Day 30/31/32 - JNF - Lehava - Adam Robinson
Day 1 of HaShomer HaChadash started off with a BRUTAL 7:45 wake up. After a ‘delicious’ breakfast, consisting of hard boiled eggs that had green yolks, we boarded the busses. We arrived at 11:00 to the smell of chicken on a barbecue, only to find out that we had to do an activity before tucking into the chicken. The activity was an experience in itself, we sat in a circle and were given a handful of skittles (lollies). We had to answer questions about ourselves and Israel based on the colour of the skittles that we had. Unfortunately, I had eaten all my skittles by the time it was my turn. Lunch time had arrived and we began eating wings and chicken breast. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of taking a hotdog, which the stray cats gobbled down in 5 seconds. After a filling lunch we were on the way to the beginning of the hike.
We took a short drive to our first activity, which was a hike through one of the valleys in the Negev. While being guided through the rock crevices that have been formed by water over hundreds of years, we learnt about the dangers and tragedies caused by flash floods. After the 2 hour hike that would’ve taken any other person 1 hour, we departed to our campsite, where we were exposed to communal sleeping, shared toilets and showers.
After arriving at the campsite we still had an hour until dinner at 18:30 which was used up going to the supermarket and buying snacks. Dinner was delicious; I ate schnitzel, pasta, potatoes and salad. Following dinner we had a giant bonfire. As we sat around the bonfire we sang songs, such as our Lehava WOAH song, and roasted marshmallows on the fire. I left my marshmallow on the fire a bit too long and the entire thing was black; that did not stop me from eating it. After a refreshing shower we were off to bed.
Day 2 started with an early 6:45 wake up. I attended early shacharit in the shule on the kibbutz. It was a beautifully led service that lasted around 30 minutes. We then had a decent breakfast that consisted of fried eggs, cereal and orange juice. We boarded the buses and headed towards Pinchas’ Farm.
Upon arriving at the farm we began to learn about the challenges that farmers face living in the Negev. The farmers live in a constant state of fear due to livestock theft. We also learnt about the challenges of growing plants in the arid desert environment. We began to shovel Tuff, which is volcanic rock, into trenches in the farm. The Tuff allows cherry trees to grow big and strong roots, something not possible in the desert sand. The Tuff is harvested from ancient volcanic sites in the Golan Heights. We had to transport the Tuff with wheelbarrows and shovels. During our work Avichai kindly made me, and a few others, Turkish coffee, which we thoroughly enjoyed.
After the farm work we went on a 25 minute drive to camel riding. Following the camel riding we had a delicious lunch which was laffa bread, hummus, salad and saffron rice with chicken and potatoes. Following lunch we had an insightful activity created by our HaShomer HaChadash tour guides. There we played constructive team building exercises in a beautiful park.
On Day 3 we did some agricultural work. We had to pick cherry tomato bushes from the ground. After the agricultural work we went sand boarding down some sand dunes near the Egyptian border. The agricultural experience was very special because it provided insight into how food is grown and the troubles that farmers have to go through in order to put fresh food on our plates. I really enjoyed the HaShomer HaChadash experience.
Adam Robinson - 19.12.2019
