The past week has went by rather quickly. Pesach ended Monday at sundown, so Annie and I decided to celebrate in style and had our favorite, Focaccia's, for dinner. It was hametz-filled goodness. I spent some time with the baby on Tuesday, while her momma prepared for her 1st birthday party the next day. On Wednesday, I ventured into the Old City to do some souvenir shopping. I was intending to buy presents but ended up only buying for myself. And of course, I overstayed my welcome, meaning that I did not leave before the vendors started getting to me. I know they need to make a living, but they are so pushy! After the Old City was the birthday party, with Beth's amazing homemade cake & cupcakes, complete with homemade icing! The little one is all but walking now. I can't believe I am missing my godbaby's 1st birthday, even if it is just by 4 days. :-(
Annie and I visited En Gedi on Thursday, which was an adventure. First, Annie almost didn't get on the bus - she had to go to the ATM and by the time she got back and back in line, the bus was full. I couldn't get off because I already had my ticket punched. But somehow, by the grace of God, Annie was the very last person that was allowed to board the bus. It meant that she had to stand for a good chunk of the trip but at least we arrived together! We had no problem getting into the national park (even though my temporary pass has technically expired and I never called in to get the permanent one...). We hiked up to the waterfalls, which I had seen with my parents back in January, and then continued on to the Chalcolithic Temple (c. 3000 BCE). That hike all but killed me. It was steep, with a loose gravel/sand path and uneven steps. At one point we had to climb these steps that were between a cliff and a rock-wall. Instead of having a rail to keep us from falling down the cliff, there was a steel cable attached to the rock-wall. I was literally pulling myself up by the cable, all the while hearing my mom's voice freaking out in my head. We had to make frequent stops, mainly for me, but in the end we survived, even if I am still a bit sore! After we finished the hike, we visited the ancient synagogue, which dates to the 4th-6th c. CE - Annie's period. I saw it with my parents but there was school children on a field trip so we couldn't see it as much as I would have liked. But it was just me and Annie, so we took our time and I may have climbed on things I probably shouldn't have to take better photos, but I promise I didn't climb on anything too important...
I haven't really done much of anything the past few days. Just working on a midterm paper and studying Hebrew, and most importantly, trying to catch up on some much-needed rest. I did have coffee with my language buddy Ayana yesterday, at 4:30 in the afternoon, so I couldn't fall asleep last night - and then proceeded to wake up before 7am this morning. It is no wonder I am always exhausted and never have any energy - I probably don't get half the sleep here as I did at home! But I will be home before I know it and will probably wish I was back here.
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