07 July 2011

It was hot today. I thought I was going to end up as buzzard food while walking through the Kidron Valley this afternoon. By the time we got back to the Jerusalem Center I was sticky, sweaty, and sleepy. However, beyond the heat was a great happiness that can only be felt after a wonderful street walking through the streets of the Old City. Life simply cannot get better than that.

After an hour of New Testment and what seemed like twenty hours of announcements and preparation for Galilee, I donated blood. There were so many people inside the gym who were nervous beyond belief. I don't quite understand what is so scary about a needle, what is so disgusting about blood. If you don't have blood, you die. If other people don't get blood, they die. Donating blood is a wonderful service! Plus, you get some of the coolest stickers and free snacks. Life just can't get better than that. I passed my pre-screening exams with flying colors and skipped over to a cot to let the process begin. Within eight minutes, I was finished and sipping a glass of orange juice. I didn't die; I didn't pass out. I was perfectly fine. However, the nurse wasn't entirely sure so she made sure I sat down so that I wouldn't get dizzy. When she wasn't looking, I snuck out of there to find Kymberly.

It was Falafel Thursday, which has become a day of great anticipation throughout all of Jerusalem (well, at least throughout all of the Jerusalem Center). A Thursday simply cannot go on without a falafel for lunch. As soon as lunch was done I left the J.C. with Ashton, Drew, Sarah, and Kymberly to walk around the Jewish Quarter, visit different sites, and take a tour of the Hurva Synagogue. While I had already been to each of the sites and the synagogue, I happily tagged along and took a few pictures that I had not yet taken. We ended up spending a bit of time shopping near the end which was wonderful. Shopping is the best therapy, or at least that is what I like to believe. We got back to the center at about 5:20p. I immediately went into my room, blasted the air conditioner, and waited for the risk of heat stroke to end.

My evening began with a boom. A group of girls (Megan, Alise, Mikell, and I) had planned to go to West Jerusalem to eat at the Waffle Bar this evening. We met together on the fourth floor to leave when a brilliant plan came to mind. So, I picked up the phone and called Kim Chadwick and invited her along. I cannot explain to you the fun that we had. All I can say is five girls and five dessert waffles make the best combination. I ended up getting a banana blasted waffle covered in hot chocolate syrup, ice cream, bananas, and whipped cream. It was amazing! And it left me completely full. After we finished eat, we sat around the table talking about boys because what else are girls going to do? Haha it was just really fun spending time together and getting to know Kim even better. It has been so much fun having her in the center with us.

When we were ready to go home, we paid our bill and headed out onto the street to get a taxi back to the Jerusalem Center. That is when we realized that taxis carry four people, and we had five. (We would have split up but it is against J.C. policy to be in groups smaller than three outside of the center.) The first taxi we pulled over wouldn't take five. The second taxi we pulled over eagerly had us jump inside but wanted over 20 shekels each to take us back to the J.C. (because he was breaking the law). We got out of the cab as quickly as possible, hoping for someone who would agree to take all five of us to the J.C. at a reasonable price; we eventually found that person. Kim climbed into the front seat so all four of us girls piled into the back with Alyse acting as our safety bar and lying across us. It was possibly one of the best taxi rides I have ever been on. Everyone was laughing (even the taxi driver). When we got back to the J.C., we paid the driver and shuffled down to Kim's apartment to paint our toes and watch a movie. I chose to paint my toes blue and red with sparkles to look like fireworks in honor of the Fourth of July. I am possibly the worst nail artist in the world but they don't look half bad.

It was fun to spend nearly the entire day out in the city. The people I was with made the experience all the better.