The Desert

The Desert

As mentioned previously, when travelling, one’s experiences are made up to a large extent of the places one visits and the people one meets.

The place …..

In September last year, a small group of new families came to live in the Arava. Amongst the new arrivals was a seven year old boy called Levanon Elinson who is in Year 2. In January, Levanon’s teacher decided to exhibit his artwork for the rest of the school community to enjoy. This young boy’s artistic rendition of what he observes around him made a very big impression on me, largely because it reflects much of what I see and feel here in the Central Arava.

My current surroundings bring me a level of calm and serenity which I have never experienced before.  Huge expanses of open space fill my soul, providing an unexpected sense of stability. As I drive to and from work on road 90, my eyes absorb the miles and miles of hills and sand in varied shades of brown.  The vegetation is sparse but the Acacia trees are abundant, using their double root system to survive the harsh conditions of the desert.  

Water is not plentiful in this area and needs to be brought to the fields from other parts of Israel for the purposes of agriculture. What the farmers in this area have created is nothing short of a miracle! The most popular crop here is peppers (red, yellow and orange) and they are truly delectable: sweet, crunchy and a staple part of everyone’s diet. They also grow - among other things - dates, melons, cherry tomatoes and eggplant. Once they have been harvested, the fruit and vegetables are exported overseas and also marketed locally.

The week after I arrived in the Central Arava, I donned my tracksuit and runners and Iphone in tow, walking and jogging, I covered the circumference of the moshav in about half an hour. Since getting sick, which included a very bad cold, as well as an allergy attack (there is a first time for everything!), I have not returned to this exercise routine – which I was doing three to four times a week. Aside from the obvious benefits of regular physical activity, for both body and mind, there is something else that is drawing me back there. On more than one occasion, as I focused on my route and expended large amounts of energy getting to my intended destination, I looked up to see the sun setting behind the mountains. And once again, being the born and bred city girl that I am, I was in awe of the beauty of this desert!

And finally, I am reminded of the blessing said in the morning which thanks Hashem for giving the rooster the wisdom to differentiate between day and night. There is something very special about waking up to the sound of a rooster crowing in the immediate vicinity! But I have to say from personal experience, when it crows at 4 o’clock in the morning, it is clearly confused as to when daytime actually begins!