I Like the Salad Bar Tender

Yesterday was a fun but uneventful day because we didn't have class. I woke up for prayers and breakfast and went back to bed until lunch. After lunch, Razie and I made up a dance combination to Temptation, a Farsi song by Arash. It is so much fun, and we are going to perform it with the rest of The Down To Dance Team (TDTDT) at the NBA!!!

Before dinner, we had a group program on drugs and alcohol. It could have been more effective, and a lot of kids ended up just mocking it or interjecting their own opinions so much that we didn't really learn that much, besides what other Nativers think about drugs and alcohol. The message was important though, I'll admit that.

I really don't think I did much else of importance yesterday, but I remember being in a really good mood, probably because Adina lives next door to me and Ayelet called me on skype and so did Chelsea and Moss and all my friends are so amazing!

This morning we had a little extra time to sleep, then we prayed, then we breakfasted, and then we went to school. We passed a road sign that said "NO RIGTH TURNS." I really want Israel pay me to proofread this country.

Freshman Writing was less awful today because I got to get most of my homework done in class and I am going to research the Oslo Accords. Also because Brian rubs my back when I get worked up about something that makes it sound like we're actually in middle school and not 18 years old.

Dairy Date stressed me out like whoa today because there was a huge group of students who were super aggressive and smelly and they kept budging me in the salad line!! The problem also was that there was a different salad bartender than the one who always waits on me, because that one was working the cash register. I made eye contact with him at some point and he ended up taking a break from what he was doing to serve me!! We are actually best friends and he knows exactly how I like my salad and he thinks I'm funny. We've actually never talked about anything but salad but I feel like it's the beginning of a beautiful romance.

I calmed down from the salad bar ordeal with my girlfriends and we all had our dairy. I got my reader (it was going to take three hours but I whined and he gave it to me right away!). I took the city bus home with Aaron and Asaf and it was an adventure as always. Then it was time for homework, and I was such a good little student and I finished it right after school!

At 3pm, TDTDT had its first official practice! It was a huge success and we had a group of about seven amazing girls and we all worked so well together and we were so happy. Oh, I love life!!

Now I am letting my sweat evaporate on the second story balcony with my homies and listening to rap music while blogging. Things could only be better if I was showering. Otherwise, I have never been so content.

I ATE FISH!!!! and had such a great weekend I didn't have time to post

I am in a jittery frame of mind right now because I just got out of my Freshman Writing Class and I am waiting to turn in my class registration form to my academic advisor. Freshman Writing was wholly dissatisfying and while I like the teacher, a young religious woman who just finished her masters here at Hebrew U, I really wish that I wasn't relearning sixth grade English. And I wish I didn't have to do the same thing, only harder, at Cornell next year. And I wish that the class didn't exist.

But I will not let a silly little writing course get me down, because I have just had the greatest weekend! I will start where I left off, with Friday night. Friday night was the beginning of Simchat Torah, and I went with Cori, Noah, and Reuben to Yakar. We didn’t stay with the boys once we got there, but we had very good conversation on the walk there, a good deal of which was spent incredulously discussing how Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize (I don’t really know what the American sentiment is, but I am up to the ears in the Israeli opinion on the matter). A bit after services began, it got extremely crowded and there was a girl practically sitting in my lap, and there were people listening from outside! For Hakafot, the singing and dancing part of the service, the men went outside so we could move the mechitzah and take up the whole room. We danced around with the case of the Torah, and not the Torah itself, because Yakar is Orthodox. I didn't mind though, because there was so much joy and dancing and community. I actually ran into three people I know there, two of whom are grown up Israeli women I met in Jerusalem, and the other who is a teenage Brightonian that I never spoke to before running into her repeatedly in Israel. The only issue I had that whole time involved Israelis’ general lack of respect for personal space, especially when Torahs are involved.

At this point, I should inform you, I have successfully handed in my course registration and I am eating a salad at the Frank Sinatra Cafe at a high table by myself overlooking an academic quad and typing furiously on my laptop--basically my collegiate dream. I am a vision of academia! (I have spotted friends who threaten my fleeting moment of solitude and I think I’m going to pretend to not know them. Is that wrong?)

