Last night's Kabbalat Shabbat was awesome. We had a study session followed by very energetic services. I really enjoyed the song leader/rabbinical student that helped lead T'fillah. I don't remember his name, but he had a lot of energy and was a fantastic guitar player. After our services we all went into one of the courtyards for Shabbat dinner. It was really cool to have the entire school together eating at school.
After dinner we all sang Birkat HaMazon. I really liked that we did the whole blessing for after the meal and there was a lot of energy with us praying together after we were done eating. Once we finished the Birkat HaMazon and some Zmirot, a few of us who had been asked, got up and lead some songs in Shabbat Shira style. Some of the songs worked really well and I had a lot of fun helping to lead the songs. It has been a long time since I've lead songs like that.
Marina and I went back to our apartment and cleaned for a little bit and had some people over to our house. It was very chill and relaxing. We had maybe 10 people hang out and we just chatted for a while. I stayed up a little too late because we got up really early so I could talk to Kaitlin and then go to Shabbat Shachrit. There were some things that I really liked about T'fillah this morning, and some other things that I'm still learning.
They invited up the entire first year class to come up on the Bimah for an Aliyah. It was really cool to hear all of the voices singing the blessing together from the Bimah. I really like our class and I really liked us together. Once services were over, we had a Shabbat Kiddush in another courtyard. After a little bit of talking to people, I went home to relax and drink some water.
For the early afternoon I went to Gan Sacher with Brian to play some Ultimate Frisbee. It was a lot of fun to toss the disc around and once a few of this other guy's friends came, we got a pick up game going. It had been a very long time since I had played with anyone my age and I felt really out of shape. The other mistake that I made was to play without shoes. You see, I haven't been wearing real shoes since I got here and today I think that streak needs to come to an end.
I ended up getting huge blisters on my big toes and the game ended because I tore one of them open. Seriously, it was a brutal looking blister at the bottom of my foot. I'm annoyed with the fact that my streak is at an end but it's all good.
יהיה בסדר (It will be okay)
We still have Havdallah tonight and that should bring this chapter to it's conclusion because I start school tomorrow. Hebrew Ulpan at 8:30 in the morning.
Showing posts with label Chapter 2: Before The Storm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chapter 2: Before The Storm. Show all posts
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Orientation or Disorientation Week
After listening to four days worth of discussions, information and questions I think we have all become thoroughly disoriented. On Monday we started this process of getting to know each other with mixers and started to look at some basic texts. On Tuesday the discussion was framed about why am I here? We heard some speakers and learned a little about the college and our program. In breakout groups we talked a lot about our own personal journeys that led us to Hebrew Union College and why did we want to be here.
Wednesday was more interesting than orienting. After a series of discussions, the school wanted us to start tackling the questions of, "Why did you bring us here?"
For myself, this has never been a hard question. It would only make sense that we should spend time in Israel to learn the history of the country and immerse ourselves in Israeli culture. I guess this has been harder for other people and a much more difficult question for them.
Why has it been so easy for me to come to Israel? One of the skills that I believe we all need is a command of the Hebrew language. Understanding the history of Reform Judaism and knowing that historically Hebrew has not been an integral part of the movement. However, the times are changing and there is a sense that the early reformers missed something in throwing out that aspect. Logically, it would seem that we need to learn Hebrew in this new phase of the reform movement and it is only possible to truly get a handle on a language by being in the land that it is spoken.
As a historian, I also believe that in order for us as the future leaders of the Reform Movement to understand the past of Israel as a land and as a country. Many people in the United States have questions and frustrations with the country of Israel and already I have been asked by people to defend the country's actions. Again, there is no better place than in the land that it happens to study it.
We had a little Tiyul (hike/trip) to look at Jerusalem from a different view. We looked at it from the side that you can completely see the different parts of the city, new old and then there is the wall or border or fence that cuts through the country.
Yesterday was focused on community and understanding peoplehood. We had some more fantastic speakers talk to us and then we went on a Tiyul again. We looked into Jerusalem from Mount Scopus and from the Mount of Olives. It was incredible. Despite the dirt and grime, this country is so beautiful. I couldn't imagine better places to start to learn. I haven't put pictures on my computer yet, so when they are up, you can look at them on Facebook.
