I love Shabbat

Shabbat was everything I had dreamed it would be and more. I slept for about 14 hours, celebrated Laura's birthday, ate homemade banana bread, watched Titanic (okay, not the most Shabbos friendly fun but such a great movie), and had great girl talk on Friday night with Sarah, LeeAnn, Ally, Miri, Laura, Debbie, Becky, Ilana, and Seth!

After Shabbat I had a great dinner with friends and then Leslie surprised me and I hung out with her and Joe.

Life is so good right now : )

The Rest of Italy and The Day that Lasted All Day and All Night and All Day

We arrived in Venezia on Sunday evening and took a water bus (it’s actually a bus boat!!) to our “tourist house.” The tourist house is a unique lodging feature without a person at a desk on the ground floor. We picked up our keys and paid about a five minute walk from the house itself and then we let ourselves in and locked up behind us. Supposedly there are other guests here; there are about six rooms and there is evidence of a daily maid.

After getting set up in our little house, we sought out dinner. We aimed to find a place that would be discounted because of this little pass we bought, but we were so cold and hungry that we gave up and ended up sitting down somewhere with heat and margherita pizzas...story of my life.

We ended up having a very nice dinner and we walked a little bit outside around the bridges and canals. Venice is everything I dreamed it would look like and more. I’m glad we came during an off-season because there are no lines and no crowds, but I can see this city being so incredible and vibrant during warmer months. For climatical reasons, Adina, Rachel, and I retired early to our tourist house, showered, and snuggled up for The Hangover. Joshy surprised us too!

Speaking of Group #2, there have been some shifts in groups. Saturday was our last night in Florence and we had planned to hang out with the group previously known as Group #1 as well as Meir and Jacob. Once we met up with the boys, the group previously known as Group #1 told us straight out that they didn’t want to hang out with us! We were surprised and despondent. In our moment of sadness, Meir and Jacob came up with a brilliant plan, promoting themselves to the Group #1 spot and subsequently demoting the group formerly known as Group #1 to Group #3. The brilliant plan involved hanging out in the beautiful Monna Lisa Hotel lobby for about an hour and visiting with the mothers who were both entertaining and endearing.

This morning we rose at a responsible hour, thanks to everyone else in the group. We took a water bus to the Jewish Ghetto where we toured three synagogues (German, French, and Spanish origins) with a non-Jewish tour guide who was actually great. We learned so much about the history of the Jewish community in Venice, which started around 1516 when Jews were invited to the city from Germany to be money lenders. The Jews were kept in a small square, which we saw, and they were locked on the little island at night. The only professions open to them were money lending and medicine, and doctors were not locked in at night, nor did they have to wear a distinguishing garment when they exited the ghetto during the day. The name “ghetto” actually comes from Venice, because “jetto” is the Venician word for “foundry,” which is where the Jews were placed, but they couldn’t say the “j” so it became “ghetto.” The three synagogues were all unique, but the Spanish one is still in use and much larger and richer than the other two we saw. I learned about the French “Canton” synagogue in Art History at Hebrew U so that was actually so exciting to see the twisted columns reminiscent of the columns in Solomon’s temple.

After the synagogue tours, we boarded another water bus and went to Murano Island to see the glass museum. It was a really, really freezing cold and windy day. We found warmth in a cafeteria near the museum, got lunch, and braved the cold to return to the museum. The museum had some beautiful pieces of glass art and I enjoyed the walk around. We continued on our tour by reboarding a water bus and going home to the Rialto Bridge.

We had a quiet evening in Venice at a diner-like restaurant. We didn’t want to pay for the supid “aqcua minerale” so we brought our own plastic water bottles and refilled in the bathroom and drank it sketchily behind the waiter’s back. It was very high school house party, but funny at the same time. The night ended with Miss Congeniality and a much needed shower.

The next morning we set out to find the San Marco Palace. We asked countless people for directions and couldn’t find it, and Adina even got yelled at for not saying “bonjourno” and “scusi” first. In our moment of despair, two gondola rowers found us and offered us a deal we could not resist: just 10 Euro each! The cold was not unbearable at that point, so we embarked on a gentle journey around the picturesque Venice canalways. Our gondola man was really nice and informative and the ride was just perfect, and not even cold! Definitely a highlight of the trip.

