The Whole Time I Was Thinking...What a Great Blog Post This Will Make

The past few days have been really incredible as far as new experiences go in the Holy Land. And it's true, and I talked to Seffi about it so you know it must be, that everywhere I went I was just imagining how exciting this will be for my blog. I know it won't live up to expectations, or the brilliant thoughts I had in my head at the time, but it will have to suffice.

Thursday was our last Freshman Writing class, and it was quite a celebration. It was cold in the classroom when we arrived so I started out the class with jumping jacks and up-downs, so I was wide awake and all riled up by the time class started. Our teacher wanted to meet with us individually, so the rest of the time we all just watched funny videos on the computer or danced around. My teacher liked my paper too, even though I realized that Adam has a much better grip on the Oslo Accords than I do.

Thursday afternoon was not particularly productive, but I won't count time I enjoy wasting as wasted time. I napped, I snuggled, I napped more. Then it was time for girls' football practice! We got official positions (I'm a center!) and we learned a real play! I have truly missed the feeling of playing on a team, and even that feeling before practice of UGH I SO DON'T WANT TO GO, and then loving every minute of practice.

We got back in time for dinner at home, and we had PIZZA SQUARES!!! YESSS! And then I showered and my room was empty so I sat in my towel for a good hour on facebook, which was delicious. Then I got all ready to go out and put on a really cute outfit. I ended up getting sucked into a showing of V for Vendetta, but the movie was super weird and disturbing. I wasn't in the right mindset for something so provocative, so I left after about 45 minutes with the intent of going out to the bars. I didn't get more than ten steps though, and ended up sitting outside the auditorium with Brian and Meir for a good hour. I had wanted excitement and variety, but a chill night is probably just what I needed in retrospect.

On Friday, I woke up for breakfast and then we all had to go to a talk about Conservative Judaism with Jules Gutin, the International Director of USY. The talk did not really enhance my understanding of the world in any big way, and I thought that the content was limited, if it existed at all. I would have liked a really thought provoking lecture, because I am actually questioning my status as a conservative Jew, but it just wasn't there. I was lucky enough to be sitting next to Rachel and behind Debbie though, so I was happy.

We had lunch, we got ready for Shabbat, and I watched Adam shave a Yankees symbol into the back of Joey's head, because he lost a bet about the World Series. Boys are stupid.

Before Shabbat started, I agreed to go to the shuk with Seffi, Josh, and Debbie, even though I really needed (and..um..still need) to do homework. We saw an art fair on the way to the shuk, so we detoured and found that the art was really incredible and beautiful. Lots of nice jewelry, paintings, purses, everything. Apparently it's going to be there every Friday! I will definitely be going back for gifts.

Kabbalat Shabbat services were nice because Judah led, and he wants to be a cantor, and he is really amazing. I don't like the shul on base here though, and I definitely don't like the rabbi there. He always brings his kids and they are so out of control! They were climbing on the bima like it was a jungle gym and opening the ark at random times! It was so weird. And then the rabbi interrupted his own sermonette to yell at the little kids to wait outside! Bizarre.

After services, we all went to dinner together and then to the tisch. I really love the tisch atmosphere, with the crazy singing and banging on the tables. I've learned a lot of new songs already too, which is great. I sat there and watched some people get up and dance wildly and I wondered why I wasn't one of those people too, but I just felt like staying seated that night I guess. I've completely let go of USY-the tisch isn't a ruach session. Time to move on!

After the tisch, all the girls went down to floor -2.5 for a slumber party! We weren't technically allowed to sleep there, but we had junk food and we played ten fingers and told funny stories. At one point, the boys did a raid and lined up on floor -3 (the room on -2.5 looks out over -3) and they yelled a song at us while saluting. It was adorable, and we all squealed like piglets when they tried to break into our room. The sleepover got a little too loud and honest for me after an hour and a half though, and I removed myself from the situation for a game of dice and chilling out before bed.

