Shavua tov from J'lem

A few new photos are up! I need to find a new site though, because thus far Picasa is slow and cumbersome. Thus the lack of pictures. Sorry!

Eilat Aquarium

Nes Gadol Haya Po!

Translation for non-Hebrew speakers: A great miracle happened HERE. 

This is different from the dreidels everywhere else in the world which have the letters on four sides to say "A great miracle happened there." So here it is, Chanukah. My first real holiday in Israel. The stores are almost completely sold out of the "good" wooden dreidels with the Herbew letter pey for "po" meaning "here" rather than shin for "sham" meaning "there." Sufganiyot or delicious pillowy doughnuts fill all bakeries even in supermarkets, and the lines at the grocery stores somewhat resemble the days before Christmas in the US when everyone rushes in to buy last minute groceries to feed visiting family and friends. 

It's not a major holiday, so there's no orgy of specific colors or decorations everywhere but just enough to remember a chag (holiday) is coming. Our building has a small display of menorahs or rather chanukiot in the front lobby, and it's been making me smile every time I walk by for days. The excitement of children and the young at heart is felt throughout Israel. I'm told Jerusalem is beautiful this time of year, and we leave for our ten day stay there tomorrow! 

Our weekly Tuesday Tiyul earlier today was around Arad, and we learned there's a lot more to our sleepy little desert city than I think any of us realized including several amazing small museums and 5000 years of history dating back to Biblical times. Who knew! We concluded the tiyul by celebrating the first night of Chanukah with at least 50 Jewish Ethiopian children who live in another absorption center (mercaz klitah) in Arad with their families. They were of course some of the most beautiful little bright eyed faces I have ever seen, and I'm almost surprised none of them made it on the bus with us when we left. The frenzy of tiny hands reaching up eager for sufganiyot when the pastries were finally distributed was unreal. I had my first one! (It's a good thing we'd already said Shechehiyanu!) I swear it was some sort of Chanukah miracle looking around the cramped room and feeling the anticipation and excitement for something wonderful about to happen. I think there's definitely hope for humanity! 

Now I'm back at our mercaz klitah needing badly to take a nap before packing for my trip and doing all the work which still needs to be done on my MASA project before I leave tomorrow. At 8 o'clock tonight we're taking a bus back to the Artists' Quarter where we were earlier today for our "Holla Back 80's Chanukah Party." I still need to figure out what I'm wearing. If only I'd brought the tutu! (Amy- that's partially for you! I promise to reply to your comment another time.) 

Three of us gave Chanukah gifts tonight from all of us at WUJS to the two "very mature" ladies who live in our building and have no family of their own. It was such a blessing bringing joy to them! I do so love unexpected surprises and cheering people up! I adore these lovely ladies, especially because they insist on speaking Hebrew to me in the elevator and not Russian. The days when I understand and am able to respond in Hebrew, I feel as though I can take on the world. 

In other amusing pseudo-miracle news, I got a long email from my dear friend in China who tells me (and allows me bragging rights) that my blog is considered subversive by the Chinese government and is blocked. He has to go through the US proxy server to view it! Ah- another inadvertent success. I suppose I should clarify. The miracle was hearing from him tonight of all nights when I've been thinking about the fact that it's been too long since we've been in touch... not being censored by China. Though it did tickle me to find that out. 

So I guess in conclusion this year the REAL miracle is having found something which makes me so very happy, going for it with everything, and being able to share it with all of you! Cheesy, I know, but it's from the heart. 

Much love and fluffy, sugary, powdery, jelly filled goodness,

*jane

Top 10

Seth asked a great question which I decided to answer in the comments sections of the last blog post, but now I can't seem to get it to copy and paste to the blog itself. Alas. Consider this an enticement to look at the comments from my previous entry where you will find the aforementioned "Top 10." 

As for my mom's question, after further consideration, here is my response:

Everyone knows first you eat, then you pray and find yourself, and then you find love. :O) It's always in the last chapters! For now, I'm finding all the love I could ever want from Allie, my friends, and family. Not to mention all of my former students and youth group kids who send me emails and messages all the time. 

(Bronwyn, you're the best... sh... don't tell the others! Can't wait to see you in Israel!)

Arad the Windy City

It's 3 am here with howling winds and despite the fact that I have three classes back-to-back in approximately six hours, here I am feeling compelled to blog. I think it's an extension of my "getting things done" day. I'm rather proud of myself for taking the weekend "off" to catch up on sleep and life. A very mature and decidedly wise decision, I think, on my part. (That and I simply couldn't stand the idea of packing one more overnight bag!) This was my first free weekend spent in Arad (and probably will be the only one), and it was dare I say delightful! I have not given myself the permission to spend any time slacking off so far since my arrival in Israel about six weeks ago, and it was probably time. Although today alone I swept, cleaned the bathroom, did dishes, laundry, and even hand wash not to mention sending out a few emails and odds and ends for class. The to-do list was NAP and accomplish things in between. (I tried not to set the expectations up too high. Nothing worse than disappointing yourself on a weekend!) I'd say I did well. Some people were bouncing off the walls today at having been in Arad for so long, but since I feel as though I'm rarely ever here anyway, it was a nice change of pace for me. 

In the two weeks since I last wrote (wait- I just checked and although I cannot possibly believe it, it's been THREE weeks!), time has begun to spin faster and faster. I have climbed at least three mountain ranges, witnessed several incredible sunrises, spent another weekend in Jerusalem, started volunteering at a Bedouin school working with high school girls, and made sushi for the first time. I have proven to myself that my body can do AMAZING things I no longer thought possible and have been so inspired as to start writing poetry and lyrics again. We've met a famous Israeli singer, government officials, and even the winner of a reality show about becoming the next leader. So now maybe you're beginning to see why the sheer thought of blogging overwhelms me with how much there is to tell! I've decided to put it to a vote. Plus it's a sneaky way to see who's really reading this thing. Post a reply and let me know what you'd like to hear more about. Anything is fair game from daily life at WUJS (laundry is always fun) to why the first unicorns came from Israel. (Yes, that's a true story.) I'm planning on posting at least a couple of my latest poems soon, and pictures are uploaded to the computer and hopefully with any luck from the internet powers that be will be online this week as well. 

I'm going to do my best to blog again before this Wednesday, because after that, there's a good chance I will not be writing again until after the 16th of December. The 5th I have been honored with an opportunity to be one of eight out of hundreds to represent MASA  and WUJS at a conference in Jerusalem about the future of the Jewish people, and the next day is the beginning of our WUJS Jerusalem week. Then we have a break from the 12th to the 15th, but I have another Shabbaton to attend and will probably use the time in between to visit possible internship sites in Tel Aviv if I don't get there the first part of this week. Um... I'm a busy girl! Yikes. This busy girl is going to go attempt to catch some zzz's. Sorry for the "fluff" blog entry. Israel's amazing! That about sums it up. Hopefully the photographs with captions with paint in the details. 

"Chappy" Chanukah and Sweet Wishes!