forgive me my english speakers readers for the first thing

So. i just have to start with a Hebrew thing

גן מאיר
דנה ברגר 

ירח זורח מעל גן מאיר 
אני לא מצליחה להרגיש בבית
צריך להרפות את האחיזה
עוד היום מחר יהפוך לאתמול

ראש השנה בחוץ בפנים הכל שבור לי
איך אני רגילה לברוח מאמת פשוטה
יש אהבה בחוץ בפנים חלון נגמר
תקוות ופחדים אתמול ומחר

צריך לב מברזל צריך עור של פיל
ירח גונח מעל איש צעיר
אלוהים שהכעס לא ישתלט על הלב השביר
שלח לו אור מחמם שלח לי אומץ לשיר

ראש השנה בחוץ...

ירח בוטח מעל גן מאיר
ואני בטוחה שהכל עוד יאיר לי
בחרתי בחופש ללכת ממנו שילמתי מחיר
זאת זכותי להמשיך בדרכי

ראש השנה בחוץ...

Rosh hashana away from home.

just a quick post on how was it.

not as hard as i thought.

the part i missed the most is getting ready for the chag. 

sitting in my parents house porch, peeling pomegranates listening to galgalatz getting really dirty and take a shower before getting all dressed up....

so it wasn't like that, but i did have a good time.

in the morning i was listening to radio on the computer, after tat elyse and i walked around a bit and went back to her apt to get some rest. and at 5:30 we came to the hillel house to get things ready. making salads, cutting apples. and yeah, i even peeled pomegranates!

we worked hard but it ended up being a really nice dinner and people liked it. i liked it!

in the religion part of it, it's very interesting for me. i'm learning a lot. there are some nice traditions. this morning for example we went for lunch and services. there was the Shofar blowing. it is an interesting one, and Ben, our Rabbi is displaying it in such an easy way of understanding what's going on, and what is the reason to do it. i can relate to that. 

also understanding that blowing is a mitzva as well as listening to the shofar... interesting. yeah. or as the announcement before blowing it: תקיעה גדולה.

i do feel weird being far away, not having the option of just pick up a phone on the way home. it might be changed soon. 

it's raining out now, feels like washing away last year. we'll see how יפה ושונה will be this one. in the mean time- as i keep celebrating the n(J)ew year, trying to make this couple of days the way i want my year to look like, i wanna wish you all שנה טובה. ans may you wake up every day with a reason to smile!

This is going to be a long one

I have so much to write!

first- the "Talk Israel" initiative. that went well. not many people but there were some good conversations going on. some students came for the free coffee and bamba. some students came to challenge us. beside that there were two Moslem women with a baby, one Palestinian and one anti-Zionist Jew. 

beside the actual event i think it was a learning process. I met with students, i learned how to plan an event and i actually learned some new words like Vendors.

I'm glad it went well  and now it's over, i can start working! ;)

well, not so soon. first, we had a retreat. another thing i learned the hard way what exactly it means.

it was a good time, i just got to a point in the last morning i can't speak right. English i mean.

if to quote me: "someone made smore's and the light went on..."

yeah, i made smore's!! for those of you who aren't aware of this magnificent wonder- it's a cracker with a chocolate cube and a burned marshmallow on top, topped with another cracker.  they call them "smore's" cause when you eat it, you want to have some more!!

coming back from the retreat made me miss home a little bit. it might be the fact i'v been here for almost two months. it might be the fact we are having so many events i don't have time to create my own life. maybe i just wanted to pour my soul to friends. 

i'm having my moments of crises, feeling alone from time to time. but i'm deciding every day to make it a good day and try finding myself here instead of looking on other places. it is going to be home for a while... 

in the mean time i met with Adam that came from Israel with a delivery from my mom! so nice to get some שקדי מרק before winter, and even though i don't like chocolate that much, the מקופלת was the best thing i ever had! 

we went to see an "Arcade Fire" free concert on the street. i just love this city! they appreciate every day it's not snowing or freezing so every sunny day is a reason to celebrate!

today was the first time i went to the gym. kickboxing kick ass! i love it!

and then i came back and cooked myself a nice dinner : fish and potatoes (my healthy version of fish & chips)

loved it.

my so called life. not too bad.

  

it is very late

So,

you know those nights, you really need to go to sleep, but you just can't.

it's either cause you're too excited, too tired, think too much or too emotional.

this is one of those nights for me.

but all together.

i'm too excited about tomorrows event (big tent)

too tired of running around today, and knowing i'm waking up in 5 hours

thinking too much and not just about tomorrow but about the past as well

and the last thing, well, if an IKEA commercial makes you cry you are too emotional.

maybe i should count sheeps. 

maybe i need a hug.

maybe i just need for this to be over so i can cry/lough/drink.

just remember to breath

It's been a hard day's night

So, 

and i'v been working like a dog - you know how it goes!

what a long long week. an event every day!

i can't even try to rewind this week to begin writing everything we had.

so yeah, i have been busy.

last weekend was a true MTL weekend. finally saw what the Tams are.
basically-  it's a drum circle but it have so much energy going on! next time i'll come with comfortable shoes so i could dance... but i guess next time should be really soon.
it's already getting so cold!! today it was about 15 degrees top. and i can actually quote people say: "it is so nice out"!!

and this week was HECTIC! yes, just learned a new word.
nuts! crazy! busy!
s-o m-u-c-h f-u-n!!!
last night was the peak!
FROSHASHANA! our biggest back to school event.
we were schlepping tons of equipment and a lot of beer. in a matter of fact- 12 boxes of 55 cans and 16 of 60! we were afraid we'll run out of beer.. but how we always say? "אם לא יספיק אז ישאר"
about 700 ppl showed up! and we did run out of beer but we still have left overs. just as we always say.

