Hagshama - noun, verb; self-actualisation. The process of moving forward...

Hi all! As we move from one period of our Shnat year to another, there is both a feeling of melancholy and excitement in the air. We are all super excited to move to Revivim, where we will be spending just a few short weeks before going to Poland. But we've had to leave the Machon programme in the beautiful Jerusalem first, along with all our friends from England and America, and those with other youth movements leaving for different parts of the country. This photo was taken during our last week with them, on our Sikkum Tiyul. After a crazy country-wide Amazing Race for a day, we went to the gorgeous Banana Beach.

We also had a massive Machon party to say farewell. In between the twins from South Africa, the giant American, and the practically twins from Australia, we're all really going to miss our friends from the Machon! In between great times we had and huge amounts we learnt, there was a huge amount we gained from this part of the year, and a lot we realised about both ourselves as people and as a movement.

I - of course - went hiking during our chofesh period! The hiking culture here is really great. This time a group of 6 boys and myself went to the Sataf - the hills on the outskirts of Jerusalem, and finished in Abu Ghosh, an Arab village famous for its delicious hummus. The weather was almost unbearably hot, but it was lots of fun anyway.

The history of Israel stretches back almost further than we can comprehend, and this tunnel tucked away in the Safat stretched back for a really long time too! It was an ancient waterway, but today is just a tourist attraction for those brave - and skinny - enough to fit through it.

Its the bear necessities - prickly pears are starting to ripen! This cactus is the subject of an infamous metaphor about Israelis, or Sabras. Hard and prickly on the outside, yet sweet and delicious on the inside, they seem to grow everywhere from the deserted deserts of the South to the pine-covered hilltops of the North. Can't wait to try one of these supposedly delicious fruits!

I love these passion fruit flowers that can be found growing wild everywhere! I love their exotic beauty and crazy shape....pity they are a weed in New Zealand.

To my great excitement, we got to see both Hadag Nachash and Matisyahu in concert - it was sooooo good!

Back on Tiyul after a long chofesh break, we had a great bonding experience by the Kinneret. As a kvutsah, we got to build a giant raft and then sail it across the lake! The best part was the watermelon and waterslide park that we went  to afterward - pure fun and deliciousness! We'll soon be heading off for Kibbutz Revivim, to continue our kvutsah (group)  building, and experience a part of the traditional chalutziot (pioneering) way of life. After a fantastic week-long History of Habo and Hagshama Sem, we're all ready to jump into this next phase of the journey.

Until then,
Sarah