Short, Sweet, and to the Point

This week Channukah left me with an unfortunate stomach bug, so I definitely had less adventures to work with but I hope what I did do can compensate for my few sick days – blame it on the drastic weather changes not me.

Tuesday was finally a less busy day then the rest- but what I did do was very memorable.  After dinner (Nativ finally served latkes!), we had Erev Nativ. Usually we just stay on base and have discussions, but that night we had a field trip. Nativ bought tickets for everyone to go to the Light Show at David’s Citadel. The Light Show is up for Chanukah, and is basically a show of amazing and realistic projections onto the Citadel which tells the story of the Jews, up to modern day. The projections were so realistic and the way the makers of the show were able to handle the angles and juts of the castle were very impressive. I have never seen such vivid projections, and it was so cool that there were no words, yet it was easy to follow the story.

The Citadel looked beautiful

After a pretty simple evening the night before, Wednesday made up for it with nonstop adventure from morning till night. Because it was still Chanukah, there was Torah readings in the morning, all week.  I had offered to read torah that morning and even though I had forgotten throughout the week, I had still been able to learn it in time. Even though my throat is extra scratchy in the morning and I was really tired, it was cool to be able to read in front of my friends and keep up my skills. I had a pretty normal day of classes that day, but at 6 my day got truly exciting. I was going to see “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”! The Hebrew University, where the majority of Nativers study, puts on a musical every year, some of the Nativers even star in it. This year the musical was “Joseph”, which was actually the first musical I ever saw! Our family loves musicals, I remember when I was younger, listening to the music from “Joseph” in long car rides and even to school, so I was really excited to see the show. It definitely was not a disappointment, which was important since it was the last night of Chanukah. I was surprised at how good the singing was, the whole time my friends and I were dancing and mouthing along to all the songs. It was really cool to see people from Nativ in the play, showing off their talents, I was surprisingly impressed. Plus the actor for Joseph looked like Matthew Letts (my brother-in-law), which was an added surprise. The music ultimately put me in an extremely good mood, and when the show was over and we got to see all the actors, I got to see Paula Sass, a friend from USY who is studying at Hebrew U this semester. When we all got back (in very high spirits), it was time to light the Chanukiah for the last time this year in Israel. It has been such an amazing experience celebrating the Holiday in Jerusalem so of course I was sad, I didn’t want the magic to end. Luckily, the last night was a perfect culmination. I was surrounded by so many friends, all singing songs, and the glow of candles.  Seeing all 8 candles lit in each Chanukiah was a very special memory I’ll never forget. To end the holiday with a final bang, 2 guys in our Karmiel group organized a Latke making party. I was so excited; I had definitely missed helping Imma in the Kitchen, cooking up those holiday potato pancakes. I got to shred potatoes, mix in flour and seasonings, make little patties and flip them in the pan of hot oil, while music blasted and the rest of our group worked (and ate). It was a blast and eventually I got to take over flipping (actually cooking) the latkes in the pan, which I missed most from home, so I took my new job with pride. Eventually the crowd started to disperse and there were only 5 of us left, but there was so much potato mixture, that we stayed up till 2 am using up the rest of the concoction - it’d be  shame to waste it!  We were left with two plates piled high with giant latkes, and tired chefs.

Ready to go see Joseph!

I saw Paula!

Last night of lighting the Chanukiah

The Late Night Left Over workers

Eventually we started making giant Latkes!

 The next morning I woke up smelling like latkes, which is usually a delicious smell, but I really didn’t want people eating me. Even with a shower, it appeared that I’d need time to get rid of the lingering scent. Unfortunately, not only did staying up till 2 making latkes give me a new perfume, it also weakened my immune system. All week I kept staying up really late, enjoying Chanukah and its excitement, and that final night was the straw that broke the camel’s back. In the middle of Talmud class I started feeling very sick and nauseous and couldn’t stand another minute. The chills hit me, and I knew I had gotten the stomach flu that had been going around. I didn’t want to admit it to myself because no one wants to be sick, but as the afternoon rolled around and I was still feeling awful, I had to make the call I was dreading. All of Chanukah I had been looking forward to seeing Alex and Laura Freedman, but now I had to call and cancel. Since it was still the last day of Chanukah, I was going to be able to say “so long” to the Holiday with family, plus we were going to see this cool performance called mystery theater and get Roladin Soufganiyot(donuts). I had been really looking forward to Roladin, I’m not a big fan of Jelly donuts so I hadn’t really had any throughout the holiday, even though it’s the big food of Chanukah in Israel. But Roladin donuts come in decadent flavors like champagne, popcorn and more! I had waited all week to share the delicious-ness with Alex and Laura and now I was sick, Roladin didn’t even seem appetizing! I also, always feel bad cancelling last-minute, but of course Laura and Alex were so sweet and just wanted me to feel better. I spent all day in my room resting/watching Boy Meets World, and made myself eat soup, even though I wasn’t hungry I knew I needed food. Then to cheer me up, Alex and Laura stopped by just so that I could still see them, and they even brought me a Roladin Soufganiyah! Even though I was still feeling sick, seeing Alex and Laura definitely brightened my evening.

I don’t have much to write for Friday and Saturday because I was still sick. I basically sat in my room all day Friday and watched Boy Meets World and when it was time for Shabbat, I threw on a skirt so I could join Nativ for dinner, and made myself eat again, even though I was still nauseous. After dinner I went straight back to my room for more quiet time. The next day was another “bedroom” day. My chills were gone but I still had little energy and whenever I ate the nausea would begin all over again. I had planned to stay in Jerusalem that Shabbat because I wanted to take advantage of the myriad of religious experiences of the city; I had wanted to walk around the Old city and experience many of the different synagogues Jerusalem has to offer. I guess it was good I hadn’t made any plans, even if I didn’t get to see the sights, I was able to heal.

And apparently the restful weekend paid off. Sunday morning my stomach was still tender and after breakfast I felt pretty ill, so I took off class in the morning, but by lunchtime, food wasn’t as hard on my stomach and I decided I was up for my afternoon class. Though I was back to almost normal health, I didn’t know if I’d even be able to get to class, Israel was having CRAZY windstorms. The wind was so strong I thought I was going to be blown away. Not to mention it was sooo cold and because Israel has been so dry, the windstorm was really a dust-storm! There was dirt everywhere, and the wind was so powerful, the power flashed out a few times. But as long as I stayed inside I wasn’t too scared… I also wasn’t going to let the crazy weather keep me from my usual evening of activities. As I mentioned before, we had filmed some scenes for the USY International Convention, and there was still one more scene we needed to film, so after dinner a bunch of people from the Karmiel group got together for the last scene. It was fun, but I got covered in baby powder because we had to throw it up in the air- at least it wasn’t the dirt from the storm. After the video filming, Nativ was offering an improv evening. I love improvisational games. When I was younger, our family would always watch the show, “Whose Line is it Anyways?”, which was basically a show of nonstop improve games, that could make you laugh till your side hurt. While Nativ doesn’t have the same funny actors like Drew Carry and Wayne Brady, we have some pretty funny characters of our own.

