It's been a while....

I've been very busy, so I haven't updated much. There's just always a lot going on with school and student life activities, and the need to just have "me-time." But now I have time to say a few things. First, I went to Tel Aviv this weekend! It was very exciting! I didn't really do anything to write home about (as they say) but it was just really nice to get off of the kibbutz and into a real city for a little while. A lot of people were in Tel Aviv, but we all had our own agenda, which was also really good. No one was ever really alone, but its not like the Arava Institute was in Tel Aviv, either. We made some new Israeli friends, which was very exciting. I hope we actually keep in touch, because it was a fun weekend. But friends met in bars are not always reliable to be real friends, so we'll see.
Another interesting fact, I had mammal meat for the first time in 8 1/2 years. About a week ago, I was in Eilat with a few friends and we went to a Brazilian Steak House, the kind where they bring around all the different cuts of meat, and you take little bits of everything. I ordered vegetarian, but decided I wanted some of the experience, so I tasted some Arik's beef. Also this weekend I did the same with lamb. I still can't bring myself to order it on my own, but if someone else is offering me a bite, I figure, Israel is the best place to eat meat. At least here I know the meat is kosher, which means its grown locally (not in giant cow pastures in South America where rain forests should be), slaughtered "humanely" (and not kept in tiny cages until lured to gruesome deaths), and is not pumped full of hormones (not what you might call organic or free range, but definitely a step up from American meat). And its small amounts, but maybe it adds some protein and iron into my meal.
And finally, some observations that amuse me:

• Middle Easterners have no concept of time

• Israelis are very honest, it's part of the "no manners" culture.
  
• Jews have very flat feet and are fuzzy
  
• Israeli pigeons are like NYC pigeons' more attractive cousin. They have prettier coloring on their wings, and they're not as gross and aggressive
• There is a serious cat problem in the Middle East
• And finally, Israeli mosquitoes love me. This one actually isn't amusing anymore. It's sort of a problem. I'm going to try buying new soap and moisturizer, but if the bites continue after that, I think I'm going to go to a doctor to see if maybe they're not bites at all, but some sort of allergic reaction. I'm the only one who has them as many, as big, and as often. I'm scarring from all the scratching. Right now, my arms are covered in anti-histamine ointment, hydrocortisone, and band aids (to stop me from being able to scratch