Swaga

It was raining here in the Holy Land. Raining and winding. Why can't wind be a verb? I think it should be. It's winding here in the Holy Land. There. If Nick from Frindle can do it, so can I. 

So, Wednesday's weather was a good interpretation of my mood: stormy and gloomy and cold. We had a very mean final in computers. It consisted of a grand total of three questions, one of which was impossible, and I don't think I did very well. Oh, well. There are worse things in life. Don't ask me what. 

Two Shabboses ago, we had a Shabbos Kallah for Chana, our friend who's getting married this week. There we were, 15 girls in an Airbnb, hoping we would all make it out alive. With 15 girls in close proximity for over 25 hours, who knew what would happen? 

But we all did make it out alive, and we had fun while doing it. We played fun games, talked some Torah, had some light conservations (no, that's not a typo), stayed up way later than planned, ate delicious food and dips (the dill dip was the best) and sang zemiros. It was so nice. 

We were about a 20-minute walk from the Koisel, so some of us went on Friday night. It was empty. And I don't mean that in any exaggerated manner. For a good ten minutes, we were the only females there. It really felt like it was just Hashem and us. And then some boys from a nearby yeshiva started singing some Friday night songs. It was so beautiful. 

And then again on Shabbos afternoon, we went for Mincha. It wasn't empty, but it wasn't exactly crowded either. Must have been the combination of the rain and the cold that convinced most sane people to stay in the heat of their stone apartments which don't get heated too well. More room for us. I could even go up to the wall without worrying about stepping on poor toes. 

So, Shabbos passed, and then it was time to study for finals. I don't even want to relive those tense days before that terrible, mean, horrible final we had. Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday were full of studying and crying and eating chocolate twizzlers. And then, Wednesday was the dreaded day of the failed final. 

After that, though, life became much funner (that's for you, Shana). My friend from America, Adina, came by to my apartment with another friend, Sari. It was so nice to see them. It made that hard day so many more happies. 

And then on Thursday, I did some much overdue Aliyah stuff. 

And before I knew it, another Shabbos was upon us. I went to Tzivie's house (she's one of my roommates, for those who have short memories. I'm looking at you, OPS people). Before I went to her house, I stopped by the Steinsies to say hi and remind them that I'm alive and kicking. 

And then I went to the Shpiegelmans, where I re-met Tzivie's parents and siblings and met Nechama and another person named Swaga (or Shwaga, depending on your accent). Some people may call him Shraga, but we know the truth. 

Shabbos was so nice and fun. The meals were chock full of Torah and jokes. I felt right at home. I read a book called Incredible, which, as its name suggests, is an incredible read about Rabbi Yossi Walles. 

I also read Tales of Beetle the Bard and a book about sharks. Avi, Tzivie's brother, and I bonded over sharks and Harry Potter. 

On Motzei Shabbos, I went straight from Tzivie's house to the old city where I hung out with Adina. We walked around for a while before discovering this amazing Melave Malka celebration thingy near Kever Dovid that apparently they do every week. There was cholent and tea and other food and dancing and singing and a live band. It was such a vibe. And then we met with another girl we both knew, which was very many cutes. 

After that, we went to daven at the Koisel, and then it was time to go back to my dorms because it was quite late, and I was quite tired. 

And then on Sunday, I had a bet with my friend, Shana Aleph, that we couldn't use sarcasm for a full day. So I decided not to speak to anyone. 

No, I did speak to people, but it was really hard to make sure I wasn't using sarcasm. 

I actually had a very lovely Sunday. I went to Bank Hapoalim to open a bank account, but then it didn't work because of something with my teudat zehut, so I cried and then then spent an hour on the phone waiting for misrad hapnim, and they didn't answer, so I cried some more and then called nbn, who did answer and told me what to do. So I wiped away my tears like a mature child. And then Adina and I went to Neve to see some peoples, and then we joined Mrs. Hershman's class, which was just as incredible as I remembered. 

And then we went down to Shaulzon to look at a bookstore and buy some chocolate. All you need in life, people. Books and chocolate. That's it. Woah, I've really missed my calling. I'm so off the mark with computers. I should be a life coach. 

And then we went back to my dorms to daven, eat dinner, and just hang out. So much fun. At about 10:00, Shloims and I went to Sanhedriya to pick up some shtick for Chana's wedding. So all in all, a very productive day. 

And now it's Monday, and I went to misrad hapnim to activate my teduat zehut. The guy at the front said that I needed an appointment, but then I was all Israeli and said, "No. I don't need one. Thank you very much." And then he told me to go to floor 2, which at first I thought was the disciplinary room. But it was just a normal waiting room, where I got my thingy fixed, and now I have another appointment at the bank for tomorrow, which should hopefully go well. 

And now, I'm sitting on my bed while my friend is doing what looks like highly uncomfortable stretching. 

And now I'm going to sign off because I want to. 

Toodles from Hoodles!