Okay, so let me begin by saying, damn it is f***ing hot in Israel. Not that this is a surprise or anything, but I am just saying. Anytime my skin is in contact with anything it sticks to it, and as my grandmother would say, I'm "glistening". Actually, sorry, I'm just sweeting a lot. The shade that we put up the first day is actually very efficient in keeping us cool and shaded, but it still does not prevent the heat from wafting in and causing us to...

A nice layer of dust has settled on my skin since the first day digging and I think it will stay there until well after I leave Israel. If I were to bottle this trip it would be a combination of dirt, sweat, sunblock, hummus, and the fresh damp air that can only exist at 4AM. Now, after a good week of digging and sleep deprivation we have all gotten used to the swing of things. Our bodies seem to have grown accustomed to the 4 to 5 hours of sleep and 15-20 hou...

While hitting the snooze button for the fifth time this morning at 4 AM I came to the startling and slightly amusing realization that we are a lot like the 7 dwarves in Snow White here at Megiddo. We dutifully get up and catch the bus (well, most of us) and march across rocky, untamed terrain with little tiny pick axes and buckets ready to dig away at the earth. Granted we are not in a mine shaft, and there is no evil witch plotting to take down our beloved care...

Two words: Longest day EVER...f*** thats three words. So, waking up at 4 in the morning is not as bad as it sounds when you are jet lagged, but thinking about tomorrow, when I am already tired from a full day of hard labor is frightening. The warm Israeli air was coming in through the window all night, and even though the temperature during the day can get up to 100 degrees, it is very cool at night, getting down to the mid 60s. Perfect. The sun did not rise ...

Well, let me just tell you, Israel is a beautiful country. Aside from seeing guards with a couple of AKs there has not been much else to startle me. The people I have met so far are more than nice and very friendly. Upon leaving the Tel Aviv airport we ventured into the very hot bus that took us an hour north to the kibbutz (which ultimately lies about 10 minutes outside of Tel Megiddo). That bus, oh man. No words for how hot that bus got. It was about 85 d...