A weekend in October

This may seem like ancient history, but I’m going to go all the way back to the weekend after our White Coat Ceremony, in October. Caroline was heading back to the States for about a month for some weddings and lots of quality time (: I’m thankful we didn’t temporarily part ways without a final morning run. Call me crazy, but I can think of very few better ways to start the day than a morning run. Having a running buddy makes it even sweeter. We talked, ran, and even walked a little bit. While she was excited to go home, she was also sad to leave and miss doing life in Be’er Sheva. The more life I live, the more aware I am of the paradox that no matter where you are and what you are doing, you are ALWAYS missing something else. It was bittersweet saying see you soon to Caroline, but I had no doubt she was in for a treat at home.

As evening approached, I prepared for Shabbat dinner. My dear basketball teammate Neta, had invited me to a Shabbat dinner. Unbeknownst to me until after I accepted the invitation was that the Shabbat dinner would be at Neta’s girlfriend’s parents’ house in a nearby town. If I had known this before, I might have declined, simply because I didn’t want to intrude on a family Shabbat dinner where I didn’t know any of the family haha. However, I was past the point of no return.

Neta arranged for their friend Gabby to pick me up as he would also be joining for dinner. Notice I said ‘he’ haha. Not that Gabby being a male was problematic, it was just unexpected and added a wee bit more stress. But as with most things, my worries about the entire evening were completely groundless. Gabby picked me up along with a couple other girls who were going to a different Shabbat dinner in the same town we were headed to. One of the girls was from the U.S., and everyone in the car had excellent English. Gabby was fluent in Hebrew, Greek, English, and Spanish. It was a short drive that went by even faster with the easily flowing conversation. This is embarrassing to admit, but I still have no idea what town we went to. I’m sure those who are aware of my struggle with directions aren’t terribly surprised by this admission.

The evening was fantastic, but there were a few moments of ambiguity. When Gabby and I arrived, Neta was gone on a last-minute errand, leaving me in a house full of people I had never met. I knew Neta’s girlfriend’s name was Noa, and when I walked in, a girl came and hugged me declaring herself to be Noa, however another girl simultaneously introduced herself as Noa. Talk about being confused haha. But everyone really went the extra mile to make me feel welcome. They spoke in English when they could and laughed good naturedly at each other’s attempts. It was honestly very cute, and I appreciated their efforts.

Neta eventually arrived and dinner began shortly after. Attending dinner that evenign was Noa, Noa’s parents, Noa’s grandparents, two of Noa’s cousins, Noa’s twin sister and her boyfriend, Gabby (Noa’s army friend), Noa’s childhood friend Noa, Neta, and me. It was quite the crowd and there was no shortage of delicious food or laughter around the table. In a way, it was almost a relief not to speak Hebrew. English was a clear signal that someone was talking to me, so I didn’t have to worry about keeping up with all the other conversations going on. They were all wonderful and put in a lot of extra effort to include me in conversation. I had a lovely conversation with Noa’s grandfather whose mother tongue is English. With a bit of a play on words, English was his first language and English was also his mother’s native language even though he grew up primarily in Israel. I asked Neta about certain Hebrew phrases I didn’t understand, the well used, “Why Why”, being at the top of the list. I often hear people around me using this phrase and it is very confusing. I tried on my own to understand whether it was equivalent to “why” in English or meant something else entirely. I learned it means, Wow wow, as in this is unbelievable or surprising haha. This is important to know, because previously I tried to have an answer to their why, but now I know better. I also learned of the existance of funny videos where people literally fix furniture and other appliances with Ramen Noodles. If you need a good laugh, look it up. As with all Shabbat Dinners, conversations continued late into the night as the meal was followed by dessert, dessert was followed up tea, tea was followed by wine, which was of course followed by more tea. It was well after midnight when we arrived back in Be’er Sheva. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I hope wherever I go in life, I take at least part of the tradition of Shabbat Dinner with me. It’s a wonderful time to simply be with people with few distractions and without any reason to rush. The delicious food is just an added benefit ;)

The following Saturday was just as delightful. I met up with my classmate, Jordan, for a morning bike ride before church. We were on a mission to find the new legendary river park of Be’er Sheva. Apparently, they created a “lake” and other water exhibits in an effort to add attractions to Be’er Sheva. Any large body of water in the middle of the desert is an impressive feat in my opinion.

We had a general idea of where we were headed, but we didn’t have the exact location. On our way, we saw a herd of sheep, some people riding camels, and enjoyed mostly empty streets. After venturing much further than either of us anticipated, we found it!! It was very pleasant, with lots of walking and biking trails, fountains, the “Lake” (it was more of a pond in my opinion haha), workout areas, various fields for sports, and playgrounds. After exploring the area, we headed back, determined to find a shortcut. I’m happy to announce we found a shortcut even though some areas were sketchier than our original route. Eventually Jordan and I parted ways, I headed to church, and he headed back to his apartment.

All in all, it was simply a wonderful weekend spent with special humans. I remember feeling refreshed and ready to face the coming week. I was reminded the importance of taking risks by getting outside of my comfort zone. Going to a shabbat dinner where I knew almost no one felt terrifying, especially with my very low level of Hebrew competency. But in the end, it was an experience and a memory I will always treasure. This is also one example of God continuing to show me the futility of worry. He never gives up on teaching me His heart when I am willing to listen. Praise the Lord for that!

Matthew 6:27-28

“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”

God always provides exactly what I need in the moment, whether it’s what I think I need, or what He knows I need. Just like my bike (: Not only is it incredibly useful to get me from point A to point B, but it also allows me to build friendships with incredible people like Jordan.

One of the reasons I wanted to go back and write this post was to remind myself of days that were effortlessly joyful and life-giving. I have definitely experienced days like this since then and I know there will be more in the future. But we are well aware that not all days are like this. Some days I feel trapped in despair and hopelessness. There are other days I feel sad and left out. I believe it’s okay to have days where it isn’t easy, and during these days joy is choice I must fight to choose. But God is faithful and by allowing myself to be reminded of His faithfulness in the past, it is much easier to be confident and convinced that He will continue to be faithful.