CHAYYEI SARAH RELOADED

Last weekend, Chayyei Sarah (J.A.’s single soul sister in Jerusalem) went to a singles weekend in Tiberias, Israel. It was an experience like no other, in which Our Heroine suffered untold singles-related slings and arrows, ducking social ineptitude and poorly-planned program elements like machine-gun fire. She survived—as heroines often do—heroically, living to blog (and blog and blog) another day (and another day and another day). As she relived the weekend for her readers, she understood that she needed support, and has asked for it:

The Shabbaton was . . . emotionally a lot . . . and while writing about it is helping me to "process," the interaction with other people out there helps a lot too. Even if you don't think you have something profound to say, please say something, even if it's just "nice post" or "this gave me something to think about" or "you have a typo." Writing about the Shabbaton is dredging up a lot of the feelings of isolation, and your feedback helps me to not feel like I'm blogging in a vacuum. As she reflected on the “Lost Weekend” (my title, not hers) she recalled the incidents in the order that they transpired. But because of the way blogs work, the newest posts are first, leading to disjointed reading. Her enterprising editor friend is pleased to present for your reading this chronological account of CS’s weekend, chapter by renamed chapter. Click to the link below each chapter title and make sure to share your comments with her, as well as with me. Feel her pain, for it is also ours. Chapter One: In which Our Heroine senses a mild disturbance in the Force Chapter Two: In which Our Heroine measures up the competition Chapter Three: In which Our Heroine discovers which Harry Potter character she would be Chapter Four: In which Our Heroine’s Friend has her chanukkiyah (Chanukah menorah) highjacked Chapter Five: In which Our Heroine resents an announcement Chapter Six: In which Our Heroine begins to feel depressed and tired Chapter Seven: In which dinner is served and people are rude Chapter Eight: In which Our Heroine has had enough and is still trapped for Shabbat Aside: In which Our Heroine bravely explores the subject of physical appearance and the subjectivity of attraction Chapter Eight: In which Our Heroine breathes again, which is a good thing, because she’s already named the previous chapter “Chapter 8” Chapter Nine: In which Our Heroine is flattered and confused by a man’s attention Chapter Ten: In which our Heroine meets Voldemort—oops, I mean Hairbun Chapter Eleven: In which Our Heroine does not declare bankruptcy and instead meets a Smug Unmarried American

Chapter Twelve: In which Our Heroine does battle with a donut interloper Chapter Thirteen: In which Our Heroine gets stuck in a conversational loop

Chapter Fourteen: In which Our Heroine stabs it with her steely knives, but she just can't kill the beast

Chapter Fifteen: In which Our Heroine seeks a prayer before eating Chapter Sixteen: in which Our Heroine depends upon the kindness of strangers

Chapter Seventeen: In which Our Heroine does some learning Chapter Eighteen: In which Our Heroine walks in Tiberias and through history Chapter Nineteen: In which lunch is served Chapter Twenty: In which Our Heroine receives an intriguing offer Chapter Twenty-One: In which Our Heroine wishes she knew more Sephardi customs Chapter Twenty-Two: In which a Cohen atones and Our Heroine prays for a soulmate Chapter Twenty-Two and a half: In which Our Plucky Heroine pitches her Azzam Azzam story and encounters journalistic snags but remains optimistic Chapter Twenty-Two Again: In which Our Heroine loses count of the chapters again but summarizes her experience with a valuable lesson Shabbaton Chronicles—Revolutions: In which Our Heroine reflects on her experience and makes some decisions THE END [???]