Esti
Hey!
Shabbos was beautiful, I love the way Totty dresses on Shabbos. It's just so royal, the gold kaftan with the beautifully ornamented white sash, and that shimmering brown dzhibeh covering it, the long white socks completing the bottom and the beautiful shtreimel, a crown perched atop the majesty. DeLeah's father wears a black bekishe, white shirt, long black pants, blech boring.
Also my father sings beautiful zemiros, he never fails to say, "Let's do Zemmy, chevra" [that supposed to be funny?] and then Yanki and I join in and it's beautiful and my mother almost always cries (actually, "wipes away a tear" is more like it). This week b4 kiddush he was singing "Melech tzach v'oodoim". I suddenly blurted: "The Red King- you're only a sort of a thing in his dream!" (You know, me and Lewis Carroll's books…). He stopped and asked me to explain, so I told him about Through the Looking Glass, where Alice meets the Tweedles and they convince her that she's only part of the Red King's dream and as soon as he awakens she'll go out like a candle. My father liked it very much he was saying it's a mashal for us we're in hashem's hands, we have no reality other than his will, and the second he wills it we're batul umevutal.
Besides for "Zemmies" he has other funny rituals, like after the fish, "We have to thank hashem for the woodford! We could drink broinfen, but we have the zechus to have woodford!" Sometimes he doesn't even have woodford but he says it anyway. I guess it goes along with singing "Zemmy"s. He always sings shir hamaalos to the tune of "Me yodeya madua velama, loveshet hazehbra pahjama" don't laugh, it works well with the words! He likes the story about the zebra, he likes jungle animals, most of his stories for Pessi and Miri invariably include a pajama-clad Zebra, a singing Giraffe, a fleishig Emu (what?) and a possum or two. That's totty, see why I love him?
Kisses! Esti

Boruch
Beep.
Yeah. Deflated like a balloon. Where does everyone DISSAPEAR to motzoei shabbos?! It's not fair. I was all alone and I didn't have cheshek to tanna dvei eliyahu that I decided I'm going to do every motzoei shabbos. And the dormitory was empty. And my neshama yeseira was gone. And I'm in Israel for six days already. Six days without masturbating! And I know, I know, the kedusha. And yeah the land spits out reshaim [or sends arab terrorist janitors to kill them]. And no I don't want to hold up the geula. Kichsa! I'm an oyness I promise! I really am! There's no explanation. FRITZVERKUMBINTPENT VRELOUVREYETIEEEEEE. Kichsa! Hashem I promise I'm sorry. Just let me be with a girl already (preferably Esti Friedstein. I'm kidding I don't even know her) it's not fair! Half my kittah in Bardichev is married already, Elisha has a baby already! You know what that means? I'll tell you. It means we can be sure he was with a girl. Grrrrrrr.
I feel like such an idiot.
Maybe I should get a job driving a nesher. Ucchhhhhhhh.
To make matters worse my mother calls me today, that Tante Suri needs information on a boy for Rochi. I like Rochi, she's very sweet, so sweet that I almost can lust after her (hey! I said almost!). Nebach she's 23 already, I wish she finds a shidduch. So I have to call Suri and I can't stand it because she always grilllllllllllllllllllls me like crazy and she's like. Is he like you Boruch? You know, such a good boy?
Tante Suri? No such thing! You won't find another Boruch! Luz oop your cousin meshigaas [half of the bardichever rebbe's kids are married to first cousins] and let me have Rochi. Ucccccchhhhhh I'm disgusted with even thinking this way but yeah. I'm dreading calling my aunt.

