Update

So ulpan is over and I've officially been living in Jerusalem for a month. My semester starts this Monday and I'm going to be mad busy keeping good grades until our first break. I hope you've all enjoyed my frequent updates 'cause they're about to become quite a bit less frequent. Passing Hebrew with an A is my #1 priority, second come my other classes.
I have a good feeling about this semester. I've already met so many wonderful people that I have so much in common with. I love it. I hope the classes are good!
So tonight is dedicated to chill time. Time to just sit and do nothing. heh. I seem to be dedicating quite a bit of my time to that lately. Oh well. It's good for the mind and the soul.
I got a guitar today! It's a cheap piece of crap but it plays! That's all that matters.
So, I'm going to go finish my chill time.

Valentine's Day Dinner

Valentine's Day was so fun. I chilled with my room mates, Stef and Hannah, and Hannah's boyfriend, Isaac. My room mates and I dressed up, cooked an amazing dinner, lit some candles, and had a fabulous time. Dinner was a vegetable-chicken concoction with noodles. It was fantabulous. We listened to fun music while we danced in the kitchen. We spent a ton of time at the table just chilling and having semi-deep conversations about relationships and fun times in Israel, then we transfered our bottoms to the sofas where we drank a bit more wine than we should have and smoked hookah, just enjoying the light conversation. It was definitely one of the most fun Valentine's Days I've had. I can't wait for the next holiday. We're going to have so much fun.
Today was pretty chill as well. I woke up late and sat in the living room talking to my room mates until the last moment before the stores closed for Shabbat. Then I went out and bought my weekend groceries, came back, and chilled some more. I know it sounds boring but I've had so much fun in the past few days just enjoying the company and the nice conversation. I could get used to this.

Amazing movies, hookah, and wine

It's one thing when you can live with a few people in harmony and never fight or annoy each other, it's another thing when you not only live in harmony with them and never fight but also enjoy each other's company and can just spend hours sitting and talking. That's one of the best ways to describe my relationship with my room mates. For the past couple of nights we've just been hanging out, watching amazing movies, talking, smoking hookah, and drinking wine. I can't even explain to you how awesome it is. And writing is my thing!
Today is Marla's birthday. She's turning 18 so we're taking her out for that special "you're officially an adult so let's take advantage of it" outing. I have a feeling it's going to be awesome.
Tomorrow is the last day of Ulpan for the week. The entire weekend is dedicated to those without "significant others" to be with. Sappy movies, lots of wine, hookah, chocolate... that sort of thing. We'll have Peppe to snuggle with and each other to talk to.

Furry Creatures

And so Ulpan continues. So draining. But I'm half way through! If I can hang on for these next two weeks, I'll be fine. I've picked out my classes: Archaeology in Jerusalem, Israel Through the Eyes of Writers, and Culture and Society in Contemporary Israel. I'm pretty psyched about them. They all sound amazing.
So Valentine's Day is approaching. 'Nuff said.
I really can't think of what to write about. So much is happening in my life but it's not really things I want to share with the world. I don't know. Forgive my silence. I feel inspired but nothing is coming. Well, stuff is coming but nothing that I feel inclined to share.
I GOT A RAT TODAY!! That just kind of popped into my head. My room mates and I decided we wanted a small furry creature and a ferret was too much money so we settled on a cute rat. Apparently they're very interactive and love to play. So excited about our little furry creature.
We've decided she's our love child. My room mate was talking to her boyfriend and she said, "She's our love child! You have to love her 'cause she's a part of me!" We all burst out laughing. Fun times.

My First Week

I've fallen into the Ulpan hole and I can't get out. Okay, so it's not that bad. I'm learning and I'm getting comfortable speaking. I have a great class that I'm not afraid to mess up in front of, which is good since I'm always messing up. The first test was today and I don't feel incredibly awful about it so I suppose that's a good thing.
Things at Hebrew U are going very smoothly. I love the people I've met so far; I love my dorm room; I love the area; I love living in the Holy City; I love the weather! Yes, everything is better here. Especially when you have a view like this every evening!:Yep. That's the view from my bedroom window. So amazing. And five times a day you can hear the Islamic call to prayer. Such a reminder of the magical place I've found myself in... Even if I dearly miss my Tel Aviv friends. Love you fabulous people!
So, Ulpan ends on the 21st of this month and then on the 24th we start our semester. I'm excited! There are some fabulous classes available. I just won't know what to do with myself since I only have to take four classes; and one of them is Hebrew, which for some reason doesn't seem to count in my head.
I'm hoping to get some new photos uploaded to my shutterfly account soon, but you know how I am so we'll see how soon "soon" really is.

A Winter Wonderland

It's been about two years since I've seen snow, and the last place I expected to see it was Israel. Nevertheless, it's snowing in Israel. More importantly, I'm here to see it! Life could not be better. I couldn't be happier with my decision to come here. Ulpan is fantastic. The people are fantastic. The city is fantastic. The SNOW is fantastic!! Really, it was the best decision I could have made.
Now I have to decide if it's worth it to find my way to the Old City for some major photo ops.

New Beginnings

I've never felt more alive. I know I tend to say this a lot but sometimes it just hits me. Life here in Israel has become so normal for me that most of the time I just walk around completely oblivious to the miraculous things I bear witness to.

It's hitting me today. The view from my new dorm window is phenomenal. The hills of Jerusalem running for miles sprinkled with rooftops. The echo of the prayer calls that rumble between throughout the city. The stillness that is Shabbat. The chilly, fresh air faintly smelling of the thousands of fireplaces lit to warm the thousands of homes.

I hope I never forget. I hope the city never loses its fascination in my eyes. I want to wake up every morning and be overjoyed by the thought that I'm living in the Holy City of Jerusalem.

I suppose by now you're a little confused by my sudden outburst, since the last time I posted I was living in Tel Aviv, attending the university there. So much has happened and throughout these events I have neglected my blog. I think you'll understand by the time you finish reading this. I hope.

I'll start at the beginning, though it was quite a while ago. I was wrestles with Tel Aviv. I hated the school. I hated the program. I hated it. So I decided it was time for a drastic change. I applied for the Hebrew University knowing full well that I was almost a month past the deadline to apply. The coordinator helped me through the process and was so nice to me that I couldn't help but think that this was G-d's plan all along. The application was completed, my brother was visiting, and I was planning to return home to visit for a few weeks before starting my semester in Jerusalem. G-d had other plans.

Half way through my brother's visit I got a call from the coordinator informing me that I must go through the Winter Ulpan, which was to last from January 28thto February 25th. I remember thinking as she was talking, "I'm not going home." Now, it wouldn't have fazed me except that for two months I had planned and planned my trip back home. I realize now I had centered my time here on the fact that I'd return home after my six month mark. I think G-d was a little upset about that. He has plans for me and I need to focus on what He wants from me instead of selfishly focusing on what I want.

So I reluctantly gave in to G-d and sent my brother off on the plane back home while I came to the realization that I wasn't going with him. The next day I moved into the dorms and G-d sent me a good friend of Ada's to help me bring my bags from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This woman is a Journalist here in Israel. American born, she's been living here for 20 years and when I explained my situation to her simply said, "I think it's a good thing you didn't go home. You'll realize when you do go that all you'll want to do is come back here." I have a feeling she's going to be right.

And with a newly refreshed mind and clear thoughts I plunge into the new and exciting world that is Jerusalem. It really is a different world. Different but very much still a part of G-d's bigger plan.