Though the windstorm was greatly unappreciated and rather scary, Monday’s weather was a change for the better. It rained again! Even though it was cold weather and I don’t like being cold and wet, I’m always grateful when there is rain in Israel – though I can’t help but whine a little. So even though the morning wasn’t the most comfortable weather, at least it benefitted the land of Israel. And the weather was so cooperative, that by the afternoon it stopped raining so we could still have our football game. It was still really cold outside, rain or not, and some people weren’t feeling so we had an extra small turnout… only 7 girls! Amazingly, we won again! In fact we won 25-0… because the other team forfeited, and that’s how football rules work, I guess. It was pretty funny, and exciting, that we had won our third game in a row (even if we didn’t play), but it was a little frustrating after we had walked such a long way in the cold weather, not to have a game to play. Luckily, a team that had already beaten us, offered to play a friendly scrimmage. I was a little scared after getting crushed by them before, but there was no pressure, so we all just had fun. Our Nativ team was having lots of laughs, as a couple teammates (including myself) made very memorable crash landings in both defense and offense; don’t worry nobody got hurt – unless you count pride. To add to the excitement of our win, Chana Pentelnik, my cousin, showed up to watch the game! It was awesome seeing her, and having the family support, plus just hanging out a little, while I wasn’t playing, was fun, not to mention my dive into the grass brought some laughs.

Even though I got sick this week, it was still a memory to take from the trip, and it didn’t kill my week completely, it just gave me an easier writing week because there is only so much one can write about being sick in bed. Have a good week everyone and get ready for next week, somehow I think it will be a little more eventful.

So much Funnukah to Celebrate Hannukah

This week was full of fun and Shining Lights, because it was the start of Chanukah! Everyday was full of excitement leading up to and enjoying the Holiday.

On Monday my week began with a family visit! I got to see my Auntie Caren all the way from Detroit, Michigan.  Auntie Caren has 2 daughters living in Jerusalem, Bat-Sheva and Shira, plus Chana(her niece, my cousin) and I live here too. That afternoon I met up with Chana, Shira, Auntie Caren, and Bat-Sheva’s new baby boy (we’d meet up with her later) and took a walk through Geulah to this cute bagel shop. No one was really hungry for a real meal so we all got frozen yogurt and just got time to catch up. Being with family was such a nice treat, and Bat-Sheva’s baby, Meir Simcha, is gorgeous! Spending time together was so cool because of the fact that we were all in Jerusalem together, which made our get-together extra special. After we had our ice cream, we took the bus to Bat-Sheva’s apartment to drop of the baby and spend some more time together. Bat-Sheva looks gorgeous, even with the stress of a new baby, and it was so exciting to see her. Unfortunately I still had a football game that evening so I had to leave, but it had still been an awesome afternoon seeing family. Not to mention Auntie Caren had brought with her a few winter clothes that Imma had given her so the package was a bonus to the evening. But the nights’ excitement had just begun. When we first got to the football game, I was mostly scared, we only had 8 players (half of what we usually have), everyone was sick or had relatives visiting. But with only half our players we were still able to win! It was a close game (7-6) but we still won, which was a huge confidence booster and made the few players very proud! I definitely think our team is improving.

Chana, Simchah, and Auntie Caren

Chana,Bat Sheva (with Simcha), Auntie Caren, Shira, and I in Bat-Sheva's apartment

From one day to the next, the excitement continues. Tuesday night we always have Erev Nativ (mandatory meetings for Nativ), and since it was the night before Chanukah, we got to make Chanukiot! It was really fun being with all of Nativ and basically doing arts-n-crafts. It was also really interesting to see that we all had the same resources and materials, yet every single Chanukiah was different and unique in their own ways. I was really happy with mine and I can’t wait to use it in the years to come (as long as it doesn’t break!). When I finished making my Chanukiah I had another adventure for the evening, I got to see Chen! Chen was a “Chavera M’Yisrael” (friend from Israel) last year in Cinicinnati. Netanya is a city in Israel that is “sister-cities” with Cincinnati, so every year Cincinnati brings in two high school graduates who take a year off before the army and educate Cincinnati about Israel at different events and schools. I got to be friends with the two “chaverim” from this past year and already saw Tomer when I visited Netanya, but Chen was already in the army so I wasn’t able to see her. Luckily her troop took a tiyul (trip) to Jerusalem that week, so I was able to visit her. Seeing Chen was amazing, especially since I’d been trying to see her since I came to Israel, but her army schedule made it very difficult. Being back with a friend, who even though is an Israeli, was a friend from home, was so fun and her friends were funny too, plus I got to use more of my Hebrew, which is always good practice.

Making my Channukiah

Aviva, Maya, and I making Chanukiot

I finally got to see Chen!

The day we’d all been waiting for was finally here, Chanukah!! Wednesday night was not only the first night of Chanukah, but it was also my first Chanukah in Israel, and it was not a letdown. We got out early at Yeshiva so that people would be home in time to light candles, which was a nice start. But when it was candle lighting time for Nativ the real fun began. Chanukah has always been a very big family-oriented holiday with singing and being with the family so I was a little homesick. Luckily, that didn’t last long. Nativ got together and sang the blessings together, and we each got to light our own homemade Chanukiot. The room was lit up with so many candles, it was beautiful and full of happiness, plus there was tons of singing afterwards. It was still a family holiday, just with my Nativ family. After songs Nativ gave everyone soufganiyot (jelly-filled donuts), which are an important food during the holiday because they are fried, which celebrated the oil found in the temple that miraculously lasted 8 days. I also thought it would be a nice gift to myself to go out to dinner, so Tali and I went to The Village Green for dinner, and I had some of their amazing sweet potatoes I’d been missing. When we came back I lit the candles with Tali again since she had been in class during Nativ lighting. When I came back to my room I opened one of the four little gifts Imma had sent me with the Schneiders. It was the cutest little Chanukah story book, so that night Maya Dolgin, one of our staff, read it to my roommate, Rotem, and I before bed. The story is called “Latkes, Latkes, Good to Eat”, and I definitely recommend it to both kids and adults, it’s very cute.

