It begins

October 16, 2007

With the second day of class comes a sense of relief. I've satisfyingly sampled every course and am fairly pleased with the outcome, my favorite by far being the Creative Writing, which comes at the end of the 5 class cycle. A good ending. The professor is a withered, scatterbrained, grey haired man full of random literary quotes. I sit in the middle of the classroom and take in every word that escapes his mouth. His teaching methods remind me of how I would teach; if I ever became a teacher. No grades, except what the university requires. No required reading; why would I force someone to read something they don't want to read? It only causes them to hate it. Just each student writing what they feel inside them. Yes, things will turn out fine after all.

Missing the Simple Life

October 09, 2007

As the first day of class rapidly approaches I find myself becoming antsy. I'm ready to begin this semester so I can finish it. I feel as though I'm only trying to get through my time here. I don't want that. I want to enjoy every moment of it; take in every sight, every smell, every feeling. I want to long for more. I want to feel as if I have the world within my grasp. I want to walk down the street and think to myself, 'you're living in the Promised Land!'

But none of that occurs to me until I'm snug inside my little apartment, thinking over the days' events. Or until I get a comment from a friend on Facebook or Myspace saying, 'it must be exciting to live in Israel!' But by then I'm not outside enjoying my life, I'm back inside my little American bubble, surrounded by my American friends and my American food and my American possessions.

Although, I have found that lately (since I've been able to spend some time alone in the apartment in Tel Aviv... looking over Rechov Einstein, watching all the people come and go at the bus stop) , ever so slowly, I'm beginning to realize where I am. Reality is beginning to set in. Along with that bothering feeling of homesickness; the one you get deep inside you that tugs ever so lightly on your soul. This is a new feeling for me. Being completely surrounded by family my entire life, I've never had a chance to feel homesick. I don't think I like it very much. I always considered myself a loner; someone who could love people from a distance... but lately all I've wanted was to see my family and get folded into some good old fashioned southern bear hugs.

I've missed frequenting the local coffee shop with friends, spending hours just sitting and talking while our ridiculously elaborate coffees got cold. Even though I'm here in the land of the tastiest coffee, drinking my iced coffee with friends outside the trendiest shops right in the middle of Tel Aviv... I find myself longing for those simple coffee shops. The simple southern life.

I know it's just a phase because, in reality, if someone gave me the option of returning home or staying here without consequences, I would choose to stay. I wouldn't want to leave this place, and the feeling I get here. That strangely comfortable feeling of settling down for a nice ride on bus #25 to Rechov Allenby for that tasty coffee, or that bizarrely enticing Bubble Tea on Rechov Sheinkin. Deep down I know I'm going to miss it when I go home. I just can't seem make myself realize it.

Hello Tel Aviv... can I come in from the cold?

Eilat; the Home Away From Home

October 01, 2007

There's nothing better than renewed inspiration. It's like the feeling that comes when a close friend finally returns after a long trip away. Although it's disappointing that I had to ride a smelly bus for five hours and spend a week sleeping in the sand by the Red Sea to get it.

Eilat really is the unofficial paradise of Israel. I say unofficial because if you look at it from a biblical map you'll see that it's not really supposed to be a part of Israel. It became so when the landscaper had a few too many drinks before he started maping out the territory. Hey, Israel wasn't about to complain; and who could blame them? Any place is paradise in my book if I can get a tan being there.

It also doesn't hurt that there's a large group of Believer's in Eilat, so good fellowship isn't hard to find. I met so many wonderful people! It only further confirmed my plans of moving there after school ends for my remaining weeks in Israel. A wonderful way to end a magical year in the Holy Land.

I don't believe I'll try to tell you everything that happened to me because if I did I'd end up with a novel but I'll sum it up in as few words as I can:

I arrived Sunday and spent the evening getting comfortable with my surroundings. Fluffing my pillow, so to speak. Then next few days after that I got to know a few people and had a blast hanging out with them! I got a little better with my Hebrew (since I was around it 24/7) and I learned how to make homemade Pita. I am now confident I could find my way around Eilat without any help and I can tell you where all the great places to eat are. I had my phone stolen and figured out that chocolate rock candy is from heaven, mango nestea isn't as nasty as it sounds, and next-day pizza is better warmed in a microwave than over an open fire. Paint ball is way more fun in an abandoned military base and little Sudanese kids are not only talented in the field of singing and dancing but in making you smile as well.

