Last Saturday Alex's boyfriend came and I went with the two of them and Jessica to Darling Harbour. It was the Footy Finals (yes, footy is a different game than rugby, American football, or soccer) and the Sydney Swans were playing! Obviously we rooted for them against Hawthorn Hawks (from Melbourne). There were big screen tvs set up outside all over the harbour and we ran into lots of other people from BU. We all sat together and watched. It was really exciting and we picked up on the basics of the game so that made it even more fun (as in I could cheer at the right places because I actually knew what was happening as opposed to just cheering because the people around me were) The game was incredibly exciting and intense, especially toward the end. I was sitting close to Melanie, Andres, and Brian and we all got pretty into the game (the guy in front of us kept yelling). We had the lead for so long and then lost it and then in the end we won!! It was a lot of fun being with all of the Sydney fans.
Saturday night we had movie night. Andres picked Cabin in the Woods which was both terrifying and hilarious. It was him, me, Brianna, Lindsay, Rachel, Kate, and Melanie. There was a lot of screaming and laughing involved. When it finished someone knocked on the door but when people went to see who it was no one was there which was pretty creepy. Anyway it was a good night.
Cheer, cheer the red and the white,
Sunday I went with Lindsay and Rachel to the welcome home party for the Swans at the Sydney Croquet Grounds. We got to see the team and hear them and the coach talk. Whenever they were asked about the future they kept saying they weren't sure how much long they were going to celebrate before starting to train again. Basically they sounded pretty crazy.
Me, Swannie, Lindsay, Rachel
Some of the team
Cheer, cheer the red and the white,
Honour the name by day and by night,
Lift that noble banner high,
Shake down the thunder from the sky
Whether the odds be great or small,
Swans will go in and win overall
While her loyal sons are marching
Onwards to victory!
This was all a while ago so it's probably going to get more vague from here, and it's possible I'll get some wrong but the overall idea will be the same.
Sunday night was the beginning of sukkot so I went back to the family who I had stayed with for Yom Kippur (they'll keep coming up so get used to hearing about them). Sunday night was Lisa (the mother) and her father's birthday so we had dinner just the family (5 of them) and Lisa's parents (and me of course). It was really nice and they let me help out so I feel like more a part of the family and less of a hassle. Monday we went to the JLC and then Lisa had three families for lunch. One was originally from Iraq and they made amazing rice, and one family had the cutest little baby. One of the husbands also works in the kosher Australian wine industry, so it was interesting hearing a bit about that, and he talked about how they are improving and trying to make more premium wines. It was a very nice lunch with great company, and I now know more people who I recognize and feel comfortable with in shul.
That afternoon Lisa, Paul, and I took Maxi, their dog, for a walk. We went up a hill and ended up at a park overlooking the ocean. The view was amazing, with Bondi Beach to the south, and on the way back we could see the bridge.
That night we went to Rabbi Blackman's for dinner, with a few other families, where we had a very nice barbecue. It was delicious and I got along really well with Larissa, one of the other mothers. Again, it was nice meeting more people with whom I can talk in shul (at kiddush of course). I really feel like I'm becoming a part of the community. It took the men a long time to light the coals so dinner was late, but it was nice just chatting with the women in the meantime. It turns out 8 families who are members of the JLC are making aliyah this year which is amazing and crazy at the same time. Anyway dinner was very nice, in the huge sukkah. (We fit around 18 at square tables and I think they may be able to fit more). An adorable 2 year old boy provided entertainment, as he tried eating the fake decorative grapes. Since the grill took so long to start dinner ran late and the lights in the sukkah turned off so we ate by candlelight which was funny, and then during benching it began pouring so it was quite an adventure.
I'm going out of order here just to make this easier and to make my post slightly shorter. I went on vacation and got back Sunday again (three days ago), and returned to the family for Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. The middle part is in the next post.
We had Sunday night dinner and Monday lunch at the house and there were more guests who I enjoyed meeting and getting to know. Sunday night we had a fun game of monopoly between me, Paul, Davey, and Shira. It was the Australian version with Australian streets so I hadn't heard of most of them, though I was glad at least I knew most of the ones in Sydney. At lunch there was also a family from another shul nearby, who had a son around my age so it was nice talking to someone close to my age, too. During lunch we could also hear the people whose backyard is catycorner singing zemirot (Jewish songs) which felt like home when we can hear everyone on our street singing in their sukkahs (little huts built for the holiday).
Monday night at shul for Simchat Torah (the celebration of reading the end and then starting over reading the Torah again) was a lot of fun. The women weren't quite as into the dancing as the men, though I think the fact that the women didn't even have a Torah on their side contributed to that. On the other hand, the women who did dance actually danced, as opposed to the men who seemed to be racing each other as they ran in a circle. I had a very nice time though and met a lot more of the women. We had a quiet dinner at the house afterward and then they taught me the board game, The Great Goanna Hunt. You basically had to know the map of Australia, which I don't know in much detail, though hopefully this helped some.
Tuesday morning we went to shul rather late, and the women didn't really dance much Tuesday so that was a bit of a shame (ps, I don't know if it's an Australian thing or a South African thing (since most members of the JLC are originally from South Africa) but they same 'shame' a lot, not always in a negative context). The service was nice though and very festive. The men they called up for aliyot to the Torah (honors to bless the Torah) were actually mostly those who are making aliyah (moving to Israel) this year, and they carried them each in on a surf board, and one guy tried to stand, and another came in with his face covered and then took it off but then they decided it was the wrong twin and his brother replaced him. It was all pretty silly but fun to watch. There was also lots of singing which I've missed and I really enjoyed being a part of, and they lifted men and boys up on chairs to lead songs. This one older man half fell half crowd surfed off the chair and then did it again for fun. A pigeon also got into the synagogue and was flying around for a while and seemed to not know how to get back out so that was pretty distracting and caused a lot of excitement. It was basically a funny holiday of fun chaos. We then had lunch at shul and ended up staying until 4, so when we got back I relaxed for a while and read the whole of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. It was such a fascinating read.
Lisa has started calling me Lee, which also makes me feel more comfortable and at home, especially since she shortens EVERYONE's names.
Alright that's what I've got on the holiday. It was really great and I look forward to going back to stay with the family again soon.
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