This past weekend was great. Thursday night (like friday night in the states) our scout friends (the israelis on my program) had a meeting in the Hostel (where we live in Jerusalem). Afterwards they decided not to go back to Holon and stay with us for the night in the Hostel. We all went out to a bar in downtown Jerusalem. It was a great night of just hanging around with friends and talking. Already since I've moved I've seen the friends we left behind in Holon 3 times in 2 weeks. It's like nothings really changed.
Friday afternoon before Shabbat came in, 3 friends and I got on the bus to Tel Aviv to meet Uncle Larry. Uncle Larry put us up in the same hotel as he that night. It was great. I have honestly never felt so grateful in my life. We felt like we were in Heaven. There was a T.V., something we don't have. There was a big comfortable bed, a great big clean bathroom. That night we went to a great dinner. The next day we walked around one of my favorite cities in the world and had a more than filling and satisfying lunch. It was truly incredible. One thing I've learned in this past year is how much my parents did/do for me growing up. And, this year has made me more grateful than ever for those things. I guess when you suddenly don't have those things, it's then that you realize how great they were/are. Uncle Larry was amazing. The whole weekend was great from the food to the accommodation and everything. But honestly, my favorite part was just being with him. Being with family is a feeling you just can't get with anyone else. I felt like I was home in Baltimore, it's funny how at home certain people can make you feel. He certainly did that.
We left the hotel to get the 6:30 bus from the central station in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Our fairy tale weekend was definitely brought back to reality when I faced the reality that is Israelis desperately trying to get home after shabbat. Getting on that bus was like a concert. People were pushing and shoving, sliding under arms. It was ridiculous. My friends and I stepped aside from the first bus because we simply didn't have the energy nor care to push and shove like animals, when we knew there was another coming in 15 minutes. It's when the next one came and we saw the huge line of angry Israelis behind us that our new found "Israeli-ness" kicked in. We just laughed the whole way through it, and somehow, and I mean it, somehow made our way on to the bus.
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