אני מצטער מאוד

So, it has been almost a month since I have made a post. Quite a bit has happened in said month, so I will give you the Reader's Digest version. I am very sorry about the immense posting break that happened. 

1. Day trips to Tel Aviv, Galilee, and Haifa. (There are no huge stories behind this. We honestly just don't like going to the same beach all the time.)

2. My mother and sister came to Israel. 

     This was a very busy and fun week. It helped me remember that there are cool things here. A lot of the big things (Dome of the Rock, Western Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, etc.) had become so commonplace to me that I forget about the awesomeness of where I am. Not only did I get to see my mother and sister again, but I also was able to see Jerusalem with fresh eyes.

3. I went home for graduation.

     I flew home for graduation about one week ago. Now I am back in Israel. Jetlag was crazy, and then I got sick on top of all of it, but I wouldn't have changed any of it. I will just have to plant a tree to offset my currently huge carbon footprint with this study abroad. 

These are the top three things that have happened within the past month. This past month was when school really set in, and we all got into our ruts of schoolwork and everything. My classes are all awesome and my experiences everyday here are all awesome (whether they be great acts of kindness, or great acts of de-humanization), they all leave me speechless most of the time, and fill me with awe that this could happen.

The pace of Hebrew has picked up dramatically. We think that this is because our professors realized we have less than one month left here (only 25 days) and we apparently need to finish our book (or at least get really close to finishing), and we are currently on page 340 of 469. So either this month is going to get crazy, or we are going to be doing the "highlights" of level Aleph. We are JUST starting to learn the past tense in verbs, which is awesome, since that is what I am more familiar with (having studied Biblical Hebrew). 

Getting My Ducks In A Row

Well, it turns out that I will be a little pressed for some money when I go to Jerusalem. On one hand this is nice, because I will have to stick to a very tight budget, something that I am not completely against. However, I am saddened because I may not get to see some of the things that I may want to check out while I am there. I am not as concerned with travelling over the whole countryside and jet-setting to other countries. I feel there will be enough going on in Jerusalem for me to keep myself occupied.

In other news I am getting all of my flights figured out, so I will get to New York with ample time for me to ensure that I will not miss my flight to Israel, because that would be kind of completely terrible. I am already figuring out what to pack. It is hard to think about what you will need for 6 months. In January (avg. 43-54 degrees) I will need pants and sweaters, but by the time June (avg. 65-81 degrees) comes around it will be getting somewhat warm (well by my standards, maybe not by the locals). I am a fan of really hot weather, so 81 degrees is still on the cooler side for me. However, you can see the problem.

It sounds weird complaining about clothes and such material things, but clothing is one thing that I definitely cannot afford to purchase in Israel. I have also been advised by leaders on campus to pack the things I know I won't be able to get in Israel. Things like: face wash, razor blades, favorite deodorant  favorite toothpaste, etc. I am not too concerned about shampoo, because I will cope with that one. Probably deodorant and toothpaste too. I do realize that I will probably end up bringing at least one of all of these. I don't know when the first time I will be able to go out and hunt for all of these things, since the day we fly in we go straight to the university and register.

In other news, I am searching routes to learn Akkadian. The Hebrew University offers Akkadian, which is crazy awesome. For more information you can click here. I am aware that it is a wikipedia page, but it is a nice synopsis. If anyone should know one thing about me is that I absolutely love ancient languages. Akkadian is so ancient that it makes Biblical Hebrew (which I study now) seem like a modern language. I think it is a fascinating thing to study the languages that helped the foundations of civilizations that we are familiar with today. Language is a powerful tool. It can be used to destroy, but it can also be used to create. I think people could all stand to learn a couple languages in their time on terra firma.

As of today, I have finished one of my final papers for one of my classes this semester. I now only have my 25 page (minimum) research paper for my senior thesis. I also have a final test, but I am not too concerned about it, and will probably not worry about it until the actual day. It is probably not the best strategy, but it is a strategy at least. I am also getting all of graduate school materials together and then I will eagerly be awaiting to hear either affirmative or negative on my acceptance. That also means I will be putting in for housing and loans and all of that super fun stuff before I leave for Jerusalem. Lots of do and not too much time. My visa is hopefully going to be sent of next week, and then I will be able to actually be let into Israel and stay there.

But alas, my time for blogging must come to an end for now. That huge paper will not revise itself. I will hopefully do a nice celebratory post after I finish that righteous beast.

It's Getting Tangible

I have entered in all the information for my flight to Jerusalem. I am just waiting to see if I have secured a spot on the flight or not. It is a little nerve-racking, since it is taking some time to hear back from the travel agent. If I am unable to secure a spot on this flight, then I will have to purchase tickets for my whole flight to Jerusalem. It won't be such a big deal if this is the case, but it may mean that I have to fly in a couple days early, and stay at a hotel, just to be certain I will be in Jerusalem at the proper time for registration day.

I am really excited for the classes that I will be taking at Hebrew University. The Winter Ulpan (from what it sounds like, it is essentially a J-term kind of class) will begin on the January 24, 2013 and I will apparently be taking Modern Hebrew. I haven't seen anything on the website for a course during the Winter Ulpan, but from what I have heard, it will be Modern Hebrew. If not, that means that I will have a month to get acclimated to the city and the campus. I will probably be a dork though and find some books on Modern Hebrew, because that is how much I love learned new languages. 

When the actual semester begins (on February 26, 2013) I will be taking the following classes:

Contemporary Kabbalah

Original Sins: Genesis and its Ancient Interpreters

Colloquial Arabic I (Beginners)

Modern Hebrew (Level TBD)

All of the course are 3 credits, which is different from Concordia College, where all classes are 4 credits. So, it looks like I will be having a little bit of an easy semester with only 12 credits, which is the minimum for a full-time student. However, the Modern Hebrew course is an intensive course, as we meet for about 8-10 hours a week (depending on your level placement). So Modern Hebrew actually counts for 6-7 credits. This would then bring me up to 15-16 credits, a pretty average amount for me, when I am at Concordia College.

There are so many other courses that sound absolutely amazing, but I chose not to take them. I was talking with a couple of my faculty mentors and they gave me great advice. They told me to narrow it down to all the ones that sound genuinely interesting to me. I did so, and was left with out 15 classes. Next, they told me to figure out the classes that sound similar to some that I have taken at Concordia already. Well that narrowed it down some. Then, I was told to determine what course would I be able to take more easily when I come back home to the United States. This left me with Contemporary Kabbalah and Original Sins: Genesis and it Ancient Interpreters.

As soon as I picked those classes I then moved to emailing the professors. Both of these classes are 3000 level (300-for Concordia people), so they require a prerequisite. I emailed my future professors that courses that I have taken at Concordia, as well as the catalogue description, and the grade I received. I was happen to hear back from both of them within the day, telling me that I would be allowed into the course even without the specific prerequisite course. This was a very awesome email to get.

I have also starting sending out letters, seeking any donations, if people are willing. Living in Jerusalem is not cheap, and being involved with campus organizations doesn't allow me tons of time to get hours in at a job. If anyone out there would like to contribute anything, send me an email at emarsole@cord.edu, and we can go from there.