August 12 - 05

Today I slept in. I don't have a key for the office, yet, and no one else works Fridays, so I couldn't have gone there, anyway. I am supposed to have Sat and Sun off, so I can go to church. Sun is the first work-day of the week here, so that's why Fri. is considered weekend. It doesn't really matter anyway, since in September (4th), when I start at the ulpan, I'll be in school Sun through thurs. I don't know what I am going to do about a church; I really want to be involved. I feel like I need the fellowship and the community....

I am going to try another church on Sunday, in Jaffa. I will walk there, I guess; I still haven't mustered the courage to get on a bus. I don't know where they go. I should just go to their website and figure it out....or ask someone.

So, this "morning" after eating and reading some, I watched CBC's 'the National' online. Then I listened to some Grateful Dead radio (also online) and read some more. At about 4pm, Bassem, from MCC's office in Jerusalem called me. He and his Norweigan girlfriend were in Jaffa, so I walked to meet them.

I did the classic "L" walk: straight from my place to the beach, then down the promenade to Jaffa. It took me just over an hour to get there. We sat and had an iced coffee and talked for a few hours. At 8:15pm, I started for home. I didn't have my map, but decided that I wanted to dissect the city and trust my instincts.

I did alright. I cut down on the time of my walk there by at least ten minutes. I didn't overshoot my apartment, but I could have done better. I saw a GIANT rat, about the size of any one of the million cats here! I didn't panic, just kept walking. This city is SO dirty and smells like urine. Sometimes it doesn't bother me, other times I feel like I'm going crazy. And I've only been here for a few weeks.

Come, O blessed rain, come! Maybe in a few months.... It rains in Jerusalem far more, in fact it rained yesterday. I saw the clouds overhead and hoped that they would rain here; but I've been told that the clouds always pass by until they hit higher elevated land (like Jerusalem).

I found out that the rally I was at last night had a hundred-thousand people at it. No wonder I panicked.