For continued adventures:

This.

Final statistics:

Liters of Hummus eaten: Countless.

Shortest time running around the kibbutz: 15.54

First time running around the kibbutz: 21.07

Number of raw eggs consumed: 1

Things I've done "for science": 68

Mountains climbed: 1

Beaches visited: 4

Mish-mish picked: See hummus

Cigarettes smoked by proxy: 12

Kilos of bread eaten: See Mish-mish

Hours danced: See Bread

Average languages/sentence: 1.6

Record amount of money people have owed me at once: 140 shkelim

Nipples: 2

Stats in checkers: 3.4 wins per loss

Stats in Backgammon: 0.8 wins per loss

Stats in Chess: 1.5 wins per loss

Maximum distance swimmed in one day: 1500 meters

Bare asses slapped: 2

Covered asses slapped: 3

Shades of Grey: 50

People I've hitchhiked with: 17

People that have kissed me: 5

Girls that have kissed me: 2

Times played with fire: 3

Weight difference: -3 kilos

Men leaving sweden: 0

Boys returning: 0

Achievement unlocked: Horseback at the Sea of Galilee

Achievement unlocked: Floating in the dead sea

Achievement unlocked: Rafting on the Jordan River

People I've been compared to: Val Kilmer, Marilyn Manson, Mick Jagger, Every Horror Movie Villain Ever, Ringo Starr

Comment on any stats I should add.

The end of an era.

 And so I take my leave. Leaving the awesome people at Bar'am wasn't easy. People were crying, or in some cases, eating (seriously, Callin?). It's been great being there, and I'm going to miss all of you (except Callin.).

The bus ride to Tel Aviv was uneventful, except Windzer had borrowed my MP3 and not charged it (fucking southafricans), so I just sat in silence. Once I got there, I had Yshai waiting for me, he'd helped me find out about the train to Ben Gurion, we had to run to make sure we caught it, but we made it. One last goodbye there, and I'm off to the airport. There, I had about 6 hours until my flight, so I sat down, and read. My mom had sent me a book, so I just started on one end, and kept going until I reached the other. Interesting read, Änglarnas Svar (The Angels' Reply). Anyway, by the time I'd finished, it was around 3, and I got off to have my luggage rummaged through several times. I'd brought about a dozen bars of chocolate for my sister, and of course it looked like drugs/bombs/a mix on the X-ray machine. They even examined my shoes.

Soon enough, though, I'm off, flying. Thinking back on every memory, all the people, everything, until I doze off. All in all, I got about 3 hours of sleep that night. More time to contemplate things in Prague, though that is irrelevant - the real realisation begins above Denmark.

 I didn't realise how empty it felt, until I looked out from the plane, and saw the bridge separating Denmark from Sweden - I'd be crossing it soon, glad to get home, but just then I realised where I'd be waking up. I'd not get up to go to work, grumbling until I wake up, with team OC. I'd not be rubbing my ability to just roll over and go back to sleep in Alice's face when she woke up. I'd not get to spend the afternoon doing absolutely nothing with awesome people. There's a lot of people I've gotten used to, that I might never talk to again. That I'll never get to dance with, share a laugh, whatever. These are people, awesome people, from all over the world, and they're going back out there. Sure, Skype's there, but it's far from the same thing - with people conversation flowed like water, it would feel slow, forced, and so different from what I remembered. I felt the sadness creep up on me, embrace me, and pull me away from Bar'am.

I'm back with my lovely family - 3 people in a house the size of one of the volunteer buildings. It feels empty, despite them. It just takes some getting used to, like it took ages to get used to Bar'am. On the train home, it all hit me again - there were clouds in the sky, it had rained. The last time I saw rain was my first week at Bar'am. The forests were a different shade of green. It was far too flat, and the fields looked so odd. EVERYONE around me understood swedish - I couldn't have a candid conversation anymore. Seeing someone from my old school on the way to the car was weird. I think I've gone insane - I could have sworn I heard Callin's voice at the airport, and then saw Charlie on a bus in Sweden. Then... I was home. In my house again. It smelled weird - I'd never noticed that my house smelled like anything, at all. Then you're gone, you come back and notice it all. My sister came out to greet me, and it was like I'd never left. Cats jumping at me to cuddle with me, my sister's pet rats everywhere. And now I'm sat here, listening to the same music as I did the day after the Red Wedding. (Game of Thrones fans, you'll understand)

I don't know what to do with myself, now. Bar'am is just a memory. It carries on like it did before me, barely even registering that I was there. Now I'm back.

Life keeps moving, even if you're not ready for it.

Jalla bye.

"Windzer, do you find me sexually attractive?" "Yes!" "Damn it!"

Last blog entry from Bar'am. Feels so weird leaving this place after getting used to it. I'll have spent 111 days in Israel when I leave. Huh. Feels like just a month. And an eternity. I've been living here, getting into routines, will be difficult, leaving - all the stuff I now do, all the people I hang out with, the expressions I've started using, hebrew words... All that will be out of place back in Sweden. How will I adjust back to "normal" life?