So services were a blast on Friday night, and then we were a bit late to dinner at home but it was fine. After dinner we had a tisch that included many Marzipan baked goods, a lot of songs that reminded me of Wheels, and a U-shaped table formation that I definitely would have altered had I been king. The tisch was a great end to my Friday night.

Friday morning I woke up early in order to wake up Razie and Judah, who are keeping Shabbat. We went with a big group to Yedidya, a shul in Bakaa that I attended last summer with Chen, my pilgrimage staff. There were hours and hours of dancing and praying in the morning, and at Yedidya, which is a modern Orthodox minyan, we were able to hold the Torah, attend a women’s only Torah service (women led, read, gabbi-ed, etc) and we even split into small groups to reread the parsha so everyone could have an alliyah. It was as if I had died and gone to heaven. I am thinking I will try to go there on Saturday mornings, because it is what a shul would be if I invented it, to the tee. The only thing is that we had to walk through the entire Judean desert to get there.

As luck would have it, I ran into Chen and her family there, and she invited me home to lunch. They live in an apartment with a view in Talpiyot (even further into the wilderness, and by wilderness I mean suburbs), and they were just the greatest family. They introduced me to so much Israeli food and culture, and they spoke in English (very engaging and intellectual conversation!) except for a small portion of the meal when Mama Beck tested my Ulpan skills, because she is an Ulpan teacher herself. This was also the location of the historic event delineated in the title of this post took place: I ate fish! Balakala or something? I don’t remember what it was called, but I doused it in lemon juice, took small bites, and ate a whole piece! I was so proud of myself, and they were too. After lunch, we sang a few Shabbat songs and benched, and I got to talk to Chen a bit before walking home by myself in the blazing Jerusalem heat. I did feel pretty cool walking by myself though, and I wasn’t worried because I carried with me my siddur, water, and a map! What else is needed to survive?

I got home in time for a quality date with Ariella, and we sat on a balcony in an alcove and talked about everything under the sun. We are both actively pursuing a more observant way of life here, and I really feel the presence of God in our friendship. It might be a weird thing to say, but I think it makes a difference.

Following girl talk was Maariv, Havdalah, dinner, and a group trip to the park for Hakafot. I was a bit Hakafot-ed out, even though the band sounded nice from the little I heard, so I was easily convinced when Adam asked me to go to a comedy show with him. It turned out to be an excellent decision. The comedians were all olim (people who have made alliyah, in this case from America) so I could understand pretty much all the jokes (and my friends helped me with the jokes that required Hebrew knowledge). There was a lot of bashing the Israeli government, borderline distasteful remarks about Palestinians and terrorism, and some marriage/relationship stuff. Most of it had to do with Israel though, and I thought that made it even more worthwhile. After the show we met up with some friends of my friends, went to a bar where I ate all the popcorn while my friends had a drink, and then we went dancing at a club on a school night!!! We only stayed for a few songs, but long enough for me to be on the bar (at this point, it’s just a game I play), and we left when the tv screens stopped showing music videos and started showing pornography. I was not okay with that.

There were a lot of people around when I got home, even though it was late (for me, at least, but you’d be surprised at the number of nocturnal Nativers here), so I hung out a lil bissle before heading to bed. What a great weekend.

That brings me to today, the writing course, the registration, the dairy lunch. Back at Hebrew U, and I am so glad I am here.

PS. I boarded a city bus right after finishing this post, and I have to say, I was comforted by the driver’s friendly demeanor and articulate English, and SCARED OUT OF MY MIND by all the close calls. The bus is bulletproof too, which is kind of cool, but the windows were open!!! What!!!

Change In Plans

Yesterday I woke up late and planned to go to the Biblical Zoo with Rachel. We were really excited for our date because we both love animals and zoos and bibles and we miss our pets so much! And so we set off after lunch to find the zoo, specifically the bus to the zoo. We were intercepted by Meir who was running to the blood drive, and it seemed like the right thing to do at the time, so we turned around and headed to the King David Hotel to donate.

