I scream, You scream, We all Scream for Purim!

חג פורים סמח!(Happy Purim!) If you guys don't know what Purim is, it's like Halloween...but on steroids. For American kids, this is a free-for all; a weekend of dressing up in funky, fun costumes and interacting with other Israeli's. I was here for Purim back in 10th grade when I spent the semester abroad on TRY in Jerusalem and was excited to see what Purim in Tel Aviv had in store for me. Saturday night was definitely the best night of the weekend by far. I decided to dress up as...wait for it, you'll never guess (you will), as a H!PP!3, original right? el oh el, I crack myself up. This time though, it was a more relaxed version of a hippie, so much so, I continuously got asked: "so...what are you?" in reference to Mean Girls, I pointed to my peace sign necklace and said, "a hippie, duh." People these days...

Okay, all kidding aside, for someone who loves dressing up, especially in fashionable outfits, I felt pretty cool and trendy in my patterned floral "Shuk" (the outdoor market in Tel Aviv) pants with little flower stickers next to my eyes. Anyway, we started off the night in a Synagogue on Ben Yehuda street in the center of Tel Aviv, dressed to impress, ears ready to hear some Megillah reading, and obviously, because it's a mitzvah...we were ready to drink (no judgements, we were doing it for the holiday). At first, the room was empty and within a matter of 10 minutes, it was packed to the brim with Jewish students from all over the world, studying in Israel. I met people studying at Haifa University, Hebrew University in Jerusalem, others from Tel Aviv University, and of course, my brother who has been visiting me for the past week. Side note, this past week with my brother was amazing, I was able to see Israel through his eyes; whether it was taking long walks on the beach, watching the sunset while shivering in my "it feels like summer" clothing, or just having deep conversations with him about his experiences abroad, and my experiences abroad. I am so happy we were able to spend the week together!

Okay and back to Purimweekend (get it, like Halloweekend?), after the big pre-game, some of us decided to head to Rothschild Street - a popular street in Tel Aviv filled with restaurants, bars, coffee shops, etc. We went to a bar called ועעד הבית (Vaad Habayit), the bar itself was crazy packed, and the music felt like we were in a club. It was the best of both worlds and probably one of the most fun nights I've had here so far! Speaking of which, two of my friends from pre-school (shout out to HZT) were with me, in times like these, after going more than 5 years without having constant communication, it amazes me that we were able to have so much fun together, no matter how long apart we've been from each other. Thank you mom & dad for sending me to Hebrew school, I appreciate it now. We decided to come home around 2 AM...an early night out in Tel Aviv. I sadly, deliriously sleepy, said goodbye to my brother but am happy he was here. I am learning after this week, how to put things in perspective, when it comes to being abroad. I am growing and learning so much about myself, this semester it's been a real focus on myself as an individual and I am beginning to understand who I am. It's pretty cool, having an inside perspective to my life. From here on out, my abroad experience is about to be filled with new adventures and I am ready to tackle them head-on, head-strong. Except...do I really have to wake up for class tomorrow? #abroadproblems