Shana tova! How did I kick off my Jewish new year?

I woke up to enjoy running through the crop fields of the Hula Valley. Just a hop and a skip away from my cousin’s abode is a stretch of fields where fresh plums, corn, olives, grapefruit, pears, apples, and nuts grow. To run on the dirt path along the mighty, mighty Jordan River as the sun peeks over the golden mountains of the neighboring country is just the beginning. Forecast: Clouds and humidity as Israel is on the verge of its first rain of the season. After spending hours and hours baking in the heat of the sun, I can almost empathize with the land and feel its thirst.

As I passed by the lush greenery I glanced above at the hovering military helicopters monitoring the boarder. Then I turned left and became witness to a wetland. But not just any wetland, it was once lush swampland, once drained in the heat of an agricultural engineering frenzy, and now restored and man-made swamp. Who would think to find such a complicated history in Israel of all places :P. Even in nature, each chapter of change and progression is driven by an ideology like preservation, restoration, protection, progression. This is not uncommon but whats crazy is how rapid and dynamic the shift of ideology is here...all unfolding in only the past 60 years or so. Early in the morning thousands of birds will stop on their way to the south to rest on the water of this swamp …somewhere close to 5,000,000 will stop in the next few months.

I continue on towards the fields where innumerable amounts of fruit create specks of color among the dark green leaves. I feel as though I have discovered a secret grove because it is immersed in the beautiful wild and unkept growth of the Hula Valley. I decide to return on roads that run through the local kibbutz. I breath freely here, despite the smell of fresh farm manure. It is the flight of the red and yellow crop-duster overhead that causes me to hold my breath until it passes over. As I run through the kibbutz I note the location of a special spice store to my right, which smells like the owner found heaven in the Jumbalaya kitchens of Cajun country or in some ancient Chinese tea den. Finally, I reach my destination completely satisfied with my day already and it has barely begun.

Now in Jerusalem

Tel-Aviv was a lot of fun but what I did in Ein Ghedi I will never forget.

I did hike in a nature reserve, see a desert fox at night outside of my window and a huge herd of some kind of mountain deer run right before my eyes. I did float in the dead sea (and my tiny cuts burned with fury). What I truly enjoyed was hiking Masada at sunrise. I tried to go at sunset but they closed so I found a Hostel nearby and stayed there for the night, all my things at another Hostel, I slept in my clothes and woke up at 4:30. I was among the ancient ruins and staring into the mountains of Jordan from across the dead sea well before six and I had made it up there at least ten minutes before other tourists came.

Now I am in Jerusalem and I have just been to the market to get some food supplies. It is remarkably unbelievable how cheap things are here. I have gotten loads of advice from israeli's:
1) JOIN THE ARMY
2) Get a sandal tan to show off when your done with the army
3) If you want to become rich in Israel, run a factory that makes fences or plastic bags...they are everywhere here.

Just an hour ago I was invited into a shop where I was asked to buy something or get married. I can't tell if telling a girl she has pretty eyes, kissing her hand, and saying everything is half off is a sales pitch or a marriage proposal. I mean I know what it really way...but he did say that If I wanted a rich husband I should consider. Well..... I am practicing my hebrew as much as possible. Tomorrow is day 1 out of 5 in Jerusalem!

-Maya