Halfway mark...#2

So it is about halfway through the second semester, Winter 2012. They have been really great so far, and I have some many new friends, but it doesnt mean I dont miss the last group of students, I do. All of these students that have been here are such amazing people and they are all amazing examples. I dont know if I can compare the two semesters, but I do know that both of them are/ were great.

Also it is a little over the six month mark of our family being here, we are halfway! Time has flown by and I am not sure if I dont want to go back or if i am ready to go back.

Valentine's Day ;) / single awareness day ;(

My valentine's day was great, my valentine ended up being my mom, of course, a very special valentine to me. I gave my mom a rose and a note that said: "Roses are red, violets are blue, Inti Jameela (you are beautiful in Arabic) and I will always love you" At school I had a lot of girls creeping up on me and wanting to be my valentine, it was kind of annoying... but fun ;) I ended up spending like 3 hours making cards, most of them were for the students.

This is what a very special, fun- loving person, Maddie McCann put on our door, love you Maddie

A few days before Valentine's day, some of the students came in to make valentiene's cookies. (what pretty girls)

And we had to love after we made the cookies, this is what valentine's day is all abotu: LOVE <3

Friday, the 17th,
 
    So there was going to be a valentine's dance with the students on valentine's day, but due to mid-terms, it got cancelled so they had it on Friday the 17th. It was a very crazy, but very fun party. I ended up slow dancing for the first time, haha, now I will be ready for stake dances ;)

Neot Kedumim

Got out of school to go on an amazing fieltrip to Neot Kedumim, which is a biblical landscape reserve, and a very fun place. We herded sheep, we made za'atar (through pounding/crushing hissup), learned about who and how they make the tora scroll, making pita, and learning about a lot of differents plants in the bible.

Sheep herding (I'm on the far right behind the girl in the white shirt, Josh is in the light blue shirt)



Baaaaa



Crushing hissup

  

Eating lunch



Making Pita (not my hands! ;)

They had lots of pretty trees, and they would stop by a lot of them and tell us about it

The ingredients for the ink that they use to make the Tora scrolls. In order to write the tora scrolls, you have to be fully worthy and you have to dedicate your life, and those people sure can write!

Another group pic (where's Waldo Jo?)

It was a beautiful garden

Lots of presentations

?Switcheroo?

So my family got a Dishwasher, super big improvement, and so we decided to swap everything around completely. We switched our craft kitchen with our cooking kitchen and our living room with our dining room. This is what it now looks like. (if you have never seen our kitchen then here it is, our kitchen...in Jerusalem)

Yes, we have two kitchens, a craft kitchen and a cooking kitchen. The reason for having two kitchens is because we are practically living in two apartments, the wall was taken out and if needed a door could be placed to make the two apartments seperate.

Basketball Tournament February 5th

On Sunday February 5th I finally had another basketball tournament. It was really fun and the games were a good improvement time for me. Here are some pictures of the day.

 

 The school we played at (American International School) was super nice we just wish we could go there! ;)

 After the game we met up with some of the students who were spending their free day (sunday) in Tel Aviv and we ate at a pretty  nice resturant with really cool red lighting.

(from right to left) Sarah Kathryn Smith, Maddie McCann, Me, Josh, Meredith DeMordaunt, and Melia.

Arab Culture Night, Round 2

I got the oppurtunity to do the Arab Culture Night again. This night is dedicated to all-out arab and lots of fun. We first started with a demostration of the Call to Prayer, done by Imams, which are the prayer callers. Then we ate our Arab meal that was very delicious and then move on to the dancing, which including some high school students who were nice enough to teach us how to truly dance like an arab. This was a very jam-packed night with lots of fun, here are some pictures of the amazing night.

The tables setup

It was a really cool setup

This video (below) is hilarious!, I am not in it but it is super funny ;)