Weekend Wrap Up (Friday)

I awoke at 10am. Too early for me, but I’d promised my bubby I’d got to the Senior Center with her. I stretched and groaned as I got out of bed and went to soak in a quick hot bath to get moving. By 10:40 I was dressed, contacted, fed and waiting outside for the 10:45 79 bus.

I got off at 7th and Snyder and walked the 4 blocks to Porter. It was amazing: from the moment i headed south on 7th towards Jackson I was transported into another world. All of a sudden i was in the Vietnameese ghetto. Whe ni say ghetto, I don’t mean it with all the negative connotations usually associated with the word, I simply mean a collective of the same group of people, in this case Vietnameese. Suddenly, familiar english was replaced by signs all in Vietnameese (though i cna’t understnad it, it’s a very pretty looking language. While hebrew — which i can read — is boxy, and Arabic is squiggly, Vietnameese characters look bubbly to me). I passed video stores with posters of provactaively dressed Asian women, and food stores selling exoctic (to me) foods. I had this same feeling of being a Stranger in a Strange Land all the time when I traveled abroad; it was interesting and exciting to also experience it at home.

Just as quickly as it came, the nieghobrhood left. The block of 7th street in between Ritner and Porter is like this transitioning block. Vietnameese restuarants and businesses give way to Italian run eateries and business and once agian I’m back in the part of South Philly I recognize. It’s so strange how the neighborhoods change within a matter of blocks here!

I arrived at the Center a little after 11am and asked for my bubby. They siad she was either at arts and crafs or music. I knew she was at music 🙂 That’s what I love most about the Center — the music. And also the vibrancy of the seniors there. Although I love her my grandmother is baiscally a very crabby old lady. She’ll sit at home and wile away the days complaining and watchign tv. My mom’s parents aren’t like that but i always figured it was because they were rich and could afford to go off and do exciting things. I grew up thinking most older people were like my grandmother until I went to the Center. These people we regular south PHilly folk. Blue collar Jews who’d stayed in south philly despite the mass exodus of Jews to the norhteast. And they weren’t sitting around moping waiting to die, they were LIVING!!! Many of the people at bubby’s JCC Center are retired singers and musicians. They have a band there called The Swingers and it’s always so awsome to see them play. And then some of the other members come up and sing old songs form the 30’s and 40’s. This day was no different. When I came in they were all singing. And the best part is the effect it has on bubby! She becomes more vibrant and alive. Though she’d never go up on stage and sing, she was singign right along with them in the audience. It was so nice. I love going to the center with her because I get to see this whole other fun side of her that few in our family get to see and it’s like this fun little secret between the two of us.

They also had me sing this time. i didn’t know most of the songs but I flipped through the song books and found “Sidewalks of New York” I thoguht it was fitting 🙂 Then they were like “sing another one sweetie!” So I did tkae me out to he ball game. I was really working the crwod, bringing the mike inot hte audience and having them sing alongn. Maybe I should do the singing waitress thing, I kept thinkign. They wanted me to do yet another one. I kept trying to say no because it’s really their show and I love just sitting and listening to them sing but they insisted. So i sung “New York, New York.” Then it was time for lunch.

The place was packed as all the poeple from the arts and crafts group joined us. Bubby had fun showing me off to everyone at oru table and I really enjoyed tlaking iwth everyone. The cantor led us in the shabbat prayers and I realized this was the first tiem in I dont’ know how long that I ‘d taken a moment ot remember the sabbath. I always feel so good when i do but i usually forget. I once again told myself I wanted to find a shul in New York and get to services more often (either firdya night or saturday morning) I especially liked doign Motze after meals cause it reminded me of all the times after dinner in Israel when Rachel kept insisting we do it.

After MOtze it was time for more singing. I didnt’ get to enjoy it was much as usual cause bubby wanted me to sing agai nand I spent the whole time being nervous til they called me 🙁 I sung “Piano Man” and it just went ok. Maybe I won’t do the signign waitrtess thing. Still it was really nice. This one lady at our table sang this beautiful song in YIddish. I didn’t understand a word of it but she has and amazing voice that conveyed understanding of the song beyond the language of the words.

I wound up staying til the very end. We finshed by all singing Hatikva (the Israeli National Anthem) followed by God Bless America. I had tears in my eyes during Hatikva, I kept flashign bakc to my time in Israel and how wonderful it was. I remembered the first time i heard Hatikva in Israel at Claire’s concert and how Rachel strated cryign andwe were all clapping for Claire and hugging eachother.

It was hard to say goodbye to bubby because this is the last tiem I”m gonna see her before i leave for school. She leaves today (sunday) to stay with her sister for the week in central Jersey. By the tiem she gets back I”ll be in New York. I’m glad we hung out like this instead of goign to a big crazy family dinner at some restuarant where I just eat too much and we hardly talk. This was much more fun 🙂