July 22 Today I actually slept until 7:30! For those who know me that is very late. Now I am having a whole new experience in Israel: an immersion into local life. I went with my cousin Ette and 3 of her 4 children to a Moshav to participate in a three hour nature hike. It was coordinated by teenagers from the Moshav to commemorate the passing of one

of the members who was an 18 year old Israeli soldier who lost his life. They decided to make a yearly ( this was the first) nature hike for families to enjoy. Several times we had to stop and the children participated in an activity that mirrored the young man's beliefs in some way. Unfortunately for me, they spoke very quickly and I did not understad much of what was said. What was also interesting was a Baptist settlement that was also on the grounds in which we hiked. Today I went to a lovely park in Ramat Gan with Liat and her little boy. It was a large park complete with safari zoo. What I enjoyed most was just watching families have fun. people enjoying the day, being normal and free.