As clumsy as I am, I rarely fall.

Today, I fell. I fell hard. However, I think I will have one small bruise. It hasn't even started to appear. It's confusing though, since I bruise so easily because of so much less. For example, I have a noticeable bruise on my wrist now, so something so insignificant, I don't even know what it's from.
Before I get into the funny story about this fall, let me give you a look into the demented brain of a klutz. Anytime I trip over something (or nothing, as is often the case), especially in public, I imagine what might have happened if I had not recovered from the trip and had actually fallen. What I imagine is often pretty bad and involves blood. The demented part is that I laugh- sometimes out loud.
So, back to today. Ali and I were walking down near the shuk (market). It was super crowded and we were weaving between people to get to store so Ali could pick up a dress that had been repaired. Ali sees an opening and zooms through it and starts crossing the street. I don't want to be left behind, so I take off, too. I don't think to look down, though. On the curb, there is a knee-high cylindrical barrier about 6 inches in diameter. They are lining the sidewalk, with a few feet between each one. Most are a little taller and they are rarely in front of a crosswalk. As you can guess, I walked into it. Direct knee-barrier contact. I was walking so fast, though that that impact didn't stop me- it sent me flying forward. I landed sprawled out in the middle of a little side street. I heard the water bottle I was holding land somewhere else. I abandoned it, jumped to my feet, grabbed Ali's arm- who had a quite shocked look on her face- and rushed off. She kept asking if I was ok and all I could do was nod my head because I was laughing so hard.
Ali said I landed so hard and everyone behind me gasped so loudly that she thought a baby stroller had fallen over, until she turned around and saw me on the ground. She was impressed with how fast I got up. We walked another block before we investigated my injuries. The top section of my left ring finger and my left palm were sore and I thought they would bruise, but that soreness has past. Also, my left knee (the one that hit the barrier) was and still is a little sore, but still no bruise. I'm shocked- and very happy- that I'm ok.
It was definitely more funny than anything else. In fact, I had trouble typing this because I started laughing all over again!

The culprit:

(Those dents were there BEFORE I came in contact with it!)

אני מצטערת

Translation: I am sorry.
It has been way too long since I have written a blog. However, I don't feel like I've been doing much to write about. It's the end of the semester, which means there is a lot of work to be done. All of my papers and assignments are due in the next few weeks, or in the middle or at the end of the semester break. There is even one final paper that isn't due until March! Next semester, as soon as we get the syllabi, I am making due dates throughout the semester for myself. That way, this evil thing called procrastination will be less likely to overcome me.
Besides schoolwork, I have gotten to visit friends that have come in on various trips. The best part is that I only had to go to Jerusalem once. All the rest had nights off in Tel Aviv! My friend Aaron, from California and his sister and another friend are going to be here this week on a non-student Birthright trip. They are staying at our apt (which has been so much like a youth hostel the last few weeks w/all the visitors, we're naming the place Nordau 57, modeled after an actual hostel in TA) for a few days. Luckily the weekend they'll be here is my first weekend off from university, so I'll have a lot of time for them.
Also, the first night they're here, some Israeli friends are coming over for dinner. It was supposed to be a "business" meeting (long story) and that was the only night that it could happen, but now, because of several reasons, it's going to just be a fun meeting. So, between the Israelis, my roommates and my guests, I'm going to be cooking for 9 people. I invented a good recipe yesterday that I may use. I might need to buy a new pan, though!
I'm getting better with actually speaking Hebrew, instead of keeping it in my head, and try to say at least one sentence at the beginning of every phone conversation with my Israeli friends. My ulpan (Hebrew) class is almost over, which means I'll be moving up to the next level in a few weeks. Woo!
Gotta go plan lessons for tomorrow!