Etgar Weekly update by Charley and Mikaela
Machon Weekly update by Sophie Peterman
On Shnat we often experience some big moments. This week however I have found myself focusing much more on the little things. For instance, last weekend all of Ma’ayan joined together to go away camping at the Kinneret. This was a big moment for us as both Machon and Etgar came together and the kvutsa got to spend some quality time together really getting to know each other. Over the weekend we had both a Kab Shab and Shacharit on the beach, cooked food over our very own campfire and generally spent a lot of time swimming in the lake. What made this weekend so special for me though were perhaps not the more stand out moments but the quiet times we spent just sitting together on the beach. Or when a few of us sat in the dark looking out at the lights of Tiberias as we sat singing with a guitar. These small moments of calm and relaxation were what made for a really beautiful weekend where many friendships really found their feet.
Lovely weekend aside, as we are approaching chofesh we are all much more exhausted and perhaps in what you could call a ‘lull’ of a week. As negative as this sounds it has actually in different ways for all us helped. It has caused many to reflect on what they really want out of Shnat and in particular what we really want out of Machon. It has also made us value each other more and really appreciate the incredible friendships we have made here. For me it has made me reflect on how I want to spend the rest of my time here and how I want to make the most of this incredible experience I am having living in such an interesting city.
The other night Ella Sandler and I went out exploring in Jerusalem. We have found in the past couple of weeks that we normally end up going to the same places and wanted to find something new. We headed to the Ben Yehuda area and instead of staying on the main roads we went down the backstreets and found some really incredible and quirky places. We found a Jembe Bar which runs drumming workshops, a small bar where the walls are covered with different cup coasters from all around the world, a jazz café with incredible musicians and many many more exciting places. This week has really made me appreciate how despite seeming like a small thing how an amazing view or discovering a new restaurant to go to or just a well needed cuddle from a friend can be just as important if not more than the big things.
Have a great week folks,
Petes out xxx