Shabbat Shalom

I woke up late on Friday, which is never a good thing. On Fridays in Jerusalem everything closes early in the afternoon and won't reopen until Saurday night. Since I hadn't really prepared or bought any food before hand, this meant I had to find food fast. Plus I left my camera cable at home so it's dead (hence no pictures to spice up my blog) and I wanted to try to buy a new cable before Shabbat. And I needed to get to my friend Hanna's house in Emek Refaim before the buses stopped running, and I couldn't remember when that was.

Worst of all, I had been woken up at 5:30 am by Dennis, Nataliya's boyfriend. I have never seen him, but I know he exists because (1) the toilet seat is often left up and (2) he makes a lot of noise when he gets up around 5 in the morning. He could be an elaborate figment of Nataliya's imagination, but either way I don't care for him. So before heading out to do a dozen errands in no time, I meant to talk with Nataliya about quiet hours and the dangers of wide open toilets. But as soon as I saw her she told me she and Dennis were planning to move out this Sunday! This is bad, because I like her, and she owns everything in the apartment including pots and pans and soap, but its good because I'll have the place to myself and not be woken up before I want to.

Anyway, I was off to Emek Refaim, where I decided I would try to buy my electronics and groceries before going to Hanna's. On the way down we drove through Meah Shearim, the most infamouse Ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem. When you drive through it's like being in a 15th century Polish shtetl (Jewish village), and there are signs on the outside which remind people to dress and behave modestly within the community. As we drove through it was really bustling, everyone preparing for Shabbat. I reall y enjoyed the drive, it was not unlike a Disney ride complete with treacherous swerving to avoid children running across the rode. I thought of another difference between NY and Jerusalem; when you see a teenage girl with a baby in NY you assume she's the mother, in Jerusalem you assume she's one of the baby's 10 older siblings.

Emek Refaim has changed so much in 2 years. The Aroma (my favorite in the world) has moved down the street! Lots of new restaurants have moved in, old ones have moved out. My favorite places, Pitooim (best restaurant in the world, and home to some of my best and earliest Israel memories) KEO jeweler shop (home to some of my favorite jewelery) are still thankfully there. Though there wasn't an electronics store, I did buy a few salads from my favorite little market fromt he same man I've been buying from for years. I got to fill a bunch of my cravings; potato salad (I don't know why, but in Israel it's better), ali geffen, and tabouli.

I met Hanna when I was 16 and spending the semester in Jerusalem. I was assigned to her as a host-sister, and I could not have been luckier. We lost touch after I returned home, but when I returned to Jerusalem and was living on Emek Refaim 4 years ago we bumped into each other and rekindled our friendship. She had the most beautiful family, who are so incredibly kind and who always have me over for Shabbat dinner and lunch the next day. Tonight, while I was sitting with them, I was thinking about how many memories I have of them and how I've really watched them change. I met Shay, her youngest older brother, when he was a hot soldier DJing in his free time, was around when he began dating Michal, and am now seeing them just a few months after their marriage. Effy, her oldest brother, who used to tell me all about his rock climbing across the country, is now newly religious, married, and has a baby girl. Hanna's little nieces, who used to talk Hebrew with me because we were on the same kindergarten level, are now in their teens! Hanna and I have always had a lot on common, and in discussing our plans for the future I felt it more than ever.