1/16/14: TU BSHVAT ABAYUDAYA-STYLE

1/16/14: TU B'SH'VAT

Tehillah and Joanie

This morning we went to services.  The other American visitors took photos in the Shul, so we will get them at some point.  After this we planted ten palm trees for TU B'SHVAT.  The story Yehudah tells is that when we arrived he asked Reb Gershom what they were planning to do for Tu B'sh'vat.  Reb Gershom said they had never done anything for this New Years of the Trees.  From that small conversation he was inspired to begin celebrating the holiday with tree planting and purchased 10 Palm Trees to plant along the driveway leading to the Guest House.  If they survive it will be beautiful.
 Here are the photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I led "I am a Tree" and Hinei Mah Tov, which, by now, most everyone knows. I need to make a tape and send it to the congregation for next year.

Yehudah went off to teach CL to Hedy's English class in town while I stayed to teach the Talmud class, but it didn't happen, so, instead, I tried to use the computer but it wasn't strong enough to do much. What I finally learned was that I needed to shut down the machine and start it up again.  We haven't done that this whole trip.  It improved immensely and my wasted two hours with the slowness and nothing publishing or opening up changed.

I forgot to say I did the dishes after breakfast.  After lunch I watched the women looking for stones in the rice by sifting in pans, took some photos of them and the house. Here they are:

Food Prep area with sink piled with dishes

Stove in food prep area

living room with TV as centerpiece

View from living room into dining table

small dining table & refrigerator in corner

Our bedroom with net

Backyard dish drying rack and laundry

woman hired to wash clothing all day long

woman hired to sift rice of any stones

women's children

back of house is a busy spot

view of Guest House from back of our house

Big Goat Meat Pot

Neighboring kids 

This afternoon I am meeting with the women for another CL. Session, then at 6 pm I have a meeting with Kokasi to continue with the website.  Also at 5:30 pm Yehudit and I will try to Skype with Pam and Miko.

Yehudit and Joanie

A couple from South Africa, the fellow a Lemba, a Jew and the woman a Chabad born in Israel and raised in South Africa, visited the Kulanu folk for dinner at the guest house, so we wound up hanging out for a bit.  They are enroute and staying at a hotel in town.  The guy offered to buy the schools enzyme treatment bottles for their lavatories, which is a brilliant idea.  We use enzymes at home in our toilets.  Here are some photos:

Kulanu Visitor from NYC and Chabad Visitor from South Africa

Harriet's Husband and Kulanu Visitor from Australia

Lemba fellow from South Africa and Kulanu Visitor from NYC