Yanki
Did I do something wrong?
Ok, I guess in the perfect world that is Boruch Schwartz I did something wrong. I missed yeshiva on Friday, big deal, everyone does. I went to sleep late motzoei shabbos and went home for breakfast after a slightly late shacharis instead of rushing to yeshiva, so I got there an hour late. Big deal it's Sunday.
He was like all cold and distant and not really concentrating and maybe ignoring me. Is he mad that I tried showing him Esti's card on Thursday? What should I do? If he's angry at me let him tell me. Don't just treat me as if I don't exist! Why do I feel like he's Totty ten years ago? Ucccchhhhhhh don't remind me. Maybe I should drink some of totty's woodford and black out. Ok I won't. Ok calm down Yanki. You have a life. It'll be ok with Boruch. Next.
(Maybe I should call Reb Yechezkel, I haven't spoken to him since before sukkos.)
Funny thing. On the way out the janitor slaps my back. "'SGONNA BE AWLRIGHT 'SGONNA, YO JUS TAKE IT MAN YO JUS DO IT, YOOZ GOOD, YOOZ REALLY GOOD!" -He looks so FAMILIAR!! …just can't put my finger on it.

Esti
Hi! (no time for everyone) חוגchug chug. Will it be music or art? Music or art? Obviously I want art. Devorah Leah is going for music. Not fair.
Hello?! We do things TOGETHER. Morah Nechama grates on my nerves. Huh? Did I just change the subject? Never mind. My mother and DeLay both claim that we don't must be together and that chug is an opportunity for new friends and new experiences and new horizons. To which I responded "So then maybe I should go for music 'cuz it's new". And DeLay thought that I think that she's trying to get rid of me, and we both apologized and hugged and cried. But I still don't know if I'm going for music or art.
I should discuss it with Miss Aurbach, she's always so organized and smart and put together and with it and I totally have a crush on her. Second thought I shouldn't talk to her 'cuz she respects me and treats me like a grown up and I don't want to lose my status, and be treated like a baby.
What should I dooooooooo?
Morah Nechama's voice: Der emineh feen di nevi'im meez zein far eenz ah moosteh. Shut up!

Chani
Girls. Teenage girls. I think teenage girls will always be teenage girls.
Yanki's having some issues also I think, he was on the phone with Chezki Weinfeld for a long time. That man is an angel, a real lamed vavnik. He literally saved our family singlehandedly. I don't want to think where we would be today without him.

Yanki
Reb Yechezkel says that because I didn't develop proper relationships in my younger years I'm co-dependent. I need to find other people's approval by fixing their problems and I can't be comfortable if I don't fix the problems of those around me. He says that since he became a certified addictions counselor [no more "Rebbe Weinfeld", I think he's Rabbi Doctor Weinfeld now] he sees scores of people like me.
My solution is to "Let go and let G-d". I can't control Boruch I can't control my father and I can't control my sister's bawling over nonsensical issues like being separated from her bff [for what? three hours a week?!]. I can calmly advise her that she should go for art. I can be available for Boruch when he wants to learn. But ultimately Hashem decides everyone's nisyonos and if people make stupid decisions, it's for them to deal with. Wow. Smart guy.
Boruch's slightly better but he's been looking at me strangely, I think.

Boruch
Strayyyyyynj! So I call Tante Suri. She asks me if I know a Yanki Friedstein. OOH! OOHLALA!! So of course I gave the most glowing information (if they get married I get to sit across from a fully made-up Esti for a whooooole mitzvah tantz! [I really need to get her out of my head]). And then somewhere in the middle of her grilling me about if I'm sure he's not Israeli, after living here so long. I hear Rochi in the background. "Ma did you say Friedstein?!" Suddenly she gets on the phone (ooh she's talking to me!) "Boruch?" (ooh she used my name!) "How long ago did they move to Israel?" Me (evenly): "About six years" Rochi: "Maaaaaaaaa the guy's a sicko! You're not seriously looking into this?!" bursts out crying. The line goes dead.
And I'm left with a million questions.

