For starters, I ended my last blog the day before Passover. I had been nervous about the seder night because I didn’t know how long I was going to last with my migraine still around. Thankfully, the pain stayed at bay and it was a great night!
We even had a Baptist couple from Colorado join us for the seder meal. They were a lovely couple and were up for everything we did that night, since we do our seder very differently from the traditional. At one point I felt really bad that we had accidentally fed them wine in the charoset (which is shredded apple, almonds and wine), but what they don't know won't kill them (hehe).
Within a week of so, my dad left to fly to America. It was so nice and peaceful when he left! However, the construction next door doesn’t give us much time to enjoy the peace since they work ten hour days! When they leave, though, it’s so still and quiet!
The day my dad flew to the States, we were supposed to go to my grandparent's house for a BBQ, but plans changed when we learned that Hillsong United was coming to the Galilee region! We couldn’t miss this opportunity, so we moved the BBQ to the next day and bought our tickets to go to the concert.
Having Hillsong United in the area was very exciting. I didn’t think many people were going to show up but there were over 2,000! Granted, more than half were on the Hillsong tour.
The evening was really good! I loved feeling the unity as we all worshiped God. Even though we were from many different countries, we were all there because we love God. I couldn’t help but smile because I was so happy to be apart of it.
During the concert, there were things spoken that I didn’t agree with, but I didn’t let it ruin the evening. I hate it when people get so strict with what they believe that they can no longer enjoy what's going on because they’re stuck on what was said. As we ate ice cream after the concert, whiskey and berry are my favorite flavors, we discussed the evening. The two woman who joined us were upset with some of the things Brian Houston had said. Though I agreed that what he said was incorrect doctrine, I told them that they shouldn’t be so judgemental and allow it to overcrowd the amazing worship that took place.
A couple days after the concert, a pretty scary event took place. My papa and I were walking our dogs when a car came whizzing down the street. Joey was on the leash and sniffing across the street, at that time. I was just pulling him back when I heard the car approaching at a fast speed. Instead of pulling him over to my side of the road, I decided that the car was going too fast and I should try to get the leash on the floor so the guy can drive over it.
Unfortunately, the leash was also attached to my papa’s scooter light so it didn’t go as close to the ground as I would’ve liked. The leash attached to the cars wheel and Joey went rolling. Thankfully, his collar was loose and he was able to escape before he ended up under one of the wheels. Once the car finally stopped I went to go see where Joey was only to watch him run off down a dirt track.
I ran after Joey, leaving my phone with my papa. He wouldn’t stop running and I was really nervous that he would run into the main road that was beside where we were. When the dirt road ended, I lost Joey and couldn't see him anywhere... It took forty minutes to find him and once we did we drove him to the vet as fast as we could.
I’m so pleased that Joey came away from the accident with no broken bones and only a few minor wounds. However, he’s been really sore (as have I) so he’s spent this week getting better. My poor baby!
Yesterday, as I talked to my dad, I learned that I was welcome to go to Tennessee and stay with one of the elders of The Vineyard! It’s been two months since this migraine hit and I’m no longer getting any relief from the therapy I’ve been getting while in Israel; so my parents and I believe that I should go back to the States to resume treatment. However, I don’t want to go back to PA so the only other place I can go is Johnson City!
I’m not sure what will occur while I’m there, but hopefully I’ll have a car this time! The best thing about being in JC is that I’ll only be couple hours away from Anthony, so we’ll be able to hang out while I’m in TN! Another perk is that I’ll have access to a library! I’ve been in such a reading mood lately but I can't get many good English books around here!
For the last three weeks, I’ve been devouring book after book. I decided that it was about time I started reading the books at the very bottom on my to-read list that have been there since 2013! To start, I read The Help (amazing), followed by Dear John (romantic), and now I’m currently indulging in The Alchemist (very intriguing).
Every year I read different books, however, I think this year, is going to be the year I finally mature in what I'm reading. I'm beginning to branch away from young adult books and into novels! I’m really enjoying reading books of different genres. I read my first memoir a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it! It's really interesting to read about other people’s lives and see the world through their eyes. I’m hoping that while I’m in TN I’ll be able to get a membership at the library and learn even more about the world!
Another thing I've learned is that I have slight social anxiety. I'm fine when I'm in a group of people I'm comfortable with, but if I go somewhere new by myself, I panic.
While I was waiting for my take-out pizza on Thursday night, I sat at the bar and chatted with the bartender (like my dad and I always do on Thursday nights). It was weird to be there without my dad but I had a nice conversation with one of the bartenders who happened to have been at the doctor the same time as me the day before.
As we talked, he told me about a music night that happened every Friday just down the road. He said that I should come, to which I replied with a maybe. When I told my mom about what he’d said, she was excited because she’s always wanted to go to the music night, but I, on the other hand, got extremely anxious. I didn’t know what to think or how to handle it.
The next day, the day of the music night, I was a nervous wreck. I didn’t want to go but I knew that if I didn’t I’d regret it, so mom and I took the dogs and went to have a little look before going on our evening walk. There were a lot of people and dogs at the event which made it difficult with our fidgety dogs.
Mom and I had to go in one at a time for a peek, since two dogs are hard to handle in a crowd of people. When I went in, I saw the bartender guy playing his saxophone. He saw me too and waved but I panicked and backed away when he looked back down at his instrument. It was like a scene out of a magic show because I left as soon as smoke blocked his view of me.
It was really hard for me to be in a place I didn’t know with no one walking with me. So once we had left, I texted someone who I knew went to the music night and asked if he was going. An hour later I was in his car with his kids on my way back to the music night.
The bartender was gone by the time we arrived but my ulpan friend was there and we ended up talking for the remainder of the time I was there. I’m really glad I went back and would go again if I went with a friend.
The lesson I learned was that it's good to go to new places, and even better when you're with people you're comfortable with. I had a really good time at the music event, though I feel bad that I left before saying anything to the bartender...
This next week, anything could happen. I know that my dad is planning on booking my tickets in the next day or so, I just have no idea what day he's going to book me to fly (hopefully after Thursday). It's also going to be Independence Day in Israel and my family and I are planning on going to an event down on the Galilee. It's going to be a very crazy week!