Fashion

I remember being at my sister's house once when my niece Jillian was about 2 years old. Jillian insisted on dressing herself and she put on such a crazy outfit that I told my sister that if a 2 year old could escape from an insane asylum, they would look just like she did.

This is how most of the people dress in Jerusalem. Maybe the lighting is too poor in the morning and they are reaching into their closets in the dark. It makes my eyes water. The religious woman all wear head coverings either in the form of a scarf or a wig. This is fine and if done well it is really nice. Most woman wear long skirts with mismatched shirts and tennis sneakers. It is quite a sight. Ok. I've gotten that off my chest.

The bus is interesting here too. To me it seems that all socio-economic classes ride the bus and it is a great place to people watch. The other day I was riding into town and an old lady got on, thumping her cane down the aisle. She sat down next to me. She then proceeded to police the bus. First she yelled at a woman who put her foot on the seat. Then a man got on and his backpack brushed against her. She gave the backpack such a whollop (she was about 4 1/2 feet tall) that the man whirlled around and gave ME a dirty look. I guess he figured that she could not have hit it so hard. I just started laughing.

Then a young woman got on and she was holding her baby. An old man was sitting in a seat and reached out for the baby. Without blinking her eye, she handed over the baby. Everyone does seem to look out for each other and it feels very safe here. I know that is hard to believe given the news that usually comes out of this country but the people are really wonderful. They have tough exteriors but they are really kind.

My family is getting together for Thanksgiving this week and I am going to miss that terribly. It has always been one of my favorite holidays. Obviously there were no Pilgrims here so no holiday.

However, Hanukkah is coming and the children at the school within the hospital are learning about it. It is nice to see. I will be in Geneva for the start of Hanukkah so I don't imagine there will be much of a celebration there. A co-worker invited me for Hanukkah and my friend will be over here visiting her daughter during the holiday so all-in-all it should be a great week!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends. Please keep in touch!