Our nice gondola man even took our group picture and pointed us in the right direction of San Marco when the ride was over. Instead of going into the palace though, we just toured the free church, which was gorgeous and elaborate of course, and saw the palace from the outside. It started snowing while we walked out to the open waterway and the whole scene was one hundred percent beautiful. We took a water bus from San Marco to McDonald’s Island, a much needed stop. Once on McDonald’s Island, we located the mothership easily and dined like kings. McDonald’s Island is not actually called that, for future Venice travelers, I just don’t remember what it is really named and that’s what we were calling it the whole time anyway.

We picked up our bags from the tourist house after McDonald’s and took our last water bus to the train station. The train took us to Bologna, and we enjoyed a snowy rural landscape on our way from the comfort of our warm compartment. In Bologna, we located the proper bus, boarded, rode, and landed at our Imperial Hotel. The hotel was perfect. We gave up immediately on going out somewhere for dinner because of the wintery weather and dined instead in the hotel, and it was very good. Then we played with each other and enjoyed the free wifi. In the morning, we downed the free, delicious breakfast, and I even illegally took an apple to go. I forgot about the apple though, and only just found it two days later while waiting for an absurdly long time at the Malpensa Airport in Milan! What a nice surprise!

Our day in Bologna consisted of checking our bags at the train station, walking to the old city, window shopping along the way, and checking out the university which is actually the oldest in Europe. The day was just what we needed: cold but clear and sunny, interesting but not educational, occupied but not jam-packed. Our train out of Bologna to Milan ended up being cancelled so we had to spend a little more and wait a little longer, but I was in good spirits so the Cancellato did not bring me down.

The train to Milan had compartments like we were hoping, but it was terribly distressing when we were all split up into different ones! My compartment smelled like smoke, but my compartment companions were quiet and unobtrusive. I had a window seat which was lovely, and the sunset was so red and pink over the snow covered fields! Milano Centrale was the last stop, and we reconvened there in the majestic station.

The walk to our guest house took us through a shadier side of the city than I would have loved, but the rooms were very nice, included free internet, and were inexpensive. We got into Milan kind of late because of the surprise train cancellation, so we went out for a later dinner near the guest house and then returned for an episode of Friends and sleep.

Today, Thursday, was a big, wonderful day. We started with 7:30 am wake up and we were on the Metro soon afterward on our way to Cadorna. From there, we walked to The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci!! We had reservations thanks to Rachel’s superb planning skills, and otherwise we would not have been able to see it! The painting was really cool, especially since whenever I picture Jesus I think of him the way he is depicted in it, and also after reading The Da Vinci Code it is truly a must. The whole trip here I was kind of wishing I had read it more recently, but still I remember bits and pieces.

We stopped for a leisurely breakfast complete with creme croissants and hot chocolate and then we walked past a really big castle and then we went to the Brera Art Gallery. We saw The Kiss and also The Marriage of the Virgin, as well as all the other paintings. It was a really great gallery and very stimulating. From there we walked to the Scala Opera House but didn't get to see the inside, and then we walked through a nice shopping area to the Duomo. The Duomo was very elaborate and beautiful especially on the outside, and it had some great stained glass from the inside. We shopped afterward and made our way slowly back to our guest house. After some last pee breaks and internet checks, we walked to the train station where we picked up our shuttle and we were off to the airport!

The airport process was filled with waiting, and everything just took so much longer than it really had to. We got there at 7:30 pm, which was perfect, but then there were lines for the questioning and lines for the bag check and lines for passports and we just waited around sooo much. We saw Groups #2 and #3 in line, and we kept each other company. I worked a little on this blog post and had a little nosh and finally it was time to get on the plane home!!!

The flight was fine, and my ear didn't bother me. I slept, I ate, I listened to music. The usual. We landed at 3:30 am and Adina yelled out, "Glory, Hallelujah, we are HOME!" and I almost cried I was so happy. The plane had stairs to the ground instead of a tunnel right to the door of the plane and I kissed Israel out of joy the second I stepped foot on land. We waited in more lines at the airport and finally it was time for the final leg of the journey-the 45 minute sherut ride home to Jerusalem. It was 4:30 am by this time, but I couldn't sleep because I was so excited to be in Jerusalem again.

Today, which is technically Friday but feels like the same day I wrote about Thursday, I woke up at 7 am for breakfast and to go to the clinic. The weather and sunshine totally invigorated me and the walk to the clinic was really nice. I talked to a very intelligent sounding doctor who was able to clean out my ear and take a good look, and apparently I have a perforated tympanic membrane and I need further care. This information concerned me a great deal but I got drops for the immediate infection and Meir distracted me with clever conversation on the way home. I slept for another hour, and now I'm awake, and it's lunchtime, and soon it will be Shabbat.

