Moved

I'm sitting now in the library, at the Hebrew University campus on Mt. Scopus, which is now a walking distance from where I live. I work from here - rather than working alone from home. I sit where I used to sit when I was a student here.
I went to the gorgeous synagogue on campus today to pray the Mincha prayer. It is such a beautiful place, perhaps my favorite ever. I sat there alone for a moment, and then another woman came. When I looked at her a few minutes later, I saw that she was Asian, not sure if Chinese or Korean, but it was nice to see her sitting there, trying to connect to spirituality in my favorite place. Then, little by little, men came into the prayer hall and soon they started the service with the Ashrei prayer. How beautiful, I thought to myself - students, professors, cleaning workers - they all come in together for a short while to stand in front of G-d together, none of them is above the other, each of them is equal to each and every one of the others. Someone led the service. I don't know who he was, but he could have been a professor, or a cleaning worker, and it doesn't matter. In front of G-d there are no such statuses. Everyone is equal. To be able to say the Kaddish prayer or read from the Torah, Jews need a Minyan (a quorum of 10 men). Every men above 13 can complete a minyan, and it doesn't matter what his place is in the social hierarchy. Just a very human, innocent moment, a sweet moment that I thought I should record in writing here.

So I moved, finally. The neighborhood I live in is beautiful, and gladly, there are a lot of steps and stairs, and distances to walk (which I didn't have when I lived in Rechavia). I'm happy with it, because I need the chance to be physically active and I cherish it. I missed that in the old apartment and neighborhood.
My apartment is nice, but small, and not new, and I'm thinking that if (when) I move again, I wish myself to live in a newer place, one in which you don't easily see the signs of time and use by previous tenants. I already unpacked and organized almost everything. Little by little I'm getting rid of things that no longer serve me and that I haven't used in a long time. Today I brought to the university a few booklets that I no longer need, as well as some CDs, and I plan to keep on doing so.
I live in the top floor in a villa. My ceilings are sloped, and there are windows in them. It is great, because when I go to bed, or when I sit on my sofa to read or reflect, I look up and I see the moon, the stars, or a beautiful blue sky with white clouds floating by during day time. It hailed a few days ago, and snowed a bit, and it was great to see and hear it all happening through my windows, above my head.
The calls of the Muazeen (the Muslim priest who calls people to prayer) can still be heard, just like years ago. Not much has changed.
I already visited a few synagogues in my neighborhood for Shabbat, and I found one that I really like. There are a few more that I want to visit, though, to see how I feel there. The neighborhood is a lot more religious than it used to be when I lived there. But secular people can also be spotted here and there.
Going to the same supermarket that used to be mine so many years ago. Except for the people, nothing changed. That building is still the same too, with the same rose flowers in front of it, the same entrance gate, the same parking space, the same everything.

Look forward.