Blog secret: It had been less than 56 days since I last gave blood! But it wasn't the Red Cross, so they didn't have computer records, so I was able to sneak in! A lot of Nativers were there and we helped each other through the nerves (I am a veteran donor so I did a lot of the comforting) and we filled out a form in Hebrew, which is probably illegal because the translation form didn't match up to the real form in a few places, and we got pricked and interviewed about our prostitution practices, and then we waited for a long time.

The giving blood process went really quickly for me and it was nice to have my bffls around. Afterward, since we were the last people to go, all of the cookies were gone! This really upset me, and I was reasonably worried that I would not be able to walk home if I didn't eat anything. I went out to the restaurant kitchen at the hotel and I asked a random waiter to bring me a piece of bread or something because I had just donated blood, and he said to wait here for ten minutes. He came back within that time frame with a platter of chicken, french fries, and salad!!! I shared with my friends and left a bilingual thank you note. It left us all with such a great feeling! I love it when people pay it forward. Beautiful.

We came back and hung out until dinner, and then there was mayhem in the hallways as usual because we are teenagers living in a confined space, and then we got dressed up for party night! The plan for the night was to watch beer pong in the park, go to an apartment house party of a mutual friend, and we tried both of those things but they were both sketchy and lame, so we ended up outside a bar as usual. I went into the bar only because my girlfriends were on top of it, and if you've been following me for the last three weeks, you know that I am Coyote Ugly in the flesh. I danced for about 4 songs, long enough to get out the ants in my pants, short enough not to faint from strenuous activity (see aforementioned blood donation), and also not long enough to get too heavily creeped on.

We walked back through the park as a group and I sat in the halls with Debbie for a long time celebrating our lives.

Today I woke up late, ate a decent lunch (notable improvement!) at Agron, and chilled out at home. It's been a good day and I just showered and I feel so ready for Shabbat and Simchat Torah! Chag sameach!

Days Off Are Like Presents

Days off are like presents because you can spend them however you like and they just make you feel great. Today I woke up around 11, bummed around, put on a dress (Shara did too!) and made myself really pretty (after being in a desert for three days without a mirror, it felt really nice), went to lunch with my girlfriends at a sushi place (I don't like sushi...or Japanese food, but I do like Coke from glass bottles, and I found some chicken that was reasonably agreeable), bummed around some more, facebooked, and then I found Razie and we planned The Down To Dance Team!! The dance is going to be amazing and we are going to make all the Nativ Basketball Association ballers crazy!

After this dancing extravaganza, I ate dinner at Agron which was a nice surprise because apparently there is a new chef here! Then I went to the edge of the Old City with Seffi to stake out a place to eavesdrop on the Matisyahu concert, and then more friends from Nativ came to join us. We sat on a very steep hill with American boys smoking hookah, and we could see the stage and hear the music really well. It started to get cold though, and we had been sitting there for a long long time, and so we headed back home the long way. Matisyahu didn't play any of the (3) songs that I know, so I enjoyed the concert but it wasn't a particularly spiritual experience.

Moral of this story: days off are really great, but I get a lot more done when I wake up at 4:30 am instead of 11 am.

Nativers Without Borders

I survived!!! Not only did I survive, I flourished like desert flora after the rain! There was no rain though, and there were no toilets, no tents, no showers. Only happiness. And sweat.

We left home at 6:15 am on Sunday morning and drove to Beer Sheva (this ancient city is where Abraham lived, and it is essentially on the border of the Negev Desert) and there we davened at a really pretty shul (thank you, Judah!!) and the service was really long because of Hallel and HoShanas and Mussaf because it is Sukkot! We also did this really weird (if you didn't know we were Jewish, you'd definitely think we were pagan) ritual with the lulav and etrog where we circled around the altar chanting and shaking the plants. Luckily for us, Hallel has some sweet tunes, so it wasn't a bad service. Then we ate in the sukkah and creeped on the preschool children there. Then we had our last potty break for a long, long time!

The drive from Beer Sheva to our drop-off point in Mitzpe Ramon (a large crater as a result of an ancient sea, the remnants of which are now known as the Mediterranean) was very bumpy and nauseating. We were not happy. Our emotions were reversed, however, when we got a good view of the surreal environment we had entered. The crater is breathtaking, vast, and completely, completely void of civilization. We put our overnight bags on jeeps that met us at the campsite at night.

