Happy Hanukkah! To celebrate, I went to the shuk (Mahane Yehuda) in Jerusalem on Friday because I had the day off from work, and I bought sufganyiot (jelly doughnuts). Potato latkes are popular in the United States for Hanukkah, but sufganyiot are everywhere in Israel. The stands in the market were full of them, and even bakeries had special tables set up outside their shops to sell just doughnuts. Unfortunately the first one I tried to enjoy with a cappuccino outside a coffee shop wasn’t very tasty, so I decided to get some more treats to take home with me to the kibbutz.
The shuk is an open air market with stand for anything you could possibly need, from fresh fish and chicken, to pastries and spices. It was crowded and crazy because it was Shabbat, but the excitement about Hanukkah also made the experience especially fun. Since yesterday was the first night of Hanukkah, the kibbutz had a Hanukkah celebration in a large building across from the dining room. There were skits and songs, some of which were performed by two of the students in my ulpan! Then the pub had a Hanukkah party, and it was the most crowded I have seen it during my time on the kibbutz. It was fun, but I had my drinks before going there-some of the Brazilians in the ulpan made me caipirinhas- it is the country’s national drink, made with lemon, sugar, water, and a sugarcane liquor (cachaça).
On Thursday night we had a bonfire again! My fleece reeks of smoke, but it’s worth it; we had fun singing by the fire and making s’mores.
My ruminations abroad 