Purim

So, my new favorite holiday in Israel is Purim. There are a number of reasons for this. 1- People dress up in awesome costumes (Ultra-orthodox Jews included). 2- People give out free treats. 3- I don't have class and 4- (best of all) EVERYTHING is still open and the BUSSES STILL RUN!

The other coolest thing about going about it here in Jerusalem is that only half of the people in the picture on the left are dressed up for Purim. The guy in the robe always wears it!

For everyone out there that doesn't know anything about Purim- it is the celebration of Esther's saving the Jewish people in her city from the evil machinations of a guy named Haman. (boooooo) <--- what everyone does during the reading of the Book of Esther during the festival whenever Haman's name is read. They also make as much noise as possible with "groggers" (specially made noise makers) and any other means possible. His name is mention 54 times during the story...lots of interruptions to the reading.

Today the celebration has become almost a mix between Carnival (complete with the usual lack of decorum and "adultness" in Sao Paolo, if what I hear about what happens in Tel Aviv is true...) and Halloween (without the creepy, nastiness and devilry present in the states).


This Tweety-Bird was waiting at a random bus stop.







This giraffe was part of a complete troupe who went around dancing on their stilts.

The States in February

So, semesters here in Israel are on a different schedule than those in the states (at least in the school and program that I am in). Mine finished the first week in February, and feeling that I had had enough of the humdrum Jerusalem life (:P) I felt that I should go home for a few weeks and remember what's it was like to be American in America. I hadn't been back since we elected Barack Obama and I wasn't sure whether or not it had turned into Paradise yet...I'm still waiting for all those election promises to come true...ha ha.

Anyway, so I planned a long 2.5 week trip that was going to be uber fast. I started by flying all the way to California for President's Day weekend to stay with Phil and Nicole and Tori (my brother, sister-in-law and niece respectively) for a few days. My other brother Matt came up from LA to Stanford to hang out too. It was great fun. The weather wasn't the best, but I really didn't mind. We walked around, went to SF, had lots of fun and got reacquainted with Tori, since she couldn't remember me. I also ended up visiting a few friends (some that I had met here in Jerusalem and some others including an old mission companion) which was a lot of fun.

Then it was off to Utah to see the parents, Rachel and Ryan, and Anna. We went snowmobiling and had lots of winter fun there. I even got to see a lot of extended family as some of the cousins were up from Arizona. Serendipitously, I was also there for my friend Levi's wedding reception, which was great because it let me see a lot of old friends that I wouldn't have seen otherwise.

After that, I stopped in New York for a few days to have some fun with Zack and Brenda who live out there. We also had a great time seeing some of the sights, but really just hanging out. Then they made me help them move apartments, which I was happy to do cause hey, what's life without a little servitude? keeps you humble...

Then I flew back to Israel. As a general tip to all you out there in travel land- best way to fly to Israel is by means of British Airways. Wow. Best planes and service, etc. Plus you avoid all the extra crazy security measures present on any given El Al flight. That and everything British should be enjoyed...