...I sat and sat and sat, enjoying the sun...

Wednesday was my last day of work at the gan.  I had the stomach flu the day before and only made it in for a half-day, but I'm glad I went.  All the girls were in that day, and the boss had half a day off.  The morning was spent with finger painting, singing, and dancing.  Then came nap time.  I left about then for a nap of my own.  Most of the kiddies were asleep when I left, but the ones who weren't gave me big hugs.  One boy told me not to leave.  He started crying, and I started crying, and then we both were crying.  He wouldn't hug me because he knew that meant that I would leave.  Smart kid.  I promised him I would visit, and I promised the girls as well.  I hugged everyone, gave my keys to the boss, and headed out into the nice Jerusalem spring day.  I got home, took off my skirt, and cleared out the shelf in my closet that was reserved for "gan clothes."  Then I did a bit of grocery shopping and had a rest before my mini wine and cheese party to celebrate the end of a diaper wiping era!

I had yesterday and today off (funemployment, if you will), and I couldn't ask for nicer days.  I did a bit of shopping yesterday, met some friends for lunch, and had a nice cultural evening.  There was a cool music festival in the Old City.  The piece de resistance was the band hanging from the city walls.  There were stages throughout the Old City, each with a heater or two and a body guard (more pictures on Facebook).  There were bands, a few solo acts, a bit of opera, and some dancing.  We even saw someone with his computer skyping home to mom and dad about the event.  It was a fun night to be out and about.  The music was good, the weather was nice, and I felt so free!  And as with every time I am in the Old City, I just had to stop for a few moments to look around and remind myself that I live here, in Jerusalem; that I made aliyah and actually live in Israel.  Sometimes I take it for granted that I am a part of this country.

Today (as with every upcoming Friday!!)  I got to sleep in and relax.  Now that I am done with gan, I have Fridays off.  What a treat.  I spent the day at a cafe around the corner from my house eating, sipping a coffee, and people watching in the sun.  As you may have heard, everyone is laid back here, and instead of having pushy waiters that rush you through your meal to clear your table, you are often left alone for hours on end.  It was so Israeli  (and so relaxing and calm) when I sat and sat and sat, enjoying the sun and waiting for my check.  It gave me time to think about the upcoming week.  I start working in the lab on Sunday and I couldn't be more excited!!  Aside from the new job, I hope to stay inspired to go out more looking for culture.  I really enjoyed the music festival in the Old City.  I just need to keep taking advantage of all of the things Jerusalem has to offer.