What We Do

So this morning we had quite an early start to our day. We woke up at 8 for our testing into classes. We stood outside waiting for our teachers to be called in and tested for the correct Hebrew class. I tested into advanced Hebrew. I got my job as well…what I will be doing for my “work” part of the work study program here; I am a gardener. I woke up this morning- because I have to be at work at 6 am. 6, flipping, am. I almost died when I found out. I woke up, am working with 3 other boys. Yes, I am the only girl. We met the other Kibbutzniks who assigned us our jobs. Two of the boys went and chopped down a tree. This guy form Argentina, named Mattie, and I, were assigned to the gardens. I weeded and tilled the soil for 5 hours this morning. It was 45 degrees this morning and still dark when we woke up. The sun rose about 5 past 6 in the morning and was beautiful rose colored, slowly rising over the mountains. The hours went by pretty quickly. Once you get into the work funk, digging, shoveling, turning the soil, it becomes a rhythm, a way of relaxing into your mind. I am very rarely reflective, and I’ve found this time really requires me to focus on my thoughts. Lunch is good, always decent. The vegetables (hot and cold) are pretty good – fresh from the Kibbutz. There are always varities of meat, mousaka, schnitzel (the favorite Israeli chicken dish) and vegan stuff. The families and coworkers all sit together in the dining hall, animatedly talking about the days work, gossip among the families and daily life. I love watching the dynamics between people here- the old ladies sitting together, pushing around vegetables, clearly the best of friends. The old men who eat in silence, teeth absent, and reading the newspaper. There is such a communal feeling in this place. For example, this morning, I was working with one of the guys in the garden. I asked him about the rotation schedule on the Kibbutz. I was curious whether people switched jobs often. What if you hated cooking and you were stuck in the kitchen? Apparently, the people on the Kibbutz pretty much stay permanently in their jobs. They don’t switch around unless absolutely necessary. The guy I was speaking with had been working in the garden for 13 years. But in the last few years, lots of people have been utilizing their specializations and are working off of the Kibbutz. Na’an is the second richest Kibbutz in Israel and one of the largest in terms of size. It isn’t religious though, very few people attend services regularly, and the only services are on Shabbat and the holy days.