Shabbat has never been a more welcome day in my entire life!!!!

There's no place like home!!!! <3

The Update

Shavua Tov, friends!!

Today we are off to the sinking city...Venice!!! It is supposed to be freezing there (like sooo cold!!) and not only are gondolas outside but they're also really expensive. I'm apprehensive, and bundling up! We'll be there for two nights but about three days. I'm looking forward to the train ride though because the seats are really really comfy!!

Before braving the elements in Venice we have to check out of Archi Rossi, the best thing that ever happened to hosteling in all of Europe. Then we are going to the Academmia to see the David!!!

My ear is feeling better still, but I don't have any more antibiotics after this morning! Hopefully that's okay....!

Firenze Friday

Today was another great day in Florene. We got up for breakfast with the boys at the hostel and went on our hostel's other free walking tour. We learned a lot more about the buildings we pass by everyday, and the tour guide was very cute and sweet. It has been cold but gorgeous blue skies and very pleasant.

After the walking tour, we headed to the Jewish area for lunch and to scope out the synagogue situation. We got some kosher deli meat in our system and spoke a little Hebrew...always nice to have some familiar tastes and sounds!

I split off from the group to track down the ever elusive Meir at his hotel. The party had not yet checked in so I used the nice Toilette and wrote a note to leave with the reception desk. So old school! I was disappointed not to have caught him but so excited that I got to leave a note because it's way more romantic than a phone call.

I walked around the city for an hour trying to track down a libreria that sold English books but had no success. The store clerks weren't that nice about it either. Sorry I don't speak Italian. I've noticed that my standards for etiquette and Italian standards are very different. I'm not saying I'm more polite (because let's be honest, I don't live up to my own standards of etiquette), I'm just saying that a very polite person in Italy would not necessarily be considered one in America as well.

I circled back to the hotel to check one more time before retiring to my hostel on the other side of town. Instead of finding the ever elusive Meir, I instead encountered a Jacob with a new earring and haircut! I said hello and good bye and nice earring and haircut.

Now I am having a little laptop time (check out new facebook pics!!!) in the hostel with my girlies before Shabbat begins. The plans are: services at the beautiful synagogue, dinner with all our friends (and all the other people we don't know) at Chabbad, chillin, sleep at the hostel, services on Saturday, lunch with Chabbad again, and then climbing the duomo bell tower. Solid goals!!

Update on el sangre en mi oreja: the ear continues to improve, I think. I have a little ringing and still sooo much congestion, so I can't hear. Anything. Still a little awkward when I have to ask what is being said in the conversation (especially if the conversation is tense!) or, like just now, when Adina told me a story but I couldn't see her so I thought she was talking to Debbie and completely missed the entire thing. Good times.

Shabbat Shalom!!!

Friends are the Best Medici(ne)

Feeling so much better!!! My ear stopped bleeding today and now it just feels annoying. I can't hear out of it much, so I have to stand on the left of the group so I can hear what is going on in conversation using my right ear. The main point I would like to make, however, is that I'm feeling better and plan on continuing this pattern of improvement.

Yesterday I got to see Julia and Korones. What perfect timing. Familiar faces were just what I needed, and Julia showed me around Florence a bit, we stopped in a bookstore and I read from "Twitterature" which I definitely recommend you all check out because it was hilar, and then we went to the beautiful Syracuse abroad campus. The campus was gorgeous, and I was just really happy to be there with Jules. I ended up falling asleep on her shoulder and she put me on a couch in a dark, warm room for two hours to have a lil nappy. By the time I woke up, it was time to walk back to the hostel. I got a little lost on the way so I stopped into a few bookstores and got a .70 euro vanilla ice cream cone from McDonalds, which was an excellent call. The night ended with spaghetti dinner at the hostel with the girls and laptop time.

Today we woke up for breakfast at the hostel and continued with a free walking tour. We got to see a lot of Florence's palaces and churches, and we heard some great stories and learned random facts. At our last stop, the Pitti Palace, we conveniently ran into Boy Group #1 and we walked to a gorgeous look out with them, got delicious pizza, crossed the Ponte Vecchio, and saw the Uffitzi Gallery. The Uffitzi was sooo great, and I was so happy to see the Botticelli paintings Birth of Venus and Primavera. They are really as beautiful as they are supposed to be. Also, I got this art book as a gift when I was younger and I'm pretty sure that Primavera was in it and I always used to make up stories about it and it was just so cool to see it in person. The museum also featured Rembrandts and da Vincis, and lots of pictures of baby Jesus. Cute.

