Another week gone by... HALLOWEEN SAMEACH!!

I think this is the longest it's been since I wrote since I started this thing!  Hard to think back almost a whole week.

Tuesday our siyur to the embassies was cancelled, but hopefully rescheduled soon.  Instead we took a walking tour of Jaffa.  I recognized a lot of things from birthright, and its a pretty port town, but overall it was pretty unstimulating.  We had a bit of discussion about coexistance and the arab population within the city, but mostly just walking around seeing the sights.  We did get to sleep in though, which was quite a plus.  Had a nice day off to just relax and do nothing.  Much needed I might add.

Wednesday, work and ulpan.  Nothing too exciting.  Thursday, went to work and then since our hiking in Israel information session was canceled for the THIRD time, got to take a nice nap after work.  Thursday night went out with my new Israeli friends.  Had my first sabich, eggplant and hard boiled egg in a pita with various toppings.  Yummy.  Galit would be proud.

Friday, I slept most of the day, and then went out with the gang to a club for a bit.  The only reason we got in is because there were 8 American girls.  The first time standing out and being obnoxious speaking English worked in our favor...  It was nice, but I really miss the smoking ban.  Israeli bars are much stinkier than Boston or Chicago. 

Saturday, I took a sherut into Jerusalem in the morning to see Kyler again.  I realize I never explained before to those of you who don't know him.  Kyler was a good friend of mine from Emerson, an actor/director I worked with a lot.  He graduated after junior year and recently went on a program to Tanzania to teach HIV and AIDS education to villages, and learned Swahili.  Crazy, I know, but awesome.  Basically, we haven't spoken in over a year, but leave it to us to reunite in Israel.  I went out in the morning and my sherut driver was super nice, so he took me right to the Zion gate to meet them without charging me more.  Awesome.  Granted it took a bit for me to find him and his family, winding through the Old City, but we finally connected and I joined his family and some other folks from their temple trip.  Kyler wasn't kidding when he said they were the youngest of the group, and the next youngest was his mother.  Anyways, I followed them around a bit, then a bunch of them went back to their hotel and Kyler, his Mom, Aunt, and I ventured into the markets of the Old City.  Kyler was on a mission to buy a few gifts, and also to find a rug for his new apartment in NY.  He exercised his bargaining skills, and quite successfully I might add, and foudn what he was looking for.  The first few rugs were way, way, out of the price range, but he finally found a nice brown and tan patterned one that was already half price according to the owner, and got him down (in dollars) from 75 to 60.  Not too shabby.  We grabbed a falafel/shwarma for lunch, wandered a bit more, then went back to their hotel.  The David Citadel, a fancy shmancy hotel in fact.  We crashed a lecture with their tour guide briefly, then we met up with the rest of their family a little later to wander Jerusalem some more, and decided to stop at a burger place.  They only had dollars left, but they fortunately took credit card so we were a-ok.  Kyler and I had already eaten so we had Tuborg, a beer I like here, and he attempted to sound out all the English named cocktails spelled out in Hebrew on the menu.  We went back to the hotel again, and I just relaxed while they all showered and finished packing. 

Lucky me, crashing a temple tour group, but I got to join them for dinner.  Waiting for the bus at the hotel I explained to a lot of curious temple folk who I was and what I was doing there, and for the first time I was the token Hebrew speaker of the group, teaching random people vocab of the things in the room.  I then rode the bus with them and their luggage from the hotel to Beit Ticho. It's a dairy/vegetarian restaurant, and we were served an endless supply of family style goodness.  Quiches, salads, mushroom blintzes, yummy.  And not to mention a large plate of various cakes to share.  Delicious.  Their tour guide did a closing speech, as it was the last night of their trip, and then they filed out to the bus to the airport.  I had been planning on riding the bus with them from Jerusalem to the airport, as the airport is much closer to my apartment, but it turned out their travel guide guy lived in Tel Aviv and had driven to Jerusalem to meet them that night.  He offered me a ride back into the city and ended up dropping me off at home.  Very nice and very convenient.  We talked travel plans as well, and he offered to help as I was planning Israel travel with Mom and Dad.  I'll talk to you about it soon.  This guy also happens to have a sister in theatre in New York, and pretty much booked Kyler an audition on the spot.  Kyler is now moving to New York city one step ahead.  Look at that, networking in the Holy Land. 

So, I got home at a reasonable hour thanks to my tour guide friend, and had plenty of time to get ready for Halloween.  Halloween in Israel, an interesting day.  No one does anything really, as they have Purim, but we did manage to find a party at a bar called the Culture Club.  Pretty much all Americans, but fun none the less.  I dressed up as a butterfly, or par par in Hebrew.  Had to be extra creative this year, and make things from what I had with minimal spending and materials, so I ended up wearing black tights, little pink shorts, a black tank top, wings made out of a bath mat, and antennas made from a blue coat hanger.  The bath mat was formally feet, but I cut off the toes and the shape and pattern worked surprisingly well.  Pictures coming soon.  Again, I have to say, I really have learned to appreciate the smoking ban in the bars and restaurants I go to at home.  It was pretty bad.  Overall though, a really good night and a fun excuse to party on a work night. 

Lot's more to talk about regarding work and WUJS, but I'll save that for the next entry.  Halloween Sameach!