It is starting to hit me that school is really just about to start. We've already started to learn Torah and Talmud and it's fantastic, although we don't really delve into that until September. We do get to start to work on Hebrew on Sunday morning. Class starts at 8:30AM! On that note, we also learned our placement for Ulpan. I was surprised to learn that I am going to be in the 4th level out of 5. I don't know how I feel about that. I'm glad that I was placed high, but I don't know that my Hebrew is that good.
We will have to wait and see on Sunday.
It's almost Shabbat and I have a lot to do. So with that,
Shabbat Shalom
Wednesday was more interesting than orienting. After a series of discussions, the school wanted us to start tackling the questions of, "Why did you bring us here?"
For myself, this has never been a hard question. It would only make sense that we should spend time in Israel to learn the history of the country and immerse ourselves in Israeli culture. I guess this has been harder for other people and a much more difficult question for them.
Why has it been so easy for me to come to Israel? One of the skills that I believe we all need is a command of the Hebrew language. Understanding the history of Reform Judaism and knowing that historically Hebrew has not been an integral part of the movement. However, the times are changing and there is a sense that the early reformers missed something in throwing out that aspect. Logically, it would seem that we need to learn Hebrew in this new phase of the reform movement and it is only possible to truly get a handle on a language by being in the land that it is spoken.
As a historian, I also believe that in order for us as the future leaders of the Reform Movement to understand the past of Israel as a land and as a country. Many people in the United States have questions and frustrations with the country of Israel and already I have been asked by people to defend the country's actions. Again, there is no better place than in the land that it happens to study it.
We had a little Tiyul (hike/trip) to look at Jerusalem from a different view. We looked at it from the side that you can completely see the different parts of the city, new old and then there is the wall or border or fence that cuts through the country.
Yesterday was focused on community and understanding peoplehood. We had some more fantastic speakers talk to us and then we went on a Tiyul again. We looked into Jerusalem from Mount Scopus and from the Mount of Olives. It was incredible. Despite the dirt and grime, this country is so beautiful. I couldn't imagine better places to start to learn. I haven't put pictures on my computer yet, so when they are up, you can look at them on Facebook.
It is starting to hit me that school is really just about to start. We've already started to learn Torah and Talmud and it's fantastic, although we don't really delve into that until September. We do get to start to work on Hebrew on Sunday morning. Class starts at 8:30AM! On that note, we also learned our placement for Ulpan. I was surprised to learn that I am going to be in the 4th level out of 5. I don't know how I feel about that. I'm glad that I was placed high, but I don't know that my Hebrew is that good.
We will have to wait and see on Sunday.
It's almost Shabbat and I have a lot to do. So with that,
Shabbat Shalom
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Blogging at TCJewfolk
I mentioned in a blog a few posts back that I had been approached to write every so often for a Minneapolis website that tied together local, twenty-something, Jews. I sent in my first post to them a few days ago and they ran it today. I am excited to see the response that it receives. After looking through it a few times I realized that there are some minute errors in my writing, but I hope that people enjoy what I'm writing and that I will have a chance to continue to write for them through the rest of the year and maybe even into the future.
I'm sure you're wondering, "Why should I read something else you're writing?" There will be subtle differences between this blog and the one on TCJewfolk. The blog I will be writing for them will focus on what it is like as a twenty-something from Minneapolis to pickup and move to Jerusalem and start rabbinic school. This blog will continue to focus more on my daily happenings and the other one will focus on how my Minnesota background and my development as a Reform Jew.
I also want to thank TCJewfolk for asking me to write for them and I hope you check out their site for information about Jews around Minneapolis.
Post number one "Born in Minneapolis, Blogging from Jerusalem" is up already.
Shalom,
I'm sure you're wondering, "Why should I read something else you're writing?" There will be subtle differences between this blog and the one on TCJewfolk. The blog I will be writing for them will focus on what it is like as a twenty-something from Minneapolis to pickup and move to Jerusalem and start rabbinic school. This blog will continue to focus more on my daily happenings and the other one will focus on how my Minnesota background and my development as a Reform Jew.
I also want to thank TCJewfolk for asking me to write for them and I hope you check out their site for information about Jews around Minneapolis.
Post number one "Born in Minneapolis, Blogging from Jerusalem" is up already.
Shalom,
Student Visa
I learned a valuable lesson this morning, the Visa Office is a pain in the butt and I need to be there earlier. I heard the lessons from other people that went before me to get an appointment and it took me too long to get out of the house this morning. That means that by the time we got to the office, the woman had been working hard for 10 minutes and she was done making appointments. I guess that means we get to go back tomorrow to try again. We will see how many tries it will take to get the appointment. If I don't get one set up, then I guess I need to take a vacation sometime before October 3rd to reset my tourist visa.
