Hello! Because my internet access costs money these days (either by the minute at the internet cafe or by the cup of coffee at the coffee shop called Coffee Shop), I haven't done much blogging. But here are some pics of my time here so far and here's a brief update:
Still on vacation, all I do is wander the city and shop. Most of the things I am spending money on are necessities like household items, toiletries etc. But I have been doing a little splurging on things like cafes, downloading Grey's Anatomy and hair accessories. Rosh Hashannah was spent eating, sleeping and praying and struggling to adjust to the time difference. Yom Kippur was pretty good and ended earlier in the evening because we changed our clocks back an hour the day before. Thanks to the vacuum sealed salmon my mother gave me before I left, I had a pretty good pre-fast meal watching a downloaded episode of Studio 60. There is nothing like tv from home to make me feel more comfortable despite being so disconnected from many people I love.
Now, we are gearing up for the festival of Sukkot, where we embrace our pagan side joyfully. I went to a huge market place (one of many around Jerusalem) where I bought the different parts of the lulav and an etrog (the four species for the holiday). I felt like the men in Ushpizin, inspecting the etrog for it's quality. It is very cool to be in a city that is so serious about its religious practice. On the flip side, I heard a terrible story about young Ultra-Orthodox people throwing rocks at the Magen David Adom ambulances that were passing by for driving on Yom Kippur. Clearly, these misguided people don't get that it is just as important to save lives as it is to fast and pray all day.
Anyway, I love being here and it is so relaxing to be in this city and not be in school yet. I'm still waiting to move into my apartment but at least I can save a month's rent since I have a free place for now. And, my problem as to how to pay the rent has been solved. I am meeting with the Hebrew tutor on Thursday and see how quickly my Hebrew improves.
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