This is actually one of my most favorite holidays and my first Purim in Israel. I've seen people dressed up in their costumes since the middle of last week and lots of litle kids dressed up as princesses, cowboys/girls (p.c.: cowpeople?) and spiderman.
I should be out having a party right now, but no.....I had to go and get sick today. Wait wait, don't worry about me. It's just a small head cold that will go away once I stop staying up until the wee hours of the morning every night when I have to get up early the next morning. So, it's 10 pm right now, the night before Purim in Jerusalem, probably the biggest party night of the year, and I must be the only person out of over a hundred living in this ulpan in bed talking to you people. Okay, you're right I'm talking to myself, but I can pretend, can't I?
I actually already had my party day today, as far as I'm concerned. Today, my good friend Maya and I took a bus down to the Dead Sea. We floated in the slimy, salty water, rolled around in the mud pile, rubbed mud all over ourselves, sat in the sun talking to an enourmous group of wonderful Nigerians (whom I think we saw in Jerusalem yesterday afternoon), got back in the water, washed the mud off of our skin, soaked in the hot spring/mineral bath, ate some ice cream and returned to Jerusalem just in time for a hot shower and dinner. IT. WAS. DIVINE. My skin feels silky smooth. I got more sun than I get in a whole winter in Oregon, and I am perfectly content to fall asleep to Indiana Jones right after I finish this post.
I just want to say a word about something I will try to blog on in the near future (god knows where I will find the time).
Last weekend, I participated in a group course entitled Understanding Yourself and Others, or UYO for short. The basic function of this course was, in short, to allow the us, the participants, to identify and understand the ways in which we sabotage relationships, and, furthermore, to strip off the layers of destructive behavioral and thought patterns that prevent us from getting what we really want - to connect to and be close to people - and that keep us from fulfilling our destinies on this planet. And all of this in one weekend. Let me just say that it was incredibly amazing, and I am still processing through the weekend and carrying powerful lessons and breakthoughs with me. For those of you living in Israel, there will be another UYO course in Jerusalem, in the second week of May. Check back for more about it here, or check out the blog authored by the woman who brought it to Israel (chayyeisarah.blogspot.com)
My friends keep asking me if it really was a life-changing experience. My relativist answer is that all experiences are life-changing, even you reading this sentence on this page right now. I have just changed your life....The real answer is that yes, it did change my life, not by virtue of the power of the course or the people or even the instructors (who are incredible teachers and people), but by virtue of my choice to change my life because of what I learned. This is the key. I made a choice, and I am different (positively) because of it.
I'll leave it at that (while I'm ahead). And go nurse my cold.
Au Revoir, L'hiraot, Sayonara. G'night.
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