The Rain Continues

Heyo,

Yesterday was a fun day out of school.  We went to a few different places doing Chessed and making a full Chessed day.  The first place we went to was soup kitchens.  The yeshiva split up into a couple of groups and sent to a few soup kitchens around Jerusalem.  I went to one and we peeled vegetables, as well as served food later when it was ready.  After that we went to MADA (Magen Dovid Adom), and had a personal tour of the place.  I will upload the pictures of the trip later.  After that we went to an orphanage.  This was not the type where the kids parents died, or didn't want the kids, this was a rehab clinic for kids whose parents are not fit to take care of their kids.  The kids are sent there by the high court.  You can read all about the place on their website www.sanhedria.co.il

Have a good night all and may the rain keep coming, we know Israel needs it.

Jesse

Vacations over back to work

Hello again dear readers,

Well its back to having structure and normalcy as classes begin again tomorrow afternoon.  Or so it would seem.  As soon as we go back we are out again!  Tuesday is a Chessed day with a choice of options for us to do.  I am not sure which I will be doing yet but as always I will report back here at the end of the day.  Today was kind of a chill day for me.  Got organized and ready to go back to class, got some food supplies and just hung out for a while.  

In other news it rained like crazy here in Ramat Bet Shemesh over Shabbos!  I was out walking back to the dorms Friday night when I thought I saw a flash of lightning.  As I turned on to the main road leading back toward the apartments, my friend and I saw this massive lightning strike on the mountain next to us and then unbelievable thunder!  It was so loud I could feel it vibrating through everything, myself included.  Then we broke into a jog to try and get back to the apartments, while jumping from shelter to shelter, trying to stay out of the sheets of rain smashing down around us, and trying not to get struck.  As we came down the final stretch I could feel the water through my pants as we ran for it.  Just as we reached the door it really came down.  We watched from the inside as the sky continued its onslaught on the world.  By morning it had stopped raining and everything was soaked.  Later in the afternoon we were hanging out inside playing an amazing game of Monopoly when the wind snaked through the hardly open window and blew everything around.   Closing the windows as we went I watched as the storm started up again.  It was amazing.  This looks like it will be a good rainy season for the holy land folks, now lets see some snow!

Have a good night,

Jesse

Hello

I have been just hanging out now that Succos is over, and Yeshiva has not yet resumed.  We are going to be starting regular schedule on Monday.  Simchat Torah in Yeshiva was fun, lots of dancing and singing.  It was really loud, yet still fun.  We got a desk in our room today, and it is feeling quite homey.  haha.  I am so much more productive with a desk.  Anyway, I am going to get some food, ttyl!

Jesse

Been a while

Hey all, sorry it's been so long since I last posted.  

We have been very busy with Yom Tov and the usual.  Eat eat eat, sleep, pray, eat eat eat, sleep, read cause your sick of sleeping, eat, pray........ and then start all over again, you know the drill.  I have only had the time to go online and get rid of the emails I didn't need and that's about it.  I have a whole ton of pictures to post up online tonight as well so check the gallery later tonight.  

So what have I been up to besides eating....

The first days I went up to Efrat with my friend.  We stayed by family friends of his and they were good hosts.  I had a good time there.  I also have a friend in Efrat so we met up as well.  My friend and I kept 2 days of Yom Tov, even though most people took the easy way and only kept one.  It was a little awkward as the family we were staying at since they went out at night, then were working during the day to get ready for a family get-together and we couldn't really help.  But in the end it ended up being ok and an experience to add to my growing list.  

Due to the fact that we kept 2 days we only had one day of Chol Hamoed before Shabbat so we just went back to the dorms and chilled there.  For Shabbos I went back to my cousins in Quarne Shomron, and returned the favor to my friend who took me to Efrat by dragging him with me.  :-)

I am on my way back to the dorms now and will most likely be up all night because the Red Sox are playing a playoff game tonight.  One of my friends from Yeshiva is a Sox fan and has a MLB.tv account so we can watch the games.  Time to break out the hot chocolate and make some mac and cheese and enjoy the game!  Go Sox!!!!  ok enough ranting.  

Tomorrow the school has the option of going ATVing (All Terrain Vehicle) and I am most likely going to go.  More money, oy.  

Then the last days I need to stay in the Yeshiva because we have to be in for Simchat Torah.  I shall be making the rounds of the Bet Shemesh people in know for meals.  :-)

After it's all said and done we should actually be starting some kind of a regular schedule and stick to it.  I am gonna go work on posting those pictures now before I forget, so I will speak to you all on the flip side!

Jesse

Been Busy

Hello again,

Sorry it's been a bit since I posted.  I have been a bit busy on vacation.  Shabbos I stayed in even though it was an out shabbos, and had meals out by people I know in Ramat Bet Shemesh.  Last night I went to go bowling in Talpiot, and since the lanes were all closed, we played pool instead.  It was a really nice place in a mall.  They have a movie theater there as well, so I have to check that out.  Also, thank you to all of you who sent me emails with things to do here.  I am working my way through them gathering information about each activity.  Thanks again.  Today I went on a nice 4 hour hike in the mountains and of course took Tons of pictures.  I am uploading them to the Gallery now.  Also included in the gallery is some awesome night pictures I took last night, some older amazing sunset pictures, and the pictures I took of Jerusalem and Ramat Bet Shemesh when it rained.  Enjoy!  