After the Uffitzi, we walked home to our hostel. I really like the hostel, and free breakfast/wifi/dinner is just the greatest thing to ever happen to our eurotrip. Boy Group #2 changed their plans and they are staying here for the night also, and it's great that we can all hang out!

Fun day in Firenze with the Friends!

JANUARY

This post is not finished, but Ayelet asked so here it goes...

also, to get a current update on my situation skip to the bottom

After finals and a week of touring with Mama, Mary Beth, and Brianna, and then a week in Haifa volunteering at a day center for old people, I set off with Debbie, Adina, Rachel, and Ariella to conquer Italy. The rest of Nativ came too.

Before delving into the wonders of the European continent, I will just say a few words about the events that led up to this adventure. First, finals were pretty easy and predictable, and I’m glad I didn’t spend too much time or stress on them. Handing in my Talmud paper on Sunday was a really great feeling, and I loved kissing Bus 19 good bye on Monday night. I loved Hebrew U, my classes, my teachers, but Bus 19 was the bane of my existence. I’m so happy I had a university experience in Israel, and I’m also glad I’m not going back for another semester. It ended at a good point.

On Saturday night, Mama/MB/Brianna picked Meir and I up from Kibbutz Sa’ad, an amazingly gorgeous and idyllic kibbutz a stone’s throw from Gaza. We had an incredible Shabbat experience there, complete with Friday night services, dinner with Yemenite Jews, the sound of explosions in Gaza which at the time were coming from an unknown location, sleeping in, lunch with Yael’s family, a trip to the refet where the cows live, a baby cow sucking my entire hand like a pacifier, a trip with twin baby girls to the kibbutz petting zoo, and then the misery of trying to navigate for my mother.

Finally, the crew arrived on kibbutz and we all headed to Jerusalem. Once finals were over on Monday night, I spent the rest of the week touring the Old City, volunteering for the last time at Shalva, climbing Masada, floating in the Dead Sea, playing beer pong with a very talented and ballin Brianna, taking way too long at Yad Vashem, visiting the shuk and zoo, and spending Shabbat at the apartment in Bakaa. It was a winning week, aside from the catastrophic congestion and cold that ensued staring Friday morning and not ending until ever. On Saturday night, I had one last hurrah with B and then we all had to say good bye.

I had no time to dwell on farewells though, because I left for Haifa with 18 Nativers and Shosh early Sunday morning. There we met Barry, the nicest man I’ll probably ever meet, who coordinated our volunteer placements and afternoon programs. I helped out for four mornings at a day center for the aged with Nadav and Alex. I really felt like I was making a difference for the people there because they were so happy to have young people there to listen to them, and I also really got to practice my Hebrew since most did not speak English. I played a lot of chess, a little rumicube, did some crafts, and on Tuesday I even accompanied one lady on errands out and about in Haifa and she took me to the Haifa shuk. In the afternoons, we went to the Bahai Gardens and around the Carmel, to Madatech in the Technion building (so cool because we learned about that building in art history!) which was a really cool science museum that covered most of my high school science curriculum only better and featured a human yo-yo, walked around the German Colony, got dinner at the Grand Canyon mall, and visited an Arab youth group in Wadi Nisnas where we met with them and got to know them a little better. One night at our hostel Ethiopians came for dinner also and we sat down with them to eat. We sat with a group of 14 year old girls and they were shy and giggly. It was really cool to meet all these different groups in Haifa though, especially because there are so many divisions in Jerusalem sometimes, even between Jews. Haifa was amazing, I loved it, and it was such a good choice for Israel Experience week for me.

We got home from Haifa at four and then the craziness began. I packed for Italy, showered, had dinner with Meir/Meir’s mom/David/Yael at HaMoshava 54, took a bus with Meir and Joshy to Kenyon Malcha and then walked blindly into the night for twenty minutes, arrived at the Young Judaea youth hostel where Melanie and Mathew were waiting for us. I had known they were both coming on birthright but didn’t make the connection that they were both from Maryland and would be on the same trip! I didn’t think I would be able to see either of them so it was amazing to see them even for just the hour that I did. I was going to take a taxi back with J and M, but then Meir put his hand out and at that moment someone stopped for us, he seemed nice enough, and he dropped us in Talpiyot where we caught the 21. The whole time Josh and I were in the back looking at each other in amazement that we were hitchhiking. It was exhilarating!

