Much ado about nothing..

So I have successfully managed to access the internet from inside my apartment! With ten days to go, I have finally broken through the barrier of technology and have connected with civilization from the comfort (or lack thereof) of my bed, of that's what this four cornered rock can be called.
I don't have much to update on... I just felt like writing and reflecting as I begin the wait for my new cell phone to be delivered (my other one decided it didn't like me anymore), This summer has been a whirlwind of so many different experiences...from living in an apartment in an unfamiliar city, to exploring the history of the country, to improving my Hebrew, to working with kids from a very very different background than anyone I know from home, to spending all of my money and then some :). So much has happened this summer, and I feel so connected and at home here. The thing is, being away gives you a new perspective on being home. I think it is hard to realize just how much you love being with people who know you and love you,

or just how delicious your mom's cooking is, or how soft your dog is,
or how nice it is to drive down the street and know where you are, until you have been away for awhile. It is easy to think of moving far away, easy to think it won't be hard to be away from everything you know, until you actually are doing it. Maybe for some people it actually is easy. For me, it has been a roller coaster all summer. Sometimes I can't think of anything besides how much I want to stay here and how I would do anything to not get on a plane back to the States just yet, and then there are other times that I think I can't stand being gone even another day. It's a weird feeling, to want two opposite things so much and knowing that whichever path I take, something will be missing.
Don't get me wrong, I'm coming home. Whether I decide to stay here in the long run is something I will figure out later. For now, I have things I need to do at home. :)
I miss you guys a lot! Hope all is beseder and sababa on your side of the pond!
Write soon :)

Shalom Shalom Shalom

Shalom once more me'haaretz...
Much has happened since the last time I wrote...
Last Monday Ashley and I went with Chana (one of our coordinators here in Israel) to the Old City once again but this time to do something neither of us had done.. to go to the Arab quarter and visit the Temple Mount, also called the Dome of the Rock, also known as that huge gold thing you see in pictures of Jerusalem. Now, I must make sure you are all aware of why this is a significant place for Jews and Muslims, and why it is slightly controversial that two Jewish girls were walking around there.
The site of Temple Mount is the place where the first and second holy temples were located, temples so holy and so sacred to the Jewish people that only the most holy Cohenim (rabbis) were allowed to enter, and even then only on the high holidays. It was so important that regular Joe Jews didn't enter that when a Rabbi would enter, a rope would be tied around his ankle just in case something happened to him inside and he could be pulled out. The reason that Jews are not technically supposed to enter the Temple Mount area is because we don't know exactly where the temple was located, and the fact that we could be stepping on a place directly above it is a major problem.

Now the Temple Mount area is a place holy to the Muslim community, where their huge mosque is built and where Mohammed supposedly ascended to heaven.

The interesting thing is that this area is considered by Jews to be the MOST holy place on earth, and by Muslims to be the third most holy place on earth, and yet Jews are not allowed to enter the mosque.
It was actually quite an interesting experience, when we stood in line to try to get in (which we knew we wouldn't be able to do), we were told point blank, No Jews in here, only Muslims. I couldn't help but feel unbelievably unwelcome, judged and actually hated by every Muslim person that walked past me, even though of course that couldn't be true, just probably a projection, but still...
Anyway the area is actually really beautiful, and so interesting to see and hear the history of the place, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to see it myself.
Later in the week the whole group went once again to the Old City for a Christian-Judeo-Muslim tour.. and we got to see the Church of the Holy Sepulchure, where Jesus's tomb, as well as the rock he laid on as he was dying, along with various stops on the Via della Rosa (sp?) can be seen. I took the liberty of photographing myself with Jesus...

The next day (Friday) was maybe one of the BEST DAYS of the summer, as I was reunited with the LOVE OF MY LIFE Hofit. For those of you who don't know, Hofit Kahana stayed in my house in Columbus while she was a camp counselor at the JCC this summer.. and we met before I left for Israel. How amazing, how wonderful, how weirdly ironic that we began the summer together at my house, and are ending it at hers! We didn't even know each other before June, and in no time we became best friends! AMazinggg...

She took me out in style after her parents hosted me for Shabbat dinner, we didn't get back until 5:30 am Saturday morning!! It was an amazinggg night! Today she started a course for school, but we will be seeing a lot of each other before I leave!

