Although Raphaela has been taken to the Malcha Mall in Jerusalem as a smaller baby, yesterday she experienced the glamour for the first time, as a curious walking toddler.
She stared at each manequin in the store windows, and went inside to stroke the fabric on the clothing. In the Nike store, she took a soccer ball off the wall and had a game of catch with the sales lady. At a certain point, Raphaela sat down on the floor and removed her shoes, so she could wander around her "new home" as she does in her regular house. Every time we passed by one of the open candy stands, I had distract her and make a quick getaway. The pet store held a particular fascination, and Raphaela giggled with joy as she watched the chickadees inside their bird cage; she could have stood there for hours.
And the escalators, oh the escalators! It was a virtual Disney World...
As a teenager, I lost my patience for random wandering around the mall, and as an adult, when I must go to the shops in Malcha as opposed to a more local branch, I get in and out as efficiently as possible. Often it takes me longer to find a parking space than the actual purchase.
For now, the Mall represents an amusement park of sorts for Raphaela, until she becomes more savvy and realizes the material aspect of shopping. I hope that by then, I will have provided her with enough values of common sense and balance, so she does not get caught up in the negative aspects of the money culture.
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