Saturday January 30th-- Shabbat

Quiet day today because of Shabbat. Basically everything in Jerusalem closes down Friday night to Saturday night so if you’re here in Jerusalem and you didn’t travel, you’re basically around the dorms. Since it is only the second weekend here, I think a majority of the people stayed around. We woke up this morning at 9 am to Karen and her boyfriend fighting in the kitchen. These walls are like paper! Im going to killlll herrrrr, on the one morning we can actually sleep late she decides to scream at her boyfriend in Hebrew for like an hour! Went back to sleep for a while, then woke up and got dressed. There was some sort of Shabbat lunch in one of the apartments. It was run by a chabady type organization, not chabad, but sorta like chabad and they catered all this food into a student’s apartment. It was nice, lots and lots of people—pretty much all my friends + a bunch more and some of our madrichem. The strange rabbi that drank wine with us last night was there too, what a strange man! He made me try this fruit, no idea what it was, but it was SOOO good- it was a mix between grapefruit and an orange, I have to research it. I met some more people, became friends with this girl Halli Vinick who---shoutout to Danielle shai—went to camp with and I creepily asked her, YES she remembers. Shes really really sweet, she goes to BU, shes friends with all the religy girls but doesn’t live with them, she actually lives upstairs in my building. She told me how lonely she was I was so sad, and she’s sooo normal soo new friend!!

After this lunch we went to Lauren and Danielles apartment and just talked for a few hours. They live on the shomer floor which has 4 apartments of girls on the same floor andddd its on the very 1st floor so we watched people from the window and screamed their name and made them come sit with us. So we had a lot of visiotrs--- my whole ulpan class pretty much made it inside their apartment at one point or another, we kept seeing them walk outside. So we hung out for a few hours, then we dispersed and went to take naps. I started to hang up my pictures next to my bed, im making a giant picture mural next to my bed because I printed like 100 pictures before I left. But I ran out of tape so I stopped at took a nap. When I woke up did a little hebrew homework, studied. Then went back to danielles apartment where the twins were hanging out.

Me, the twins, Rosie, Danielle, and Lauren decided to go out for dinner. The other day on the tour of Jerusalem we walked through Emeck Rafayim (didnt spell that right)- which means the German quarter. Its a small area with a few streets filled with really nice restaurants and dessert places-- its really cute. So we got into 2 cabs and picked a really good italian restaurant, Lucianas, to go to. It was soooo goood- kosher restaruant, all dairy (miss my meat :( ) but it was really got. We got a few bottles of wine and all had really great pasta dishes. It was a really really nice place overlooking the street. We had a nice time. Then we went across the street to Max Brenners for Gelato, it was delicious!!!

After dessert, the twins, me, and Sam decided to stay out because it was still Saturday night. We had Ulpan the next day, Sunday, so we didnt want to stay out too too late but Sams friend was playing Saxophone at a Jazz club so we went. Sat at a nice table outside, had some drinks, it was nice. Sams friend from school also came and met us so we sat there for a while. Then this annoying kid, Dan who is very strange but very entertaining came and he made us go somewhere else. He dragged us to this club, Constantine, that he tried to get us into on Thursday night but it was too full, so we tried again. These Israeli clubs are very strange. For some reason some of the clubs are ages 24+ even though the drinking age is 18. Im not sure why, so they give us a really hard time getting in. But finally after talking them up for a while they let us in, and we go in and theres NOOOO ONEEEE THEREEE... Its sooo bizzare that they wouldnt let us in. They are very particular about who they let in, but its just so funny how when you finally get in theres nooo one in there. So we sat at this club for a while, tried to start a dance party but it didnt work. So then we left and told the bouncers how much their club sucked anyway. So then we went to another clubbb and they wanted us to pay 40 sheckles to go in, which is about 10 dollars. So we were like no. So did a little bargaining, then they let us in-- we go in, NOO one there either. These clubs in Jerusalem are so strange-- they give you a hard time and pretend they are super selective when their clubs suckkk!!! Soooo then we left and just went home... It appears that Saturday nights are not soo big here- unlike America where thats like THE night to go out, its very small here-- i guess because the real week begins on Sunday-- school is on sunday, work is on sunday, its like us going out on sunday nights? But I was content- we have Ulpan tomorrow at 930 am and a pretty long day- orientation, tishbaav party..


Stilll noooo internet in my room so these are a few days late--- hopefully getting it within the next few days :(