Today I started a new job.. I am working with kids in the cancer unit of the Children's hospital here. It was amazing to see that anywhere you go, kids are just kids and even when they are sick, all they want to do is play and smile. So that's what we did.
Alright, I'm going to get going.. but I miss you all and I will be home before we know it! (Can't decide how I feel about that one...)
Neshikot and harbeh ahavah!

I know, you missed me right?

Alrightyy guys here's the scoop since our last update!
This past week was sadly my last week of work... I was really really sad to leave the kids.. I had really grown attached to some of them and the idea that I might not see them again made me so so sad. But the week itself was a really good one!
On Sunday I went to the pool all day with the camp.. we had a great time just playing all day.. seriously these kids know how to play.. I think they thought I was their personal doll to just dunk under water and jump on top of and drag around all day.. it was really fun.

Monday and Tuesday were pretty normal, just camp, running, and hanging out. Wednesday was my last day at the camp, and that evening I went with about 10 other members of our Career Israel group to Jerusalem for the most AMAZINGG wine festival EVER! This place was unbelievable, first, it was at the Israel Museum outside overlooking the entire city which was lit up and absolutely breathtaking. Second, there were huge stands from various wine manufacturers all over the place, so obviously we were extremely excited to run from place to place sampling all different kinds of red, white, and even pomegranate wines (which were WAYY too sweet by the way). There was a jazz band playing, cheese, fruit, and bread stands to eat at, and hundreds of people scurrying to and fro trying to consume as much alcohol as possible :) Very fun.

Thursday I was lucky enough to have the day to do as I pleased, and so Ashley, Emily, Becca, and I all walked in the blazing heat to Yafo (did I mention this past week was a heat wave? Cause it was an actual heat wave here, somewhere around the equivalent of 105 degrees Fahrenheit here), and did some exploring in the shuk there. We attempted to go to a place referred to as Israel's Blind Museum where you are blinded and have to experience an exhibit as a blind person, but we found out that that is actually some place else, and that what they have in Yafo is a center for people who are deaf and blind to work, and people can come and eat a meal in a blackout room where you are served by blind people, and where you cannot even see your hand waving in front of your face! We made reservations and are planning to eat there next week, I'll let you know how it goes. Emily and I ordered a coffee from the coffee bar where everyone is deaf, and learned how to order an iced cappuccino in sign language! Very cool.
That night I was lucky enough to be taken to a concert on the beach in Herzliyya, which was definitely a great time!
Friday was an AMAZING DAY for Ashley and I. We had the opportunity to make our way into the West Bank for a tour of the area by a woman we know from Kfar Saba. When I first met this woman and she told me she lived in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, I immediately asked her, "Oh wow, aren't you so afraid? Don't you feel like you are in danger?" and she laughed and said, "Alright, you are coming to see where I live and learn all about the area!"
So Ashley and I got picked up by Hila's neighbor who happened to be in Telly, and made our way through the border patrol security and into the West Bank

and learned all about the history of the place and why it is so controversial now. It was amazing to see a place where we have all been taught is so dangerous and in such a state of anarchy, because it is in fact no such thing! It is quiet, calm, and so carefully guarded that you cannot help but feel safe. We learned so much about the area, and I feel so much more well informed now that I have been there and seen it all myself.

That night Ashley and I were hosted at Janine's for a BEAUTIFUL Shabbat dinner, which was of course delicious and so much fun for us.
Saturday was an adventure! Me, Emily, Beth, Ashley, and Daphny decided to all take a SURFING lesson! We had a lot of fun, but I'll be honest people, it was not a pretty sight ;) Legs were flying, boards were crashing into people, salt water was in the eyes, and bikinis were falling off. I can honestly say that after two hours of an "intensive" lesson, I am no better of a surfer now than before. Oh well, it was an experience to say the least.

A few hours later I had the pleasure of bumping into a few stragglers that some of you might find familiar!

I was beyond thrilled to see some familiar faces, and we are planning to get together again hopefully this week!! Yay AEPhi in Israel!
Now I find myself sitting in the laundry place/cafe where people can do laundry, eat, and skype all at one time! Is that multitasking or what?
Tomorrow Ashley and I are off to Jerusalem for a tour of the Muslim quarter, and hopefully some seriously delish pita and hummus!
Love you guys, write again soon!