"House at Pooh Corner"

Hey All,
So I just posted my pre-mommy week, and now on to the fun stuff!!!

I got to Debbie's on Thursday night and just relaxed, making sure that all of my plans for my mom's visit were set. We woke up early Friday morning and headed to the airport (which just happens to be 15 minutes away from where Debbie lives...YAYAYAY!!). When we got to the airport I swear I was shaking all over. I was so excited for my mom to be coming for 10 DAYS!!! I waited impatiently by the gate, waiting for her to come out with a million suit cases and some kind of bright clothing to make everybody stop and stare. I was very wrong, she walked out with a huge smile on her face, two big suitcases, and sweatpants. She didn't even have time to put down her purse because as soon as she got close enough for me to hug her I wrapped my arms around her and didn't let go. I was so excited, and was truly needing a mommy fix. We then walked to the car and put her luggage inside. The first thing that she did however was go into her largest suit case and take out a huge bag of her extra special chocolate chip cookies (they were still soft!!). We later found out that this bag was not the only extra special item that she brought. When we got back to Debbie's home she opened the same bag that my bag of cookies was in and found that this particular bag had no clothing in it, it was filled to the top with another bag of cookies, and 6 boxes of Tastykakes (yes that is how you spell it), they are only sold on the east cost and my cousins from Israel only get to eat them if they come in for Thanksgiving. My mom did good, she got regular chocolate cupcakes, peanut butter and chocolate, and butter scotch krimpets. I swear three of the boxes we completely finished by the end of the weekend.
After a relaxing weekend, I had to go to school early Sunday morning. It was not too bad however because my mom met up with me at school, and came to my Judaism class. I think she really liked it, which I thought she might. After class we went to the Bed and Breakfast that she was going to be staying at in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. It was literally a 2 minute walk to the Kotel, which was so nice. We dropped her stuff off, and went up to the top of the building, and right when you walked out the door you could see the dome of the rock, and part of the Kotel. I thought I could touch the dome because it was so close, this view was amazing, you could see Jerusalem for miles.
After settling her in, we walked around the Jewish Quarter, had some lunch, and arranged that I was going to meet her on Ben Yehuda Street after I was finished for the day. I got back to school and I had to go to a rehearsal for my school's Yom Hashoah Ceremony (a ceremony in remembrance of the holocaust). I was supposed to sing one song with my friend Larissa and my roommate while a couple of Israeli students read testimonies (you can see it on facebook). We only had a couple of hours to rehearse that day, and we had our dress rehearsal the next day from 6-10pm. After the first rehearsal, Larissa and Shaina came with me to meet my mom on Ben Yehuda Street for dinner. I took us all to Foccacia Bar so that I could show my mom my favorite restaurant. It was a great dinner, we talked about everything that we had been doing in Israel, and we just sat there talking and laughing for a good two hours, it was great!!
The next day I had class really early, so my mom slept in and I met her at the Bed and Breakfast after my class. I dropped my books off in her room, and we went out to explore the Arab market (it's right next to the Jewish Quarter). My mom picked out a couple of presents for people back home, and I showed off my Hebrew skills (or lack there of). After we got a bit tired we walked to this great jewelry store right around the corner from where she was staying that makes amazing stuff that you can engrave Hebrew writing anywhere. My mom got me a ring (sized to fit my thumb), that says "Gam Ze Ya'Avore" which means "This too shall pass." I was so excited, I couldn't wait to get it in a couple of days and never take it off. I then had to leave my mom for the whole night (to fend for herself), so that I could go to dress rehearsal for the ceremony the next morning.
Tuesday was Yom Hashoah, and Shaina and I had to get up early and be at school by 7:45am. We got there and went through the entire ceremony before people got there. I quickly picked up my mom from the coffee shop right next to my school, and we ran back. The ceremony was really beautiful. In Israel for Yom Hashoah and any other holiday that we remember those that we have lost, a siren goes off through the entire country. It is amazing, the whole country just stops, traffic stops exactly where they are and people get out of their cars to stand in silence for 1-2 minutes. When the siren is finished everyone goes back to what they were doing, and that is what we did for the ceremony. We opened all of the doors in the building and everyone stood in silence, it was very powerful, and I could tell that some people were getting a little bit emotional. After the ceremony, I skipped my two classes of the day and spent the whole day with my mom. We went to Ben Yehuda for shwarma, and then did a little shopping. We then walked to the shuk to buy some snacks to eat when we got back to the room. We then spent the rest of the day relaxing in my dorm room, eating dried fruit and sunflower seeds. Then we got washed up and changed to go to dinner at River Noodle Bar. We had some great sushi, and fried rice, and just talked about the things that are coming up for the summer.
