Kibbutz Malkiya is located in the very, very north of Israel. It sits comfortably on a large mountain on the border with Lebanon and hosts some incredible views (as expected of many parts of this beautiful country). Cats and dogs roam happily and freely, leaving us to wonder if they actually have owners. A large group of Thai kibbtuzniks play live music virtually every day, amps and percussion sometimes included for our entertainment (or at least theirs'). It's possible to eat pomegranates and other miscellaneous fruits off the trees, as sour as they may be to everyone but Jochai (frequent guest star on Brothers in Israel). On any given night, you could see a UN patrol helicopter in the nearby sky or fireworks off in the relatively close Lebanese distance. Everyone is friendly and the food is delicious. It's quiet until someone ( decide to make [a bit too much] noise.
Doesn't quite do it justice, but a quick and random snapshot from Kibbutz Malkiya.
Where does the Garin fit in? For the most part, we have adapted quite naturally! We live in our own building where pairs of us share more-than-sufficient room accommodations. There is the "moadon," where we have scheduled activities (google: every group bonding game ever conceived and more) and occasionally host very responsible parties. Taking advantage of our access to extraordinary scenery, we often climb what is affectionately known as the "water tower" (possibly because it is, in fact, a water tower), or go sit in what we have lovingly dubbed "the trenches" (no prizes for guessing the origin of the name) for gazing. The weather allows for hot, but pleasant, days and cool nights, so swimming and bonfires are both fair game. Most importantly, we have taken advantage of the soccer goals at our disposal.
Malkiya's finest.
This doesn't mean we have much free time, though. Our days are packed. After a very early breakfast, those of us who are not native Hebrew speakers spend about five hours in ulpan. Afterward, we feast on the best meal of the day (I will eventually dedicate a full post to kibbutz lunch), before, most of the time, continuing on to scheduled events. These sometimes (often) consist of the aforementioned group dynamics activities, but also include army preparation meetings, sports and physical training, and various randoms. A personal favorite is Friday night, where we have a closing circle for the week, discuss the good old highs-and-lows, and then enjoy a Shabbat dinner together.
- Darren
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