Reason 84758392 why I love living in Jerusalem

Part of my homework from ulpan today was to write a letter to put in the Kotel. It was a gorgeous day outside, and I had the afternoon free, so I just walked down to the Kotel, and wrote my letter while sitting on a bench maybe 35 feet from the actual Kotel. You can’t beat that.

I also explored the Arab Shuk in the Old City for the first time. It definitely did not feel like Mahane Yehuda, the shuk off of Yafo Street in Central Jerusalem that mostly sells food. This shuk was almost all knick-knacks for tourists, and I got asked multiple times if I spoke English and if I would just “take a look at my shop, just a look.” One man asked me where I was from, and when I responded that I live in Jerusalem, he immediately switched to Hebrew and asked me if I really lived here. I responded in Hebrew that yes I really live in Jerusalem. He seemed very surprised to see someone there who wasn’t (obviously) a tourist.

Also, my new favorite Hebrew word is: רקונסטרוקשוניסט. We were talking about what we did last Shabbat, and in the middle of a whole slew of Hebrew I just inserted “Reconstructionist.” And then I also inserted “Egalitarian.” I also recently learned the verb לפסבק. See if you can guess what it is.