...we kidnapped a stuffed stork from...

My morning yesterday started early.  I was up at 5:25, showered, fed, and out the door by 6:10.  I caught a bus to the Central Bus Station, another bus to Tel Aviv, and a third bus to the Tel Aviv University.  There I met another researcher on the stork project, and we got down to business.  We had a few obscure things to collect before we could begin our journey to the Golan.  Our first order of business was procuring a stuffed white stork from the collection at the University.  Normally you need to make a request well in advance and be affiliated with the University in some way, but it was so Israeli when, with a few connections and a few more phone calls we were able to take the only stork from the collection with us for a day in the field, all in a matter of minutes. Our next order of business was picking up a sizeable ice block of frozen fish, also secured free of charge through protectia.  After a few more hellos we were on our way.  We made the long drive up north (three hours, give or take) with a feathered friend in the back seat and some smelly fishies. After dropping off the fish, we began our rounds to the five stork nests in the Golan.

We saw a ton of birds flying around and also near a small pond, we found some eggs in a nest on the ground, and of course, we saw storks.  With the help of binoculars and a telescope, we got a good view of all of the stork nests.  We saw teeny tiny chicks, bigger chicks, and parents.  We also continued with a feeding project (hence the smelly fish) and did a bit of observation to see if the adult storks would be interested in the stuffed stork we brought along.  We talked to a lot of people who lived and worked around the nests, did a bit more driving, and made our plans to come back the following week to do at least some ringing and feather collection.  All in all it was a fun day: a breath of fresh air, long drives with pretty (albeit dry and yellow) scenery, a bit of catching up and munching, lots of birds, a couple of cows, and a few relaxing hours of sitting and waiting.

..I hitched a ride with...

As many (some...a few...) of you know, the past couple of weeks I have been in a bit of a limbo.  The dates for data collection for my research project fell on the same dates as my trip to the US.  There was a pretty good chance I would have to postpone my trip stateside to go to Germany and be part of the field team.  A dialogue between my professor, another student on the team, and myself led to a big question mark.  The professor said we would talk about it once he was back in town.  (He was in Germany, Spain, and around Israel for over two weeks).  As two weeks of waiting dragged on, I got emails saying it was really essential that I come to Germany, that there was a team of German students who could do the data collection, and that it would be helpful but not essential if I could go to oversee data collection--for this, it was noted, German language skills would be helpful.  As it stood, I wasn't needed in Germany, and pending a final word from the professor, I was planning on keeping my stateside trip.

Monday morning, as I was waiting for the bus, I heard someone call my name.  It was Ran, my professor.  It was so Israeli when I hitched a ride ("tremped") with him to the lab.  It was his first day back in the lab.  He was on his way to work after dropping off his daughter at school, and I was in desperate need of an appointment with him.  It couldn't have been more perfect.  We caught up on the past few weeks, discussed my research proposal, agreed that I wouldn't need to go to Germany, and talked about my experience in Israel thus far.  Since that morning meeting, he has been busy in this, that, or the other meeting, and at lunch yesterday, during a discussion amongst my lab-mates about Ran's return, it was agreed that I probably got the most undivided attention from him than anyone would get the whole week.  All in all, it was a much much much better option than riding the bus!

...my bus driver offered me...

all dolled up

You may remember that in January, I went to the engagement party of a lifetime.  Well Sunday night was the wedding.  It was fabulous, it was fun, but it wasn't quite as crazy as the engagement party.  Getting there, though...

The wedding hall was a short bus ride and then a few minutes walk away from my apartment.  After having worked a full day and running to the shuk for a bit of shopping, I didn't have much time to spare.  I quickly got dolled up and headed to the bus stop.  I made it just in time.  As I was getting on the (mostly empty) bus, the driver wished me mazal tov, a typical greeting for happy events (i.e. weddings, birthdays, engagements).  He could tell by my attire and the gift I was carrying that I was headed to one of these occasions.

Oshriti and some of the kiddies

I took my seat and began fidgeting a bit.  I started checking my hair, straightening my dress readjusting my shoes, before finally beginning to pick my teeth with the corner of the invitation, more so to pass the time than because they needed it.  At this point, the only people on the bus were a passenger at the front, the driver, and me about halfway back, .  I noticed a bit of a commotion at the front of the bus and then the other passenger started walking toward me.  It was so Israeli when the bus driver offered me a toothpick to ease my tooth-cleaning endeavor.  I laughed and accepted the gesture.  Next he offered the other passenger a stick of gum.  He asked me if I'd also like one, and although I declined, the passenger stood up to make another delivery.  (I still declined.)  It was quite funny, and thanks to them I had clean teeth and smiled my whole way to and through the wedding!  It was great to see my co-workers from preschool and some of the kiddies and parents there too!

…we pooled together our vegetables and had an unspoken…

For some people, the idea of sitting in a lab nonstop, pipetting, massing, boiling, freezing, and thawing isn't a dream job.  Lucky for me, though, my days are filled with much more than that.

My desk, complete with brand new computer,
snacks, a roll of toilet paper, and new school supplies.

I would say that the majority of my time is spent in the lab, but by no means the vast majority.  I have been doing a lot of reading the past two months; I am a mini-expert on white storks, and I am working on learning a bit about other birds too.  I also do my fare share of tiyuling (tripping, hiking, etc.); I am temporarily supervising a project in the Golan (in Hebrew) while the full-time supervisor is in Germany doing research; I am preparing for field work and feather collection in the Golan next month (I have to take a heights course so I can go up in the cherry-picker lift thingy); I attend random meetings (I shook the hand of the Minister President of Brandenburg Germany last week, there are articles here and here); and I am the resident English speaker.  Whether it's translating a word in a lunch conversation (the lab is majority Israeli with a postdoc from Spain and me, so when the postdoc is with us we speak English and when he's not we speak Hebrew) or proof reading a grant proposal, I get to do my fair share of editing and writing, which I have always enjoyed.  And in the lab I'm having a blast. 

I barely had any lab experience before starting here, and now I'm running my own trials with pretty good results.  My skill set and confidence are growing rapidly.  I feel settled into the lab, and I feel comfortable with my peers.  Even though we are working on a range of projects, some with no overlap whatsoever, we have a really strong dynamic; we all bounce ideas off each other, joke around, and eat lunch together in a circle in the grass every day.  It is so Israeli when we pool together our vegetables and have an unspoken chopping competition to see who can most efficiently cut miniscule pieces for our communal salad as we wait for our turn at the microwave.  My lab experience has been great so far, and I am looking forward to the next few years here!