Oh, what a day yesterday was. I'll spare the world each and every detail as to why it took over 4 hours to get to Jerusalem but luckily it took closer to an hour to get back. Here are some of the highlights.
I was at the mall/bus station in Rehovot waiting finally for my bus to Jerusalem (so in a nutshell, I was going to take a train to Jerusalem, but didn't feel like waiting so then I was gonna take a train to Tel Aviv and then a bus to Jerusalem but thanks to some guy I missed the Tel Aviv stop and ended up in Rehovot). So while I was there, I was approached by some salesman in Hebrew, so in the best English I could muster up I said, “I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying.” So he switched over to English and said, “Would you like to take a class to help you practice English?” I stare at him for a second and say, once again in the best English I could manage, “I'm sorry, I don't think I really need to take a class on English.” he says, “You could always try to improve.” I then pause to think about how to respond in English as if it's my first language, “I'm pretty fluent in English, but I could probably use a class on learning Hebrew. Thanks anyway though.”
seriously, this must have been the dumbest salesman ever. I mean, I know I'm not the most eloquent guy in the world, but I clearly know how to speak English, and worst of all I have quite an American accent. He might as well have been trying to sell me a prosthetic hand (which could come in handy).
Then, I'm finally on the last leg of my complicated-although-it-should-have-been-easy journey on a bus to Jerusalem. And what happens? I look up from reading my book and listening to music just as a pickup truck is spinning around in circles on the highway and another car smashes into it. I have no idea how it started spinning, all I know is that it spun and then another car hit it thus blocking both lanes of the highway. After waiting for about a half hour during which time several ambulances, and police cars came by as well as several groups of orthodox Jews the cars were moved out of the way. About 10 guys bounced and then lifted the pickup truck off the hood of the other car and they both drove away.
View from within the bus so you can see how close the accident was. Amazing we stopped in time.
Closer view of the cars blocking the highway
Everyone trying to help including ambulances blocking the other side of the highway (no one was even hurt luckily). In addition, it is a Jews duty to help others if possible, so the Jewish men in black were trying to do just that
I ended up in Jerusalem and had a terrible time finding the bus I needed to get to Ben Yehuda Street as it seemed know one knew where the correct bus was. Eventually I found it and met up with my friend Shira at a Coffee bean for about an hour. I then got some Shawarma, walked around for about 20 minutes and realized how cold it was and then hopped on a single bus back to Ra'anana. It took over 4 hours to get there, hung out for an hour and then I came back. What a day/adventure.
No Touching! Shira and I are at coffee bean catching up.
I can't wait for Krav Maga.