I'll certainly miss everything here - the environment, the people, the heat, the feeling... Being able to go outside and look at Lebanon. Not having to cook or do laundry. Hitchhiking... I'll miss Israel, and Bar'am. I mean, it will be fun seeing all my friends and family back in Sweden as well, and compare tans, of course, but... Mixed feelings, certainly. Who will I keep in touch with? Who will keep in touch with me? Who will I keep touching? I don't know yet, but I guess I'll find out soon enough. It's really been an adventure, though. And I think it's changed me a lot. For the better. I can do nothing but recommend that others visit a kibbutz as well, especially Bar'am. Ask for a job in the orchards. Tell them the Crazy Swede sent you.

See y'all soon, especially if you live in Sweden.

Alex out.

"What, are you nuts?!" "Yes." "Alright then."

Last night, something weird happened. We're not sure what, and rumors are running rampant. But the pub closed over an hour early, and guys with loaded guns just told us to go back to volunteer's, and lock the door just to be safe. I was terrified for a while there. But it seems it's all back to normal now. And we had a good time until then at least - loads of dancing as usual. And I did something new...

I don't think I've even mentioned this here before, as I wanted it to be a total surprise for the people back home (Hi mom!), but last night was AWESOME. About 3 weeks ago, I started doing poi – pretty much just a ball at the end of a string you swing around, and that alone looks pretty cool. (”You look like a gay ninja, man!”)

With fire, it's a completely different story.

 Lighting of the fire...

 Getting started...

 Spinning like mad!

 WOOSH!

 Spinning!

 Yshai, my mad teacher, being awesome.

 Bad. Ass.

 Now back to me.

Suddenly I'm Sauron?

 It's not as hard as it looks.

  

 Yshai taking over once I'm done.

The films will be uploaded later.

See y'all!

Last few days

Yesterday was my last day of work - today I've done pretty much nothing. Practicing for something I might upload on saturday, and then slept and lazed around. It was a good day. Pictures from my last day...

 Shaun, the handsome bastard.

 Callin looking awesome in his hat. :D

 Me looking sexy as always. Can't work with a shirt on in this heat...

 New thing these guys invented - the jewish gun, due to the amount of religious jews we've seen here, so long locks of hair, and then the rest just trimmed short.

 Deborah mounting Callin. Callin is less happy.

 Windzer joins in for some ass smacking.

 And then apparently wants some of the same treatment himself...

 Callin doing the very best photobomb I've seen in ages. Without him, it would have been a good photo. Now, it's just hilarious. I'll miss these guys.

 Deborah trying and failing to build a teepee...

 Maddafacka boss, Daniel is the greatest guy I've worked for so far. Really nice, and makes TERRIBLE jokes all the time. I'll miss him.

 Windzer at his coolest.

 And here's all of us gathered, except Leben and Omer weren't there that day. They're awesome as well - Velcro man, and Velcro boy. And Callin is Chocolate boy, of course.

Photobomb... Again...

And we always sleep in the back of the van on the way back. Windzer's hair is so nice...

And that's all I have, nothing new's happening, pub night, then tomorrow is another lazy day. Ta ta!

The beginning of the end

I have less than 2 weeks left here, and it just feels really strange. I currently have the room to myself, since my roommate is at her boyfriend's place. Woo, no-pants-zone! So what has happened since last time? I have gotten a new roommate, obviously. Alice, from the US. On her first night here, I introduced her to a guy who would later go on to become her boyfriend. She was single for 3 days here. That's a new record right there. The member she's with right now (as in, I won't see her again until he goes back to his military base), Eliran, is a really cool guy, and they fit so well together. Me, his brother, and my old roommate set them up.

And Alice gave me a haircut, which is nice. I now look like Ringo Starr except right after work, when my hair's always a sweaty mess. Mainly due to my awesome australian (made in china) hat I wear there. I can't believe I only have 2 days there left... Then I only have freedays until I leave.

Hmm... We have some new volunteers, 2 irish people, that seem really nice. Eda and Emma.

Other than that... We went rafting on the Jordan River, all the people at my workplace. A dozen all in all, on 4 different rafts. It took maybe 4 hours, and it was awesome. So much fun. Talking, and laughing... No cameras, though. Everything got soaked.

Michael, the australian, turned 25 today. Yesterday we had his surprise birthday party, cake and champagne and everything. Went splendidly.

And the pub's finally opened again. After 2 months of it being closed, it's back in business, and it looks great. People were wild - more than twice the usual crowd dancing, everyone having a good time, and now, in the aftermath, rumors are flowing free around the kibbutz. Who did what with whom? Will we ever know for sure?



(Yes. It was all really obvious who got together with who.)








(Me and Esteban. In the bathroom. Hazmat suits needed.)