Sunday I didn't do much, another roommate and I didn't have work so we walked around Arad and got to know the center of town well. Later that night we had a mandatory Hanukah meeting but I got out of the first half to pick up my computer. I went back to the store and they told me they could not fix it. They said I would have to bring back to Tel Aviv to get it fixed. Hopefully the store in Tel Aviv can fix it.
Monday:
I woke up to my roommate telling me it was 8:15 and I had to be somewhere at 8:30. I scrambled for my things, brushed my teeth and ran out the door to the local school that is our central meeting point. I got there only a few minutes late and our personal driver, the volunteer placement staff member, was just around the corner ready to take us to Masada. The car ride was only 20 minutes through a very twisty-turny road that took us to the back side, also known as the Roman side, of Masada. Although the car ride was short, it was not fun at all, both there and back we had to pull over because I felt very car sick. We finally got to Masada and hiked up the back half which is a quick 15 minute hike but at a very large incline. It felt great to hike up Masada again, even though it wasn't the hard 45 minute hike on the other side. We took a quick break then walked to the east side of the mountain to take the cable car down to the main building for a meeting with the director of Masada. The director was born in the United States, moved to Israel when he was 12 and has been on Masada since he was 17, what an honorable man. He told us who we would be working with and what we would be doing, I couldn't hold my excitement in! He told us we would be getting a free lunch from that cafeteria everyday and could be doing anything from sweeping the paths on the mountain to helping the workers fix the cistern that is under construction. We went back up the mountain and then hiked back down the other side back to the car. I couldn't have been more excited or happier to be working on Masada.
I got back to my apartment and watched a few movies with my roommates. That’s what we did most of the week, watch movies, especially because a sandstorm started Thursday and has been getting stronger ever since. Once the sandstorm dies down, we are expecting a flashflood!
Tuesday:
Our first day of volunteering! We took the 7 AM bus from Arad to Masada, good thing we took a different road with a lot less turns. The bus is a free bus with all the Masada workers who live in Arad or the area so from early in the morning to when the bus leaves at 4:20, we see the workers. On the first day, we swept the paths around the entrance of Masada and cleaned the signs at each site. We also help unload chairs for the next day’s major event.
Wednesday:
On our second day of volunteering, we met the Ethiopian who we would be working closely with on Masada. He told us to sweep all the paths on Masada. We had a lot of down time to relax and hang out. After lunch we started setting up for the major event happening that night. Over the past year, there was a Sefer Torah being written on Masada and they were finishing it along with the last night of Hanukah! The ceremony started around 4 when tourists were leaving and local families were coming. The head Rabbi of Arad gave a speech, people got to write letters in the Torah and so on. David Brosa, a famous Israeli artist, sang a song then we wrapped up the Torah and brought it down to the little synagogue that was used while the rebel Jews were hiding from the Romans through years 70-73. It was incredible that Jews lived there once and now we are back and use it for almost the same purpose before, I find it very inspiring.
The bus dropped us off around 7, and then I went home and watched another movie with my roommates.
Thursday:
We woke up relatively early for a short hike just outside of Arad. The weather was cold, slightly colder than usual, little did we know what was about to happen.
Thursday night some of the scouts came to visit us, which was very nice of them. In the middle of the night, the wind picked up and the same came with it, it was the beginning of a sandstorm!!
Friday:
Because of the storm, not many people went out. It felt like a Boston blizzard, it was cold everywhere, you could hear the storm outside and all we wanted to do was make Hot Chocolate and watch a movie, so that is exactly what we did...Then had Shabbat dinner with some friends.
Saturday:
Some more of the scouts came to Arad to visit us but they didn't have much time so I wasn't able to see them. The storm was strong at this point, when my roommates first went out; we bundled up ready for a major storm. On the ground was not nearly as bad as what we thought we saw from the 7th floor. We went out searching for the scouts but ended up coming back home unsuccessful.
Week number two is approaching fast!
-Tamar
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