September Rain

We are in the midst of a tropical storm that is dumping all sorts of rain (with wind, lightning, and a touch of thunder), but it remains near 30C. Apparently, this is not normal. And, it's wreaking havoc with the holidays. Sukkot (the Feast of Booths) started tonight. To celebrate Sukkot, everyone constructs a sukkah (a walled structure with a leafy roof, here palm fronds seem popular) in which to take their meals for the next week. The family I stay with has not constructed a sukkah (they just aren't that observant). But, at our house, one of other families (in an upstairs apartment in the house) has constructed their sukkah above my room (which suggests above my ceiling is a patio that I hadn't noticed). Anyway, I imagine a bit of chaos broke out when the skies opened up around 730 tonight!

Thursday night I went to the movies at my neighbourhood cinema which reminds me of the old Hollywood on Broadway. The really cool thing about this theatre is the little cafe attached to it so you can get food (popcorn) and drink (including beer) to take into the show with you. Or you can just sit in the cafe and eat.

I'm still getting to know the city and walking lots. On Friday morning I went to the Mahane Yehunda (market) on my own to get some fruit and veggies. I definitely need to learn my Hebrew numbers! When it's busy at the market having to ask for the price in "angleet" slows your progress through the queues!

Friday night I went to Shabbat dinner at Sivan's (the eldest of the three kids here) in-laws. They live nearby and are lovely people. I sat next to Michael's grandmother who grew up in South Africa; she was quite pleased to have a native English speaker on whom to exercise her vocabulary. The food was great, the conversation interesting and the setting, outside on the patio was close to perfect. The evening finished with a trivia quiz (half in Hebrew, half in English)!

Today I visited the Mamilla Mall, a large and fancy mall with blaring, upbeat music just outside the Old City near Jaffa Gate. Mamilla has all that you might miss from home -- the Gap, TopShop, Columbia, North Face, etc. There's nothing new about being in a fancy mall, but there is something odd in being surrounded by new and flashy consumer goods when you are right next to the Old City...it sort of brings to mind the fact that we managed to live without all this stuff for so long, but now seem so very dependent on it all.

Tomorrow is like another Saturday, the shops will be closed all over the west side of the city.  I plan to visit the Old City and the east side.