Obviously, I left out a lot of what happened but you can always ask me.

P.S. My photos from this trip are on Shutterfly. I know, I need to pick a website and stick to it. Well, here's the link: http://www.shutterfly.com/view/slideshow.jsp?auto=1&aid=67b0de21b3c51b19c423&js=

ראש השנה בירושלי

September 20, 2007

I won't attempt an entire post in Hebrew just yet. Let it suffice that I wrote the title in Hebrew.

If I wrote about everything that happened to me this week I think the post would be longer than my Eilat post so I'm going to pick and choose what I write about. If you want a full recap just IM me whenever.

I arrived at destination #1 close to 10 PM on Tuesday evening. The Bus Station in Jerusalem was packed with last minute arrivals from all over the country. Jerusalem is the place to be during holidays. My suite mate, Kelsey, and I wandered around in circles near the shuk area for a good fifteen minutes before I called Justin, the friend we were going to stay with, and asked him where the heck he lived. I have been there before but anyone who's been to Jerusalem knows that every street looks the same and if you don't know your way around it doesn't matter how good the directions are, you are going to get lost.

Justin knew this; he met us on "Ben Yehuda" and led us to the dorms of his college. The girls in Justin's dorm were nice enough to let us crash in their livingroom for our first two nights in Jerusalem. I had so much fun getting to know all the wonderful people there! We took a trip to the Old City to go shopping for belly dancing outfits and shoes. We had a Rosh Hashana demonstration with apples and honey and Justin and I were able to teach them about the holiday and what it represents. We climbed on the roof and watched for shooting stars while we talked about random things. Kelsey and I wandered around the Old City meeting new people and eating tasty, special made food from Saudi Arabia. We had morning devotions in the park on Thursday where we sang songs (in English!!) Oh, so many fun things!

Now, on Thursday I had to say goodbye to all the wonderful people at Justin's school and headed over to Ada's friend's apartment down the street. These girls have such a wonderful ministry. They take in Believers who need a place to stay and they don't charge them or anything. They have Shabbat every Friday night and just minister to whoever may need help. They're amazing girls. So once I got settled in to my room there I called my friend, Nati, in the IDF whom I wasn't expecting to see due to the fact that her commander told her she'd have to stay on base for Rosh Hashana. Well, she told me her commander let her go and she was on her way to Jerusalem!

So that night I rested and finished what little homework I had over the holidays and got to bed relatively early. The next morning Nati came over and a huge group of us headed into the Old City to take the African guest, Christi, to all the historical places. We had a lot of fun getting to know each other and hanging out. I met one guy who had flown in from Holland the same night I came to the apartment. He looked strangely familiar and I later found that I know his brother from my trip to Eilat! Kind of a small world when you're living in Israel. In the four days I spent in Jerusalem I saw six people that I know! And I don't even know that many people...

So, Nati, Josef (Guy from Holland) and I got really close over the four days and were basically attatched to each other's hips after the first day. We went out to Mike's Place on Friday evening after the Shabbat dinner to watch the South AfricaEngland game of Rugby and then went to the Old City to take some sweet pictures while it was void of people. I have to say the most fun I had all week was during that time, probably because I've been dying to go to the Old City for the sole purpose of taking pictures. And I had my guinea pigs! Poor Josef and Nati. vs.

On Saturday we broke Sabbath and went to the Arab Quarter for some very tasty Shawarma, then went back to the apartment and played a game called Fluxx. So randomly fun! After Fluxx a group of us just started talking and talking and talking... until Nati and I had to say our goodbyes and return to Tel Aviv and all it's boringness. She slept over though! That was fun! She got to meet my roomies and the neighbors and we had a good time.

My Rosh Hashana was unconventional but fun all the same! So, until Yom Kippur!....