Jesse

PS The link for the gallery in case you forgot is http://holylandphotos.smugmug.com 

Post Yom Kippur

Hello,

I hope you all had easy and meaningful fasts.  Mine was ok, although I got a little light headed in the middle.  I made it through though.  The davening was interesting.  There was a lot of singing which I like.  We are officially on vacation!  For a little while anyway.  I will be taking more pictures and posting them up here.  Have a good night,

Jesse

Long Day

So, in the end I only ended up doing 2 Succos, but ok.  I am calling 2 more tomorrow that I know who I can help also.  Building was fun, and that was pretty much the whole day.  Shiur in the morning then building in the afternoon.  Eat and crash at night. 

I have been helping my friends with their computer problems or technology problems as always.  How do you do this, why is this stuck like that, the usual. 

Before I forget I want to ask all my readers, my friends and family for forgiveness for any harm I may have caused you and anything like that.  And I publicly forgive you.  Ok now that that is done, I can go to sleep peacefully.  J

It is starting to get colder here at nights, it’s nice.  No real rain yet except for that little spritz we had before.  The cool nights are nice.  They usually roll in as the sun goes behind the mountains.  Just like living back in New Hampshire.  Hot like crazy during the day, and cold at night.  I shall post at least once more before Yom Kippur Bl’n.  Have a good night, and see you all in the mornin,

Jesse

Early Night

New week, Different Chag, More Food (only the night before)! More Repentance! More Yeshiva Fun!

Sorry I didn't post last night I fell asleep early.  Tonight I am making sure to go to sleep early, because tomorrow is a big day.  Tomorrow we are building succos for families in Bet Shemesh that need assistance.  Single parent families, homes where money is tough, and the like will be getting visits from teams of guys sent to build a Succah for the Chag.  I am excited for this project, and if you know me you know I love building, and working with tools.  They say we will only have time to build one maybe 2 Succos, we shall see about that.  I will push my team and we will do more!  We will go on to 3 even 4 Succos!  Onward!  

In other news as you most likely can tell, I am feeling much better.  I am going to sleep early tonight though just to make sure.  So that said.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

G'night all,

Jesse

Shabbos in the Holy City

Hello all,

This Shabbos I am on the road at a friends families apartment.  The apartment is in Yemin Moshe.  It is absolutely stunningly beautiful up here.  We are going to be davening at the Kotel tonight.  It should (like everything else in this country) be an interesting experience.  Ok, I use that term too much.  

In other news I had Pizza Hut for lunch and we got KFC takeout for dinner.  All kosher, how do you like that?  We got instant Chicken soup, and all kinds of other nosh.  Gonna be a weekend of food, but then again we're Jewish, when is it never a weekend of food?  

Life is becoming pretty much routine here, yet it still is enjoyable because we are in Israel.  There are certain liberties I miss, but we manage.  I am finding more places in Israel that have things to do other then shop, and sharing them with my friends.  Turns out you dont want to go to the movies, the quality is bad, the screens are usually scratched, there is the smoking intermission, and people talk constantly.  I have learned that there is bowling in 2 places.  Eventually, when I make some money, I will go and have a look see.  It is crazy in this country its just spend, spend, spend.  I am trying to do some tech jobs making money, but then again 50 Sheck an hour is not $50 an hour.  Ok, world economics 101 lesson one is over.  Time to go do the whole Shabbat bit, so Good Shabbat to all, and I will post again Sat night!

Jesse

Call it a bit of a color refresh

You may have noticed, I changed the color sceme of the blog.  I got bored of the old one.  Color refresh eh?  Ill try others over the year.  Enjoy!

Jesse

Happy New Year!!!

Confetti all around.  How are you all?  I am good.  I finally found a radio station that will stream out of the US, I was getting bored of my playlists.  Rosh Hashana was amazing in Yeshiva.  Meals out were a lot of fun.  One of them was the most intesting.  I met a man in the supermarket a few weeks ago.  He said he had just made aliah and wanted to have guys over from the yeshiva.  He was from UK, and many other random places that I cannot remember.  So we had it checked out and since he is legit i took a friend of mine and we went for a meal.  It was amazing!  He is so funny, and I love the accent.  And he has the cutest kids!  We talked and talked and it was the best meal we have had since we got here.  My friend agrees.  We were there the latest out of anyone who went out to a meal as well.  We didnt even get back until 1:30 am!  But it was so much fun!

Btw I am uploading the bulk of my pictures to the New Gallery like I posted before.  Its the same site, you can see all the galleries there.  www.holylandphotos.smugmug.com

Enjoy!

Jesse

PS Safe and easy fast to all.