Let’s see, what’s happened since I wrote last…..

Ah yes, I had a free weekend and I went to Rehovot to spend it with my friend (and fellow blogger) Mulder. It was exactly what I needed after the last few intensive weeks in the program. Friday I caught a bus from the Jerusalem central bus station at 10am and arrived in Rehovot almost an hour later (the trip usually only takes 30-40 mins by car though). Mulder picked me up at the bus station in Rehovot and we headed back to his place to hang out and catch up a bit. For shabat dinner we went to his parents place and had a great evening there. Afterwards we went back to his place, met up with a friend of his, and headed out for the night. First on the agenda: bowling. Ah yes, bowling in Israel. Something I never thought I’d do. After that we headed out for a drink at the local bar where we chatted, listened to music and watched people. Overall, a great way to unwind and relax.

Oh and did mention? Thanks to Mulder I got to catch up on some tv. Oh yes, I watched HOURS of television shows that he had downloaded. Hours and hours. I got all caught up on Lost (*dreamy!!*), took in the first episode of the second season of Battlestar Galactica (* squeal!*), and tried out two new shows Commander In Chief (with Geena Davis) and Prison Break. Wow, both are fabulous shows, I highly recommend them. In fact ALL of it was amazing and I was in total heaven all weekend as Mulder patiently let me spend hours in front of the tv. Thank god SOMEONE understands my tv addiction. Thanks, baby! You made my weekend!!

After that it was back on the bus Sunday morning at 8:45am and back to Jerusalem. Sunday night was spent getting ready for Sukkot (pronounced: "sue-COAT"), another fine Jewish holiday that marks the end of the holiday madness of the last month. For Sukkot we must build a sukkah, a hut of sorts, outside; "Historically, Sukkot commemorates the forty-year period during which the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters. The word "Sukkot" means "booths," and refers to the temporary dwellings that the Jews were commanded to live in during this holiday in memory of the period of wandering"). Sukkot is to be a happy celebration with as much time possible spent in the sukkah eating, sleeping and gathering with friends. We had a blast for the next two days as we erected the sukkah, decorated it and cooked the big meal for the first night of Sukkot. To contribute, I cooked the most kick ass lentil soup ever, if I do say so myself. Monday night it was a party in the sukkah as we all sat on cushions on the floor around low tables and had a feast!

Today, the second day of Sukkot (it’s a 7 day celebration), we went out to host families again to spend time having a Sukkot meal in their sukkah. Always a pleasure to meet new people and see how others do it, so I had a great time. After that it was a nap and free time, so here I am.

One thing to report: we had a thief skulking about the campus today and a few of the girls were robbed. Seems some guy took it upon himself to stroll into our building and found a few doors unlocked. He helped himself to some money and a phone or two. Lovely! The result is the following hilarious signs that a few of the group members posted:

On the front door


Inside the front door


In the common area


In the stairway leading upstairs



Lesson learned! Lock your doors, kids! (as my roommate said to me: “Now I see why you’re so anal about having the room locked all the time!”. Uh, YEAH!)

Tomorrow is pretty much a free day until the early evening when we are all heading to Tel Aviv for a drum circle, I think. *shrug * I guess I’ll see. Next week we have almost a whole week free! What to do, what to do…. who’s doorstep will I land on this time? Any bloggers wanna hang out? Rinat? Yael? Wanna head to the Sinai?