Everything is Better Now

A few things made today so much better than any day so far in good old Yeruru:

1. Mold Cleaning!!!! Some angel swept in and out of my apartment while I was gone and made the place so much more livable than I ever thought possible.

2. First day of work!!!! It's hard. Like really hard. I teach at a secular high school and I have the worst students I've ever seen in my life. The teachers have no control. No one has any control. It's crazy. All the same, I really feel like I made connections today with about three students, and I am bound and determined to make myself useful and make a difference in their lives. I love, love, love to have a purpose in life.

3. Baking!!!! Miri and Becky baked, Debbie and Rachel and friends made peanut butter cups, sugar and chocolate flowed freely in the apartment kitchen all afternoon. What a delight to come home to!

4. Grocery Shopping!!!! I went by myself and the store was almost empty. I shopped with a clear head and the goal of health in mind, and I didn't worry as much as usual about price because I knew I just needed to get some real food. I feel much better about my eating situation (although the stove is still broken...hmmm).

5. Hebrew Lesson!!!! So the truth comes out-as much as I may procrastinate or complain about schoolwork, I am really just a student at heart. I feel so much better about myself when my mind is soaking up anything new and there hadn't been much structure to my learning for the last month and a half (that's allowing for the "you learn something new every day" thing, because I wasn't in school, but I guess I was still learning. Especially when Debbie was a tour guide at the Forum, even though she forgot about Caesar's grave). The lesson was a big challenge because all levels were together and I am at the very very bottom. I am going to learn things though!

6. The Parade!!!! Becky started shouting, "there's a light up car! there's a light up car!" and Adina called me from the street. My whole apartment went down to join the festivities for a new Torah. There was a light up car playing really loud dance music and Jewish music and men dancing with a Torah and women dancing behind them and people with cameras and police and all that jazz. It was the best. We danced like madmen for 45 minutes in the main street of Yerucham. It was incredible. We sang, we talked to people, we held hands and ran in circles.

I love this place.