Roni and Zoe lighting candles the first night of Chanukah :)

My homemade Chanukiah - I'm very proud

Corey, Debra, Allie, and I with our first Soufganiyot of the Holidays

 Since it was still Chanukah, class ended extra early on Thursday (at 12!), so I went to the shuk (outdoor market) with my friends Hilary Zarnett and Ariel Siegal. Going to the shuk during Chanukah was such a cool experience, there were soooo many soufganiyot everywhere, and not just jelly-filled, like the typical holiday treat. When I came back, I was tired from my adventure so first I bought my new Nativ fleece, which my aunts got me for ChanukahJ!I don’t have a fleece here, just my heavy pea coat and sweatshirts so the fleece is perfect for the evening weather right now, plus its suuuper comfy and has the Nativ logo on it. After I was all toasty in my new fleece, I relaxed with my friend Allie Griff andI watched Boy Meets World, it was very nostalgic. Then, at dinner, we were told that football practice was cancelled, so even though I had plans for later that night I had some free time for some Chanukah appreciation around the city. We went to Mamilla, which is basically a very high end strip mall that leads to the old city and is very well known for its classy stores and art. For Chanukah, they decorated the streets with lights, not for Christmas, but for Chanukah of course. The lights were beautiful and especially cool because they were just for Chanukah; there were even street performers and other cool displays. Even though there was so much to see, we had to rush back to base because we had plans to go see the exhibit, DEEP. During the first three weekends of December in Jerusalem, they have this event called Chamshushalayim, to celebrate all the festivities of Chanukah. Basically, Thursday night, Friday night,  and Saturday night, they have activities, events and museums open to the public for free or at discounted prices. DEEP is this exhibit from Paris all about rare fish from the ocean depths. I found out about it a long time ago and have always wanted to go but my schedule has been too busy with classes. One of my staff, Aaron Sherman, also wanted to go and found out that not only was it open at night during Chamshushalayim but it was also free! I went with Aaron and my friends, Aimee, Debra, Aviva, Tali, Sam, and another Tali. The exhibit was sooo cool. I was expecting to see more real fish, but the fish on display were so unique, and not just in their looks. I learned so much and finally got to see the exhibit, especially since it closes in a week. Since the exhibit is in the Children’s Science Museum, Aviva, Tali, and I had fun looking at some of the hands-on exhibits at the museum too. There was even a man-powered merry-go-round, which was especially entertaining. I was sooo exhausted from my busy day that I saw one more episode of Boy Meets World with Allie when I got back, and then went straight to bed.

Look at all those Soufganiyot!

Mamilla decked out in lights

Aaron and I with a funky fish

Tali peddling the carousel

Aviva enjoying my hard labor

After my very busy week, I was ready for a school-free day on Friday to get to sleep in, but that was apparently, not in the agenda. Since that Shabbat was a closed Shabbat, all of Nativ had to stay on base, they had scheduled some morning “activities” for us. Since Nativ is associated with the USCJ (United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism – the main organization of the Conservative Movement), and so is USY (United Synagogue Youth – Youth group for high schoolers that I was hugely active in), each year they ask Nativ to make a video (semi-promotional) for the International Convention that USY has every year. So all morning, we got to film scenes for the International Convention video, instead of catching up on some much needed sleep. The only good thing is that now my friends at International Convention will be able to see me, which is pretty cool. After lunch is when the fun really began. Jerry Ribnick, Tamar (my sister)’s boyfriend (Joel Ribnick)’s dad, was in Jerusalem for some Jewish Federation work but was able to meet up Friday afternoon. He was staying with his friends, the Kahns, and they were going to the Shuk (outdoor market), to pick up produce for dinner, so I was able to meet up with them for an awesome afternoon. It was really convenient because I needed to go to the shuk anyways to pick up my “secret santa” gift for my friend I was assigned and I knew he’d love an assortment of candy and treats from the shuk, plus I really wanted to see Jerry. The afternoon was so fun, talking and catching up, plus learning about some great shops in the shuk that Jerry’s friend pointed out (they aren’t so common but have great prices). It made my day, seeing almost-family and he even got me an Israeli dreidle from the shuk which will add to my collection at home. I came back to base in an extremely happy mood, with hope that I’d get to see Jerry one more time before he left for home, and with a little package from home with a few new pairs of leggings to keep me warm as the cold weather approaches. That night we had services and dinner with everyone from Nativ, on base. It was fun being with everyone for Shabbat dinner, but since I never got my chance to sleep in, I was exhausted and didn’t even have enough energy for the tish (song session) after dinner, which I never miss. I guess being tired is better than being bored, because it shows how much fun I’d been having all week.

Because of the closed Shabbat, I still could not get a morning of sleeping in, because we all had to be at services on base at the very beginning (unlike my usual “arrive when I arrive” schedule). Since it was Shabbat, the day was pretty chill, we had services, lunch, and free time until Seudat Shlishit (third meal of the day/early dinner). Right after Havdalah, was also the Schneider’s flight home, which was sad to see such good family friends leave, but the hugs goodbye were nice, and they’d be back for Pesach, more faces to see in the future. Even though one Cincinnati friend was leaving, I actually had plans to visit Dena Rapaport, a friend from Cincinnati studying for the year in Israel, that evening. I had not seen Dena in a while so we had planned to get together after Shabbat and just catch up on each other’s lives. It was so fun seeing Dena and her new apartment is so cute, the decorations make it so homey, and her roommate’s dog was cute too.

