eyal's family these past two weekends. This past Friday I met Eyal's safta (grandmother). She is an 85 year-old Jewish woman from Romania. She came here with her family when she was 4 and has lived in her current home for almost 60 years. The first thing she said to me when she met me was, "I love you!" I was pretty surprised but gladly accepted the love. I guess she really liked me. : P She told me to tell my mom that I am welcomed like another grandchild. She She was also impressed with the challot (challas) that I made for Shabbat. When she was leaving that evening she grabbed my hands and told me, "May we meet on a happy occasion." Haha! Prettty funnny.
Above is the photo with the challot, Eyal's mom, Eti, and his sister, Sheni. Eyal's mom, Eti, makes the most delicious food. She uses so many different spices that I have never smelled before. At the end of the weekend she sends me home with plastic containers full of leftovers - needless to say, I am not going hungry at all.

Last week we had a flash flood in the Negev from heavy storms. Eyal came down to visit me and he took me to meet his cousin and her husband and two kids. They live on Kibbutz Be'eri south of Be'er Sheva. It is one (and almost only) of the most successful kibbutzim in Israel. All of the members' salaries go to the kibbutz and everyone then benefits from a lovely dining hall, laundry service, grocery store, schools, and other necessities. Sharon, his cousin, Shay, the husband, and their two kids Shir and Shoam really enjoy living there. Shay took us to see the floods that took over a stream and turned it into a river. Really cool!!

During my stay with my program I am required to do four hours of community service a week. We had a presentation of several service projects around Be'er Sheva but one stuck out in particular. Being from the Pacific Northwest and all I've been pretty horrified at the amount of littering and lack of recycling that goes on in Israel. When Levi, the spokesman for the Neighborhood Sustainability Center, spoke about his project I knew it was a perfect fit. On Sunday the 24th I went to the project site and fell in love. They are starting to figure out recycling for the neighborhood and especially ways of reusing products. On Tuesday I get to start my own garden plot. One side will be for personal use and the other will be used to sell during the weekly farmer's market. It looks like Bellingham rubbed off on me more than I predicted.