Israel: Week 3 - Farm 1

Sitting next to me are a couple from England, a girl from South Africa, 200 bunches of organic lettuce, and Anon & Lang (workers from Thailand). Slowly passing by us are pomegranate trees, pineapple plants, strawberries, limes, pimelos, and oranges. Its hard to believe that I'm sitting on the back of a tractor in Beit Yizhak, Israel being transported to a field where I'll spend 4 hours weeding in direct sunlight. When I was little I hated weeding, now it's exactly what I signed up for. What the hell has gotten into me? I am not sure how I got into this or even why it seemed like such a great idea 4 months ago. Kneeling, hunched over, carefully deciphering between garlic-look-alike-weeds and actual garlic in the blazing sun I begin to wish I was back in Sitka. I'd be comfortably sitting near a fire, clenching a hot mug of earl grey tea. But alas, I am in hot Israel, sweating and pulling weeds. I convince myself to feel the excitement with each weed gone. I let my mind wander and contemplate what it is exactly I want to gain from this experience. I am uncertain. I feel very uncertain about it all, everything, life. I miss everyone I left behind so ridiculously much. Perhaps by the time I've pulled my millionth weed I still won't have gained any more certainty just fresh perspective and more confidence. With each plant I touch, every person I listen to, each new place I see, every meal I eat, my perspectives will shift. That's what I signed up for. I want to constantly be growing, searching, learning, discovering. It's who I am and in order to get there weeds must be pulled.
Here are pictures of the garlic field I will be spending my weeks in. Also my cute apartment I'll be sharing with two other volunteers, Jenna & Adam.
























5am sunrise + lettuce picking