Today we didnt have to be at our meeting until 12!!!! it was so nice to sleep in! usually though, today would be a weekend and we would be free...but it is just the beginning so they needed to talk to us about what was happening tonight and we had to write what we expect to get out of the program. im assuming we will be getting those letters back after 3 months or 9 months. after the meeting rach and i just sat in the sun for about 5 minutes and then decided to go explore/take a walk. it was so nice out! hot, but because it is dry heat it is not so bad. while we were exploring we saw israeli boys (younger than us) clapping because a nice car was driving by. the owner of the car was annoyed with them and it was so funny! we then walked past a school that is next door to us and we watched the kids play soccer. right across the street there was a park and other boys were playing soccer.

we then went back to our room and hung out for a little. some people made the food we were supposed to make for the potluck. all of section 1 is having for dinner saturday night. we made pasta salad (which i tried and was DELICIOUS) and quiche. sadly, though, i didnt help one bit. maybe i will start cooking dinner...but maybe not. then because rachel, britty, and i are going to a host family's house for shabbas lunch (everyone is going to a host family's house), britty and i walked to emek refiem to get flowers. they are so pretty! i probably should take a pic of it...oh well. when we got back we started to get ready for shabbas. i wore the dress aunt ronda gave me (its the fuffy dress from israel) with a tank under and a black sweater over it. i wore my grey converse with it. we then had a quick shevet meeting and began to walk to the kotel. it took us about 45 minutes.

when we got there we started to pray as a group (in the back..both groups next to the mechizah so we could here each other and have our own little kabala service). during the service, rach and i wanted to go to the wall so we got through and surprisingly without pushing!!!! we said the shema and it was nice. it always fascinates me how huge the Temple was. anyways, rach and i walked back to where we were praying and we all were singing and dancing with israeli soldiers. it was so nice and fun! but then women started to come up to us and were mad that we were singing loudly and would not leave us alone.

after the kotel we walked for about 30 minutes to where we (shevet only) ate dinner. it was at the hotel i stayed at for the last couple of days during March of the Living!!!!! dinner was okay, not so good, but at least i didnt have to make it! during dinner it was so funny because the british have so many different songs! for example, when we washed before saying the hamotzi, they sang the song "oh when the Jews, oh when the Jews, oh when the Jews go wash their hands, we say al neheeyat yadaim, oh when the Jews go wash their hands." the tune is to the song "when the saints come marching in" they also sang a lot of other songs before saying the prayers after dinner. one thing i want to learn are the prayers. i know them but i want to know them better so i could easily say the prayers, even if they are done in a tune im not familiar with.

when we walked back to our hotel, i was walking with britty and she kept on seeing people she knew! she then saw a madrich of hers when she came here for 3 months and her madrich had food with her. we ate the entire plate of dessert. IT WAS SO GOOD! when we left we said we knew our way but we got a little lost. after some help, we finally found our way. when we got back we just hung out with everyone for a little. now i have to go to bed because it is 2am and i have to be ready for shul by 9. we each have to go to different shuls because we are going to the same shuls our host family goes to so then right after shul we can just go to their house for lunch. hopefully the family is nice and the food is good! and eeek this is bad that i am on the computer during shabbat!