Oh find me a home!!

It's Friday afternoon now, and I am sitting in the Tachanat Mercazit (Jerusalem Central Bus Station) waiting to hop on a bus to go up to Kibbutz Ohalo. It is located near the Kinneret and I'm excited to be going up north, it has always been one of my favorite parts of the country. Probably because it isn't a desert.

Yesterday I didn't do very much, I spent most of the day apartment hunting for this coming fall. I've gone through this process so many times in the states that I sometimes take for granted how easy it is there. Shosh, Andy, and I are looking for an apartment within walking distance of Pardes (since Andy will be there also :), with 2 bedrooms, and fully furnished. That last part might seem odd to request, but you need to understand that when an apartment is labeled as 'unfurnished' they really mean nothing. No fridge, stove, cabinets...nothing. It forces us to be a bit more picky about where we are. Everyone keeps telling me to be patient and we will find someething, but patience isn't one of my specialties. Anyhoo, I got in touch with a couple of real estate companies and put the word out to everyone we know, so I'll keep y'all updated with what we find.

It was also a bit of a hectic day at the Kirschner house. Uncle Alon is heading back to the Memphis to be with his father who is ill. I felt very bad, because it seemed to me that I was getting in the way everywhere I was standing or sitting. I am trying to be as helpful as possible to Aunt Gail just to ease to the burden of everything going on. Judi came over to cook dinner, and I was very happy when she said tha Ira was coming home that evening. We had a very nice dinner as a family, and it was great to see and hear the interaction of their family. Again, it felt like I was at home. When we finished, Uncle Alon finished packing and he, Aunt Gail, and Ira left for the airport. I spent some time with Elana and Judi, and around 8:45 Oren, Judi's husband, came over to eat some dinner and pick her up. This was great since I haven't met him yet, and everyone in my family has been raving about him. I'm very excited to have some time when Oren, Judi, Shosh, and I can hang out.

This morning I woke up and finished packing my stuff to head up north. I left Kfar Adumim very early, and went to check out a house near school. Unfortunately it wasn't what we are looking for, so the search will continue. From there I headed to the Jerusalem Shuk. For those of you that have been there before you can attest to the chaos that ensues on Friday when everyone is running around to be ready for Shabbat. Put that along with all the stuff I was carrying around and you can just imagine how smoothly this trip went. I went to Marzipan, one of my favorite bakeries, to pick up some rogalach for Shosh's group, and of course for myself. I also picked up some flowers for Shosh and I was off. At this point, I am carrying around my backpack, mountainsmith bag, 5 kilos of rogalach, and some flowers. I was bumping into people everywhere I turned. I was entertained by the end. I caught the 74 bus to the bus station and for the first time went through the first noticeable security difference from when I was here before. The bus station while I was here on Nativ, was an open air station and you could really pass and go anywhere you wanted. Now it is a very nice building, but the security is very intense. Before entering the building you must empty out your pockets, but your bags on a table, and walk through a metal detector. Once you have entered the building, there is an X-Ray machine to check out your bags. It wasn't inconvenient, but it was noticeable. Now I am sitting in an Aroma coffee shop and waiting.

I think it's about time that I go by my bus ticket. Shabbat Shalom everyone, I miss y'all dearly and can't wait to hear from you