Week 3
I want to build a house out of mud, on a lake, and in front there will be a little garden. The roof will be green, full of life, and the windows will face the South to catch heat from the winter sun but stay cool in the summer. I’ll grow vegetables in the back and cook in a taboon. I can picture it in my head – this vision is the inspiration for my environmental construction and design course. Probably my favorite subject, we’ve been looking at various methods that make a building more sustainable. Passive solar heating, insulative walls, rainwater collection, etc. are all fairly easy ways to save energy and the environment – why don’t all buildings utilize them? We watched a few videos and slideshows about successful examples of these buildings in the modern world, where ancient techniques (which seem to have been forgotten) are put to work. We even saw a picture of a cob (mud) house in Northern Michigan, where 5 woman live year round – the house is heated by the sun, even in the winter when there is snow, and the house is beautiful. It proves that sustainable construction is possible anywhere in the world, and it is being practiced everywhere, but not enough.
In another class we’ve been working a lot in the garden. Because the sun is so hot during the day here in the desert, we work early in the morning on weeding and tending to the plants – in our neighborhood we are growing corn, beans, basil, mint, squash, lettuce and fennel. I haven’t gotten my plum seeds to germinate yet, but I am hoping to plant a few tiny plum trees by the time I leave the kibbutz. Harvesting from the eco-kef is the most fun for me – a morning or two a week I am volunteering to get up early and pick vegetables in the garden for the dining hall and shop. As I picked and bagged salad greens a few days ago, I realized how little I reflect on how much work goes into the food we eat every day. I like the feeling of harvesting food that is fresh and healthy, that will support other people. It is simple work, but important.
Every day I fall in love with Israel more. While the culture here at Lotan is very unique from the rest of the country, the people from all over Israel that I am meeting here are teaching me so much. I’m learning Hebrew very quickly (I got moved to the best level, and can now write short silly stories and have basic conversations). It’s difficult to tell whether I am unable to think logically or if my logic itself has changed here. New ideas about where I see myself in the world, and what I want to do with my life, enter my head daily as we are getting over the “honeymoon” phase of the program and really diving deeper into the material. Sticking to my “life plan” is no longer a priority – being around such diverse people in my program, I’m learning that following the pattern of what is expected for me is not necessarily optimal. I’m now planning on returning to Israel for 5 months this spring to do more intensive Hebrew training, explore more of the country (I’m planning on being on a different Kibbutz in the North), and see where my gut takes me from there! In the meantime, I’m having an amazing time here in the Negev Desert.
I want to build a house out of mud, on a lake, and in front there will be a little garden. The roof will be green, full of life, and the windows will face the South to catch heat from the winter sun but stay cool in the summer. I’ll grow vegetables in the back and cook in a taboon. I can picture it in my head – this vision is the inspiration for my environmental construction and design course. Probably my favorite subject, we’ve been looking at various methods that make a building more sustainable. Passive solar heating, insulative walls, rainwater collection, etc. are all fairly easy ways to save energy and the environment – why don’t all buildings utilize them? We watched a few videos and slideshows about successful examples of these buildings in the modern world, where ancient techniques (which seem to have been forgotten) are put to work. We even saw a picture of a cob (mud) house in Northern Michigan, where 5 woman live year round – the house is heated by the sun, even in the winter when there is snow, and the house is beautiful. It proves that sustainable construction is possible anywhere in the world, and it is being practiced everywhere, but not enough.
In another class we’ve been working a lot in the garden. Because the sun is so hot during the day here in the desert, we work early in the morning on weeding and tending to the plants – in our neighborhood we are growing corn, beans, basil, mint, squash, lettuce and fennel. I haven’t gotten my plum seeds to germinate yet, but I am hoping to plant a few tiny plum trees by the time I leave the kibbutz. Harvesting from the eco-kef is the most fun for me – a morning or two a week I am volunteering to get up early and pick vegetables in the garden for the dining hall and shop. As I picked and bagged salad greens a few days ago, I realized how little I reflect on how much work goes into the food we eat every day. I like the feeling of harvesting food that is fresh and healthy, that will support other people. It is simple work, but important. 
Every day I fall in love with Israel more. While the culture here at Lotan is very unique from the rest of the country, the people from all over Israel that I am meeting here are teaching me so much. I’m learning Hebrew very quickly (I got moved to the best level, and can now write short silly stories and have basic conversations). It’s difficult to tell whether I am unable to think logically or if my logic itself has changed here. New ideas about where I see myself in the world, and what I want to do with my life, enter my head daily as we are getting over the “honeymoon” phase of the program and really diving deeper into the material. Sticking to my “life plan” is no longer a priority – being around such diverse people in my program, I’m learning that following the pattern of what is expected for me is not necessarily optimal. I’m now planning on returning to Israel for 5 months this spring to do more intensive Hebrew training, explore more of the country (I’m planning on being on a different Kibbutz in the North), and see where my gut takes me from there! In the meantime, I’m having an amazing time here in the Negev Desert.
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