Monday, July 12, 2010
My Happy Place
Tonight starts our orientation process. All of the students are to have arrived in Israel by now and we are supposed to start learning all about our program this year and what we are going to accomplish during our year in Israel. Yesterday I decided that I was going to do a little exploring. My mom has been telling me about this garden that she liked while she was in Jerusalem and I saw that it wasn't very far from school, so after turning in the rest of my registration materials I decided to find Yamin Moshe.
As it turns out, it is very close to school. A few minutes walk from the campus down David HaMelech. She was not kidding, the garden is fantastic. Not only is it actually green, a surprise in the desert of Israel, but there is a beautiful fountain surrounded by trees and some flowers and other plants.
Not only is this a lovely shaded area, but as I wandered the garden more I stumbled upon a larger garden and a fantastic view of the city and the sprawling suburban area near by.
I spent almost an hour walking through here just taking everything in. This is one of those moments when you are just in awe of what you are surrounded by. Since I like to have my own spot that I can go and relax if need be, I think I found my place. There are benches and sprawling lawns to relax on, or to sit and read. I also saw a sign that shows a route into the old city past an artists area. Some time I want to walk that way into the old city and see what that route is all about.
I have found my personal happy place! The only thing that was missing was a special someone to walk through the garden with me, Chubbs playing the piano and a good cup of coffee, not the "Elite Instant Caffeine Supplement" I was drinking (that will be a subject covered at a later date).
If you would like to see more pictures, I put an album up on my facebook account.
Shalom M'Yerushalayim,
(Peace from Jerusalem),
As it turns out, it is very close to school. A few minutes walk from the campus down David HaMelech. She was not kidding, the garden is fantastic. Not only is it actually green, a surprise in the desert of Israel, but there is a beautiful fountain surrounded by trees and some flowers and other plants.
Not only is this a lovely shaded area, but as I wandered the garden more I stumbled upon a larger garden and a fantastic view of the city and the sprawling suburban area near by.
I spent almost an hour walking through here just taking everything in. This is one of those moments when you are just in awe of what you are surrounded by. Since I like to have my own spot that I can go and relax if need be, I think I found my place. There are benches and sprawling lawns to relax on, or to sit and read. I also saw a sign that shows a route into the old city past an artists area. Some time I want to walk that way into the old city and see what that route is all about.
I have found my personal happy place! The only thing that was missing was a special someone to walk through the garden with me, Chubbs playing the piano and a good cup of coffee, not the "Elite Instant Caffeine Supplement" I was drinking (that will be a subject covered at a later date).
If you would like to see more pictures, I put an album up on my facebook account.
Shalom M'Yerushalayim,
(Peace from Jerusalem),
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Shoe-less and A New Toy
For those of you that know me well, you will know that I don't like shoes, especially shoes that require socks too. This is a bit strange considering I grew up somewhere that it is freezing for 3 - 6 months out of the year, but maybe that has something to do with it. This is one of my favorite parts of being in Jerusalem so far. I have not worn "shoes" since last Monday. It is fantastic! Even to services last night and to services this morning, I was able to pull off wearing Teva sandals and I haven't put real shoes on my feel. I am getting a fantastic tan-line, and that little triangle where the straps come together has already started to form. Not too bad for the first week in Israel. I've started to wonder if I will be able to pull this off through the winter. I know it may get cold enough for there to be snow, but I'm holding out hope.
The other story I wanted to share today comes from the Shuk, which I visited on Thursday. I am not good at haggling with people. It's part of my Minnesota Nice attitude, someone put a fair price on the object and I'm willing to pay it. On the way out of the shuk, I saw a lemon juicer, something I had just commented on to Ari that I could use so I wouldn't need to buy lemon juice from a store. I stopped and checked out the little plastic lemon that was sitting at one of the stands. After asking,"Cama zeh oleh?" (How much does this cost?) The salesperson told me, 15 shekles. Although this is something like $4.00, I thought to myself, nah I don't need this. I put it down and started to walk away. This was the salesman's cue to cut the price to 12 NIS (New Israeli Shekel). When I told him, "No, not today." Miraculously, the price dropped more down to 10 NIS.