Even though in Israel we have school on Sunday, because of Chanukah, The Yeshiva, Hebrew University, and Ulpan, all had the day off! There are two girls in the Karmiel group who never have class on Sunday so they usually go out to brunch and have a typical American Sunday. Since we were all off, they thought it would be a great time for Karmiel-girl bonding and invited us along on their Sunday Funday.  It was so fun being with the girls, and the brunch was a nice change to the typical cafeteria environment we’re used to; it got me really excited for when we’re all in Karmiel, plus we hope to have fancy dessert nights too as a group. After brunch, my friend, Allie Griff, and I planned to go boot shopping. We have both been wanting cute boots for the winter and heard about this sale at the mall for buy-one-get-one-free, and decided we could each get a pair for 50% off! Sunday was the perfect day, considering we had no school, and the brunch put us in the shopping mood. We mentioned the sale and a few of the other girls could not resist the deal, so the afternoon entailed even more bonding and just plain fun. Going to the mall and seeing the boots is nice but the fact that I was able to find the exact boots I was looking for, made the afternoon a big success. We all left with at least one pair of boots and huge smiles on our faces, and complete exhaustion. But after my full morning I didn’t have time for a nap. Since no one had classes, Nativ had mandatory volunteering (yes it’s an oxymoron) for all three groups at different “Old people’s homes”. We went to sing different Chanukah songs and pass out soufganiyot. Sometimes it can be hard in general to volunteer with the elderly, and the language barrier made it even harder, but just seeing one of the men’s huge smiles as he saw us walking up to the gate made it all worth it. Even though most of the people couldn’t really have a conversation, they all really enjoyed our songs and soufganiyot, and those who could converse, seemed to appreciate our company. I was still exhausted, but instead of coming back from volunteering and taking a much needed nap, I had a delicious dinner to go to. The Glassmans are good family friends from Cincinnati who go to our shul. Their daughter Leah made Aliyah (moved to Israel), so Bev (the mom) came to visit Leah and sightsee. They were in Jerusalem that night so they had a dinner at Caffit (amazingly delicious and well-known restaurant in Jerusalem) for all the people they know in Israel. I loved seeing Bev, and having another hug from home. It was also great seeing Leah since I haven’t seen her the whole time I’ve been in Israel, but since I will live in the North second semester, it will be a lot easier to see her! There were also other Cincinnatians like Rachel and Nina Schneider, Dena Rapaport, and Adam Ganson, so the evening made for a Cincinnati night. Plus the restaurant had its own Chanukah candle lighting which was such a cool experience, which would only happen in Israel! Even though seeing everyone was the best part of the night, the food came up at a close second. Caffit is known for their delicious food, and when we visited Tamar in Israel when I was in 7^th grade, the food was scrumptious, or at least I’m told, since I can’t really remember. Ever since I’ve been in Israel Abba keeps asking me if I’ve gone to Caffit, and even though it’s taken me a long time to eat there, the wait was well worth it. I ordered one of their famous sweet potato “Oreganatto’s” which is their prized salad. When the bowl of mouth-watering goodness came out, I was speechless. And after my first bite, that didn’t change. The salad was piled high with fresh tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, and covered in goat cheese, nuts, and sooo many strips of sweet potato, the salad itself was hidden. Needless to say I could only eat a third of it, but thank goodness for carryout because now I have amazing leftovers for the week.              

Delicious Karmiel Brunch

Most of the Karmiel Girls happy, and full

Yay Boots!

They lit the Chanukiah at Caffit!

The Cincinnati side of the table

It was so great seeing Bev and Leah

Monday morning, I was back to the normal school schedule after a nice American Sunday, and even though I definitely was not in the mood for waking up early, I awoke to a pleasant surprise…RAIN! Finally! As I’ve mentioned before, Israel has been going through a drought, and while I’ve hugely enjoyed the beautiful weather and warm temperatures, it’s been awful for Israel and it’s already low water supply. The only bad part about the rain is the cold weather that comes with it- especially because it was so hot on Sunday- I wore a tank top and capris! I was not ready for the drastic change in weather, but even with the colder temperatures, the rain put everyone in an excited mood! Since school at Yeshiva has been getting out early because of Chanukah, our Talmud class decided to have a Chanukah party. I love my Talmud class, we have so much fun together and finally, I got to play dreidle! (with Israeli driedles). There was gelt, latkes, and soufganiyot, like any normal Chanukah party, but having it with the class made it unique and extra fun. Our teacher, R’Hillel, even brought a projector and we were able to play Super Mario Brothers on a big screen and watch funny Chanukah clips on youtube. We even saw a clip from Rechov Soom Soom (Israeli Sesame Street), where Moishe’ Oofnick (the “Oscar the grouch” of Rechov Soom Soom) got drunk at the Passover Seder- I can’t believe that was in a real episode for little kids! I left the part a little early, after having a perfect amount of time with the class, so I could meet up with Jerry Ribnick again! I was so glad that my football game was cancelled so that I could see Jerry one more time before his flight home. I wasn’t even that hungry but just spending time with Jerry walking around and sitting at the restaurant made for a fabulous evening. I was sad to say goodbye to Jerry because it was so nice having someone like family spend time with me, but at least Tamar will be here soon! When I got back it was late so I thought I’d have to light the Chanukiah by myself,  but luckily I got back just as a bunch of my friends were about to light. Lighting the candles and singing songs was the perfect ending to another special day of Chanukah in Israel.

Talmud class playing dreidel

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Jerry and I at dinner

Coming home, I saw the Nativ window filled with shining candles!

Identity Crisis and Turkey-Massacre

Get ready everybody, there are some big surprises in this week’s entry, but I guess they are balanced off with some classic times too…

Apparently each week I am lucky enough to have a visit from back home; Monday morning I went down to breakfast and was greeted by Harry and Dianne Schneider. Our Family has known the Schneiders since before I was born. Nina and I became friends even before I moved back to Cincinnati after living in England, and it’s been so lucky having her on Nativ with me, because we’ve known each other for so long. Since Rachel (Nina’s older sister) just moved to Israel, the Schneiders wanted to take advantage of having both their daughters in Israel at the same time, and are visiting Israel twice this year (once being for thanksgiving/Chanukah). I knew they had just arrived Sunday night, but hadn’t gotten to see them, so it was by chance that we were at breakfast at the same time that morning. Nina had already left for Ulpan when I got there but it was so great to see Harry and Dianne and get such nice hugs to start out the day. That night we also had our usual football game; I was worried I wasn’t going to be very energized since it was soooo cold out, so all I really wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sleep, but once we got on the field, it was a whole other story… WE WON! If you haven’t been following our game situation, the past three games we have lost… badly. But this week we played the little giants, suuure they were younger than us, but we beat them by 6 touchdowns, which felt amaaazing! Even though we know how it feels to lose and had some sympathy for the other team, we couldn’t help but cheer with each touchdown and interception that was made. After the game I got the treat of going out to dinner with the whole Schneider clan. We found this really cute restaurant near Rachel’s apartment, called “The Garden Café”.  The restaurant was so quaint, it was all glass walls so you could feel like you were outside in a garden, but still stay warm. I got a delicious hearts of palm salad (it was so big I got to take home leftovers), and spending the night with family friends made for an extra special end to the day. But what made the night even more special was when we all got back to Beit Nativ and the Schnieders took me to their room to give me my winter boots that my parents had sent with them. I was really excited to get my winter boots, and I knew I was getting a few other treats PLUS one of our family’s Chanukah song sheets, so I’d have a bit of family with me during the holiday. But to my surprise there were 4 extra little goodies included in my “package”. Imma had been soooo sneaky, and had included 4 little treats to open during Chanukah so I have s little piece of home during the chag.

