Monday: I woke up early to attend Birkat Cohanim at the Kotel. Three times a year, any Jew who's lineage originates from the priestly tribe and who can make it to the Kotel comes to give a blessing to the Jewish people along with all of the other Cohanim who are there. There's a loud speaker for those attending to follow along in prayer. When we reached the blessing, you could hear thousands of voices rising together to bless the Jewish people. It was a holy experience, albeit a little too early for me to truly appreciate the magnitude of people until later in the day. In the evening I went to Beit Shemesh where there was a free concert attended by many Yeshiva and Seminary students. That night I stayed at my friend's apartment just outside of Jerusalem.
Tuesday: My friend, Atara, and I took a trip up north to Tiberias where we rented bikes and rode around the Kinneret, had a picnic lunch, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. The color of the Kinneret and the surrounding plants and hills reminded me of the ocean in Switzerland - the colors were so vibrant.
Wednesday: I met up with friends from home in Yerushalayim and then stayed with my friend who was on leave from the army for the holidays. Then on...
Thursday: Ori (the friend in the army), Coby (friend from high school), and I took a brief trip to Tel Aviv to see the sights (ie the ocean and the shops). We didn't have swim gear with us, though, so I resolved to go back later in the week to soak up more sun.
Friday: I stayed at the Wolffe's house (a family that used to go to our synagogue, but then moved back to Israel). They have six children, and they were willing to speak Hebrew to me the whole time, which I really enjoyed. I may yet have a chance to improve!
Saturday night: I met Atara at a cafe in Jerusalem and we also went to all-women's dancing with a band to celebrate Simchat Torah.
Sunday: Four girls from my seminary and I went to the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo!!! Let me tell you - Jerusalem is stocked up on its various preserved animals. There wasn't much specifically Biblical about the place, but there was a huge variety of species to see, and to imitate, as my friends and I did. I need to go back again to see the giraffes and the bears, though. There were so many different kinds of monkeys!! They were definitely the cutest.
Today (Monday): As promised, I went back to Tel Aviv for the day with two friends from high school and we went to the beautiful beach by the Mediterranean. We really need to find warmer and nicer water in the US. We lay in the sun, swam, and had a picnic lunch. It was the best way to end my crazy vacation.
Tonight I'm going out to dinner with my roommates just for the fun of it. It will be nice to spend some time all together outside of our slightly cramped living quarters. Tomorrow classes start again, which I am looking forward to (crazy, I know). I'm also starting rehearsals with the inter-seminary choir that volunteers to perform for the needy. I'm looking forward to getting into routine again, and now that I'm more acclimated, I can't wait to spend the next nine months here. That's all for now!
Gabriella
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