Busy Thursday

Tomorrow is finally the last day of Ulpan! We watched a really cool movie in class today about the history of Kibbutzim. It was really interesting because it was told in documentary form from the point of view from the originaly kibbutznik kids.
In the original kibbutzim, kibbutznik were the "elite" - it was the 1930s and people were sick of being "scholarly" in yeshivas. Kibbutznik worked alll the time, it was just what you did and it was shameful to be a poor laborer. The kibbutznik were always ranked in the highest points in the army because they were so fit.

Anyway what was interesting is that kids were not raised by their parents. You see all this footage of kids in the Beit Yeladim (Childrens house). They were raised by nannys and split into groups and slept together, ate together, and all their food, clothes and toys were equal. Once a day they would meet with their parents and have dinner. It was proper, no kising or fighting and they called their parents by their first names. There was no such thing as a fmaily - since everyone belonged to the kibbutz! This part I think is so crazy because some of the people were talkin about how it was such a great concept - u worked at the things that you did well and someone took care of the kids, family doesnt have to be natural. BUT on the other hand - these poor people were raised really without love and once they raised children, it felt so hard for them to show love cuz they never recieved it. People in the kibbutz shared everything, jobs, food, even marriages happened together. You watch these kids grow up and raise their own families and eventually realize around the 60s and 70s that Kibbutz life no longer represented what it meant to them when they were children.

Such an intersting movie, we watched it in subtitles and it was cool to catch all teh words we knew (and what was translated poorly). Its called like Children of the Kibbutz or somethign like that. Def reccommend.

Our final exam for the class is at 10 tomorrow. Im basically all packed up now cuz I'm gonan catch a bus ride asap to Jlem so I can watch my friend Ben get his red beret from the army! Hes doing a hugeee 60 km hike! Then I'm hopin a bus to Eilat to get there late at night! But like 100 people from Tel Aviv Uni are goin since its our like first real weekend break :)

Wish me luck traveling
Ps. While im in Eilat i have the opportunity to day trip to petra..is this something I should do? everyone said its amazingg nd beautiful..but its also really expensive? i guess well see how the weather is cuz itd b cool to go to jordan if its shitty in Eilat
PPS. Hebrew is at 830 am mon -thurs during the school year..should i take it?
Send some love :)