At this point I thought to myself, "meh, that's good enough." So I bought it. Success! Then I got home and used this juicer. I had no idea that a lemon had this much juice inside it! Enough for the massive salad that I made last night. This little thing is one of the coolest purchases that I've made so far this year and even better that I managed to successfully drop the price. I know I really did nothing to get the price down, but it was a lot more successful than the last time I was in Israel and failed miserably each time I tried. What is even more amusing is that now that I think about it, I really saved myself something in the order of $1.50. Again, not a big deal, but don't harsh my mellow!
The other story I wanted to share today comes from the Shuk, which I visited on Thursday. I am not good at haggling with people. It's part of my Minnesota Nice attitude, someone put a fair price on the object and I'm willing to pay it. On the way out of the shuk, I saw a lemon juicer, something I had just commented on to Ari that I could use so I wouldn't need to buy lemon juice from a store. I stopped and checked out the little plastic lemon that was sitting at one of the stands. After asking,"Cama zeh oleh?" (How much does this cost?) The salesperson told me, 15 shekles. Although this is something like $4.00, I thought to myself, nah I don't need this. I put it down and started to walk away. This was the salesman's cue to cut the price to 12 NIS (New Israeli Shekel). When I told him, "No, not today." Miraculously, the price dropped more down to 10 NIS.
At this point I thought to myself, "meh, that's good enough." So I bought it. Success! Then I got home and used this juicer. I had no idea that a lemon had this much juice inside it! Enough for the massive salad that I made last night. This little thing is one of the coolest purchases that I've made so far this year and even better that I managed to successfully drop the price. I know I really did nothing to get the price down, but it was a lot more successful than the last time I was in Israel and failed miserably each time I tried. What is even more amusing is that now that I think about it, I really saved myself something in the order of $1.50. Again, not a big deal, but don't harsh my mellow!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Shabbos In Israel
Tonight is Shabbat, the end of my first week in Jerusalem. Since Marina knows a bunch of people in the area from camp, she wanted to have an OSRUI shabbat dinner. A bunch of her friends in the program and Israelis that she knows from camp came over and we made dinner in our apartment. A great excuse for us to clean out the kitchen and rearrange the apartment (I know I've been promising them, pictures will be up soon).
For t'fillah we went to Kol HaNishamah. I liked parts of their service and other parts were a bit too much for me. I really liked the different melodies that they used. There were ones that I didn't know and I was a bit lost, there were some standard melodies, some NFTY/camp melodies and even some conservative melodies that I haven't sung in a long time. I did like the service overall because it touched a lot of what I remember from my childhood at Adath, but also feels very Reform at the same time. I have some mixed feelings about it. I want to keep looking around Jerusalem for a place that I want to continue to go for services.
Tomorrow morning is a service at HUC. They're early and I want to go, but I'm not sure if I will be up in time. I've still been struggling with getting up in the morning when I need to. I will try the whole idea closing the window and not the shade. It will reduce the airflow, but I think it could help in the morning. We shall see.
We got back to the apartment and got dinner ready. I made my standard salad again. I have to say that it is a lot better with fresh vegetables from the Shuk in place of the ones from Trader Joe's that I used last time. I mean, Trader Joe's has great produce, but there is nothing better than the produce you can get fresh from a market.
Dinner was great. I like this whole pot luck thing. We all had little things ready and it turned out really well. It was a great way to break in the apartment as a small shabbat get together. Even though I didn't understand all of the inside jokes about OSRUI, I liked the community feel. Maybe I should find a way to work there next summer. It could be fun.
It's late and I want to get to services. We shall see how that works out.
Shabbat Shalom M'Yerushalayim!
For t'fillah we went to Kol HaNishamah. I liked parts of their service and other parts were a bit too much for me. I really liked the different melodies that they used. There were ones that I didn't know and I was a bit lost, there were some standard melodies, some NFTY/camp melodies and even some conservative melodies that I haven't sung in a long time. I did like the service overall because it touched a lot of what I remember from my childhood at Adath, but also feels very Reform at the same time. I have some mixed feelings about it. I want to keep looking around Jerusalem for a place that I want to continue to go for services.
Tomorrow morning is a service at HUC. They're early and I want to go, but I'm not sure if I will be up in time. I've still been struggling with getting up in the morning when I need to. I will try the whole idea closing the window and not the shade. It will reduce the airflow, but I think it could help in the morning. We shall see.
