Page 24 - Issue 13

easily we could
laugh with and at
them. We were
also surprised,
although not
pleasantly so, at
just how hard
mango picking is.
After our first
experiences in the
mataim it seemed
impossible to keep
going. To wake up before the sun, day after day, week
after week, to pick, prune, and paint tree after tree,
shura after shura, with only two shluks between them.
But we did it, we picked almost 20 thousand kilos of
mangoes, 240 litres worth of olive oil, and six dolvim of
avocados. and spent hours with the goat herd. It wasn't
easy, make no mistake. It was hot, sweaty, exhausting
work. But oh so worth it. We are stronger physically than
we were 2 months ago, as are the bonds between us,
and our connection with this beautiful place.

There is a sense of satisfaction and pride that
you feel after ten hours in the matayim that is hard to
describe. Buried under the pain of aching muscles and
the layers of sweat and grime there is a sense of wonder
as we look back at the halkot we pruned and see the
thousands of olives heaped in the dolvim. There is a
strange sort of joy found only in the brief hafsakot sitting
in the dirt and brambles singing ‘denis denis’ and
‘yotzim le tiyul’. Nowhere else can a peanut butter jelly
sandwich taste so good (never mind that it’s covered in
ant legs).

On most days, we had four hours of rest between
avodah in the mataim and peulot, which we packed with