Three pairs of pants, four train tickets, a mysterious bottle of soda, and a bar of chocolate

Or, today's purchases. Partridge in pear tree not included.

After class today, I begged politely asked Katie to take me to the store near the Central bus station where she and Jordan bought these beautiful stretchy pants on our first day. They're loose, silky pants that come in gorgeous colors and hang low around your knees. If you happen to watch Downton Abbey, they're not unlike Sybil's dress pants. If you don't happen to watch Downton Abbey, I would advise you to correct this immediately.

What made this a slightly poor decision was the fact that today is the hottest day it has been so far. (98 F. And yet it's Day 25 without a cloud in sight.) But it was worth it, as we emerged with three new pairs of pants between us, not to mention having a good look at a different local shopping district. Whereas Ben Yehuda is clothes and kitsch, Central is food stands and dollar-store like shops. Let the record show that my two pairs cost a total of 30 shekels. For those who aren't familiar with the conversion rate, that would be $7.50 total. Yeah. I like shopping here.

We stopped at the grocery store for a few things on the way home and left with an illegibly labelled bottle of soda for Katie and a chocolate bar for me. Toda robah, Mr. Zol's.

Last night, we had a movie night with our class, Aleph 1, as well as James's wife. We baked cookies in a real apartment, watched Inception on a real TV, and talked about it for two hours on a real couch. It was a very momentous night for us. I've been spending a lot of time with my classmates; they're so diverse but all such great people. I'm so lucky to have gotten to meet them. Some I'm sure will remain my friends.

I've hit my food limit. I'd eaten almost entirely vegan since I've been here. This week I caved and bought eggs and a small amount of meat. But one can get tired of rice, couscous, pasta, apples, tomatoes, pita, and hummus. That might sound like a lot, but that is all I eat. That is it. I just told my mom over Skype that when I get home, the first thing we will do is go to a Thai restaurant, and I will order every bowl of noodles and hot chicken that they have. All of them. But, it's two weeks from today that I fly home, so I think I can last.

But it's something to look forward to.