Dinner With Friends
Not a whole lot to report this time, which works out well since I need to stop writing the equivalent of Crime and Punishment for every entry. I’m off again to Melbourne this week and then it’s time to start getting ready for Thailand. I swear I’m going to shoot an episode on campus soon. In fact, I’ll send an email to my conveners and tutor right now about that.
This weekend has been interesting, so far, since I did a few things that probably would never occur to most people. You guessed it, I saw Snakes on a Plane. I loved it too, but that’s not what I wanted to talk about. I went to synagogue Friday night, something I haven’t done in a long time. After finding this particular synagogue on the internet, a friend of mine recommended the rabbi so I decided to check it out. Security was tight, the tightest I’d ever seen at a synagogue, and to be honest it made me feel safer and uncomfortable at the same time. Even though the rabbi and his family are Americans, there were a few things that were different about the service and I spent a good portion of it trying to decide whether I wanted to come back again. Then, something happened afterward that made the decision for me. The rabbi approached me and asked me to join his family for dinner. I was surprised and confused by his invitation, since I also met some kids my age who invited me to go to a music festival in Sydney with them. They suggested I instead take the rabbi up on his offer, and so that’s what I did.
Any feelings of nervousness I might have had about dinner in a house full of strangers vanished instantly. The rabbi, his family, and their guests were simply too friendly to be strangers. A group of people, for no other reason other than to be friendly, opened their house and kitchen to me. It was the best meal I’ve had since I came here. We exchanged phone numbers and they were even kind enough to not subject me to the long bus ride back to campus. Of course, I promised they would see me again soon.
Friday evening was what studying abroad is supposed to be about: new friends, new surroundings, and new situations. In fact, a “thank you” postcard with some koalas wearing sunglasses on it is on its way to them right now.
Have a great week,
Jason
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