Happy Chanukka!

I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy Chanukka this year. It's very nice being in Israel for Chanukka. For one, there is a being difference between saying נס גדול היה פה and נס גדול היה שם. I walk outside my friend door and I can just picture Jewish guerrillas wasting Syrian war elephants. It's pretty awesome! What's even better about being in Israel for Chanukka is that I am not party to the shameless commercial bastardization of a holiday that Chanukka has become in the U.S. Here, it is a fun and happy, albeit minor holiday. Exactly how I want it to be.

You like donuts? Well how do you like dem donuts?!

I did hit up two different holiday parties tonight. I started at a friends apartment for a private get together with a half dozen people. We lit the Chanukkiot, and then dug in to mountains of homemade latkes and sufganiot. She actually made the donuts from scratch. It was heaven. Afterwards we headed to the dorm moadon for the dorm party. There was music, arts and crafts, and more food, including chocolate and spiced wine. I'm feeling a little heavy and sleepy right now. Anyone else think we should be frying the chocolate coins in deference to the holiday?

Just a few notes about midterms before I shuffle off to sleep. My grades are coming back and I am doing extremely well. I earned an A on both my "Hebrew Ulpan" and "Terrorism and Responses" midterm exams. I'll be taking the closest approximation to a midterm in Arabic on Thursday, and presumably my "Arab-Israeli" relations exam should be returned then as well. Stay tuned.