Egypt, Day 1

What. A. Week!  I just got home (funny to be referring to Jerusalem as "home" already) last night from a trip to the Arab Republic of Egypt, which probably constituted the most amazing but draining 8 days of my life! And as such, I think I'm going to have to break it up day by day for blogging purposes :)

So, to start: we didn't take the most direct route to Egypt, but the detours were worth the, er, educational benefits (I am in school, after all!)   Tel Be'er Sheva and Tel Arad are now archaeological sites, both in southern Israel (far enough south, in fact, to merit use in the phrase "from "Be'er Sheva to Dan" in the Bible, Dan being in the north--not unlike Americans talking about the entire country, from New York to L.A... Random fact of the day!) I won't  regurgitate my history lessons here, but these ancient ruins made life in Abraham's time seem a little more real to me; walking through the streets and gates, visiting the Holy of Holies in the remains of the temple, peering into the wells that once sustained life in this desert--amazing that it's all still here.  And I love slowly becoming more familiar with the geography of this land!

Maybe I shouldn't count this as day 1, because we didn't actually get all the way to Egypt the first night!  Instead, we spent the night at a kibbutz near the border.  The term "kibbutz" was new to me-- it's a collective community of people (about 150 where we stayed) who live for the community. It's amazing to me how selfless they are:  each person has a job in the community, be it milking cows, washing dishes, or teaching school.  All salaries go directly into a group bank account, and committees make all the decisions collectively on how and where to spend the money, how to manage the business aspects (what they grow/produce and sell), and other community matters. There are 7 cars they take turns using, if I remember correctly, and each person receives a weekly allowance for personal spending.  Housing, food, clothing allowances, etc. are distributed to each family based on size and need.   I have a lot of respect for people who can live like this--no greed, no self-centeredness, just living for the good of the whole, taking only what you need, and serving those around you.  I'm not sure I'm at the point where I could live this way, but it's really a neat thing. 
Some of the happiest, most welcoming people you'll ever meet...we had a barbecue with them and went swimming that night :)  Actually, though, before eating, we actually drove a few minutes outside the kibbutz and spent some time in the sand dunes.  It's simply stunning out there--rippling waves of sand and the low mountains against a pink and orange sunset...  I expected the sand to be hot as I repeatedly stumbled and rolled down the slopes, but it wasn't--apparently, quartz is usually the reason sand absorbs so much heat, and this desert sand was quartz-free.

Alrighty, stopping here for now :)