memories, masks and sun burns

My shoulders look like two giant pomegranates. Though I'm not kidding I am getting a bit ahead of myself. I spent the weekend after the wedding in joint at Danny and Beatrice, my Uncle+Aunt in Jerusalem as well as at my friend Eliane's. I went to her apartment for Friday Night Dinner. There was a wonderful spread, both of people and food, and I enjoyed the evening immensely. Shabbat day I took a walk with Beatrice around Katamon, a neighborhood about two over from where they live in Talpiot. What was special about this walk was the fact that we purposfully passed by apartment where my grnadparents used to live as well as the apartment where I spent a number of my summers. You could tell that I hadn't been there in a while because all of my memories were of things form the perspective of a child. I remembered the park, the two places I would go to get icecream etc. Some things I didn't remembering ever having noticed was the height of buildings or the business of the intersection. WHen we got back to the apartment we had a conversation basically comparing and contrasting Judaism as it is embodied in Israel versus in the United States.
An overall interesting Shabbos, but the coming week would prove to be insane.
Mondaynight was Purim for most of the world (Jerusalem and two other cities celebrate it a day late, but thats a bit too complicated for this post). Becuase I couldn't celebrate in Jerusalem that night, I went with my friend and salsa partner Emilie to Tel Aviv. The only way I can even begin to describe the evening would be a combination of mardi gras, st patricks day and halloween. Traditionally, everyone weres costumes on the holiday and also gets a bit tipsy, but what Is aw in Tel Aviv blew my mind. Something like 3 or 4 city blocks had been closed off and were filled, I mean there was no room to breath unless you stood on cars, with people! PAcked to the max with drunk costumed 20somethings. Luckily, Emilie and I were heading to her cousin to go around town with him and some friends. Not drinking and not wanting to deal with the crowds in the street party, we went to the club I had been at on my last visit to Tel Aviv and had a cool evening. I only left Tel Aviv (with a cheap car service) at 3 in the morning. WHen we got backt o town 3 of the people in the cab offered me a ride home becuase they lived in the neighboring district. It was approximatly 4/4.30 when I finally got to call it a night. That was Monday.
Tuesday ='d 8.30 am alarmclock. A group of students were going to deliver Mishlochai Manot to sick people in a nearby hospital at 10am. Around 30 of us went, decked out in our costumes, many exhausted having also gone ot Tel Aviv the night before, at 10am and had a wonderful song and danced filled experience. The smiles on the patients faces, from toddler to golden oldy, were beautiful. After sitting outside with Rotem (my madrich but mroe so my friend) as she had a cigarette Tobey (one of my partners in crime from Bing) headed to the central bus station to catch a bus to Yael (my friend from Bing who moved to Israel a few months ago and is living in a "settelment"...I went to her a few weeks ago for Shabbat) to have a traditional Purim meal. Once again, the company and food was amazing. Tobey and I stayed for about two hours and then caught a bus back to Jerusalem. Upon arrival we headed to the Western Wall to hear Megillah reading (see the Purim link), something we have to do twice on Purim. This would begin our official Purim because we reside in Jerusalem.
It took a while to arrange but we finally heard the megillah and then caught a cab to the center of town where I met up with Rami (a new friend who's studying at the conservative yeshivah) and Elian. We walked arounf for a bit, mistakingly trying to go into an all womens party but also meeting some very nice simple older Israelis. We had been intending on going to a party at the Purim Palace (a house at the intersection of tow streets named after the Purim stories main characters) but when that wasn't happening we decided to call it a night. On our way we bumped into some drunk Yeshivah students. They proved amusing for a bit but when they got annoying we each went our respective directions. I was home and in bed by midnight but the exhaustion form the past day found me out like a rock until ten the next morning.
Wednesday: I prepared my own Mislochai Manot and then headed out at 1.00 to hear a megillah reading at 1.30. After 1.30 came and went with no Megillah reading Marla, Scott, YosEf (an Israeli I'm not particularly fond of) and another friend whos name I'm blanking on all headed down to the Old City/ Western Wall to find a reading there. We split up when we go to the old city because some people wanted to go through the Arab and others didn't. I went through the Jaffa gate and the Armenian quarter with Scott and we all regrouped at the Western Wall. After we finally found Megillah readings it was time to go to our respective Purim meals. Skip ahead two hours and the meal I thought I was going to didn't work out so I traveled back to the Old City and regrouped with Scott and a whole bunch of other study abroad students who were at a meal specifically for students. The host was adamently trying to ply everyone with alchohol and I by the time I got there all the food was gone. Emilie had also just arrived and we ended up eating a pita each and then joining Josh, Marla, Zev and (can't believe I keep on forgetting her name). M, J, and __ were a bit tipsy and we helped them move, but they started sobering up as we walked. We got to Ben Yehudah, the center of downtown Jerusalem, and lost 2 people. After an...interesting evening which included schwarma and one person buying a bottle of vodka we headed back to the dorms (student village). I ended up hoping around between a bunch of friends apartments and had a really fun evening.
Thursday, as far I remember, wasn't anything special. That evening I made dinner for myself, Ilana and Tova (another Bing'er). Friday was...Friday was WOW!. Now we get to the sunburn.
Friday was a school organized rappleing trip that was leaving at 6.30am and was scheduled to return at 3pm. Near the Dead Sea we were actually right by Qumran. We started the hike and when we got to our first rappleing station we encountered a pleasent surprise. The borrom was filled with water!!!! Following some heavy rains over the past few weeks, pools of water had emerged in the usually all-too-dry desert. What this meant for the trip? A lot of fun and a lot of hassle. Almost all of the electronics brought on the trip were pooled into one knapsack and "omega-d", ie ziplined, over each pool. All of our clothing got soaking wet and it took a lot of extra time in each place. I'm not complaining though! :) The day was so amazing!!! I had packed my outer shirt and my digital equipment in a plastic bag within my knapsack, and ti all stated dry until the very last station when it only got a bit wet (even then it was nothing significant). Becuase of that I was the only one with an accesible camera and was tasked with taking photos the entire time (check out ym facebook albums if you don't believe me). After getting wet the first time, most of the guys took off our shirts. Wet clothing really isn't comfortab;e, especially when you're trying to move with spead and concetrating on not letting go of the rope (there were safeties but still). Woops! We'd all forgotten sunblock. At the end of the day we all were badly burned. I mean my shoulders really look like two ripe pomegranates. Splishing and splashing is fun (and I got to carry a gun across the water to make sure it didn't get wet) and all, but it takes up a lot of extra time. Basically, atleast an extra half an hour in every station. This meant we only left the area at 4.30. AAAAAAHHHHHH. Shabbat started 7 minutes after 5 and Jerusalem is a half an hour away. We pulled into town at 5.02. I ran to my room, grabbed by bags, hailed a cab and zipped over the my great Aunt and Uncle, Rosa and Jerry, pulling in right before Shabbat started. By the way, last minute cabs are pricey when they know you are in a rush. Shabbat was amazing. Their son Michael was there with his two daughters (his wife and son went to SA for a wedding) and two other grandchildren from Shiloh had come to visit for the weekend as well. I also was suprised with the visit of Chavi, a friend of both my mother and my Aunt and Uncle who lives next door. Wow!
Lots of photos either on facebook or being uploaded soon, take a look cus I've got a while list of things to do today! Hope you're all doing well!!!