PS Pics are coming! I haven't had time lately but I've been getting requests for updates so I thought I'd give you guys the post and I'll upload the pics soon!

The Serenity of Eilat

September 03, 2007

This morning at 6:40 AM I stumbled through my dorm and somehow managed to take a shower and drag myself to class after a sleepless night on Egged bus #394 out of Eilat. After a tiring but amazing weekend I wasn't ready to get back to reality. Eilat is like paradise and it's not a good idea to visit paradise for a weekend when you live in hell and have to return to it. That's like eating a bite of the best chocolate cake you've ever had and then putting it inside a glass box with no door. But, nonetheless, it was refreshing.

Allow me to start at the beginning. I left the dorms Thursday afternoon and took a cab with a few others from the school to the bus station where I purchased my ticket and met up with Michael's friend Natalie who was also going to visit him for the weekend from "the center." Natalie and I hit it off right from the start. She's such an amazing person! She has that personality that just draws you in and wraps you in genuine warmth and kindness. So the whole 5 hours we spent chatting and getting to know each other. Let me tell you, by the time we got off the bus people watching us would have thought we'd known each other since we were young. Actually, a few people we met in Eilat did think so. One guy asked, "So where did you two meet?" and when we told him we met on the bus from Tel Aviv his eyes bulged and he said something like, "and you're already that close?"

Michael met us at the station. Let me remind you that I've known him for the greater part of two years and this was the first time I've ever actually seen him. I've met friends I made on the internet before but I honestly never thought I'd ever meet Michael because, let's face it, he lives in Israel and I never thought I'd be back for this long of a time. So! Everyone hugged and Michael and I commented on how weird it was to actually see each other and then we left to get ourselves familiar with the miracle that is Eilat.

That night I slept like a baby. I closed my eyes and they didn't open until my phone's alarm clock began it's insistant ringing. A new day was beginning! We headed over to the Shelter, which is a Christian Youth Hostel, and hung out there for a little while before we headed to Michael's apartment to watch a movie and chill out. Now, I must explain something about the Shelter. If you don't have at least a little idea of what this place is like you won't fully understand my fascination with Eilat.

The Shelter was founded by a Dutch evangelist named "John". An amazing guy with a strong desire to persue G-d. The primary reason is to shelter people who are traveling through Israel but on the side the hostel provides help for whoever G-d sends to them. Currently they're working with the Sudanese refugees from Egypt and the surrounding countries. They have a worship service on Friday nights and on Saturdays during the church service they watch the kids for free. The kids, oh man. These kids are so amazing! They were such a blessing to me! They just randomly come to the Shelter to hang out and have fun. Anyway, back to the Shelter. So, there's such a welcoming atmosphere there. You go and you immediately feel at home. G-d is definitely working in that place.

So, that's the Shelter. An amazing place full of wonderful people doing wonderful things for G-d. Now, on Saturday we had so much fun. Some of the volunteers from the Shelter took the Sudanese kids to the beach for some fun in the sun. And it was just that. So much fun! I think I'm 3 shades darker now, which I never thought was possible. Me tanning, go figure. That day we did so much I can't even think of it all. I know we had Shawarma and ice cream because three of the Shelter volunteers were leaving the next day. That was sad 'cause one of them was this awesome guy named Anthony from England. He has an amazing testimony that he's just finished writing down. He's a really great guy! I wish I had had more time to talk with him.

So Sunday I basically spent at the beach and the shelter. Around 8 o'clock was when life got REALLY interesting. Tel Aviv was already sneaking up on me, even though I wasn't even near it yet.

I wasn't planning on getting back so late but the Israeli system is so wack and they randomly changed the bus schedules a few days ago. My plan was to leave at 8 and get back to Tel Aviv by 1 AM, get some rest, and go to class. Well, we arrived at the station at a quarter til and... it was empty. Michael and I looked at each other and he says, "what day is it?" and I just looked at him with this scared deer-in-headlights look. "No, it's Sunday. Where are the buses?" So we asked the ticket guy and he informed us that the buses will now be coming every four hours instead of every other hour and the next one wasn't until 1 AM. As soon as the words were out of his mouth I began calculating the hours in my head. The bus would arrive in Tel Aviv at 6 AM and I would get home a little before 7 (The time I'm usually waking up to get to class). I figured it was G-d telling me it wasn't time to leave yet and purchased my middle-of-the-night ticket to Tel Aviv. I wasn't about to argue with G-d and who could complain?