Our tour guide Michal led us on a hike up and down a mountain for about 6 kilometers. It was great bonding time, because we had nothing to do but talk to each other, and sometimes we had to rock climb and we all gave a hand to the people behind us. The boys were especially chivalrous at times, and it was really sweet.

The fun really started once the sun started to set a bit, and we were in a wadi so there was shade. The shade was just delicious and I could have walked there for hours and hours. We got to our campsite about 45 minutes before sunset and the people from the jeeps were already cooking up something fabulous for dinner. We were shown our communal toilet, half a football field of large boulders and sand, and then we used our communal toilet.

It started to get colder as the sun went down, which was a welcome change. We ate and ate and ate for dinner, because the food was so good! I ended up pitching a tent with Debbie, Laura, and David's help, but we had to take it down because we didn't have stakes and it was windy. We weren't planning on sleeping in it, but it would have been nice to put our stuff in. It was a good experience though, because as you may know, I had never before pitched a tent. And these are things a girl must learn.

After a rewarding dinner, we had a campfire complete with Josh on guitar, Jewish cookies (the kind of cookies that aren't actually good but they are the only cookies available at such events as kiddushes or unexpected times so they are actually perceived to be delicious), best friends, good songs, and marshmallows! I deduced that this would be an ideal time for privacy in the communal toilet, because the whole group was mesmerized by a flame and a sing-along, so I set off to find a Jordana-appropriate location. I found a nice place and I was very nervous at first because I still felt rather exposed, but then I just imagined that I was a kitten in a litter box and I was much better.

We didn't go to bed late because we had been up since 5:30 and once the sun sets it feels later than it is. The moon was especially bright because we are right in the middle of the Jewish month, so it was nice when we were walking around but not as nice when we were going to bed and we could not turn off the moon. I didn't have a hard time sleeping on my mat in my bag, but some people didn't sleep very well. I was lucky.

We woke up with the sun and it was cold. We davened Shacharit, Hallel, and Musaf and it was still cold, only by this time, the flies--the BRUTAL, TORTUROUS FLIES--had realized we were there and were on the offensive. After services we had the greatest breakfast of all time; the cereal was made of cookies!

We started hiking early in the morning but it had already turned blistering hot (as I am writing this, I am thinking of Seffi's comment to me yesterday that I always speak in hyperbole-but really, it was blistering hot! and it was the greatest breakfast of all time! and they were really brutal flies!). We each carried about 3 liters of water, a communal food item for lunch, and a mid morning snack of cucumbers, white bread, peanut butter, and chocolate spread.

We hiked up a mountain for a long time and sometimes it was a little uncomfortable because of the heat or the terrain, but the feeling at the top was unbelievable. There was a wide range of ground cover, from sand to gravel to rocks to big flat boulders, and all different combinations of those four things. It made things difficult for the ankles. At every point that we stopped, people found flat rocks and went to sleep (this even happened to me, which I was not expecting!).The hiking went on like this for several hours. To pass the time, we sang and got to know each other and got to know ourselves. I hiked next to Elkana for a bit and he told me about dinosaurs in Israel and about extraterritoriality and about history and I felt a good deal more knowledgeable about everything after our chat.

At some point in the pre-noon hours (the desert and the hiking really took away all of my ability to estimate elapsed time) we met up with the Kibbutz group. They were glad to see us and likewise but we were all really disgusting by that point. This made me realize how very comfortable I had become with my group of 40, the Kehila group, which brings me to the title of this post, Nativers without borders. Literally, no boundaries. We peed together, hiked together, ate together, slept together, washed dishes together, talked about our aches and pains together (regardless of the location and nature of these aches and pains), and spent every waking moment of the day together.

People had talked about Survival as a great bonding experience, and I did not doubt it. Any challenge is bound to bring a group of people together. But the amount that my trust and adoration grew for the people-all of them-with whom I survived was so much more than I ever expected.

