Baobab...

My job on Kibbutz is babysitting at the Baobab house, where there are 7 children. They are all about 1 year old. . . I am very lucky to have this job and many of the volunteers ar ejealous... I'm not even sure how I was able to talk my way into it; I told the director that I am a teacher and that I understand Hebrew (something I realize now was quite the embellishment!) Whastever the reason, I get to spend 8 or so hours a day with the little children. Two women from outside of the kibbutz are hired to run the day care with the help of a few kibbutz members. They speak only Hebrew! I am learning new vocabulary every day -especially such crucual words as bottle, pacifier and a poopy diaper. . . In all honesty though, I am really happy to have the opportunity to work this shift. The other jobs on kibbutz all work with English speakers .

A day in the life (so far...)

I arrive at work at 7:30. The children's parents drop off the kids at some tiem before 8 o'clock. Then, we go on a tiyul - a field trip that thus far has meabnt pushing the children in rolling playpens a few hundred meters to a shady spot near the center of the kibbutz "downtown?" The children play in the grass and we try to keep them away from dog poop and the giant beetles that litter the ground - these beetles lay their eggs and then die, helplessly on their backs. Nice life.

After the tiyul, we play some more and then the children get their first bottle. We change them and from 9 until 10 they take a nap. 10-11:30 is sort of the long haul. We have two or three activities - musical instruments, then reading, then maybe the "gym" equipmnent, the sandbox or some balls. I roll around on the rug a whole lot and make funyn noises - mostly beacuse my Hebrew is so limited that saying "aryeh, come here." or "Moshe, where is the blue ball?" gets old very quickly.

Lunch is a lot of fun! There is a three course meal. Potatoes and carrots, then pasta and then meat. We cut the food up into tiny pieces and sit aorund the table, eating with our hands. I mean, the children do... We feed them if they need help. After lunch, we play some more, change the children's clothes and put them in for an afternoon nap. Sometimes, their parents stop by and play during their lunch breaks. The kids nap again from 1:00 until 3-ish (while I go get lunch in the dining hall) and at 4 their parents come to pick them up.

And there is a day in my life on kibbutz. While the children sleep, we talk, clean and read a bit. I can sometimes get the newspaper or make a phone call or two.

In the afternoons here, we are free to swim, eat, nap, go to Eilat, go to the nearby kibbutzim or hike. Often it is too hot to easily find the motivation to do much. Still, I am trying to organize a hike up to the mountains west of the kibbutz. There is a large chanukiah on the top and from there you can watch the sunset over Jordan.

All is well. I am relaxed, not bored, and enjoying the opportunity to read. I finished Lolita and am now reading O' Jerusalem. The Hebrew learning is going slow and steadily... still haven't found a guitar to borrow easily... As for the fellow volunteers, I'll withhold my judgement. Many of them are 18 and extremely excited about the constant flow of teen tours that come to this kibbutz for 3 or 4 day visits.

More soon...
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