The following day seemed like a pretty normal day. I did get to go to the shuk with a few friends, with a mission to get a filet of salmon that my chevruta (one of my study partners at the yeshiva), Evan Ravsky, would make for me for Thanksgiving! Since our whole family is vegetarian, every year of my life, instead turkey, we have salmon. Since I had already had Evan’s amazing salmon, I had asked him if it would be at all possible for him to make me the salmon, and being the great guy that he is, he graciously took on the responsibility with honor. Since Evan had been so busy writing essays to get into rabbinical school, he didn’t have time to get the salmon but gave me perfectly clear directions of where to get salmon in the shuk and what to “order”. Not only did I get salmon but my friends and I discovered a great health food store with a huge variety of delicious dried fruit. I thought that would be my only excitement for that day since I knew our weekly Teusday night Erev Nativ, would just be a discussion/ learning session about Kashrut with our Be’er Sheva  group. Little did I know, that night held one of the hugest impacts I would have on this Nativ trip. After our discussion, Yossi Garr, the director of Nativ, turned around a white board with a map of Israel on it, and marked with a few cities including the 3 cities  that our 3 tracks would be spending the second semester. With a weird introduction, Yossi broke the news that made all our jaws drop… our group would now be group Karmiel! Instead of Be’er Sheva, our track is going to be the first group on the history of Nativ to be going up north for second semester. Apparently for the past three months the staff of our program have known that the absorption centre we were supposed to stay at in Be’er Sheva got shut down by the Jewish Agency, and have been struggling to find a place for our group to stay, whether in Be’er Sheva or other cities… such as Carmiel. I don’t handle change very well so I was not happy with the news, but after talking/venting with Imma for a while about the change, I took a deep breath and started to look at the positives. Ultimately the city is beautiful and near a lot of nice places, the only downer is that now we are way far away from the 2 other tracks that are based in the south. But because I can’t change the fact that we are going to Carmiel, my biggest issue is getting used to calling our group, group Karmiel, what an Identity Crisis.

After that load of drama, I was lucky enough to have my Wednesday fun-filled and drama free. I spent my lunch break with a nice movie break. One of our staff members, Maya, just made aliyah (became an Israeli citizen), so she was able to get a library card, and is now able to take out 2 movies at a time for free. She told me that she had taken out the movie Hair, and I’d always wanted to see it, so after lunch, Maya, Calah, and I watched the first half of a really cool musical (I had to get to class so well finish it this week). That evening I still went to the Beit Midrash activity where Nativ students can discuss/learn about different Jewish subjects with JTS students. I had my leftover salad from my dinner with the Schneiders (yum) and was ready for discussion. It was such an interesting topic, astrology and how our ancestors used/believed in it while still believing in god. The stories and texts were so fascinating, and I loved hearing different people’s points of view in if they think it has any affect on our lives or not. Immediately after Beit Midrash I had to rush down to JET; even though we have one more class I will have to miss it because I have plans that night to have dinner with a family friend from Cincinnati, so I couldn’t miss my last session. As always JET was fun, mostly because of the people and our really funny teacher, Mark Lazar, and even though it’s over, I had fun during the whole process, and definitely learned a lot that can help me with my work at Northern Hills Synagogue. To sweeten up the night after the ending of JET, I got to go out to Max Brenner ice cream (it’s an extremely popular gelato company in Israel). My friend Aviva’s dad was in town for business and took out a bunch of Aviva’s friends for dessert to meet them. Her dad is so sweet and ice cream is always a special and scrumptious treat. To end the night after a very busy day I was just happy to curl up with my friends, Kayla and Hillary, and watch the newest Glee episode, which was amaaaazing (I might have cried of happiness).



everyoneenjoyed the yummy ice cream



When Thursday rolled around, I was more than surprised that it was already Thanksgiving, not only has time flown by but the weather here is still so warm, it definitely did not feel like Thanksgiving day. Some of you may also wonder if Thanksgiving is even celebrated here because it’s an American holiday, and why would we celebrate it if we’re in Israel? Well first of all, most Americans will still celebrate the holiday, and every year Nativ throws a huuuge Thanksgiving dinner and all families and Nativ alumni are invited (but I’ll talk more about the dinner later). But to answer the other question, why would we celebrate thanksgiving in Israel? Not only is at a nice family holiday that is about being thankful, but I think that it is secretly a Jewish holiday too... Another name for thanksgiving is Turkey-day and “turkey” in Hebrew is “hodoo” which also means thanks in Hebrew, which must mean something! Because of the excitement, the morning classes flew by.  Everyone gets dressed up for Thanksgiving dinner at Nativ because the night is so special, so I decided to straighten my hair. In the midst of the chaos of everyone getting ready for the evening activities, I was glad that I had a skype date planned for Tamar and me. I was definitely missing being with the family at home on this extremely family-oriented holiday, so seeing Tamar and Imma in the kitchen while the Macy’s thanksgiving day parade played in the background, put me in high spirits. Plus, Tamar and I were able to book our hotel for the night we go to Eilat when she visits me in Israel (it’s sooooo soon!). Even though I was missing the family, that skype session really helped, and when I signed off, I got a call from Evan, my chevruta, who was just around the corner with my salmon(even more home-comfort)! I was so thankful for my salmon and gave Evan a big hug, and it was so sweet because he was so concerned that it would be alright. On my way back from the corner where I got my fish, I saw my friend Aviva, and was so excited, that I showed off my salmon. As we were walking back onto base we passed the kitchen windows (which we usually pass by without noticing) and saw Yossi Garr (the Director of Nativ), Elkhana  Cohen (the Assistant-Director of Nativ), and David Keren (the Director of Nativ before Yossi) COOKING/ MASSACRING SOOOO MANY TURKEYS FOR THANKSGIVING DINNER. It was hilarious to see all three of them in aprons and gloves slicing and carving all those turkeys (I tried not to think of them as birds, and put aside my vegetarianism). With that distraction, I had very little time to get dressed, and joined the mad rush of girls in our hall, so we’d be ready by 5:30 for the night’s entertainment. Luckily I managed to be on time, and there was time for photos before the evening. We were then shuffled into the Synagogue on base (Nativers, families, and alumni!) to get treated to an amazing performance by the Nativ accapella group, I was definitely surprised by some people, who I had no idea could sing. Plus there was a small video that three Nativers made that showed clips and moments from our past three months here (I was in it studying at the yeshiva, I’m famous!). Finally it was the main event… dinner! I had my salmon and was ready to go, but Nativ had a little surprise for us at the entrance to the dining hall... letters from our parents! I had e-mails, from Imma and Abba, Leah and Matthew, Tamar, and even my Imma’s friend, Jenny, who has been following my blog.  Reading the letters definitely brought a few tears and made me a little sad I wasn’t with my family for the holiday, but mostly the surprise was a very exciting treat for everyone. Dinner was next on the agenda and I made everyone at my table say what they were thankful for, just to throw in one of my family traditions. Surprisingly the food was really good. The salmon was obviously delicious, Evan had used an Asian sauce, and was perfectly cooked. Nativ itself had really good green beans, yams, and even vegetarian stuffing. Needless to say, like any other thanksgiving, I was stuffed to the gills. Even though I was done eating, people were still enjoying talking and I had heard that some Nativ alumni that had been on Tamar’s year were at dinner. JJ, who used to work for Nativ and got close to Tamar when she was on Nativ, introduced me to the 4 people, and having that connection to Tamar was pretty special. After meeting Tamar’s friends, I ran up to my room, to put away my camera before the last of the night’s festivities. As habit, I quickly turned on my computer to check if I had gotten any mail and while I was changing into comfy clothes for the night, my computer started ringing. I got to skype with my family a second time that Thanksgiving. Abba was there too this time which was extra special, and I got to tell them all about my delicious Thanksgiving (even though they hadn’t even had theirs yet!).  After the “visit” from the family, it was nice to spend the rest of the night in the auditorium where they were playing all the Thanksgiving episodes from the show “friends”.

