Shabbat in Jerusalem

I arrived at the Backs' just as some of their company was leaving. Tobi was there to greet me and she helped me put my stuff in the den. Then I helped her get ready for Shabbat by finishing setting the table and Aaron was there also. The three of us talked whiel Nate was somewhere in the apartment.

Aaron and I talked for a while while Tobi got herself ready. He briefed me on those new developments that I saw. He confirmed my suspicions- the light rail won't be ready for a long time and those apartments will be very expensive. I began reading the booklet for Jerusalem Film Festival. I had forgotten all about it and wished that I could be in Jerusalem for some of the screenings. It will indeed play Mongol and Wall E with Hebrew subtitles. Tobi showed me an article about the French-Colombian woman who was freed and I read the Times Herald.

When it was finally Shabbat, Nate came to join us and we sat down waiting for Rachel's husband and son to join us for dinner. They would be going to a bar mitzvah nearby the following day so they were staying for the night. We had a nice dinner and a birthday cake for Aaron (that was absolutely positively delicious!). I was seriously exhausted though. Tobi encoraged me to go to bed by offering to help set up the sofa bed. I slept like a baby for the rest of the night for the first time since Monday night, my last night in the US.

I got up so late- 10 AM! I puttered around the apartment, trying to wake up. I wanted to go into the Old City for some cheap ibuprofren but I had no idea when everyone would be back so I just got dressed and worked on some Hebrew stuff. Everyone came back and I helped Tobi again to prepare lunch.

Moshe came for lunch. The Backs "adopted" him and treat him like their son- he's a rabbi from Allentown who was on a visit for some rabbinical convention. He and I got along pretty well- he was a big runner just like me and ran in a marathon. So we had fun talking about running and explaning what we do for training and what we wear. Of course, I put on a little fashion show by showing them my techie shirt and my Garmin GPS watch. Lunch was basically the night before's leftovers.

After lunch, I set out to meet Mor, who was in Jerusalem for the weekend with a Taglit group. I was fine going through a shortcut through the orthodox neighborhoods (I was already wearing a long skirt and my half-length button down shirt) but once I went past the Israel Museum, I got lost! When I finally turned on my cellphone (I try not to use my phone when I'm with Shabbat shomer people), Mor had already texted me that she wasn't sure if she would be able to see me that day. But she texted at 12:30 and it was already after 3. So I called and texted her and she said it was fine to come anyway. So I proceeded to find Moriah Gardens hotel. After I had made a loop (oops), a woman stopped me and asked where I was going. She was going there so she took me down. Thankfully. Then I realized that it was all the construction around the area that was throwing me off and destroying my attempts to use my once-trusty map. (Nate didn't count on potential detours in that area!)

I finally met Mor and we hung out by the pool. We talked and talked and talked. She called her mom while I jumped in quickly to cool off and bought some more water. Her mom was apparently excited to teach me Hebrew. I thought Mor would be stationed down in Tel Aviv near her brother who's also an officer in the Air Force but I was wrong. She comes home every night because she's near Haifa. So I will get to see her quite a bit! She said to take my time with the program and just call them when I have free time. At one point, she DID ask about McCain and Obama...

I made it back to the Backs without any problem. I did make a little detour through the Rose Garden because when I approached it, it looked quite familiar... a sight from my Taglit trip 3 years ago (?!?!?). I smiled when I walked through. I'm always happy when I discover places around Israel that I had been to with my Taglit trip, especially that back then I had NO idea where we were given that we rode the bus all the time. It actually took just under an hour (I'm a very slow walker). As I came down on Gratz, I walked past someone who looked familiar. She and I looked at each other and smiled. I stopped and said, "I must know her... but where from?!" I turned around and said, "Do I know you..?" It turns out that she was one of my spring semester Hebrew teachers!!! Oh weird things can happen in Jerusalem... I told her that i was sorry that I couldn't do ulpan this year at Hebrew U but maybe next time. I wondered if she expected me to come back to Israel at all. I did know that when Mor mentioned to one of the soldiers on her trip that I had been to Israel twice already and this was my third time and my Taglit was in 2005, he did a double-take. I think Mor was pretty proud to show off someone who just keeps coming back.

I reached the Backs' apartment and found Rachel's whole family there. They were waiting aroudn for Shabbat to be over so they could go to the bar mitzvah party. I played rummy with Talia, her daughter, and Tobi. It was fun learning the game. I learned that Tobi uses books to keep track of points "because we don't write on Shabbat." How is writing work?!

I just made myself a light dinner of some leftover challah, an apple, and some cottage cheese. Nate and I talked for a while. Then I went on the computer to check my e-mail and the bus schedule for Haifa.

Being in west Jerusalem for Shabbat certainly kicks butt than being stuck at Hebrew U. I had the roads pretty much to myself when I walked around and the area was so peaceful that I could've gone running if I wanted to.