Partying for Purim

Purim in Israel is practically an entire week of celebration. We started seeing people dressed up in the streets on Sunday. It really was like Halloween--everyone wearing random costumes. I went to a local conservative synagogue with three friends yesterday evening for a megillah reading. Then our entire program started partying on the roof of the apartment where most of them are living. We hung out there for a while, and when everyone was properly drunk (so as not to be able to distinguish between Mordechai and Haman of course!) we all went to Florentine, which is where the party is at in Tel Aviv on Purim. I think it is probably like Bourbon St. in New Orleans on Mardi Gras. It was quite a bit of a walk from the apartment, and when we got there it was absolute bedlam. Just walls of people crushing you from all sides. It was so crazy and claustrophobic that my friends and I decided to just leave. But Ariella and I got separated from everyone else, so we were wandering around drunk and lost for quite some time. It was not good! We finally found Rose and took a cab back home. Of course the cab driver ripped us off ridiculously. So it was quite an experience. I talked to an Israeli who was born and raised here and he said he always wanted to check out the Purim party on Florentine but never has! At least I can say now that I've been! Thank goodness we had the day off from ulpan today! Back to it tomorrow and then on Friday our whole program is leaving for the Negev, which I'm excited about. We'll be back Sunday evening.
It is hard for me to get used to all the smoking here. Israelis smoke like crazy. It is especially annoying when they're smoking around you when they're eating. They're not exactly considerate! I also find it interesting that none of the Americans in our group smoke, but practically all the foreigners (the French and South American) are chain smokers. I think it's because smoking in the US is no longer cool, while maybe it still is in the rest of the world.