I'm just realizing how lucky i am to be part of this organization, in this city.
feels right. feels good.
next week is the money time. Talk Israel event. Good luck with that.
I don't want to write too much of my expectations here.
i'll write more after it's over.
for now i can only say, it's a lot to do for a one day event....

tonight i made shabat dinner!
Orange soup to go with my hair.
Chicken and BATATA in the oven to go with my BATATA new look.
and salad so i won't feel so batata...

Oh, and of course a bottle of wine to go with all of that...
no, i didn't have it all alone.
found my Israeli friend. but that's for another post.
maybe he is the blue man. (from a different story)
[if you got it, let me know...]

I'm having a small alone crises

So i think i'll go shopping!

I just came back from DC yesterday. That was by far the longest drive i ever did.

But before talking about the ride home... Washington is wonderful!

We rented a bike and saw all the important monument. 

(much funnier with a Romania accent) 

We took so many pics, i felt like such a tourist!  But what a better city to feel like a tourist in?

The next day we went to the zoo. one of those places you just have to go... NOT! but it was so much fun. We walked for about 2-3 hours. I think i was doing more sport activity then i did for the past 8 years!

Saw a Lion, a giraffe and Dragons. Oh, wait, those are the animals we didn't see.

We did see a panda, and even took a pic with. 

Unbelievable but i got an elephant to kiss me!

All the DC shlichim and guest were invited for dinner at Tamara's house. It was so nice to get together with old friends and meet new ones. 

Shaulski and I had an emotional reunion for half of the Hot-Fire room. and finally we met Racheli the fellow in Maryland. (we were both interviewed there, i couldn't not wonder what made them choose her. might be the sport nut she is!) 

Anyways, she is great and invited ll of us to go to the Newseum (the news museum) so as my mom told me- i can't be in DC and not go to a museum. So not only i went to a museum it was an interesting one as well! 

So, yeah, the city is great. we went out to restaurant, coffee shops and bars. So much to do, so little time... at least i got to have pizza in the toaster oven!

I had a bus back to MTL at 7 pm. and here the story really begins.

I took a but from NY that should have got to MTL at 8 am, thinking i'll get there, go home, take a shower and go to work after sleeping through the whole drive.

well as a smart (dead) men said - "Life is what happens to you while you busy making other plans..."

we had to get off the bus in Albany to get it refueled and this lady didn't want to get off. She started cursing the driver and for half an hour the driver told her she is not going to the next stop with him. 

she didn't.

she got her by herself.

she waited for the bus to get there and caught the driver, standing on the stairs not letting the driver close the door. yelling something about she want her ticket back. when the driver tried to move her and her 14 year old (giant) son she freaked out totally, jumped on the driver scratching and hitting him.

at that point the driver couldn't stay polite and jumped right back at her punching and hitting who ever came at him.

and me, as an ex-soldier jumped right out of the bus calming everyone down.

yeah, right. that was so scary i didn't know what to do!

we all just set there, some people called the police.

and then after the driver got rid of that stupid biatch (excuse my language) the police we called stopped the bus and investigate everyone that was on the bus!

How the hell they want me to take that seriously when the all have mustaches?!

Beside the feeling i was in a "Law and Order" episode, i got back at 12! 

So, looking at this view- of ,MTL (!) was such a relief. 

I was so happy to be back where i can't understand what they are saying on the metro. and of course it took me 3 times to understand the announcement is that my metro line isn't working, so i only got home at 1pm. That's 18 hours on the road!

Even in India i was never on the road for so long. Mexico is getting closer to that. 

Coming back here i had to get myself together real quick. There is so much to do!

I'm meeting a lot of students, new and old. There are so many events going on. Our next 2 weeks is so "occupied" I LOVE IT!

But after such a full and wonderful weekend coming back "full gaz" to work isn't so easy.

I starting missing people and getting the blues..

Well, two pairs of shoes did the work. Smile is back on...

The bus driver name is Mike

So, 

again, what's the bus driver name?

MIKE!!!

That's how my bus drive to DC started.

Well, actually, no. The first thing i did was eating the sandwich i made myself for the ride.

what?! we started driving already....

well, so far, so good.

I took the metro there, went up the stairs, straight into the line to my bus. 

The line was crazy! there are about 10 buses going to NY tonight.

but, i found my window seat next to a not so smelly guy, and set down.

You got to love Greyhound! Nice seats, enough leg room, electricity and INTERNET!

It works most of the time... so i hope it will help me pass the drive.

Driving out of Montreal was really nice. Did you know we are an island?

Yes, an Island!

the city is in the middle of St. Laurent river, going down to the 5 big lakes.

So we crossed a bridge on our way out drove about an hour and now we are on the US border.

Remember the 5 buses i was talking about? 5 of them are ahead of us. not as fun.

Good thing i'm supposed to have 45 min until the bus to Washington...

well, wish me luck and hope that the "real" Americans will let me in the "real" promised land.

Can't wait to get there already!!!