Working time

Yesterday, Matti and I were sitting around at breakfast and were really board. We decided that we wanted to work for the kibbutz. So, we went to David, our Garin father and asked him if we would be able to work. He said yes and asked us where we would like. Without thinking twice, we both said the Refet or cow shed. The refet on the kibbutz is huge, with five areas for the cows that are going to be milked (3 times a day). There are also areas for the bulls (male cows and not real bulls) and an area for the baby cows. The final area of the refet is for the maternity cows and cows that are only a year old. Like any cow shed, the place of course smells, but you get used to it in a few hours. The really interesting thing about the refet is that all the sheds are spread out and they way you move them from place to place is through gates and fences, that can be rearranged within seconds to lead to a new place all together. Within, 30 min. we found ourselves in boots and following Hanrich, a kid our age, who works on the kibbutz and is from South Africa, leading us around and showing us what he does in a regular day.

The first thing we did was empty troughs. The way you do that is by taking out all the water, scrapping the sides clean and then refilling it with new water. The next thing we did was heard cows, from their homes to the milking area. This is the most interesting thing I've done in a while. The rules are that you cannot run after the cow or they will run away. You also can’t lead the cows, but must walk from the back. The other rule is that if the cows walk by a trough, they are allowed to drink and we can’t rush them because they are the merchandise. The next thing we did, after having a quick food break in the main office. There are some rules to follow however before you can enter the main office. The main rule is that your boots need to be clean. You can achieve this by taking a hose and spraying your shoes all over. After a quick meal we herded the rest of the cows (there are 5 areas where the cows lived and at this point we already had done 3). Then we went to lunch.

After lunch, Matti, Ben, Tomar, Alon and I decided that we wanted to go see a movie. We ended up going to Haifa to see the movie 2012. The movie is all about the 2012 apocalypse that is supposed to happen. The movie was good, but very Hollywood. The reason why we went to see that movie was because Ben is a big believer in the 2012 apocalypse and believes that the movie was an accurate portrayal of what will happen to us in 2012.

This morning, at 5:30, Matti and I work up to go to work. The day started with me and Heinrich having to capture a cow in order to move her to another home. We tried three times; each time the cow ran by one of us and off to the other side of the stable until finally the two of us and another man named Kenny helped us. The next thing we did was clean more troughs and cow poop from some of the floors. Then it was off to breakfast. When we came back, we (Matti, Heinrich and I) had to help round up two more cows and take them to the maternity area because they were 3 weeks away from giving birth. As we were finishing up the morning, by stacking towels (used to clean the utters from the cows after milking), Moma, our boss, comes in and tells us one of the cows are about to give birth and asked us if we would like to watch. Without a second thought, the three of us ran out and went to see. The whole birth took over 45 min. but in the end, we got to welcome a new baby boy calf into the world. All of us can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring us.