Happy New Year
Shana Tova!
To all of my non Hebrew speaking followers, this means Happy New Year :)
Well, so far, my Jewish New Year has been more than just happy--it's been wonderful. I don't even know where to begin! Ill guess I'll backtrack a few days...
So I have officially been a volunteer at the foster home for three days, and I couldn't be happier with my placement. The past two visits I actually painted their front inside door! It was a dull shade of brown, so they entrusted me with a few brushes, a few paints, and voila, it became a painting. It was the perfect job for me. Working with kids, AND painting? It doesn't get much better than that.
Alon, the owner, told me to make the door look friendly and kid-like. At first I wasn't sure what to do, so he gave me some advice. Here's a description of the final product: a house on a hill with a red roof, a big bright sun, flowers, and clouds, birds, and an Azure blue sky. It isn't exactly a Van Gogh piece, but I had a lot of fun doing it. And thankfully, the owners are happy with it too--they already gave me another painting project! It's definitely a lot of work, but it's fun work. At one point white I was painting Alon put on American music from the sixties, my personal favorite. I was jamming, painting, and even singing along a bit. Pure bliss.
Speaking of bliss, we all got our bikes the other day! It's the most liberating thing, being (sort of) mobile in an unknown city. I was able to bike to the pre-Rosh Hashana party the foster home hosted for all of the kids and volunteers. The ride was mostly uphill, and hot, but I made it. And I really needed the exercise because I have yet to find a pilates class in the middle of the desert. As a result, I have promised my roomates to lead weekly yoga/pilates sessions to keep us all in shape. They don't call it the Year Course 35 for no reason. The chocolate spread, hummus, and pita is unavoidable.
Anyway, the pre-New Year party was fun, though I couldn't stay long because I had an apartment meeting to get back to. After the meeting I cooked for the first time! My roommate Alexis and I made a Quinoa and Pasta chicken soup/ Stew. It turned out really delicious. I really love living with people on a limited spending stipend because it forces us to be creative in the kitchen...which we truly have been. Also, my friend bought a Panini maker, which pretty much explains why I love her so.
After dinner we went out again, got very little sleep (what else is new) and got up at the crack of dawn to catch an 8:20 bus to Tel Aviv. It took my roommate 3 attempts to wake me up this morning--it just wasn't happening. So when my friend Maya asked if I was ready to leave while I went to brush my teeth, I was a bit frazzled. I packed in literally two minutes, and thankfully I made the bus. I sat next to a Russian woman to spoke about as much Hebrew as I do, so our conversation was interesting. She kept asking me whether I thought Obama was a practicing Muslim. I repeatedly said "no" and then proceeded to sleep the rest of the ride.
I got to the HUGE station in Tel Aviv (it's pretty much a mall) and was a little overwhelmed to say the least. But, I finally got on a second bus to Ben Yehuda street and found the familiar face I was looking for, my Grandpa, Saba Uri. In case you don't know, Saba means Grandpa in Hebrew. We had a lovely afternoon--he made me delicious meal, I napped, showered, and then headed to his girlfriend's newly redone house for Rosh Hashana dinner. The house is MAGNIFICENT. High ceilings, marble everywhere. It was nice seeing people I haven't seen in a while, including my (sort of) cousin Shaked. She is my age and we have A LOT in common. We talked the entire night, and she may take me out with her friends tomorrow! All tentative plans of course, but I think it would be really fun. Now do you see why I love Jewish holidays? Endless amounts of food, shmoozing, and relaxation.
Well, that's about it for now. Time for some real sleep. Finally.
Liyla Tov and Shana Tova
To all of my non Hebrew speaking followers, this means Happy New Year :)
Well, so far, my Jewish New Year has been more than just happy--it's been wonderful. I don't even know where to begin! Ill guess I'll backtrack a few days...
So I have officially been a volunteer at the foster home for three days, and I couldn't be happier with my placement. The past two visits I actually painted their front inside door! It was a dull shade of brown, so they entrusted me with a few brushes, a few paints, and voila, it became a painting. It was the perfect job for me. Working with kids, AND painting? It doesn't get much better than that.
Alon, the owner, told me to make the door look friendly and kid-like. At first I wasn't sure what to do, so he gave me some advice. Here's a description of the final product: a house on a hill with a red roof, a big bright sun, flowers, and clouds, birds, and an Azure blue sky. It isn't exactly a Van Gogh piece, but I had a lot of fun doing it. And thankfully, the owners are happy with it too--they already gave me another painting project! It's definitely a lot of work, but it's fun work. At one point white I was painting Alon put on American music from the sixties, my personal favorite. I was jamming, painting, and even singing along a bit. Pure bliss.
Speaking of bliss, we all got our bikes the other day! It's the most liberating thing, being (sort of) mobile in an unknown city. I was able to bike to the pre-Rosh Hashana party the foster home hosted for all of the kids and volunteers. The ride was mostly uphill, and hot, but I made it. And I really needed the exercise because I have yet to find a pilates class in the middle of the desert. As a result, I have promised my roomates to lead weekly yoga/pilates sessions to keep us all in shape. They don't call it the Year Course 35 for no reason. The chocolate spread, hummus, and pita is unavoidable.
Anyway, the pre-New Year party was fun, though I couldn't stay long because I had an apartment meeting to get back to. After the meeting I cooked for the first time! My roommate Alexis and I made a Quinoa and Pasta chicken soup/ Stew. It turned out really delicious. I really love living with people on a limited spending stipend because it forces us to be creative in the kitchen...which we truly have been. Also, my friend bought a Panini maker, which pretty much explains why I love her so.
After dinner we went out again, got very little sleep (what else is new) and got up at the crack of dawn to catch an 8:20 bus to Tel Aviv. It took my roommate 3 attempts to wake me up this morning--it just wasn't happening. So when my friend Maya asked if I was ready to leave while I went to brush my teeth, I was a bit frazzled. I packed in literally two minutes, and thankfully I made the bus. I sat next to a Russian woman to spoke about as much Hebrew as I do, so our conversation was interesting. She kept asking me whether I thought Obama was a practicing Muslim. I repeatedly said "no" and then proceeded to sleep the rest of the ride.
I got to the HUGE station in Tel Aviv (it's pretty much a mall) and was a little overwhelmed to say the least. But, I finally got on a second bus to Ben Yehuda street and found the familiar face I was looking for, my Grandpa, Saba Uri. In case you don't know, Saba means Grandpa in Hebrew. We had a lovely afternoon--he made me delicious meal, I napped, showered, and then headed to his girlfriend's newly redone house for Rosh Hashana dinner. The house is MAGNIFICENT. High ceilings, marble everywhere. It was nice seeing people I haven't seen in a while, including my (sort of) cousin Shaked. She is my age and we have A LOT in common. We talked the entire night, and she may take me out with her friends tomorrow! All tentative plans of course, but I think it would be really fun. Now do you see why I love Jewish holidays? Endless amounts of food, shmoozing, and relaxation.
Well, that's about it for now. Time for some real sleep. Finally.
Liyla Tov and Shana Tova
Comments
Indeed, Jewish holidays are the best! ^_^ It sounds like you're going to have a wonderful time with Saba Uri.
Shana Tova!
Love, Bettina