That same night, the sherut picked us up at 2 am. We got to the airport around 3, moved smoothly through security, and sat in the terminal for another two hours before our flight. The flight was smooth as well, and I just woke up at the very end when Rachel wanted me to see the view of Italy as we were flying in. It was really beautiful, and I’m pretty sure I saw the duomo in Florence but can’t be sure.

Things went downhill upon arrival. Leonardo da Vinci airport didn’t give us too much trouble, and the shuttle to our hostel afterwards worked out well too (we even met someone who lived near Adina in Minnesota!!), but the hostel itself was a bit of a let down, it cost 1 Euro to store our bags in the basement, and we couldn’t move in for another four hours or so. We then walked to what was supposed to be an area with cafes and the like, but it turned out to be really difficult to find a cafe. More than a cafe, what we really wanted was free Wifi because our hostel costs us for internet. The hunger for internet was stronger than the hunger for food, but we got food without the internet in the end. Our mozz and tomato sandwiches were pretty good, and then we headed back in the direction of the hostel. We stopped at the Olympic Stadium and walked around a lot there.

things I will expand upon in Rome:

-navigation

-Vatican museums

-seeing other groups

-the universe aligning when I literally just appeared at Meir's hotel and hoped he'd be there

-transportation and tipping

-the train

Right now I am in Florence. We stopped in Piza yesterday on the way here and it was such a mind blowing experience to see the leaning tower. I really liked it, but it was hard to enjoy because I had never felt such intense pain in my life. I have been literally crying for the last 24 hours (even though I'm trying not to because apparently it makes things worse) because I have a very terrible ear infection. If my friends weren't here to keep me from taking the whole bottle of advil, I think I would have tried. I can't think about anything besides the next time I get to take pills.

Last night, things came to a climax. I went down to dinner and Adina noticed red on my neck. I wiped it and thought it was just oil from the pizza. Upon further inspection, it became clear that my left ear was indeed bleeding. This set off a new round of tears, and my friends insisted that I go to a hospital.

We took a taxi to Hospital #1. Debbie waited with me in the place for patients and the other girls sat in the waiting room. We waited for about an hour, only to be visited by a doctor who said she was not an ear specialist and needed to refer me to a specialist at another hospital. Then another taxi, then the other hospital. Hospital #2 had an emergency room, so we went there first. Turns out we were supposed to go to a different place for the specialists, so we walked there within the hospital complex, but we got lost a little bit. The doctor fortunately saw me right away and said that it was an infection, and the blood was just part of the infection. Then another taxi back to our hostel, then a walk to the pharmacy at the train station where the drugs were supposed to be free but ended up being definitely not free.

My ear bled on my pillow last night, even though the towel I put down. I'm freaking out a little. But I get to see Julia today in under and hour, so I am thanking God for my blessings. Feel free to write on my facebook wall saying you miss me and want me to get better--friends and love are by far the best medicine.

II רק פה

I have an awkward amount of time before my last final so I thought I'd unwind with a lil Rak Po action, since it was so popular the first time. I can't take myself seriously and write "rak po" every time though, so understand that it's implied.

I had the most ethereal Friday afternoon and evening on Kibbutz Sa'ad, and then the windows shook while the Israeli Air Force was bombing Gaza while we were falling asleep.

Apparently Israelis don't use route names or update their maps. Directions are based off junctions, traffic circles, and the general ישר ישר, ושמולה idea.

When you are standing at the entrance to Kibbutz Sa'ad looking at Gaza, you can tell which land is Israeli and which is Palestinian because the Palestinians lights are white and the Israeli lights are yellow.

There is a sign in the Rothberg International School Library that reads:"Dear readers,

Please stay away from this part of the library unless you are looking for a book on the shelves. We are waiting for the cat to come out."

New Year's is called "Sylvester." What??

The sidewalk is often the only accepted area for parking.

People are either the nicest or the meanest you've ever met. Example: Debbie's begging experience.

A huge demonstration or protest right outside my window no longer phases me.

Perhaps I will add to this later if I am so inspired. Mother, MB, and B are in Haifa now, and I am in my last three hours of school! Things are really getting terribly exciting.