Sam, Tali, and I, all spiffy for the evening

Hillary, Ariel, Becca (clad in Nativ American attire)

JJ and I

Ari and Aaron, before we said what we were thankful for

 I woke up reeeally early (6:30) Friday morning, which is usually my sleep in day, because I hadn’t been feeling well the previous night and stayed up till 2:30, dealing with not feeling well and packing for the Yeshiva Shabbaton (spending Shabbat with a group of people, usually at a different place, like a youth hostel) and I had to go to the doctor. We were supposed to leave at 8:30, but I knew I needed to go to the doctor first. I was really worried I’d either not be allowed to go on the trip, or miss the bus, and I had been looking forward to it since I’d heard about it. Considering I wasn’t feeling well, and I had barely anytime to figure out my transportation, I was very stressed and flustered. Even though this was an awful time to not be feeling well, I got the best turnout for an awful situation. I talked to Rabbi Goldfarb, who is in charge of the Conservative Yeshiva, and basically, after many phone calls, he was able to find me a later ride to the Shabbaton, plus the medicine the doctor gave me made me better by the afternoon! Even though I missed the hike that all the other Yeshiva students got to do, since I arrived later, I wouldn’t have been able to do the hike anyways since I wasn’t feeling 100%, so it worked out perfectly. I got to the youth hostel in time to wait for the rest of the Yeshiva students to return from their hike. Everyone got ready for Shabbat, and the evening went on from there. Kabbalat Shabbat (services to bring in Shabbat) was beautiful (a lot of people in the Yeshiva have nice voices, unlike me). Dinner was adequate taste-wise, but being with all my friends from the Yeshiva for dinner was so much fun, and when people finished they started singing songs. There was a Chumash study session following dinner, but it was only 7:30 and I was already exhausted, and I still wanted to have energy for the Tish (sing songs, eat food, and tell stories, usually relating to the weekly torah reading). Becca (one of my roommates that weekend, fellow Nativer, and friend) and I decided to take a nap before the tish. It was definitely worth it, the singing was so fun, and afterwards I hung out with a bunch of people, bonding was definitely a big plus to the Shabbaton, so it was a fun night.

I didn’t get much sleep, like I usually like to get during Shabbat, because I had stayed up late the previous night hanging out with friends, and still had to get up for services. Even though I was still a little sad that I had missed the hike from the previous day, I was lucky that we were located in the north in Ein Harod in Beit She’an, which had some really cool landmarks, so after services there was an option to go explore/hike to those locations.  We got to see Harod’s spring, which was the location of where Harod was able to test the soldiers/eliminate them to a smaller number for god(the story isn’t so clear in my memory but I’m sure it’s on google J). From the spring we hiked up a small mountain that ended out the grave of a huge Zionist, who was a huge cause for the establishment of Israel. Not only were these cool sights, but the view was amaaazing. Even though it was the end of November, the weather was so sunny and gorgeous; the flowers were still in bloom on the trees the sun just makes everything happier. Another mediocre meal followed the hike, and we were given free time in the afternoon to rest, or in my case, play games! Abby Ravsky, Evan’s wife, who I clicked with during Yom Kippur came to the Shabbaton (everyone’s family was invited), and she introduced a big group of us to the card game FLUXX. It’s too complicated to explain, but it’s definitely addicting.  We played all afternoon until it was time for an early dinner. We had quick evening prayers and were on the bus by 6:30. Although it was so early, it was so dark out that it felt like it was 8:30, and I was exhausted from my nap-less Shabbat. After getting carsick I enjoyed a “nice” ride back home, and after reuniting with friends after a long weekend, I passed out in my bed, sleep deprived, and realizing how much I needed an American Sunday the next day, instead of classes.

Even though I had school, because of the Shabbaton, we got to come in Sunday a half hour later than usual, which is better than nothing. I was still tired from the weekend, so during our lunch break, I took a nap and got to watch Bones with my friend Zoe (it’s our show). That evening turned out to be really fun too. We had our Carmiel November-Birthday party, and it was dress-like-a-superhero theme! My friend, Debra Goss, dressed up as “catwoman” together, there was also a superman, 2 powder puff girls, and even captain underpants. Seeing everyone’s costumes was a fun surprise, and the food and games added to some group bonding, and just a fun rest of the night.

Debra and I dressed as cat woman

Catwoman surrounded by Powder Puff Girls (Zoe Kronovet and Allie Griff)

Roni (my staff) was a troll!

Making Up For Last Week

Even though last week I had some stories to share, it was still a shorter entry, and the routine was pretty monotonous. But this week, if you think you can handle it, I have redeemed myself with more adventures and stories than should be legal to enter in one blog entry.

