Monday Monday

The fire in my belly to learn Hebrew continues to burn more ardently every day. The more I am not a part of this world, forced to be an outsider by language, the more I want to break through the barrier. I ask a lot of questions, and repeat everything. The words I can say in Hebrew include; Hello, Good morning, good night, yes, no, excuse me, thank you, califlower, cabbage, broccoli, I have, I had, good, very, you, I am full, water, one, two, three, and some other ones. As of now, my only full sentence is, I don’t like mangos. After downloading some Hebrew apps on my iphone I hope to start learning more conjugation of key verbs like to want, to go, to have, to like, to be able, to eat, and to know.

The events of Monday: In the morning- my morning but a farmer and his wife’s midday- Yardena took me to a spot that is famous for its wild flowers. Unfortunately, when we got there we discovered that in the winter hardly any flowers are in bloom. Only a steadfast few were left, and I made sure to take a picture of each. Even lacking in flowers the walk was amazingly beautiful. The path was saturated with tall trees creating the canopy above, and lush grass that is usually speckled with flowers in the spring. Beyond the trees and grass were farmland and open space. We could see bright white rock and tall evergreen trees called, oren. The beauty of Israel is so well preserved in the lifestyle of the people. So much land is dedicated to farming, that some segments seem untouched by man. After our short hike/walk, we returned home and Shookie offered to give a tour of his fields, with our accompanying translator, Yardena. There was a lot of land to see, and even more vegetables. At one point we ran into his workers harvesting some fennel. Excitedly Shookie pulled the car to their side and had me leave the truck. He spoke loudly, and pointed at the workers. Yardena told me he wanted me to watch how the workers harvest. I watched as these women in headdresses, long sleeves, pants, and gloves took a small serrated steak knife, and as if cutting through butter sliced the fennel from its root, removed the first layers, and then shortened it’s leafy branches to about an inch. All of this action happened within 15 seconds. Shookie spoke again, and Yardena said that he wants to know if I could do it. Being the hot-head that I am, I lept at the chance- huge mistake. I asked for a knife and one of the workers handed me one. I stalked my prey, as everyone stopped and watched. I pounced, swinging my weapon into the air, and … BAM. I got stuck perhaps a few inches into the vegetable. Panicked, I started sawing. Even this didn’t work so I ended up ripping it out of the ground. I hear laughter coming from all sides as I hold up a mangled mess. Disappointment flashed in Shookie’s eyes, and I knew that he was not happy at the outcome. He took it and the knife from me and cut into pieces, which he handed to me, Yardena, and some for himself to eat. No more helping on the field for me I supposed. But I have a new found respect for those petit women on the fields. Under those layers I imagine rippling abs and bulging biceps. After this Shookie and Yardena take me to see a statue dedicated to one of the first gaurds of the Israeli valley. The statue was created in 1940, and is placed ontop of a hill overlooking the entire moshav. We arrived there as the sun was setting, and the light hitting karmel mountain, the hills, and the rolling fields, was breathtaking.

Key moments: During our walk, Yardena and I had a wonderful heart to heart. We are having more of these everyday, which make me feel so loved. I’ve never met anyone so motherly and warm as she is. I think she is starting to think of me less as a guest, and I like that.  Can’t forget me destroying a fennel. And I joined Orly’s yoga class for the evening. She did very well trying to translate the instructions for me. And finally, I had the pleasure of meeting Dahlia, a beautician of Yardena’s. She is full of life, and as soon as I walked through the door she grabbed my chin telling me how beautiful I was. Without a doubt, she is one of those people that not only light up the room, but sweep away the cobwebs and dust that distinguish your own light so that you may feel like you brighten the room as well.