Welcome to the Wilderness

Happy Rosh Hashanah everyone! I am spending the holiday in a small farming community about 45 minutes west of Jerusalem. The blog-worthy stories are pilling up; however, until the holiday is over I will just leave you with some pictures of my recent hike in the Negev. And welcome to the wilderness.

The graduate program I am in is part of Hebrew University--however, it caters to foreign students and is an English-speaking program. Periodically there are graduate student activities that we can participate in, if we feel so inclined. Tuesday was the day after our Hebrew level test and also the day before Rosh Hashanah started, which made it a perfect time for the graduate coordinator to plan a hiking trip in the Negev desert.

And of course I was game. Who wouldn't want to go hiking in the desert?

The funny thing is four and a half years ago, I stood overlooking this very spot as a student at the Jerusalem Center and thought, "One day I want to go hiking there!"

Friends, I have now accomplished my dream.

It was hot, even at 8 am. Before we got off the bus, our guide told us that he wasn't letting anyone go who didn't have a hat. And guess who didn't have a hat? Me. I never hike with a hat. I guess I should have been more prepared for the desert, eh? The bus driver was nice enough to lend me one of his hats. And I totally rocked the old-farmer hat look.

The Bedouins mark trails with piles of rocks like this. I saw a bunch of these when I hiked in Petra--unfortunately, I didn't realize they were trail markers until too late!

And this is how Israelis mark trails. Just paint three stripes on the rock.

There was this random Bedouin tent in the middle of the desert with places to sleep and hot drinks. (I have never understood the concept of hot drinks in the desert. All I want in such heat is ice and a swimming pool!) Anyway, I wasn't going to miss out on a chance to practice Arabic, so I ran up to her and started talking to her. It was so great to finally speak a language that none of my peers could understand! They thought it was so impressive, but really all we talked about was how hot it must be sitting by the fire--and she asked me why Asians always look so young! I didn't have an answer for her...

Look! It's not a rock! A bush in the middle of the desert!

We were just walking in the middle of the desert when all of a sudden--BAM! An oasis with water right in the middle of nowhere. It was like Lehi and his family--if you don't have a guide who knows where the water is, I can see how a Liahona would be vital for daily survival!

This was our guard. I felt safe with him and his big gun protecting us (from the rocks, perhaps?) until I saw that he wouldn't pass the Judges 7:5 test. I knew I had to fend for myself after this!!

And just in case life didn't get random enough, I saw this loaf of bread sitting on top of a bus stop.