Unlike last week, where I skipped some days in my blog entry because nothing happened, this week’s adventures pick up the very day after I left off, Sunday. Imma and Abba (Hebrew for mom and dad) actually went to Michigan for the weekend to visit my Bubbe and Zayde, and Grams (my Grandparents) and the rest of our family there. I hadn’t been able to talk to them since I left for Israel, so when Imma and Abba visited, they brought a web camera with them to set up on Grams’ computer so we could skype (video chat over the internet). Because of the time difference I left class early (my teacher completely understood even if he jokingly gave me a hard time) and after two and a half months (wow has it been that long already?!?) I finally got to SEE and talk to my grandparents and 2 of my cousins! I was so excited and thankful that not only had my uncle worked hard at figuring out how to install the camera and skype program onto Grams’ stubborn computer, but also, my Grams had organized a brunch so that my Bubbe and Zayde and cousins could come over and skype. It was so exciting to finally “see” the family, and now that skype is installed I’ll be able to plan more skype “dates” with the family! After seeing the whole family, I realized how much I missed not being able to visit everyone with Imma and Abba like usual, so to distract me, my friends, Zoe, Dave, and Jessica let me help them cook dinner. Even though I already had a salad prepared, I really miss cooking at home with my Imma. They were all happy to have extra help with making the stirfry, and I was so glad to be back in the makeshift “kitchen”. (Nativ has now converted the bomb shelter into a “kitchen” by supplying 2 hot plates, a toaster oven and a microwave, but we’d have to buy our own pots and pans to use it). I was having such a good evening after skyping and cooking, but I still had another JET program (Jewish Education Training). It was actually a really fun class, we got to act out classroom scenarios for different age groups and situations, so not only did we learn how to deal with them as teachers; we got to play roles and act like little kids for fun. I guess I was already in a childish mood, so it was great that I got to watch the first half of Lion King with one of my friends, Debra, before she had to skype with her mom.  Lion King is definitely one of my favorite Disney movies and singing along with the songs always puts me in a good mood.

Not only have my days been full of happiness, so has the weather in Israel. It’s already the middle of November and it is still 80 degrees and sunny. Even though this makes the days really enjoyable, it’s actually dangerous for Israel because Israel has a very low water supply and depends on the rain in the winter time just to get by. Right now it’s practically a drought, but the weather is still nice to appreciate, because it’s just plain hard not to enjoy the sun. Because Nativ supplies lunches for the Yeshiva and Ulpan students on Monday, a bunch of us decided to take advantage of the sunny weather and take our food in to-go-trays from the lunch room to the park across the street. It was so sunny and the music and blankets made for a really nice change of scenery from the usual lunch room. I got another special meal that night when I want to Alex and Laura’s house for dinner. It had been a really long time since I’d seen my cousin, and since I hadn’t been able to go to their house for Shabbas dinner because of our closed weekend, we were lucky to find that Monday night was open on both our calendars. Dena Rapaport was also able to come to dinner, and it had been quite a while since I’d seen her too, which added to the awesome evening.  Laura (with the help of Alex) baked some delicious salmon, Israeli couscous, and a delicious salad, not to mention a plum tart for desert. I was in heaven with delicious homemade food, and had such a fun time just talking and catching up on everyone’s lives. I left full to my gills and enjoyed the walk back to base, to walk off some of the night’s dinner. When I got back, I found I had made it back just in time to see tonight’s Israel movie. It was called “The Secrets” and is about these orthodox women studying In Jerusalem, who meet a Russian woman who wants their help repenting before she dies. There are some really intense scenes and was really interesting, plus the movie only came with Hebrew subtitles, so even though 2 of our Israeli staff translated some of the movie, it was cool to watch and understand some of the Hebrew that they didn’t translate.

Seth, Sean, and I enjoying the picnic

Nina, Tamar, Becca, Ariel, and I (the girls)

Alex, Laura, and I after an delicous dinner

Apparently the change of scenes for my meals wasn’t over yet. Tuesday for lunch I got a very special treat! If you didn’t know, my family lived in England for three years, when I was in 1^st through 3^rd grade, and we made a lot of good friends, some like family. It’s been hard to keep in touch with everybody but one family we’ve kept in touch with are Charles and Pauline Posner. I can still remember when I was little and playing in their house during a Shabbat lunch after services. They were always such good friends when we lived in England and even though I hadn’t seen them since I was in 5^th grade, Tamar was able to see them a lot when she was on Nativ (they visit Israel a lot) and e-mail has been a great way to keep in touch.  When I came to Israel it was obvious I had to tell them I was here in case they ever visited Israel. I was so happy to find out that Pauline would be visiting Israel and would be in Jerusalem for two days, so lunch was a great way to see her. Seeing Pauline made it seem as if it hadn’t been forever since my last visit to England, and as always I love having “family” to spend time with in Israel. I showed Pauline around the Nativ base, where I live, and as we headed out to lunch, we ran into a very funny coincidence. Since I live next to the Yeshiva and it was the Yeshiva lunch time, sometimes teachers and students come outside and enjoy the weather or go out to lunch. At the very time we were walking through the outdoor amphitheater, one of the Rabbis who teaches at the Yeshiva was walking outside too. Apparently this rabbi is now the Rabbi for Pauline’s shul (the shul that my family helped start when we lived in England)! Pauline stopped in shock and began talking with Rabbi Joel Levy, apparently he knows my family, and he became the Rabbi of the shul just as we were moving back to Cincinnati. He was surprised to find out I was a “famous” Pentelnik, and the Jewish geography was very exciting. Pauline and I still had lunch to attend, and she treated me to this delicious lunch at Restobar, which I’ve passed a lot when walking around the city. We got to sit outside and enjoy the sunny weather while still being in the shade and I had a delicious Sweet Potato Soup and Blue Cheese Salad. Though the delicious food was a really exciting treat, being with Pauline was even more amazing. We talked forever until her friend picked her up from lunch so they could spend time together. I was also so excited to hear that both Pauline AND Charles would be visiting Israel 2 more times while I’m on Nativ! We had had so much fun, that our lunch had run late of course, but luckily, I was still able to make it in time for mine and Tamar’s skype date. It had been so long since we’d talked, and now we were finally able to start discussing our plans for when she visits in December. Now we have so many ideas and I even got permission from my Nativ Director that I can leave early before my break starts so Tamar and I can spend two days in Eilat, I’m so excited.  Now that the plans are starting to come together, everything seems real.  Apparently Tuesday was also family day, because after Tamar and I skyped for a long time, Imma and I skyped for another hour, just discussing all my plans, and really catching up on both of our adventures. It was so nice just to have a “family” evening. With skype, it makes the distance seem so much smaller, even though I couldn’t really hug Tamar or Imma, the fact that I could see them and talk with them, was awesome. The rest of the evening I worked more on plans, and cleaned up my room (which can be very fulfilling/relaxing) and had Erev Nativ, and a much-needed-early-bedtime.

