The Best Surprise

Yesterday was a fun day to be alive. We started off with early services, a half decent breakfast, and a sleepy ride to Hebrew U. Ulpan class was fun because we got to take a break from learning to sit in an auditorium with all the other summer Ulpan classes (real people, not just Nativers!) to sing songs for Rosh Hashana! It was a good way to split up the day, and everything went by quickly. After the singing, we went to a new classroom just to finish up the lesson and the windows were open and we could see all of East Jerusalem and hear the Muslim call to prayer from the minarets. It was a very interesting, Jerusalem-unique experience.

Jerusalem class was unusually engaging yesterday, as we focused on Jesus Christ and the advent of Christianity. We took a field trip to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which was just as unexpected inside as it is spelling-wise. We started off with a walk through a church held by the Ethiopian Christians and then we went into the place where Queen Helena of Constantinople declared the crucifixion of Christ to have taken place. It was very ornate and overwhelming and it felt very ancient. I went into a 2,000 year old tomb and I didn't like it at all and wanted to leave the moment I stepped inside the small cave/tunnel/tomb. On a more positive note, the mosaics there were just incredibly beautiful and detailed, and the architecture is really amazing, especially when one considers its age. I did feel out of place in the Church, but not unwelcome.

After all of this, we walked home from the Old City through the Mamilla Mall and I purchased wine at the supermarket for my Rosh Hashana host family! We are going to be given a meal by a host family and were instructed to bring a gift, and I just put the wine on the conveyer belt right next to my raisins and Cini-minis and I didn't even get carded! It was a very exciting experience. I think that I accidentally purchased a cheap wine, but hopefully they will appreciate the effort!

The day got better when Chen, my staff from last summer's visit to Israel, called to tell me she was outside the gates of Beit Nativ!! I ran downstairs to greet her and ran across the street despite lack of a crosswalk or break in traffic and threw myself into her arms. There is something about an Israeli greeting a friend that is unmatched by every other nationality I have ever encountered. It was the best hug I have quite possibly ever received in my life. I have noticed this phenomenon when friends greet each other in shul on Shabbat, but I had never experienced the sweet bliss of this salutation myself. It was great.

Seeing Chen was really the best surprise I could have ever dreamed of. She took me to a nearby cafe and we ate Shashuka outside (on her recommendation!) and it was the most delicious night. We talked about everything that had happened to us since last summer (she staffed Nativ 28 this past year) and it felt as though no time had passed. Chen just IS Israel to me, and I love her so dearly, and I am so happy whenever I am with her!

Then it was time for the proverbial "going out." We dressed to the hilt, spritzed and sparkled, made up our faces and perfected our hair. I wore my black stilettos and a mini skirt and a beautiful shirt that Samantha gave me and it was a really good decision because I felt like approximately 4,000,000 NIS. There was a group of Nativers that were playing pong in the park across the street, so we all started there with a big party in the park, which involved a lot of Lil Wayne and dancing and jubilation. At one point, a cop started lurking near by and we decided it would be best if we moved on from the spot, even though we probably weren't doing anything illegal (though I'm not sure and neither was anyone else so it was a good idea to veer on the side of caution), so we headed to Ben Yehuda. I ended up just hanging out outside with a bunch of friends for a few hours and it was great because I don't really like the bar scene here. Don't quote me on that in two months.

Back at home, I finally shooed the boys out of my room and I was left with Shara and Razie and we fell asleep. I was half awakened about an hour later by Ariella crawling into my top bunk with me and pleasantly surprised to find her still tucked under my arm at 7:30 in the morning. As a note for future snugglers-I am not usually willing to take on the role of big spoon. Ariella has a special power over me and it just makes sense that she is the baby spoon. But usually that is my job.

That takes us to this morning-services and three study sessions. I learned so much about Rosh Hashana! And now I am going to prepare physically for the holiday by washing and scrubbing and lotioning and making sure I am sparkling clean to bring in the new year!

I wish you a happy, healthy, sweet new year!!