We seem to be at the end of the earth.

Dori spent last night with her friend in the Jewish Quarter. She got to our apt at 1130 this morning, and off we went. The purpose of our little trip is twofold: seeing the kibbutz she will call home for the next 2 years (and delivering the suitcase full of winter clothes we brought for her) and taking a little trip.

The kibbutz, Ein Dor, is located about 15 minutes east of the thriving metropolis of Afula, which is a fairly large (by Israeli standards) city in the Jezreel Valley. Sid lived in Afula for several months back in 1971; now Dori lives nearby. We stopped on the way at Abuloubous, Dori's favorite hoummous restaurant. I can see why she's crazy about it; it was excellent, and the felafel wasn't bad either. The portion was so big I couldn't finish mine, even with Sid's help, and I'm still (at 9PM) full. Then on to the kibbutz, which was the first founded after Israel became a state in 1948. The kibbutz world has undergone a seismic change in the last 15 years. Very few still follow the original communal model. The first thing to go was the children's houses. Then communal dining was offered for lunch only. Then private housing and rental housing. So Ein Dor has a "neighborhood" of private homes owned by outsiders who aren't members of the kibbutz. It's a great idea for people looking for affordable single family houses.

Dori's accommodations are not in the area of the nice single family homes. It's a dorm for 25 teenagers, with a common room in the middle, a large kitchen (with 2 microwaves, 2 toaster ovens, a panini maker and a 2-burner cook top), a small kitchen with just a sink and fridge, a boys' wing and a girls' wing. Two to a room. And I don't think it's been cleaned since they moved in 3 months ago. But, after all, they are teenagers. They will be in for a very rude awakening when they get into the army and have to maintain their barracks.

We stopped in to meet her host family. They do live in the nice neighborhood, in a large (by any standards) house overlooking the kibbutz fields with views of Mt Tabor, the Circassian village of Kfar Kama and Kfar Tavor. It's lovely. The family are delightful and have taken welcomed Dori as one of their own. These are the people she shares shabbat and holiday meals with, the ones she goes home to on her weekends off. She is in good hands.

It gets dark around 4PM at this time of year. We were still full from lunch so dinner wasn't on our agenda and we didn't want to be traipsing around on dark roads going nowhere in particular. We dropped Dori off at her dorm and then headed to our hotel, with the overly ambitious name of Pearl of the Valley.

The best thing I can say about this place is that it's only 5 minutes from the kibbutz. And it's clean. The room is spartan, which we are used to since we have stayed at kibbutz hotels often enough. But this isn't a kibbutz hotel. In fact we've been trying to figure out what its purpose is. It really is in the middle of nowhere, next to a gas station. I think we are the only guests. There is no restaurant or bar, no place to walk to for a meal or drink. The only shopping is the mini-mart at the gas station. I'm glad I'm not hungry.