Eilat: A Vacation

Lying on the Eilat beach yesterday under palm trees and a clear blue sky, wearing a skirt and tank top in perfect 75 degree weather I couldn't help but think about my friends (and sisters) back at home who at that very moment were sitting in classrooms and studying. I couldn't help but feeling guilty, grateful, disconcerted and a bit silly all at the same time. All weekend we were staying in THE resort city of Israel, doing all the touristy things one would do when on vacation, and even refering to the weekend in such a manner. And yet I continued reverting back to the question of what exactly we were vacationing from. There was no stressful job we were escaping from, or mountains of schoolwork being purposely shoved aside. Don't get the wrong idea- it was a great weekend but it just got me thinking about this year and what kind of effect it's having on my life.

This week the siyur was down to Kibbutz Ketura and Eilat. Upon arriving at Ketura we did several silly group exercises intended to demonstrate the importance of community and teamwork on a kibbutz. Before heading to lunch in their Chadar Ochel we took a tour of the kibbutz, by which I mean we sat on the bus and every few feet it would stop and the tour guide would tell us some fun fact about the building we were looking at. I love Kibbutz Ketura. I love that it was originally started by Young Judaeans and one of, if not the first, successful kibbutz to be started up in the Negev, and I love the idea behind the kibbutz system but this was the most disappointing tour of something I know to be interesting.

After lunch they took us to the Kasui sand dunes a short ways away where they let us play in the world's biggest sand box. These sand dunes (which I had also been to on Machon) are incredibly fun and were even better than last time because the sand was completely untouched and slightly matted down from the huge rainfall from last week.

The final stop of the official siyur was Eilat where we either had free time or for those of us staying were allowed to go for the weekend. We stayed at the Arava Hostel. They charged us 60 shekels a night, no meals provided but very adequate kitchen facilities at our disposal. Two rooms (including mine) included a private bathroom and refrigerator. The others shared communal toilets and showers. Once we got there a few of us went out to the closest supermarket to buy milk, bread and a couple other perishables we hadn't brought down with us. We then proceded to cook enough pasta to feed a small army, combined that with some home made tomato sauce and roasted eggplant slices.

The next morning we went on a hike that I have already done two times in the past (8th grade Schechter trip and Machon) but one I will never get bored of. It is a beautiful hike up Har Tsfachot, one of the highest mountains in the Southern Negev region that affords a spectacular view from the peak, providing the rare opportunity of seeing four countries from one spot (Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Saudia Arabia). This was the best experience I've had doing this particular hike. As an extremely tiny 8th grader, this hike was just down right difficult. On Machon, they were just pushing us too hard, too fast to really appreciate the uniqueness and beauty of our surroundings. This time, it was simply a group of friends hiking into the wilderness on our own initiative and our own time. It was this simplicity that made it so beautiful. Sitting at the top of the mountain the time flew by as we drifted between periods of idle conversation and silent personal reflection. It was ironically one of the most peaceful moments of the year sitting there overlooking three countries that have given Israel anything but peace for the last six decades.

After the hike, a quick shower and change of clothes, Tal, Melanie, Ilana and I took the 10 minute walk over to the Tayelet (boardwalk) in search of a place to eat. We finally settled on an "Asian style" restaurant. After a leisurely meal outside the restaurant we walked 20 meters to the beach where for once our clearly American tourist aura came in handy allowing us to relax in the beach chairs of some hotel without getting a second glance. We were finally asked politely to leave as the sun was setting and everyone was leaving. In continuing vacation mode, we strolled along the boardwalk for another couple hours, each of us in search of a different item (sounds like one of those logic puzzles I always like to do: Laura, who was not the last one to buy something, was not the one to pick out a pair of fuzzy slippers, etc.) I did however get a lovely pair of dangling earrings from Magnolia and another pair of tiedye pants.

The entire group was planning on going out to dinner together in honor of one boy's birthday, so we passed the remainder of the time lounging around a table at Aroma (the Israeli Starbucks). That night we stayed out late eventually finding ourselves at a bar with both a dance floor and live band. Our small but exuberant group quickly scared off the other patrons giving us plenty of room to jump around dancing late into the night.

Next morning it was goodbye Eilat and hello Arad. Though it felt great to be home (because that's what my apartment is, at least for another month or so), it was an incredibly fun weekend being on vacation from however you will describe this year.