It turned out to be good 'cause we went back to the Shelter and I swung back and forth in the hammock chatting with Mom and enjoying the last few hours of serenity before I returned to the hecktic schedule that comes with Tel Aviv. Everything goes by faster here. Even time! My weekends fly by in Tel Aviv but my weekend in Eilat was so nice and slow moving. Usually time flies when I have fun but G-d blessed me and it was a nice 3 days.

Anyway, I honestly did not mean for this post to end up so long, so if you made it to the end thank you for enduring the post. I have more pics on facebook. http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=746201994

When in Rome...

August 24, 2007

Shabbat starts when the sun goes down every Friday evening. People in Israel take this day of rest very seriously. Intrinsically, life stands still until the sun goes down the next evening. You learn quickly to go to the grocery store before Friday night and not to plan trips during. You're forced to "do as the Romans do" in a manner of speaking.

Tonight begins Shabbat. The streets are relatively quiet; as are the dorms. Us in rooms D-29-32 are getting together to have a traditional Shabbat dinner. We'll make a delicious meal, break bread, pour the wine, and sit back to enjoy the day of rest.

Really, I'm glad the country forces it on us. Back home I was subject to Shabbat every week without fail and it really was a good experience. After a long week of hectic schedules and life's problems my whole family (including my grandmother, best friend, and sister's boyfriend) would sit down to a quiet meal and enjoy each other's fellowship. It was an unspoken rule not to bring the troubles of the week to the table. It was a meal meant to be enjoyed without interruption. A day to forget everything and just rest.

I can understand why so many people fall in love with this country. I can also understand why so many love it from a distance. It takes a lot of courage and will-power to live here. It's a hard life. The political pressure, the cultural pressure, the religious pressure. You get it from everywhere. Not to mention the climate. I never realized that the weather can effect how productive you are. When it's ridiculously hot and humid outside I don't want to go out... or do anything for that matter.

The smell is drifting over. I'm taking my leave to stuff my face.

The Magical Feel of Yaffo

August 23, 2007

There's something about Yaffo that makes me feel as if I fell down Alice's rabbit hole; into a magical world full of magical people. I remember walking to and from Dugit last year just enjoying the sights and observing the people. Its buildings are so old; as though they were taken straight out of an old black and white film from the 40's.

Tonight I walked through the market in the old part of Yaffo, taking in the sights and capturing what I could of the buildings. I need to go back and take pictures of just the people. I'm so bad about getting great pictures of scenery and not focusing on the people. It's good, though, to go by themes. So, my theme tonight will be buildings.

After the wonderful market closed Stella and I met up with another girl from my Ulpan class and we went to one of her friends' bars and just sat and talked for a good hour and a half. When the beers were drank and the conversation lulled Stella and I decided to take our leave. We must not have been thinking clearly because we had the bright idea of walking back to the university since the buses had stopped running and cabs were expensive. So, we went from Rechov Allenby to the university... on foot. It took us a good two hours of walking to get to the dorms. It was good though! We can now say we walked from Allenby to the university. How many people can say that? Not many, I'm sure.

Well, once we arrived at the dorms I immediately changed out of my now-stinky clothes and sat down to write this lovely musing.

Charlie Chaplin; she's our girl!

August 21, 2007

We have a new friend. This stray cat followed us to our dorms this weekend and Stella fell in love. She really is a cutie, but the problem is half the people on our floor are allergic. It's so funny because it makes it a love/hate relationship. Right now she's comfortably snoozing on the bedspread.

I had a wonderful weekend! Thursday night was the last night of Beer Fest so a big group of us went and hung out for a few hours. It was basically uneventful. There was beer and terribly untalented bands. But everyone enjoyed their beer!

