A week of Special Days

Week 2 of Ulpan was not as exciting as week 1 unfortunately since the novelty was not there anymore and it turned into more of a routine without excitement. Granted I was still happy every single morning I woke up in this amazing country. However, outside of class time things were very different. The guys on the trip decided to get together and play basketball daily. It was a great way for us to bond and play a game that we all loved. I met 3 great guys on my team that I am very fortunate to play with. Alex and Max are roommates from Colorado, who happen to be sophomores which have yet to be a deterrent factor for them. They are good people that I enjoy not only playing ball with but also getting to know better. The third is Ari Solomon who apparently lives in West Hills right by A-Lev. He went to El Camino and has been here for the year. He is a nice guy who I see becoming a good friend of mine. Also I had the pleasure of meeting my roommates as they returned from all sorts of adventures. Micah is doing a gap year here, he is from Kansas City and Rafael just made Aliyah and is in the mechina getting ready to take the exams necessary to be here. Josh and Bennie(the 4th roommate freshman from Chicago) are still on their European Adventure but will be back soon.

I have also had the pleasure of being what I like to call the “Love Helper” since Adam and Sarah have both asked me for assistance in making their year anniversary special. I helped Adam find the perfect location(Yemen Moshe a lookout over the old city) and prepare a picnic for her with all her favorite dishes. The following day I helped sarah with her scavenger hunt clues to get adam to spend the day going from person to place to finally arrive at her place ready for a wonderfully prepared meal. It was a lot of fun to help those 2 rascals express a beautiful love for each other. Then excitement came in the form of Birthdays. It was first Talia Gilboa’s b-day on Thursday and then Danielle Natelson’s on Sunday. The celebrations began with midnight balloons and streamers calling the day into order. Then following a joyous singing Ulpan class the trek to Tel Aviv began. The girls went out and partied in the city that never sleeps. We then came together and had a shared potluck dinner with great food, party hats, noise makers, and even took it back to our roots and lifted the birthday girls on a chair whilst singing Jewish folk songs. It was a fun time had by all that really brought the group together in festivities. It was an epic time that will soon not be forgotten.

Shabbat this week was not something I had expected but turned into a remarkable time spent with a new friend. At first I had planned on visiting family in Haifa but while discussing these plans with Jason I learned that he had nowhere to go and would spend a second week at the cfar by himself. So I called up my family and found out that it was a tough weekend to come anyways so I decided that I would show Jason what an Jerusalem Shabbat is. I spent the day cooking and cleaning getting everything ready for the holy day. While shopping I ran into my ulpan buddy Rachel who invited me to Shabbat dinner that she was throwing and I said of course but I had plus 2 to bring. She said no problem and I was excited to have a nice Shabbat dinner with some other students. Sruli(new friend from Maryland) decided to join me and Jason at the dinner. I cooked some stir-fry and rice with peanut sauce. The dinner turned into a hit with 13 people there having fun and enjoying each other’s company. I took Jason in the morning to one of my favorite shuls(Yemen Moshe). Then we made our way to the Kotel since he had still not been. Then we walked back to the cfar and just relaxed in the beautiful day. We talked about life and I really got to know him which was a great thing. Another satisfied week in Israel :)