Pauline and I with our meals that looked beautiful

One last goodbye until later

The amazing weather was still keeping up by Wednesday, so after lunch I wanted to walk around Jerusalem, since I didn’t have anything to do till class time. I was able to find that two of my friends, Zoe and Becca, were planning to go check out the artist colony near the Mamilla Mall. I’d passed it a lot on all of our tours through Jerusalem, and had always been curious, so I didn’t hesitate to join them on their escapade. Unfortunately the artist colony wasn’t really interesting and the art was less than expected, but at least, now I know. At least I was able to enjoy another sunny day. That night, after class, we had another Beit Midrash class, this time I attended a class that discussed astrology and its correspondence to ancient Judaism and Judaism today, It was so interesting to learn about the stars influence on some Rabbis theologies, and it went really well with my leftover soup and salad from my lunch with Pauline J.

Of course this week kept up with more antics, and Thursday afternoon, since we get out of class early, I finally went shopping (It had been over a month!). I had heard about this consignment shop on Yaffo Street, and I really wanted some big sweaters to wear with leggings (it is starting to get chilly in the evenings), plus consignment shops are always fun to explore and check out. I told my friend, Allie Griff, about the store and she really wanted to check it out too, thus our adventure began. The store was so cute and small, it had some crazy full length dresses (if only I had another prom or ball to go to), and I was able to find 2 great sweaters for the winter while Allie found a really cute poncho, basically, the shopping was a success. We got back with smiles on our faces and in time for a quick Nativ dinner before football practice. There was a program that night for people who would work at camps that summer, so a lot of our team wasn’t available for practice. It was fun having another small practice, we even had fun goofing around, singing, and dancing, but don’t worry we still worked hard. The night wasn’t over yet though, at 9:30 I got to see… HARRY POTTER 7. Not only did I see harry Potter opening night in Israel, but I saw it before people in America were even ABLE to see it! Plus it was just an amazing movie in general, and the Israel experience made it very unique. In Israel, when you buy tickets, you are actually assigned seats. Since my friends and I arrived only 7 minutes before the movie, the only row available was row 2. But the theater we were at is actually a converted theater for plays, so we had awesome seat since there was an entire distance of a stage between our seats and the screen. Plus, there were Hebrew subtitles on the bottom of the screen, and I enjoyed glancing at them at points and understanding the Hebrew- what a cool experience.  Lastly, in Israel their movies have “intermission”. They stop the movie in the middle of its viewing, and even though it’s technically a “smoking break”, because a lot of Israelis smoke and “need” that intermission (gross), it’s also a great break to run to the bathroom or get a drink. Harry Potter was an exciting end to a fun day of being with friends.

Harry Potter was so exciting and scary!

The next morning, I had to wake up early to pack for Pizgat Zev (a community in north Jerusalem), where the Weiner family live, because I was going to spend Shabbat with them! Even though I wouldn’t be leaving till 1:30, I had just gotten a phone call the day before from Shir Cohen, my friend from Netanya, who was in Jerusalem and wanted to meet up Friday morning.  So after starting packing, I went down to breakfast, where I heard that my friend Zoe’s plans had been canceled a second week in a row, which no one should have to go through. I asked her if she’d be interested in coming with me to the Wieners, even though I told her there was no guarantee, since it was last minute, but she said she’d really like to if it was possible. On my walk to Ben Yehuda Street to meet Shir, I called the Wiener family, and even though I said they shouldn’t feel obligated at all, they are such a loving family and said of course Zoe could come. When I got off the phone I was able to spend the morning with Shir, which was so much fun. We just spent the morning walking down Yaffo Street, browsing in all the stores, while catching up on life; basically, it was a great way to start the weekend. Zoe and I left for Pizgat Zev after lunch and got to the Weiner’s house at around 2:30. Just entering the home, it felt like any stresses were lifted away, I could tell it was going to be a vacation-like weekend! Whenever I come over its like being at my home in Israel, I feel so comfortable and I’m with “family”. Plus, that Shabbat, Yael, their daughter who is my age, was in, and their daughter Michal (Tamar’s age) came too. It was so awesome seeing them both, especially Yael, even when we won’t talk for a long time; it’s always easy to reconnect, and ever since I came to Israel we’ve been keeping in touch more and more. Before Shabbat it was fun to just talk with the family, and watch Glee, of course. But dinner was a different story. As I’ve said before, David Weiner is an amazing cook, For Shabbat dinner, not only was there homemade challah, there was a delicious Indian soup, a yummy rice/onion dish, and a special vegetarian tofu and vegetable stir-fry, I was in heaven.  I definitely don’t get food like this on Nativ, and the family atmosphere was a refreshing break from the college-like atmosphere I’m used to.  After a delicious dinner, Zoe and I were so exhausted that we were falling asleep at the table, so we took an early night and went straight to bed. The second my head hit the pillow, I was out.



Shir and I



Yael and Michal let me in on a sister pic



Zoe, Yael, and I



After about 12 hours of sleep, I awoke, well rested and very relaxed. Zoe was also awake, so we joined the family pajama party; everyone was just enjoying the relaxing Shabbat with a good sleep-in and family time. By 11, we figured that it was time to eat, so we started putting together a Shabbas brunch that reminded me of home. The feast of fresh veggies, cheeses, tuna salad, and homemade challah was delish and very relaxing. For the next couple of hours (while we were still in our pajamas) we played Bananagrams and Anagrams, perfect games for Shabbat that are just plain fun. Even though I had slept so much the previous night, I somehow still got tired after a playing the games for a while, so I took an hour nap, while Zoe read a book and Yael rested. By the time I woke up it was already time for Havdalah (when Shabbat ends- when there are three stars in the sky) because Shabbat ends so early in the winter. After Havdalah, we thought a movie was a good way to enjoy Zoe and my last bit of time with the family. The movie was a classic that Zoe and I had never seen before, “Music Empire”. It was a really funny movie, and it was the first time I’d watched something on a tv screen in over 2 and a half months! (we watch our shows and movies on our computers).  It was especially nice that when it was time to go, David drove us home rather than having to take the bus home at night, and even though I’d had such a relaxing day, completely in my pajamas, I was still exhausted when we got back and I went right to bed.

Sunday wasn’t very eventful; it was just a day to get back into the swing of things. There wasn’t much to do because almost everyone went to go see the new Harry Potter, but I had seen it on Thursday already. Luckily I still had a great night, because it was apparently family night! After skyping with my friend Lainey back in Cincinnati I had 3 consecutive skype dates; first I skyped with my parents, next was Tamar, followed by Leah! Even though I didn’t really have any special adventures, “spending the night” with my family was special in its own way.

As always, have a good week, and I know there was a lot to read this week, but there was just so much that happened, so I hope it was entertaining.