Rafsodiah!

Hey there all you MBI fans,

Note: There seems to be a few stomach bugs going around Israel right now. Most hit by it have not been too serious. The stomach bugs seem to attack people when they are weak, which in MBI terms, usually means either dehydration or not enough sleep. Often in these cases, the person is brought to a hospital for a few preliminary tests and given an IV. The body to relaxes giving time for the immune system to catch up and most have rejoined the group later the same day. We are trying to make sure that all MBI-ers are drinking enough water and staying hydrated. Especially being outside these last few days, each person has been expected to be drinking more than 3 liters a day. They are also being encouraged to go to sleep on time and rest so they will be able to function and participate to their fullest on all of the activities.

Wednesday and Thursday were the days of Rafsodia and MBI has been hard at work on the banks of the Kinneret. Rafsodiah is a 2 day group building and outdoor training activity which will bring the group closer by working together to build a raft that they will then be able to sail across the Kinneret. The group arrived bright and early this morning and got to work. Each kvutzah was given materials and instruction for raft building (they were supervised of course).

As the sun set on the first lovely and productive day the chanichim split up into their kvutzot and had a discussion about overcoming their dragons (dragons being a metaphor for personal challenges.) Rafsodia is a great opportunity to continue the bonding as a kvutzah and to really solidify their relationships before the touring of the country commences.

Today, the second day of Rafsodia, started by each group finishing up their rafts. In the afternoon all of the boats were completed, flags were hoisted and they were off, sailing across the sea. This was a very hot and intense day of work but everyone finished the day with a great sense of accomplishment and pride in their rafts. Afterwards, in celebration the group loaded onto another (larger) boat and "discoed" the night away.

Tomorrow morning friends will part either for the free weekend with friends and family or a relaxing weekend at the Shlomi Youth Hostel. The whole group will meet back up Sunday afternoon in Tel Aviv... but that is for next time.

Stay Tuned.

Ari