Shabbat in Katamon!

For quite a few months Marilyn and Joe have been trying to get in contact with me so I could come to their house for a Shabbat.  Who are these people, you might ask.  Well to be precise, Marilyn is my step- grandmother's first cousin once removed and Joe is her husband.  My friend Shana and I went to their house in Katamon not really knowing what to expect.  We walk into a really nice looking, very American house.  Marilyn and Joe introduce themselves and then and then they began to show us pictures of all their grandchildren which they call g-children or kids once removed.  Basically, they're just a really funny and entertaining elderly couple with thick New York accents.  On Friday night we went to a really interesting shul where there was lots of singing but the coolest part was that it was filled with people only a few years older than us.  For dinner, Marilyn and Joe had lots of guests over.  They had an elderly couple, a couple who moved to Israel from England, and another couple- she was Israeli and he was Hungarian, and their son who just went into the army.  The food was really good and really American.  We found out that Marilyn and Joe don't actually live in this house full time.  They actually only live there about half the time and the other half they live in Teaneck, New Jersey.  They fly back and forth about five times a year.  The next day we woke up early to go to this very American shul.  The most American thing about it was how late we ended.  Afterwards, we had a quiet lunch of left-overs from the night before and some really good cake. Shana and I went back to our room where we read for a little bit and then fell asleep.  About four hours later, Marilyn woke us up telling us that Shabbat was almost over.
The bus ride home was really quick and it dropped us off really close to where we lived.  I didn't do much tonight, I just had a chilled out night with my roommates.  They decided that they wanted to buy a little stove top cooker thing so they could make food whenever they wanted.  I decided to take control of the frying pan and I made all the food.  We roasted apples and made caramelized bananas.   Then I fried up some peppers and onions.  It was lots of fun especially since I miss cooking at home.  Hear that mom! I'll cook for you when I get home! 'Till then... Shalom V'lehitarot!