Blood, blood, blood!

Yesterday night I gave blood for the first time! I did try freshman year (last year), but I'm young for my grade and it was before my birthday so I couldn't without parents permission since I was still only 17. I was nervous about it, so like anything I'm nervous about I started laughing, which really confused the people taking my blood. I don't like needles, but I figured that I would just look away as usual and it would be fine. Plus, the blood I give could help save someone's life one day. If I was in that situation wouldn't I be so grateful for people who gave blood even though they were nervous about doing it. The only reason I was nervous is because I don't like blood and I've heard all those stories about people fainting or whatever after. Luckily though it all went smoothly and I don't even have a bruise on my arm from the needle! I didn't have my camera with me last night, but here is the sticker I got! :)

My roommate got a picture of the paperwork, which was all in Hebrew. Luckily they had a translated version that we worked off of though all of us answered no to basically all the questions anyway.
Earlier in the day though I went out with Chelsea, Cate, and Marianne. We just went into the Old City to explore some sights and kind of made a big loop. It's fun though to just get out at all on any day though no matter what you do. There is always something new to discover in the city. 
One of the places we really wanted to go was Hezekiah's pool, but we found out after much searching that it was nothing special. One of the shop keepers let us go back in his shop and look out his window at it. He also had the newspaper article below hanging up about how people just dump trash in it now. It was really disgusting. He also had pictures of water it looked like in its better days though and it was beautiful! Hopefully one day it will change back to that so it's worth looking for. 
The day before yesterday I also went out around the city. We were going to find this Italian Jewish Art Museum, which ended up being some really old artifacts from Italian Jewish synagogues in like 4 rooms inside some random building. I don't know if it was really worth going to, but it was an experience and they had the chair there that was used for the first circumcision. Definitely the highlight :) haha. 

It was drizzling in the morning and then on the way back we saw this beautiful rainbow! I wonder if they have leprechauns in Jerusalem. It took me back to Kindergarten when we made pots of gold and traps to leave out over night before St. Patrick's Day to try an catch leprechauns. 
Here are some random pictures now. Up near where we exchange money there are these manikins outside this store and I love it because the one girl's face is smashed in. It also has this megaphone hanging around it that is continually shouting who knows what in Arabic. Between this girl and the megaphone I don't know who would want to go in that store.
One time we stopped to get fresh pomegranate juice, which was delicious, and this sign was hanging in the little falafel shop, so my roommate got a pic of it. I really want a tile like that!