Happy New Year!

Last night was a wonderful new years eve.  It was a full moon, and so we went out into the Negev Highlands for a five hour hike back to the Kibbutz under the brilliant silver light.  My camera isn't functioning properly, so unfortunately I have no pictures to post, but I can paint you one:  Imagine being surrounded by the jagged edges and exposed body of the desert landscape, interspersed with dunes of sand so soft and fine that it feels like powdery snow.  Rabbi Michael, who came with us on the hike, made the comment that so many visionaries find their visions out in the desert because the landscape is totally exposed, and in turn you expose your own soul.  But the most amazing vision for me was of the moon shadows playing on the landscape.  The moon was so bright that the interplay of the clouds and the moon made shifting silver ephemeral shapes crawling across the dunes.  And to think I could have been stuck inside watching the New Years shows in TV!  We climbed down from the plateau of the highlands into the Arava Valley along one of the supposed paths that the ancient Israelites used on their 40 year wanderings, and made it back to the Kibbutz by around 11:30.  Following this fun spiritual journey, we all piled into the already crowded Kibbutz pub to dance to the top 40 and bring in the new year!  But I have to say, coming in from the desert made the pub experience all the better in its juxtaposition.

So, there is something that I must tell those of you who have been reading this blog in the expectation of two full years of stories and thoughts.  I have, for various reasons, decided that the pursuit of a masters degree through this program is not where I want to be headed.  Retracing my steps through my thought process, I realized that it was really the experience of the place, and not necessarily the degree, that I really wanted, but thought that I "might as well" go for the degree if I was going to be here anyway.  So, though it may seem odd given the enthusiasm I've displayed, I will only be staying at the Arava Institute for one term, and will be leaving on the 29th of this month.  I've had some unbelievable experiences here, and hope to continue writing about them through reflections on this blog.  I will also be staying in Israel for a few months after I leave the Institute to volunteer and travel, and will write about those experience too.  I'm glad I chose a flexible blog title!  Where I go from here I'm not entirely sure.  I have some ideas, probably too many, and I think that some time experimenting with them and trying on some different hats will help me figure myself out.  After all, I've been in school writing papers and doing tests every year since I was six (well, maybe the papers started after that, but you get the idea).

Anyways, Happy New Years everybody!  May it bring us all a little more joy and wisdom.