I waited…

… and it finally came!

DB made it very clear from the beginning of his year at Mechinah (first year of college/study before going into the army) that he was not ready for me to see where he learned and slept and ate. I gave him his space and waited for him to come to me.

Well, it happened. Last week he asked if I would be interested in taking a ride up to Eli, the yishuv where he has been studying for the past school year. I contained my absolute excitement and replied calmly, “Of course, sure!”

Sunday morning we drove off with DB at the wheel to see where he has been spending his time these past months.

The drive is long and windy. We drove past several Arab villages and the Israeli yishuv called, Ofra, where I spent my first week in Israel when I came on my first trip to Israel with NCSY in 1982.

He pointed out details of places he had hiked and run and played in the snow. Eli is spread out over a series of mountain tops. DB pointed out the home where his Rav lived and several other rabbim. He proudly showed me the Beit Midrash, where he sat and how the room was used. He took me to the cheder ochel (dining room), showed me how the tables are usually set up, and then took me into the kitchen. The boys in this school make the food, clean their own dishes and take a lot of pride in their roles. From there we went down to his “dorm room”, which is one caravan amongst many. The door was wide open and his things (as well as his roommate’s) were strewn all over the place. DB did not seem to be worried about that, as if to say, “This is how we do it here, who’s going to take anything?”
He was very proud of his narrow bed in the corner, his closet where he kept his things and the collage of stickers (from the chip bags I had sent back with him every time he came home) he had begun on the water heater hanging over his bed. I tried not to laugh! All I could think about was how all his American friends would have faired in a place like this. To DB, this was luxury and I felt so proud of him for that!

After loading up the car with his very dirty and dusty stuff, he drove me to the enjoining mountain tops to see where his other Rabbim lived as well some of the hikes they had taken during the year.

He is very excited to be going back for another 6 months in September.

His army date is March 2009. In the meantime, we will enjoy him being around more often and loving where he is.

Do I sound like a proud Momma?! I am! So proud J