Day of the Randoms

So, yesterday was the last day we could go shopping for things that we needed for Egypt, and the last day we could cash checks for American money. After that, we just walked around the city, and we saw such funny things, it was great! First, we went into a jewelry store, because they begged us to come in. All the shop owners know that we are "the Mormons", and so they say hello to us. One guy had me come in, and talked about how he made pearl rings, and pulled me back to go see. He started sizing it for my finger, and I kept insisting that I didn't have money so that I couldn't buy it, but that I might come back. But he kept making the ring. I knew that he would just force me to buy the ring, but then at the end of his making the ring, he gave it to me, saying that I need to advertise his store for him! I was so excited!! In one month, I get seven free pearl necklaces AND a pearl ring! I am so the luckiest! When we were leaving Damascus gate, we then witnessed quite the fight! There is an old woman who sits on the ground every day asking for money, and she looks very sweet. But when we were walking by her, a little boy decided to be a trouble-maker and steal sheckles from her bag. She got so mad, and stood up (I thought she was crippled...but I guess not!) and started chasing him and throwing rocks at him and speaking some fast Arabic/Hebrew. Not sure which one. But it was unbeliveable! She picked up a huge rock that I would have thought she could NEVER have picked up, and started chasing with him. It was so sad! What a horrible thing to bother an old beggar woman. It was very sad.

Here in Jerusalem, there are a ton of stray cats! They are everywhere! We have 4 that constantly live on JC campus. While we were walking up the hill to the JC, we saw a cat run accross the street, right in oncoming traffic. I had to stop and watch, even though I knew it was giong to be a terrible fate for the cat! The car hit the cat, and fur flew through the air. The cat skidded on all fours accross the whole street and ran away. These cats are resiliant!! Literally 9 lives!

Last funny story: On the same walk where we saw the cat, we were walking and randomly there was a horse walking on the sidewalk. What a weird place where there are horses taking stolls down the street!