Wednesday was crazy. I had Hebrew in the morning, and after that I was in a really bad mood. I had done not so great on my Hebrew mid-term and all I wanted was to be with my mom and not have to think about anything else. Lucky for me she was a quick phone call away and I took a cab to meet her at the "Biblical Zoo" (yea, I said it...and no the animals are not set in two's). The sun was so bright, and the sky was completely clear of clouds. We walked around the entire zoo making animal noises and making baby faces at the smallest of furry creatures. Then a funny thing happened, my foot was starting to throb in pain every time I put any pressure on it. I knew that it was not broken (because I would have been in more pain), but there was clearly something wrong. My mom and I took a cab back to school and I took her to Burger's Bar for lunch, but after we had been sitting for a while my foot started hurting again as we got up to go. It was so bad that I couldn't even walk down the hill from the student village to my dorm (which is a 8 minute walk). We got back tot he room by cab, and I put my foot up on my bed to rest a bit. We stayed in my room for an hour or two before having to meet Yoel (my "host dad" if you will) and his wife Chava for coffee at the cafe that is right next to my dorm. They brought me an ace bandage to wrap my foot, and we got to sit for a while to drink some good coffee and talk about my experience so far here. My mom I think loved meeting Yoel and Chava, I think it made her feel at ease knowing that I was being taken care of, and that I had another home stay that was closer to school. After coffee, Yoel drove mom and I to the Jewish Quarter to go back to her B&B. I was sleeping over for the night so that I could help her with her luggage on our way back to my dorm in the morning. The people that run the B&B were so nice, they filled a container with ice for my foot, and offered us dinner, even though my mom and I had already bought shwarma in the quarter right before going to the B&B. We just sat on the roof eating our dinner and relaxing in this amazing place for my mom's last night in Jerusalem.
The next morning we got up early to pack my mom's stuff, and went up to the kitchen to see that the people that ran the B&B were already up and ready to make us anything we wanted for breakfast. My mom and I just had a quick coffee and toast, said our goodbyes and headed out. My mom dropped her stuff off at my dorm and decided that she was just going to hang out at the cafe while I was in class, and that we would head to Debbie's after I got out. I was so excited for this weekend, but also really sad at the same time. On the down side, my mom was leaving Saturday night, but on the upside, my friend Ariana was coming with us on Thursday to the farm that my cousin's work at to go on a trail ride. When we got there we were put on our own horses right away so that we could get on the trail before it got dark. We were laughing the entire time because both me and Ariana's horses kept on leaving the line to eat flowers on the side of the trail. We had to pull and kick and click out tongues so much to make the horses listen to us. Everyone was having a great time, and it was really nice to be out and about in nature.
Thursday night we went out with the family for a sushi dinner, and then went back to the house to watch movies and hang out. The next morning Ariana left early so she could get back to Jerusalem before Shabbat, and my mom and I and Debbie went to Tel Aviv to go to an outdoor shopping area. We ended up calling my best friend Andrew (who goes to Tel Aviv University) to meet us for lunch. After a GREAT Israeli lunch, Andrew gave into my please and ended up coming back to Debbie's with us for shabbat dinner. I loved having Andrew there, it was so nice having two amazingly important people in my life at the same table. I felt complete relaxation, and serenity. It is truly what I needed before my finishing up my time in Israel.
Saturday was very sad. The whole day that fact that my mom was leaving Israel was hanging over my head. There were a couple of times where I got tears in my eyes, but my mom would just shake me and tell me that I was going to be home in a month, and then I would not be able to get rid of her. After packing her stuff up, we went to a quick goodbye lunch at this great place called Elvis, which had cover to cover pictures of Elvis all over, and would only play Elvis songs, it was insane. When we got back to the house my mom and I spent some time together, just chilling, and making sure that she had everything, then it was time to go to the airport. When we got to her terminal, I started getting really emotional again. My mom then grabbed me, and hugged me tight, and told me that she was so proud of me, and everything that I have accomplished here, and that we will be celebrating my homecoming VERY soon.

That's it guys....sorry it was so long, but I know some of you actually enjoy all the fun details. Next will be about my trip to the North, and spending time with camp friends....only one more month until I come home...get excited...and keep reading!!

Blessings,
xoxoxoxo
Em