Whenever I feel afraid I hold my head erect And whistle a happy tune So no one will suspect I'm afraid.

yesterday we went on our last tiul. we left at 7:30 like always, and headed to this huge cave filled with stalactites and stalagmites. it was pretty cool. the tour guide would point out ones that looked like moses, or snow white and the 7 dwarves, or people on a mountain, or some kind of food, or a hedgehog. it was pretty cool. really really humid and warm tho.

after that, we went to my favorite spot. we went to these limestone caves where jews hid from the romans during the great rebellion. in the first cave, there were small tunnels underground that we had to crawl through and it hurt our knees, and there were a few sharp turns that were hard to do. it was also pitch black and every other person got a flashlight. when we got into the room, it was really big. and we could walk around for a bit. then we crawled back.

the second cave was huge. it was a series of tunnels and caves, all man made. the tunnels were even smaller, and it was harder to get through them. but it was sooooo cool. i got really dirty but it was soo cool. i was lovin it hard core.

after that we had lunch, and drove on to the negev where we stayed in a beduin camp. as soon as we got off the bus, we hopped on some camels and took a nice little ride. i rode on one with raf. we named it kendra. the one behind me kept getting a little to close to me, and i heard they bite and stuff so she kinda freaked me out, but she was nice and we named her bumblebee.

after the camel ride, we went in and got settled in our huge ass tent. then we went to this welcome ceremony for just our group where a Bedouin man talked to us and told us about the Bedouins. they have to be hospitible to people who show up to their tents. when you come to a tent, you have to cough to show your presence (3 times- 3 is a magic number) then you are offered 3 cups of coffee, because coffee is expensive in the desert, so it shows respect. 3 cups because 1 is for welcome, 1 is for security, and 1 is just for fun. they gave us Bedouin tea and coffee and then made us bedouin pita stuff, which was....amazingly good. then the man played music and this huge russian guy alexey (previously alexey gadol cause there was another alexey who was smaller, so he was alexey katan-which means small and gadol means big- but sadly, alexey katan left us to go to jerusalem where he got a job in a furniture store making furniture. sad) got up and started dancing and singing all over the place. it was funny.

after that, we had some free time where we just hung out, and then had dinner where we sat on the floor, 4 around these tables and they brought out meat and rice and their special pita and veggies and tehina. it was SOOOO yummy!!!! oh man. i wish i could eat like that all the time. they russian guys next to me ate so much they could not sit up and ended up spralled all over the dinky little mattresses we were sitting on.

after dinner we had a drumming circle. it was really cool. we all sat around with drums, and this guy came and taught us how to play them, and we got some tunes going, and i was all into it until these stupid dati girls came and crashed our party. there was a huge group of them and they jumped in and started dancing and stole a drum and started screwing it up and just pissed me off and i didnt appreciate their presence at all, but what are you going to do. it was fun before they came.

after the drumming circle, we sat around a fire and talked about what we liked about the ulpan (in hebrew of course) and where we were going afterwards. it was sweet, but i was soo tired, after a long day of climbing and crawling, and not having had my 4 hour afternoon nap. my friend sarah and i took a walk outside the compound a little to see the stars. there were soo many. it was beautiful. when i went to sleep, i didnt move an inch until the morning. i slept so soundly.

we woke up around 630 and packed up, and then went to breakfast at about 7. then we got on the bus and drove to masada. that is where king Herod build a huge beautiful palace. then a hundred or so years later, it was used during the rebellion against the romans. they built over some of herod's beautiful artwork to make more practical additions and whatnot. the romans built a seige wall around them, and one day broke into the palace. by the time the did, however, it was night. so the romans decided to wait till morning to fully defeat them. by the time they arrived the next morning, they found everyone dead. the soldiers had killed their wifes and children, and then picked clay tablets with names on them from a pot as to who they had to kill. then the last soldier killed himself. 2 kids and a woman survived and were found hiding in the northern palace. crazy. its also the place with the first synagogue.

sadly for me, we went down from masada on the Snake Trail. i had a little bit of a panic attack from the height. i t was terrible. i couldnt decide weather to sit and cry or run. and i couldnt really talk to anyone cause i had to concentrate on controling my breathing and walking, and i was shaking all over. my friends tried to talk to me and were kinda pissed i just blew them off until we got down and i could talk and they saw i was still shaking and were all concerned and nice again.

sadly, our program organizers have no time planning skills. so we didnt have time to go to en gedi like we were supposed to. im kinda pissed, but i guess ill just have to go their with birthright someday. but we did have 3 hours to spend at the dead sea. pretty cool! pretty fucking cool. we went in for about 20 minutes, had our fun, and then i lay in the sun and passed out. i didnt do the mud, cause we had to buy it and it was expensive, and mia said not to buy it cause it encourages the destruction of the dead sea. so i didnt. then we went back on the bus and watched sex and the city the movie on the way home. a pretty good trip.