Part 6

Esti
Dear Diary!
I MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE with art! Guess who the instructor is? You can't guess stupid, you're a piece of paper . But it's… Miss Aurbach! I always thought all she knows and cares about is words but she IS cool, and the most talented artist ever! DeLay says "It behooves us to garner our art supplies in orderly fashion". Yeah well, you're terrible at imitating American accents and Miss Aurbach is so not like that! It would behoove you to stop making fun of her!
Miss Aurbach was really excited to be my art instructor and she kept winking to me and smiling to me and... I'm ecstatic!
Point two, there's this girl by chug from my school, her name's Shaindel. I never really spoke to her before, we kinda always separated 'cuz she's a tzep meidel. DeLay and I are both cukoo meidelach. There's this subconscious separation between the cukoos and tzep. It's like I think that they think that we think we're better, and like we think that they think that they're more original and tznius. Whatever the case, we never really mix but now we were together Monday and Wednesday and she's more my type than I imagined. So this morning in school Miss Aurbach asked me if I maybe want to help Shaindel with her English because she's kind of lagging behind, and she winked at me and said "You know Shaindel, right?" I'm not sure I want to do it, I don't want to totally abandon Devorah Leah, but how can I refuse Miss Aurbach?!
<3 Esti!
P.S. Yanki needs to apologize to Devorah Leah, and I HATE his friend.
(None of your business, k! I wrote on page two "you can release all your emotions about the "thing" but keep the "thing" locked up inside your heart." So there!)

Chani
Happy that art worked out for Esti, she's so enamored with this Aurbach girl. I really should check into her, what's a twenty something chassidish girl from Boro Park doing prancing around Yerushalayim on her own. A bit strange if you ask me.
Maybe I should invite her for a meal on Shabbos.

Boruch
I love Hashem! Habah letamei poschin loi! So I was planning on going to Moishy's uncle Friday night and to the Gaava"d Shabbos morning. Guess what? I'm not the only bachur in Yerushalayim who wants to go to the Roov the second Shabbos of the zman, and Thursday morning is too late to get in. So I complained to Yanki and first he tried brushing off my concerns but then he hit upon the idea of inviting me to his place for the meal. He's sure his parents are ok, he'll check with them when he goes home tonight [does he really climb all those steps every day?!]
So that's my habah litamei, I was sure Hashem's going to come through for me with a way into Esti. Yipee.
I'm thinking of getting Rochi Schwartz's cell number and asking her what she knows about the Friedsteins that's so terrible, I can tell her that I want to go for Shabbos but she scared me off. You think she's going to think it funny that I'm calling her? She spoke to me on the phone. I don't know, how would I go about getting her number anyway? Mommy's gonna want to know what I need it for. Hmmmmmm

Yanki
Boruch doesn't have a seuda Shabbos Morning, I asked him where the other Americans are going and he said that he's already going with someone from the dorm Friday night and he rejected any offer for Shabbos morning because he was planning on going somewhere himself but that didn't work out and everyone's set up and he's stuck. So I told him he could come to us. I asked Mommy, "Of course, Yank, now we can get to meet your chavrusa!" (Note to self: make sure "Ma" doesn't say "Yank" when "Boor" is around.)
Totty was like, "Yuh! m'geit hubben mezimmen! Zull er kimmen yedder vuch". And then Esti's like: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" I tried explaining to her that I don't necessarily like it when she has this English accent hanging around here 24/7. But she complained that she won't be able to sing along by Zemmies. Totty seemed to think she had a valid point and he retracted the "yedder vuch" but he explained to Esti that chessed comes first and Boruch doesn't have where to be for Shabbos. That settles it then.
Well, except for the fact that I have to apologize to Esti for confining her friend to "English-accent" because apparently any girl Esti is friends with has way more depth than I will ever fathom (seriously, where does she learn these words from?) and calling a person an "English-accent" is just plain wrong. Also knowing your sister's friends is wrong, but hey!

Part 7

Esti
Gitte Voch!!!
The seedeh today by Devorah Leah was amazing! I didn't want to be there when Yanki's friend came, 1 because I hate him, 2 because he would probably be uncomfortable having a girl around and 3 because there's way more action in DeLay's house (9 kids sure beats 4!!!!!!!).
So, what do they do differently? Well, starters Lizhensk is much closer than Heeteroigen so her father comes home early. Also, her father doesn't drink Woodford, nor does he sing Zemmies - he mumbles stuff from the Lizhensker Kavooniss siddur. Never mind, there are so many differences I don't care to count! But yeah, it was fun! We couldn't stop giggling at how her sister Bruchi looked with the white bow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Giggling is fun.
Whatever! Love yous! --Esther