On Saturday, I went to Yakar with Rachel, and Cori, Judah, and Sara met us there. It was a lovely service as usual, and I'm glad that Rachel liked it! The slow, spiritual, uncommon tunes aren't for everyone. We started getting a lil sleeps during the Torah service, so we took a nice stroll down the street and I showed them the tree that interested me so much last week. When we got back, I read the parsha in English and I was HOR-RI-FIED. HORRIFIED! The perversion and pessimism in that portion (Vayera) was OUT OF CONTROL. It is nice that God visits the sick and Abraham welcomes in the weary travelers, but it is NOT NICE AT ALL that Lot's daughters sleep with him. I was upset. And then they both had babies, and I was even more upset.

We walked home, we ate lunch, and I sat with Brian--but this caused drama! Adina really wanted to sit next to me during lunch (I wanted to sit next to her during the tisch but the universe just is not aligning for us right now), but then I wondered: is she just hanging out with me for the fame and glory? Am I just a blog post shout out to her? And I thought, even if I am just a gateway to stardom for her, I don't care; I want to sit next to Adina enough at meals that I am willing to be used. Also, she said she likes my earrings, remembers the names of my family members, and knows what I do on Sunday nights in Rochester, NY. So I'll take it.

After lunch, the Kehilla group had a study session with Jules Gutin. He asked, what if someone could prove to you that the stories in the Torah never happened? There was a general consensus, I thought, that it would not affect everyone's religious beliefs too much because we take the Torah as a divinely inspired document meant to teach us morality. My personal feeling is that the whole idea of proving religion is exactly what we should try to not do, and that we should rely on faith and belief. My faith has grown extremely strong here and I am very comfortable with the idea that God exists and that the Torah is a holy document because it's what I want to believe. It's not like wanting to believe that it can snow when it is 65 degrees out, because it can't. It's just that I have this faith and hope that God exists and that's enough for me.

A highlight of the study session was definitely when Seth made a parallel to penguin families and Adam, who was sitting between me and Seth, interrupted Seth to correct him by saying, "Have you SEEN the penguin movies?" I'm still laughing. You might have to know them.

The break between the study session and mincha was over before it even started. We davened mincha as a group, ate a little seudah shlishit, and did maariv and havdalah. Havdalah was nice, and Ariella led it, and I was in a little hug circle with all people that I love so so much.

After all of this, there was a mad rush to shower and prepare for the Yitzchak Rabin memorial ceremony. It has been 14 years since his assassination, and every year there is a ceremony in Kikar Rabin in Tel Aviv. There were projectors everywhere of the speakers (everyone on the left was there...Tzipi Livni included!) but they didn't have subtitles! The only speech I understood was Barack Obama's video message, which was LOADED with political content. Apparently the speeches were all really left-wing, political, and anti-right/anti-religious. I walked along the blocked-off streets next to Kikar Rabin with people during the speeches, visited the memorial, ate a delicious magnum bar, and listened to the concerts. Hadag Nachash played at the end so that was cool, even though I was so envious of all the people who knew all the words to these Hebrew songs!

I slept the whole way back to Jerusalem, loaded my pics to fb, and went straight to bed, which was a great decision. I woke up 8.5 hours later in time for a lil breakfast, a lil homework, a lil snugglin, a lil art history. Art History was cool today because we learned about Israeli art in the 1920's, which is significantly more interesting from an artistic point of view than Israeli art in the very early 1900's.

I spoke to Yossi and Elkana after class and they put my mind at ease about several issues that had previously been troubling me. I enjoy talking to both of them very much and I trust and respect them explicitly as authority figures. It is nice to know I am in such good hands.

I then ran out to the supermarket for a little shop shop, and then I attempted to do homework but ended up filling out my USY on Wheels job application! Vote for me!!!

Now I am about to go for another study session with Jules Gutin. Wish me luck!