Jelly?

Today in West Jerusalem Scott tried to buy a Jelly-filled doughnut from a stand in the open air market. It went like this:

Scott: Does this doughnut have jelly in it?
Man: Jelly? Yes.
Scott: (skeptically) Jelly, really?
Man: Yes. Jelly. Strawberry. Very, very good.

So he buys the jelly-filled doughnut. Then, instead of walking away, Scott stands in front of the man and begins to eat the doughnut. The man nervously looks at Scott as he slowly takes one bite, then two, then three. Still no jelly. He keeps biting the bread, all the while looking directly at the man. And then he says, "there's no jelly." "No jelly?" "Yeah there wasn't any jelly in the doughnut."

So the man says something in Hebrew to his friend and they both start examining the remaining pile of jellyless doughnuts. They pick each one up, look at its bottom and set it back down. After they've touched every single one, the man says, "no jelly," and he shrugs his shoulders. Scott just looks at him, not saying anything. And finally, in a huff, the man opens the register and gives him half of his shekels back.

So funny.

This is a random picture when we went into West Jerusalem and listened to the street music and ate the street food. Best crepe I've ever had. Love it.

Gnawed

As you know, my basketball career was pretty much stifled when Kristin backed into the basketball hoop that used to exist in Mom and Dad's driveway. Ever since then (2008) my playing days have been over. Until now.

In the center there is a gym where the boys usually monopolize the basketball court.  A court which is now overrun with teams from the  "No Boys Allowed, Powder-puff, Jerusalem Center Basketball League."  The league consists of eight teams, each one having a girl who played high school basketball. My team is good.

Yesterday was our first pre-season game and if you think that these games are "just for fun," like everyone says, you are wrong.  They are competitive to the death.  Yesterday, the competitive tension was rampant and its peak came in the minutes before halftime.  Catie Legro, our only opponent who had actually played basketball in high school was at the height of competitiveness.  She was playing her 'A' game running around, shooting baskets, and yelling at her team to "GET THE REBOUND!"

In a crucial moment, less than a minute before halftime, I ran to guard Catie as she had the ball.  When I reached her, her back was to me and as she turned around, she was already charging at full throttle. I put my hands up, leaned back and screamed, but it was too late. The front of her face slammed right into my open mouth. Teeth are sharp.  And my teeth literally cut a gash right in the middle of her eyebrow, and her head began gushing blood.  Suddenly there was a puddle of blood on the court and people were screaming to get the doctor. He came and took her downstairs to mend her bleeding head. My teeth were a little tender but still in place.



I felt awful. Obviously.  My teeth were the cause of a serious head injury. 



After the game, which we still finished, I found the doctor and discovered she had five stitches and felt relatively decent.  And she didn't hate me.  I was very grateful for this.  My only injury are the abundance of biting, vampire, hungry Lizzy jokes, which I have to endure. And seriously, people are witty, so it isn't so bad.

The moral of the story?, Never play basketball with your mouth closed because if I had, we both would have stitches, according to Dr. Chapman.  Second moral of the story, play more basketball because it is SO FUN.  Who knew?

Today

i woke up to find my inbox full of three wonderful emails from family and friends! Oh happy day.

Jordan. "indeed"

I would love to have a terribly witty way (rhymes, or a cross word) to present the fabulous, four day trip I had in Jordan. But for lack of time and wit, I will just say this:

Jordan is like fresh tomatoes on a thin crust pizza.

And I love fresh tomatoes on a thin crust. And I love Jordan. It was friendly, blustery and felt like a movie adventure. We saw desert, river and rock. And the rock was cool because the rock was Petra.

This is site where John the Baptist was beheaded. I apologize for looking so cheerful. Sarah and I had just finished performing the Jon Wallin cover of "the Good the Bad and the Ugly" theme song.

Before I came to the middle east, I bragged to my little sister that I was going to ride a camel. Alas, I haven't and don't think I will. Though not an animal rights activist, there is something inherently wrong in paying this man 10 dinar to take part in abusing this poor creature, though grotesque he may be. This is in Petra, by the way. PETRA.

 

As I was taking this picture the owner of they "why not" shop said, (in the same way a circus master announces an act,) "WELCOME!, to the....why not shop!" Drum roll.

 

This is at the top of the world. According to the sign to your right. That you can't see because it isn't in the picture. At least I know it is at the top of Petra....because I climbed to that flag.

 

Only read this if you know anything about Lawrence of Arabia. This is part of the remaining railway system that Lawrence of Arabia bombed in his attempt to unite the Arab states. That's why it is cool.

Sir Thomas is mimicking the man. 

 

I was crowned Queen of Amman! 

Prayer tower at the Abdullah mosque.

His name is Yousef and he was our guide and he was fantastic! His English was superb, improved by the fact that he said "indeed" every chance he got. 

We went to a museum/ ancient city and there were children there on a field trip. They were gorgeous. All of them wanted me to take their picture and show it to them and they all told me their names.

They are so beautiful!

My roommate Melissa and I at the Jabbok river. 

 

One of the best parts of this trip was meeting up with my good friend James who is in Jordan doing the Arabic study abroad. He took me all around Amman and fed me all sorts of street food that was forbidden by our doctor. But what won't we do for a little schwarma? 

My reward for eating the street food? I got very sick and was bed ridden for an entire day with a fever and other unmentionable things. It was wretched, to say the least. But I am feeling wonderfully better now!

Lately

I have been doing things and here are some pictures.

 

Once we went on a field trip and this is where they took us....somewhere where we herded sheep and goats. 

 

This one is my friend.

 

A girl named Rivkah braided my hair. She is a braider virtuoso. 

 

This was at our Arab culture night! We dressed up, ate delicious Arab food and had a presentation from two shakes about the Koran and the call to prayer.

 

A bakery in West Jerusalem!

 

Synagogue on a fast day.

 

Arad.

 

We went to an organ concert and this was the star. He was incredible. His back was so sweaty and the acoustics in the church were amazing.

A Run With a View

One of the best parts of my day begins when I crawl out of bed and quietly change into my long exercise pants and baggy t-shirt. I wait outside my room in the commons area and hope Marianne and Sarah managed to pull themselves out of bed too, (sometimes they are the ones hoping), because we have to run in groups of three or more. We walk the three flights of stairs to the top entrance, scan our cards at the gate, wave to the security guards and start our run. There are only two routes we are allowed to take and even though we pound the same pavement everyday, it doesn't feel repetitive. It feels really good. And the view is gorgeous.

On Friday a few of us walked to a synagogue along the same streets we run and I snapped some pictures of what we see every morning.

 

 

 

 

Marianne! My stalwart running buddy. This picture was outside the old city wall. 

And wonderful Sarah! This is the only picture I have of her. She is on the left and Sister Skinner, our program director's wife, is in the middle. We were in the Blue Mosque in Turkey.

"The mold of fashion" tourist style

Sites of the world are cool and all, but sometimes sites of humans distract me. Some people are so fabulous looking. Here are the fruits of my labor.

 

Pearls in the middle of ancient Greek ruins? Yes please.

 

I think I want to be this woman when I hit middle age. 

 

Classic.

 

You can't see this man's wife but rest assured that she dragged him here.

 

Classy. I wish I were her friend.

 

Heels and a pencil skirt. Be impressed with this woman's stamina.

 

Great shot. 

 

Who wears a onezie jumpsuit? She does. And well. 

 

This family of sailor hats is for you mom. :) I won't forget those days.

 

"My name is Siddel, I am from Switzerland, I have lots of money and there is a purple sweater tied around my neck."