It's Been a While

Well it has been a while since I have made a post, but that is because I am getting settled in. Life is starting to feel like home, but I just happen to be in Jerusalem. Sitting down and budgeting for the next 5 months threw my plans into perspective. Although it would be nice to travel to different places in Israel, and Petra in Jordan, it would be better to have that money for groceries, and food. The blog posts may become mundane, but I think it is a matter of perspective. The Old City is no longer some awesome sight, it is part of my life. I have been there 3 times, and we don't need a special occasion to go. I will bring my camera every now and then to snap a few pictures.

I also have gone to the Shuk, which is a giant market area. If you are only in Jerusalem for a day, then yes, this is something that you should see. The reality for people who live here, it's where we shop for groceries and can haggle prices. We have finally started learning numbers so we can actually haggle more effectively. 

We essentially walk almost everywhere, and when we don't walk we usually take the light-rail. The light-rail is 6.60 NIS every trip (not even 2 dollars). We don't have a pass yet, since they don't issue 5-month student passes until the beginning of the new semester. We are in a sort of J-term scenario right now, so we would have had to just get a one month pass and then buy the 5-month student pass. 

As for right now, I am doing what I came here to do. I am learning. My Hebrew class is good and I am studying in Beit Midrash groups and Talmud groups to learn more about Judaism. Once semester begins my schedule will be much different, but I will be able to figure out destination plans. We are looking at going to Tel Aviv for one weekend for sure, and also to Eilat over another weekend. There are many places that I can go to all over the place, but I probably won't be spending money on a plethora of museums and whatnot. 

Something we were told by an American who moved to Israel 5 years ago, that we met while waiting for the light-rail, he said that is Israel is a wonderful place to spend a short vacation in. It can be an expensive place to live though. When you are only here for a finite time it is easy to spend money one museum, because you will be gone in about 2 days. It is hard for me to cough up the shekel every time I see a museum here because there are so many, and I would be broke extremely fast. The cities here themselves are museums, so that is how I have convinced myself and rationalized not spending the shekel on going to a bunch of museums (not to say that I will never go to any). 

There is a strong difference of eating in Israel too. Back home I would spend money and eat at school, but I can't do that here. I can't work while I am here and make a living, so (right now) it is a lot of Tupperwares of Cheerios (since I have found no plastic bags Ziploc bags here). I can't justify spending money on food at a fast food stop type in the Forum, when I know that I don't have any form of income that support this. This will change once school really starts, because then I will tons of time between classes and I will be able to come back to the village (which is about a 15 minute walk to the school - hence why I can't come back during my Ulpan classes). We shall see where the semester takes me for packing lunches and museum tours.

Peace and a Settled Life

Conference Calls and Packages

The conference calls are done, thank goodness. They were extremely informative, but since I don't live in New York City, I had to phone in. Also, since I don't have a speaker phone, I had to sit with the phone near my ear for about 2 hours. We were told about practical things, like: what to bring, where to go, and what to wear. We learned that we shouldn't worry about bedding and stuff. One of the first trips that is made is a bus to a local mall the night we get in to buy towels, bedding, and other things.

I won't find out who my roommates are until I get to Israel. They are in the process of pairing us up with roommates right now. The rooming works with 5 bedrooms (furnished with a closet, bed, and desk) and then shared common spaces (living room, kitchen, bathroom). I will also have two sets of keys, one for bedroom and one for the actual apartment. With 5 people living in the apartment they recognize that someone is always bound to lock the apartment at least once, so there is a second line of defense so to speak.

If anyone is wondering about my safety while I am there I will be quite safe on campus. Every person needs to have a student ID to essentially get anywhere on campus, including getting into the campus itself. Guests are allowed, but they have to wait at the gate for their friend or child to sign them into the campus. Bag checks will become a regular occurrence. Just to get into the mall you must wait in line first and have your bag checked.

In case anyone is wanting to send packages, I will know the address once I get there. Since I don't know my apt. # yet I can't give you much more information. Although, I do need to inform you that you need to put ample amount of postage on packages, and me as well. The mailing system is not like the US, if there is not enough postage the package will just be rejected (it was unclear if the parcel would be sent back to you), and the campus won't cover the extra costs and send us a bill, like most schools do here in the states. That means that you could send a package and it could make it all the way to Israel only to be rejected. Hopefully I will have more information about how to avoid this once I am there. They actually even advise not to send care packages, but only necessary things. That would be like a medication that the student needs. That would be sent to the New York offices and then to Israel, since the mail (in general) is not very reliable. So even if you or I write a letter it is not guaranteed that it will follow a certain time frame like it does here in the US.

If there is anything that you want to see leave a comment on this post and I will try and make it happen. Don't worry about photos, they will be coming. Also, does the new format of the blog look okay. This picture is from Greece, but I liked it better than than the one that was previously up. I still will probably be working on the look of the blog for a few more days, but it will have a steady look soon enough.

Peace and Almost Time

When It Hits Home

Less than two months!!!! I am not sure how to even handle this. I am excited, terribly sad, and apprehensive all at the same time. I have less than two weeks left in my current semester and now Jerusalem is shockingly evident. I do my Visa process tomorrow and then I have to take care of my loans and all of that good stuff.

One of the things that will be the hardest for me to overcome is missing the "lasts." I am a senior this year, so this means that I will be missing my graduation walk (which in all honesty, isn't really that sad). What I am sad for is this final month of school, because it is essentially my last month with some of the most amazing people I have ever met. And I'm not ready to say goodbye yet. I've vocalized it once before at a meeting, but it really hasn't set in until now. "I come back to no one." When I am done and return home school will have been over for at least a month. My classmates will be seeking jobs and gone, and it really sucks knowing (even though I wish it wasn't true in the slightest) that these next two weeks may be the last time I ever see some of these people ever again in my life. 

My time table is becoming smaller and smaller. There is a world of firsts before me, yet I am finally coming to terms with the lasts that are present around me. 

In my class, "Legacy of Luther," we are discussing Dorothee Soelle and her understanding of mysticism. She identifies three aspects to mysticism. They are: 

1. Be Amazed

2. Let Go

3. Resist/Heal

I finally feel like I am being amazed by my life that will be happening. It is becoming more immanent and more real. I honestly don't want to let go yet, and I think that will be the hardest for me. I won't permanently let go, of course. Simply, the idea that everyone will stay the same. Who knows. Maybe when I come home I will find out I will be in the company of my friends in the future. That would honestly be fantastic, and I can only hope. For now, the emotions are hitting hard.