9/26/2012

I hope that everyone fasting is having an easy and meaningful fast.  Mine wasn't too bad but I do miss home.  I went to services this morning at East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation.  It is an orthodox congregation where the women sit upstairs but it was friendly and relaxed.  I got there at 9am when the service was supposed to start.  I was interrogated at the door for their protection as well as getting to know me.  I definitely felt welcome in their community.  The service ran on JST and I was the first one there at 9:15.  We actually got started around 9:45 and many more people wandered in at it was going.  I stayed until the Yiskor service at noon.  Afterward I enjoyed the public transit system of Melbourne as I went to get groceries for break fast.  I got home around 3:30-4:00 and began cooking, partially because I was hungry and wanted to eat everything I could think of and partially because I was homesick and wished that I could be cooking with my sisters.  I had thought that 4:00 was a tad early to start cooking for break-fast at 8pm but I was wrong.  I finished just in time with only one break to do dishes.  I made cookie dough brownies, blintzes, broccoli and swiss quiche, eggplant and roasted red capsicum quiche, spinach dip in a bread bowl with veggies, and fruit with chocolate and a cream dip.

For only two small girls we didn't do to bad! I'm going to be enjoying leftovers all weekend.

This is a basketball elephant.  I bet he could have eaten all my food:)