Back to Year Course- The Final Stretch

Thursday we had Sports Day! The cloudy overcast turned into rain but before it came, I played volleyball and also rock climbed (getting ready for camp this summer!) It was great to see friends again and all be together since break. Catching up is always a good time.

Back to Jerusalem in the afternoon to prepare for the weekends activities. As you might remember, in October, a few friends and I went to Moshav Nahalal and had an incredible time. We decided to have a bit of a reunion so the five of us (Michele, Jared, Helene and Zach and I) went back up north to the first moshav in this land. We arrived late Thursday night, watched half a movie and fell asleep. Friday we got another tour of the moshav and walked around some of the fields. Friday night we had a delicious meal, one of the best since the seder. Instead of going out to a famous club at a Kibbutz near by, we went out to a local bar for a drink where I ran into an Israel who came to a USY event summer 09 and stayed at my house!

Saturday:

Michele trying on comfy old sweaters.

We went to a flea market in Haifa for the day. We found an incredible thrift shop!! If we had space and money, we all would have bought the entire store. Using my self controlled, I bought 5 items for 55 Shekels, a pretty great deal. The parents that were hosting us bought a chandelier at the store next door! We headed back to the moshav, had dinner and went to visit the first family that hosted us who had just returned from vacation in Spain. Then back to Jerusalem.

Sunday:
Ilyssa's Birthday and Erev Yom HaShoah...We had a normal volunteering day with classes, but in the afternoon we went to the National Yom HaShoah ceremony at Yad V'shem. The Prime Minister and President of Israel was there and we had to go through two hours of security lines before entering the building. It was a moving ceremony, especially listening to the survivors stories. Throughout my year, there have been a number of moments of how proud I am to be a Jew with Israel and be alive. Singing HaTikvah at the ceremony was one of those moments. After such a horrific event, us, Jews, are still strong and have created our own country.

Monday:
Instead of washing pottery or digging today, Libby and I labeled pieces of pottery. We used a calligraphy pen, ink and had to write as small and clear as possible. My brain was concentrating so hard, it hurt.
At 10 AM was the 2 minute siren for those fallen in the Holocaust. We all stopped what we were doing at the dig and stood in silence for 2 minutes. Although we were not on the street in full public, I still got to see the power of the siren. The dig across the way came out of their cave and we all stopped our physical labor. It was very powerful to see everyone so quiet and sad.

At night, many of us went to the English version of a Holocaust play at the Jerusalem theater. We went for the play but especially for Hannah (who I went to Passover with) who would be reciting her poem about her Holocaust survivor grandmother. We were all moved by that, too. She tells the story of how her grandmother was slowly dying, Hannah also became incredibly ill and how they pushed through together until her grandmother died in December of this past year. Money well spent.

Tuesday:
For our class that goes around Jerusalem, we went into the Temple Mount in the old city. It was a big deal because of all the tension there is, but we had no problem. On top, it was so beautiful.

After the Temple Mount, we heard from a Muslim Arab man who has a program for Palestinian kids and Israeli kids to meet each other and learn about each other. He talked a lot about how similar Islam and Judaism is and how Islam and Christianity do stem from Judaism, making us all cousins so we should all get along.

In the afternoon, I went back to Emek to meet up with Eli Katzoff! From Oakdale Road to Emek Rifiyim, we got some food and caught up. I had to rush back because I was invited to the famous Guest Tuesday and a friend's apartment for my birthday. I stayed there past midnight then went to sleep.

Wednesday: MY BIRTHDAY!
A day filled of classes- a three hour long Hebrew class. Our teacher was nice enough to bring us to a local street, Emek Rifiyim, and give us a little scavenger hunt. We also learned about the bombing at Cafe Hillel from a few years ago. As our teacher was telling us about it, a woman walks up to us and starts telling us her story. Her son-in-law and granddaughter had been killed in that bombing the night before her granddaughter's wedding. I remember hearing about that girl when the attack happened. It was complete coincidence that the women had been walking by at the same exact place her family members had been killed.

After the scavenger hunt, Ilyssa, Alana and I went to a bead store and made me a birthday bracelet! It was a very nice gift from Ilyssa.
At night, whoever wanted, friends and roommates and I went to ice cream. I had a delicious frozen yogurt with the best toppings!

Thursday:
Ilyssa and I took the day off for our birthdays and Alana just joined in for the fun at the Biblical Zoo! I've never been to such an active zoo, it was awesome!

I fed little parrots!

My favorit was the lemurs!

This bird hit my camera...

Me, Alana and Ilyssa with the fish!

Me and my girls.

Thursday night I went out to dinner with 9 of my closest friends at a vegetarian restaurant for my Birthday. It was lots of fun and great food! I was overwhelmed with the food options.

According to Rwandan Tradition, on someone's birthday, you pour water on their head. Well, thanks to my close friends, Brinley, Aliza, me, Rachel and Ilyssa, water was poured on my head...

Overall, I've had the best birthday. My friend's decorated my bed, I got thoughtful gifts and my roommates made me an awesome cookie cake and wrote me a little song.

Thursday night there was a huge Paint Party. There wasn't colorful paint, but the white paint did glow in the dark! It's always fun having a good time with my year course friends!!