I have to sum up the rest of the hike because this post is getting long and the hour is getting late. After resting and seeing Kibbutz, we went on our way and hiked a full 13 kilometers up and down a mountain. We stayed at a very open area for our campsite but it was very nice and it was warm the second night, humid in fact. We woke up at 4:30 and we were on the road by seven at the latest, after davening and breakfast and clearing up the campsite and peeing in the sand several more times. The hike today was really great because there were clouds, so we were in the shade a lot more than we would have been. We also did a trust walk at the top of Har Yahav, during which we held onto the backpack in front of us, closed our eyes, walked in the direction we were pulled, and hoped we weren't led off the cliff. Don't worry, everyone survived.

At the end of a long day, we were taken out of the hiking area by real live jeeps! They were so cool and our driver was super nice and informative, although I was only partly informed because I couldn't understand his accent. We also saw a camel carcass on the ground! And I forgot to say before we saw a real yellow scorpion, many fighter planes because the army likes to practice in the Negev, and a twister!!! We then enjoyed a great lunch of cold cuts, and depending on how well you know me, you'll be excited to learn that I put mysterious tomato paste and pickles on the sandwich, right next to the bread and the meat! Wow! Then we changed into flip flops, thanked God for flip flops, got on a bus, and drove home.

The shower was excellent, let me tell you. Especially since I have three roommates and I was the only person who could even bear to wait past dinner for my shower. Then I sent out my laundry and I can't wait to get everything back so clean tomorrow night! Good night!

Rejoice While You Are Young

We have nothing good under the sun

but eating, drinking, and enjoyment

Do with all your might whatever you are able to do

Rejoice while you are young

Follow your heart's desire, the sight of your eyes

We read the book of Ecclesiastes today because of Sukkot, and I was deeply moved by the passage. I read an English summary, and Ariella enhanced my understanding by showing me some parts from the Hebrew. There are some parts that are very depressing and cynical, but I like the more optimistic lines, and I understand the importance behind the others.

This Shabbat was full of rejoicing though, and it started with Seffi and Jordana planning a study session on Vzot HaBracha, the last two chapters in the Torah including the tribal blessings and the death of Moshe. We were recruited to do this by Shosh and Cori, both of whom are undeniable. Then came the beautiful Friday night service at Shira Chadasha. I walked home with Seffi the long way, all the way along the Old City walls and through Mamilla. We made it home barely in time for dinner and the after dinner songs.

After dinner, Seffi and I joined Ariella, Brian, Seth, Asaf, Rachel, Debbie, and Shara, and I think maybe a few more very high quality people. We sat out on the second story porch and enjoyed our youth and our location and our friends. I was dealing with an internal struggle at that time though, because I am trying to keep Shabbat. I am trying to keep the spirit of Shabbat, but sometimes I need to turn on a light or set my alarm so I wake up for services. A few of my friends were watching dvd's, and I thought it wasn't in the spirit of Shabbat, but people who do keep Shabbat said it was fine as long as I don't push the buttons. I am still unsure.

After the porch, Seffi, Brian, and I went exploring Beit Nativ. We found lots of new staircases and alcoves and lounges and half-stories. It was kind of like being in Hogwarts, only in Israel and the staircases were stationary. We went back by the Yeshiva and found a window box full of kittens. It was great. Then we snuck around and scrounged and adventured!

I didn't go to bed late because I wanted to be ready for my full day today, which was brilliant foresight. I popped up at 6:45 am and dressed and woke up Ariella, had shoko (chocolate milk from a plastic bag) and cake, went with Miriam Shosh Ariella to a practice service, left mid-Hallel because we weren't feelin it, headed to Shira Chadasha, loved life, got hosted by TAMAR the coolest woman ever who has lived all over the world and currently lives in Talpiyot which is actually as far away as one can go from Beit Nativ and still be in Israel, met 9 new people who were all really interesting and international, ate incredible ACTUALLY INCREDIBLE food including stuffed zucchinis and wheat challah and everything else amazing that can be eaten, dwelled in a sukkah, discussed Gilad Shalit and the catch-22 of exchanges, and just had a really great Shabbat afternoon. Ariella and I had to motor on home because I was due back at four for the study session that I was supposed to lead with Seffi.

The study session was a success, and Seffi and I worked well together because he is a dominating force in discussions and I was in a good mood so I let him dominate. He also has more of a monopoly on Mishna knowledge than I do, so we complemented each other. Then I was still drenched in sweat from the four hundred mile walk home from Talpiyot so I showered a beautiful shower. We dined a sparse dinner and sang a few songs and davened AGAIN because we had not yet had enough praying. Never enough praying.

