Random Thoughts, part 2

So my last set of random thoughts were well received, even though I thought I was writing it that way mainly because I hadn’t done anything of a lot of substance for a few days. I still haven’t done so much that’s interesting. So, again:

Seasons in Israel don’t really show up in the weather. Apparently we’re in the season called “fall” right now. This means that sometimes it’s hot out, and sometimes it’s a few degrees less hot out. It gets cooler at night. There are a few clouds in the sky. I’m pretty sure that’s fall here. Once it starts raining, that’s considered winter. Apparently Israel gets rain only three months or so of the year, but as much rain falls as in England in the course of a whole year. Awesome.

Seasons in Israel do show up in the shuk. It was actually cool walking through there this morning (really, really early this morning, before it was crowded. As in, left my apartment before 7 am early), and noticing the changing produce. There are fewer peaches and plums, which is sad because I just learned that I like them. There are no more mangoes or pineapples. And now there are pomegranates (I may try one this weekend) and dates and apples and some other fruits and vegetables I have yet to learn the names of. So holidays and traditions make a lot more sense here. Why is it the new year? Because the rain is about to start. Why do we dip apples in honey? Yes, for a sweet new year. But why apples? Probably because at this time of year, they’re just ripening, and there is an abundance of them! It’s fun to see the changing fruits and vegetables, although it means a new round of trying new things. And that’s HARD for me!

I expected to see seasons in the shuk. I did not expect to see them in the supermarket. More specifically, in the canned goods section of the supermarket. I went in looking for some canned beans to make a bean salad. I’ve bought canned beans several times, in the same place every time. I knew exactly where to go, which I was excited about. I went to the right section of the right aisle. And I found…canned peas, canned corn, and canned green beans. No white beans, black beans, or kidney beans. Huh? I thought the point of cans was to not have seasons. Apparently I was wrong.

Sometimes I love this country. Leaving the café I went to for dessert last night on girls night, the waitress, the host, and the security guard all wished us Shanah Tovah. It’s like all the clerks everywhere wishing you a Merry Christmas, except it’s relevant! It’s fun:)

I picked up another project yesterday. A large group from HUC in Israel every year spreads out over parts of the former Soviet Union during Passover. We go to a bunch of different communities and lead seders and bring lots of Jewish and Passover things to Jewish communities in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. It’s an amazing project, and entirely student-run and planned. I’m now co-chairing the programming committee, which means my committee is planning almost all of the activities that our classmates will be doing with their communities for a week in the FSU. Without a common language. No pressure. But it is supposed to be an absolutely amazing experience to be there and participating in this project over Passover, and I’m excited to be able to take this kind of a role in planning it.

School is going well. I had my first Hebrew test/quiz of the year yesterday, and I don’t think it was too bad, although I haven’t gotten it back yet. The teacher is not so good at context clues in her fill-in-the-blank sentences, so there are usually several words that could fit. She says she’ll give credit as long as it makes sense, so it has yet to be seen how liberal she is on whether it makes sense!

It’s not 11 in the morning yet, and I’ve been awake for almost 5 hours. I’m really tired. I’m going to head to the gym, hoping it wakes me up, but more than likely I’ll be back here afterwards for a pre-holiday nap. For everyone celebrating, L’shanah tovah u’metukah, a sweet and happy and healthy new year!