Work

I've been on Kibbutz for almost 3 weeks now. I'm starting to find my "routine". I have been working in G'dash (gidulei Sadeh-field work) consistently now. I enjoy the work more than the other jobs I have done. At first I worked in the dining hall, cleaning tables, emptying trash, serving food. Not for me. Then I worked with landscaping, picking up branches and leaves and weeding. I really liked working in the sun and with my hands. Then, I was told to work in the fields because they needed "serious workers". Field work is hard. Not hard in the sense that it is difficult or challenging, but rather, physically hard. I work for around 9 hours (6:30 AM-3:30 PM), with a break for breakfast and lunch. I have been working with prepping the fields for harvest, and with the irrigation systems-moving pipes from one row to another, laying plastic tubes, cutting the tubes in order to attach a main pipe to bring the water to the tube, connecting the plastic tubes to the main pipe....and then moving on to the next row of the field. So far I have worked in the cilantro fields, the tomato fields and the dill fields. Today I worked in the dill field. I sat in the back of a plow. My job was to guide the plow so it plowed between the rows of dill. Plowing on each side of the dill plants allows for the plants to grow stronger and healthier. Sounds fairly simple...and it is. After 10-15 meters I jump off the plow in order to clear away the accumulated dill stalks. It crazy to think about how much dill I tossed to the sides of the tractor...bunches and bunches (a cluster of dill at a US supermarket costs around $3..I would estimate that I tossed the equivalent of $5635 [+/- $3] worth of dill today). It was really muddy today so by the time I went to eat breakfast, I was COVERED in mud. I am writing this post in my my once muddy clothing, which are now only dirty, for they have now dried from the days sun.
After work I have time to write, read, think and sleep. I try not to sleep during the day, because I need to get to sleep early to make sure I get enough sleep before waking up at 5:20 AM.
I like the manual labor. I feel like I am really contributing to the kibbutz, and not in a lofty intangible way. By jumping off a plow to clear away dill stalks, I am ensuring the success of the dill crop. Simple.
I received my army profile (a number which rates your physical and mental ability to serve in the army)- 97, which is the highest possible. That means that I will be able to serve in most units in the army. Now that i have a profile, my next step is to take the Gibush (physical test) to get into the paratroopers. I'm one step closer....