Druze Pita

Goodmorning!

I have good news and bad news.

Bad news: daylight savings has messed with my head, and deprived me an hour of sleep.

Good news: I now have some extra time to blog!

It is 9:00 AM and I am finally back home in Arad. It actually felt good to come back to the apartment last night, back to my friends, back to home base.

I've done some pretty fun things since my last post, which I believe was Rosh Hashana eve dinner....

Well, the next day I slept in for a bit and then took a stroll with my Saba and Yona around her little village called Ramot Hashavim--it's a beautiful community (north of Tel Aviv) of nice houses, a tennis court, two pools, synagogue, and event center. On our walk we happened to stumble upon a sculpture art exhibition. It was cool because all of the work was done by people who live in the village, so everyone there knows everyone.

All of us then headed back to Yona's for lunch (including Shaked). We hadn't made any solid plans for the day so I accepted Shaked's invitation to hang out at her house for a bit. I helped her cut things out for the 25th anniversary surprise party she and her brother Ashel planned for their parents--the whole thing is so adorable. They planned a scavenger hunt for them which ends with a fancy dinner on the beach. To top it off, the night ends in a play, I think Fiddler on the Roof. I told Shaked and Ashel that I hope to have kids like them someday.

After some cutting, glueing, and spray painting we put on our beged yam (bathing suits) and got in the car to meet her family at a beach. They were planning to stay overnight so the beach was about an hour drive...so we got there around 5 pm.

I wish we had arrived earlier because the beach was MAGNIFICENT. I wish I could remember the name of it. The sand felt like flour between my toes and the water was warm and soothing.

I swam for a bit, but couldn't stay in long because we had to cook dinner. It felt like camping on the beach. I decided that's my new favorite thing because you have the whole tent, grill, campfire thing but you also have the water, sand, and no insects or muddy shoes.

So we ate (delicious kebabs), talked, relaxed, and watched the sun set on the beach. The whole afternoon was lovely--I felt like I was part of the family even though they aren't even related by marriage. Oh well, we all love each other and thats what counts.

After we left the beach (around 830) we got home, Shaked borrowed my dress for a party, and I went to bed pretty early.

I woke up to find out that my Saba had planned a day trip! The three of us (Saba, Yona, and myself) drove for about an hour up to Carmel to explore a Druze villiage. Ok quick history lesson: The Druze people practice an offshoot of Islam and live in Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. They are Israeli citizens, they serve in the army, and are rather mysterious. They are also known for their tasty handmade pita which I HAD to sample. We had lunch there (shawarma, my favorite) and explored the main street which reminded me of a large street fair in china town. Lots of shops with the same stuff, but all still very interesting.

We had a good time but it was getting too hot and crowded to stay long. We got home, slept some more, and had delicious gelato. I've never napped or eaten as much as I did on this short vacation. Totally indulgent, and....amazing.

We said our goodbyes and then Saba and I drove back to Rishon before Sundown. I was exhausted from the day, so when I got home all I wanted to do was plop down on the couch and watch a movie. Waterboy was on TV, a classic, and then after that was Pay it Forward, another classic. By 12:00 I was out.

The next day was what you would define as a lazy day, minus a long walk around my Saba's neighborhood, Rishon. The walk was pretty interesting...snagged a few cool photos of the neighborhood, petted a few local cats (I know, I'm gross), and chatted with the gramps. Although Rishon has it's slummy parts, I kind of like it. It's old and unique and the pretty flowers give life to the monochromatic buildings.

By 83o I was in a taxi on my way to the Central Bus Station in Tel Aviv. I was planning on taking a "minibus" there, but two nice Philippine women offered to split a cab. It was a bit scary traveling alone at first in a still unfamiliar place at night. But, I put my headphones in, took a deep breath, and I was calm. Oh, the power of music.

At the platform there were at least 20 Young Judaeans, so I regained my sense of security. Headed on the crowded bus to Arad, got home, and went out even before I unpacked. I still haven't unpacked actually, but I need to go to volunteering in ten minutes....so I better run.

Love to all!