After Shabbat ended, I prepared for Desert Survival. This is someone's idea of fun and it begins tomorrow at 6:15 am and ends Tuesday night, with three days of hiking through nothingness and sleeping under the stars in close contact with many scorpions and no contact with any civilization. It is questionable whether or not I will survive. I'll do my best though, because I figure there will be a lot of people who miss my blog posts.

Living in the center of the center of the world

The day that was Yom Rivi’i embodies all that I love about life. It started out with my MiniMester Ulpan final, which covered the Hebrew we have learned in the last three weeks. I felt great about my test, and the best part is that I am learning all of this for the sake of learning and because I want to, not because it counts for something or because I have to do it.

I then took some Jordana time in the library/computer lab of Hebrew University to catch up on emails and facebook, and I suddenly felt so comfortable there-I might just as well have been in the library of Brighton High School which I frequented and dearly loved for the last four years of my life. It was a great thing to be by myself and yet not feel alone, but just comfortable and safe and content. I am really growing fond of Hebrew University!

I broke the Dairy Date streak for some chicken schnitzel yesterday and it was a good move. I enjoyed my hearty lunch and then it was time to head back to Agron. At home, we had a quick peer-led study session for Sukkot and then we headed to the shuk to get Arbat Haminim (lulav, etrog, etc). The environment at the shuk was invigorating and thoroughly un-American. Black hats were everywhere, little children were selling stuff, and everyone was shouting! One person came up to my friend and me to ask if we wanted to buy something, and when we said no, he asked if there was anything else he could help us out with, like a massage? We left.

I walked home through the shuk with Shira and then we prepared for the night of wild fun ahead. I ended up going to watch the Nativ Basketball Association (NBA) preseason games and I brought Jane Eyre with me and we had a great time together. Shirts vs. skins plus a feminist classic always make a match in heaven.

We went home to get ready for the mayhem and headed out to happy hour at Crack Square. I didn’t get anything, but it did not detract from the fun that was in the air. ALL my friends were there, and we were all happy and young and beautiful, and the music was loud and the popcorn on the tables made my life. We were ushered into a dance club and since it was free, I was all for it, and it was very empty since it was the beginning of the night. I like it very much when the dance clubs are empty except for Nativers, because I feel much safer with just the gentlemen from my program around. I was actually so comfortable and happy and inspired that I decided to get on top of the bar with a few of my girlfriends and found the view so exhilarating from up there, and I did not get down for quite some time.

Eventually it was time to exit the dance club, but not before a quick trip to the sketchiest loos of all time. Then we hung out outside for at least two hours, just around the bar area with a lot of friends. We walked back and the funniest thing happened when we returned home. I was singing Wagon Wheel with Josh on the patio of our building, and a lot of other people were hanging out outside as well. It was very, very late at night, and we were celebrating life, and the people who live in the apartment building next door did not want to share in our celebration apparently, so they showed their sentiments by pelting us with eggs from the sixth story window. Then we got incensed, and talked to the security guard, who said the police had been informed of our rowdiness, and then we were scolded, and then we thought it was funny (because it was late at night and they were throwing eggs and it just seemed humorous at the time) and then they threw entire oversized bottles of water at us! The bottles were open too, and the water went everywhere, and it was all on our sukkah and everything. It was just outrageous and I loved it. Then finally Madrich David convinced us to stop instigating and we went inside and retired to our sleeping quarters.

Today I woke up at a deliciously late hour, ate quite a decent lunch at Agron, went to the shuk with the Triangle of Trust (Seffi and Josh and Jordana), and I created a study session on V’zot HaBracha with Seffi which we are presenting tomorrow at Mincha. I’m really proud of our work and I learned a lot from Seffi and we complemented each other well.

The pre-Shabbat portion of today ended with a heavenly slice of pizza, chocolate wafers, and facebook. Now I must say Shabbat Shalom!!!

PS. Please become a follower of my blog if you're a regular Jordana Junkie, and also, please comment if you are so inspired! I love attention and fame!