Shabbos in Isreal

Motzai Shabbos, Feb. 26, 2011

Hey people,

What’s doing? How was Shabbos? Oops, I forgot it’s still Shabbos by you? Oh, well. I guess I’ll be answering that question instead. Shabbos by me…well let’s see… how about we go back to the beginning, where I left off yesterday. I got off the computer one hour or so before Shabbos. I quickly took a shower (yes Gitty, a good one!) and by mistake made a mess or let’s say a lake. Don’t laugh it was by MISTAKE! Then I put on my pretty Shabbos clothes and went to blow dry my hair. I think I made more noise than this apartment has ever had before, but too bad I had to do my hair! (I just reread what I wrote and realized that if someone who didn’t know me read this they would think that I was completely spoiled! Unless you guys already think that of me. Even if you did I wouldn’t care. Anyhow back to my day.) This picture that you see here is me (duh!) with my grand-parents (before my shower on Friday, only if you’re wondering). I didn’t have time to put on nail polish before Shabbos; I barely had time to put on makeup! I did in the end but not what I wanted. My dad went to shul with my grand-father, my uncle and my cousin. I stayed home and said chitas. At 6:30 everyone came home and we started Kiddush. Oh I forgot my cousins came too. I’ll upload a photo in a minute. Their names are (from oldest to youngest) Coral, Elad, and Meitar. I didn’t get a picture of the first two yet but I have one with Meitar. Kiddush here is very different, cuz it’s shfaradi. Lots of singing and stuff. We washed and had challah, not much different than back home and then first course came. Get this, first course and fish are two different courses here! First course was full of different salads and fish was a huge slice of fish (in balls or regular) with chickpeas in sauce. It was delicious and when asked if I wanted soup I had to apologize and say that I was full. For dessert we had fruits. All the fruits here are extra juicy. Especially the Pamela. In Canada they’re dry, but here they are full of juice. I only had one strawberry. Ever since that video Rabbi Ringo showed us about those strawberries with bugs, I haven’t eaten any fresh strawberries, only frozen. After we benched and this too was very different with singing and all. After the table was cleaned we sat around on the couch and talked somehow the conversation went towards politics and since I hate politics I brought out my book and started reading. Of course this too brought up questions and a new conversation. Here is an example of our conversation:

My Aunt: Chaya, you read?

Me: yup

My Aunt: you see Renana (turning to my cousin) she reads and does well at school!

Me: has nothing to do!

My Aunt: Don’t tell her that. She has to learn how to speak in English. Maybe you can teach her?

Me: (oh, no!)

And so on. I went to bed at 11:30. Then next morning my aunt and grand-mother woke me up at a quarter to 11, on purpose. Shul here finishes at 12 not like back home at 1 or 1:30. I dragged myself out of bed, got dressed and said brochos and chitas. I didn’t have time to daven, cuz just as I finished my chitas my grand-father and my dad came home and it was time for Kiddush. We didn’t sit down to eat yet cuz my cousins and my aunt, Ilanna, weren’t there yet. So instead we went out for a walk. It was my first time outside since I got here. Our spring is their winter. Believe that, it’s true. I went out expecting at least a cold breeze and…nothing! It’s so nice here. Did you know that they wear winter coats here? In plus 15 degrees! Winter sminter, I don’t know what they’re talking about! We went for a walk around the block and came back. It took us a while since my grand –mother walks slowly. When we got back my cousins where already there and we sat down to eat. First meal was the same as the night before and then we had chulent (which here is called chamim). And as dessert fruits again. We had a little surprise, my uncle, Gabby, came with three of his children. His little girl, Talya, is 6 and soooo cute. She has the same hair as Sterna does now, frizzy curls! After we went for another walk again, this time with my cousins only. We went to the park! Not park like in Montreal with swings and sand, but a park with grass on either side and a road only for pedestrians and cyclists in the middle. I was wearing my three inch heels, but my walk there was okay, only on the way back my feet started to hurt. The entire time I was talking to my cousin Meitar about anything and everything especially our languages. She speaks a little English and me a little Hebrew. She tried to speak in English and I tried to speak in Hebrew and we both corrected each other. Fun stuff! We came back to the apartment, me with some difficulty becuz of my heels, and again sat around the couch. I brought out my book again and finished it to everyone’s surprise (except me!). My father had gone out to shul for mincha and didn’t show until ½ an hour after Shabbos was out. We gave up waiting for him and did havdala without him. My cousins left becuz they have school tmrw. Only one of my cousins stayed, she did her homework and I sat down to start writing this blog entry. And there is my first and second to last Shabbos here in Israel.

Hope you guys enjoyed and if not at least understood what the heck I’m doing here.

I have to go do homework now. (Yeah right!)

So bye for now.

And btw ppl. you have to post comments in order for me to know that you read what I wrote!

chayalush