Yes, my neighbors are mixed in there. On the far left we have Ben. Next to him is Jonathan from Columbia (Not a neighbor.) Then comes Jed, Michael, and the last one is a kid from England named Dan. I don't really know him, he was just in the pic. It was a fun evening! We were at the fest for only a few hours before they ended it and then we walked the short distance to the beach where we all just sat for who knows how long just talking and enjoying the night air. It was refreshing in a strange way. But then, what part of the sea isn't refreshing?

Jerusalem

August 14, 2007

Ulpan has been crazy the past few days! I switched teachers yesterday and... I like this teacher better in most ways. The one thing that I don't like is that she doesn't speak ANY English during the class. The other teacher would at least explain things in English from time to time. I don't think they realize we're at the beginners level. Heh. So this will be a short update, due to my lack of time today to update. I will upload pictures for all of you though! Most of them are of the Military Cemetary in Jerusalem. So many stones; so many soldiers. All sacrificing their lives for Israel. The last picture is just one wall of many with the names of the soldiers on them. So, check that out.

Adjusting...

August 09, 2007

Hebrew is one messed up language. I don’t understand how it can be the language of G-d’s people. It doesn’t make any sense! I can’t even get the alefbet down!! There’s like 31 freakin’ letters! And about 15 of them look exactly the same, but those 15 all have different sounds. I swear, I’m going to end up either killing someone or committing suicide before this ulpan course is finished. No… I can do it. I must be optimistic.

So today is Thursday. Tonight is Israel’s Friday night. I’m going to go have a cappuccino, read a book, and talk to friends. This is what goes down in Israel. Well, that and clubbing but that’s not really the ideal thing for me. I’d much rather chill after a long week of intense classes. Yes, coffee and a book. Does that make me a party pooper?

So, maybe you’re wondering how I’m adjusting to college life? Heh, being a college student is definitely new to me. Well, the whole classroom setting in general is new. Heck, everything is new basically! The dorm life, the classroom, the town, the country! Everything! The only thing I can cling to that’s familiar is my every-other-day-calls home; that and the internet. What would I do without it? Thank you, whoever invented this wonderful modernity (does that work? Modernity?)! I think the weirdest thing for me, and I’m going to sound so naïve when I say this, is the fact that there are guys living across the hall and they come over to hang in our dorm because theirs “isn’t clean,” as they say. They’re cool though, so it won’t take long to get used to.

We’re getting internet in our room (hopefully) tomorrow! I’ll be so excited when I can check e-mails and update my blog and do research without having to pack everything up and lug it down to the café. I won’t know what to do with myself! I’ll be so spoiled (not).

Well, that’s my update. If you want me to be specific or something then just, you know, e-mail or comment or skype me or myspace message me… you know, there are so many ways to contact me thanks to the internet. Haha, I’m going to kiss whoever was the actual mastermind behind all this.

... Here We Are

July 31, 2007

I'm currently sitting inside the cafe on campus, sipping a lemonade. Yes, I made it in one piece! Just barely, though.

Okay, before I get too far ahead... the ride from Atlanta was uneventful, after you got passed the fact that it was delayed 3 hours due to "unstable" weather in New York. Thus, I missed my second flight out of JFK. That's alright, though. I only sat around the airport for 7 hours. I got to have New York style pizza... which I found to be utterly disgusting. Sorry to all of you pizza lovers.

So, after finally landing at Ben Gurion I was taken straight to the dorms where another surprise was awaiting me! The dorms are so nasty. No elevators, and 4 flights of stairs to climb to get to my room. Thankfully I'm not on the top floor!

Once we were settled we hit the sack for a long night of tossing and turning. None of us in my dorm slept well. And we had orientation today along with the Hebrew placement test, which I failed miserably. I literally wrote my name down and circled no to all the questions about knowing Hebrew.

Then we decided it was time to have a decent meal, so the four of us dorm mates took off to explore Tel Aviv. We ate dinner beside the Med. Sea and then explored a little more, finally deciding to return here where I'm finally able to update!

So, I have some pictures for all of you, then I'm going to hit the sack, seeing how it's 2:20AM and I've been awake since almost 6...