We got back to the apartment and got dinner ready. I made my standard salad again. I have to say that it is a lot better with fresh vegetables from the Shuk in place of the ones from Trader Joe's that I used last time. I mean, Trader Joe's has great produce, but there is nothing better than the produce you can get fresh from a market.
Dinner was great. I like this whole pot luck thing. We all had little things ready and it turned out really well. It was a great way to break in the apartment as a small shabbat get together. Even though I didn't understand all of the inside jokes about OSRUI, I liked the community feel. Maybe I should find a way to work there next summer. It could be fun.
It's late and I want to get to services. We shall see how that works out.
Shabbat Shalom M'Yerushalayim!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
You Really Shuk Me
I just got back from the Shuk. That is an interesting experience. First of all, it is a pretty long walk from school, which is 25 minutes from the apartment. You see, with the hills of Jerusalem, everything takes a lot longer than anticipated. Since I had yet to actually go grocery shopping, I went to the Shuk, market, so I can get vegetables for the salad that I'm making tomorrow.
If you have never been there, it is complete organized chaos. Little stands lining both sides of a covered street. Fans blowing, people pushing and shop keepers screaming at the top of their lungs about what they are selling. It is so crowded that at least twice my toes got rolled over by someone's shuk cart. For all of the people waddling and pushing their way through the street, it is well worth a visit. The prices are fantastic. 6 sheckels for 100g of spices, 10 pitot for 5 sheckels. The food is incredibly cheap and incredibly fresh. I have no idea how much I spent, but I got a lot of food, herbs and olive oil for pretty cheap.
The downside was walking back. Since I hadn't planned on going to the shuk today, I didn't bring our shuk cart. Mistake. Walking back to our apartment at 2:30 in the afternoon with a backpack full of food and water was a little tough. But this was totally worth it.
If you have never been there, it is complete organized chaos. Little stands lining both sides of a covered street. Fans blowing, people pushing and shop keepers screaming at the top of their lungs about what they are selling. It is so crowded that at least twice my toes got rolled over by someone's shuk cart. For all of the people waddling and pushing their way through the street, it is well worth a visit. The prices are fantastic. 6 sheckels for 100g of spices, 10 pitot for 5 sheckels. The food is incredibly cheap and incredibly fresh. I have no idea how much I spent, but I got a lot of food, herbs and olive oil for pretty cheap.
The downside was walking back. Since I hadn't planned on going to the shuk today, I didn't bring our shuk cart. Mistake. Walking back to our apartment at 2:30 in the afternoon with a backpack full of food and water was a little tough. But this was totally worth it.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The Story So Far
The first four days in Jerusalem have been amazing!
I've been into the old city to wander around for a while, up to Ben Yehudah street and out to Talpiyot to do some shopping. It is fantastic to not need to drive ever. In fact, the walking is probably the best part once you get past the fact that it is very hot and you need to drink three or four liters of water each day to stay fully hydrated. I can't begin to imagine how much it will take once I start to work out, maybe I will hold off on that until the summer breaks into fall.
I need to complain a bit about the dirt. My feet get dirty every day kicking a bunch of dirt up around myself as I walk. The cats too are annoying. On the whole, these are pretty minor complaints and this city is fantastic. It is still strange playing with the monopoly looking money that we have here. The fact that the half-sheckel and 1/10 of a sheckel are bigger than the 1, 2, 5 or 10 sheckle piece is just odd to me. I'm also still getting used to needing to carry all of these coins in my pocket.
I have been using a lot of Hebrew lately. In fact, there have been many times that I have made purchases, asked for help and given help to people on the street entirely in Hebrew. I probably sound like an American, but that doesn't really matter to me right now.
Speaking of Hebrew, we need to take a Hebrew placement test to set us into the correct group for Ulpan, which starts a week from Monday. The first page of this exam was pretty easy. Then I started working on the second page and so on. I have never worked on an exam that has gotten so hard so quickly. I want to do well on it because it determines what level we start at, but there are parts where I have just plain forgot some of the Hebrew words I should know.
One thing I have noticed around here that I like a lot is Israeli Standard Time. Things just work slowly here, unless you are in a car. For example when you order food at a shop. The person working at the stand could get you your food in about a minute or it may take 10 minutes to get your bagel ready (bagel is a term loosely used to describe bread cut in the shape of a bagel).
The people have been great so far. I have been meeting other students from the other campuses and it looks like our class is really interesting, especially the class that I will be with in Cincinnati for the four years after Israel. I hope to have more pictures to put up and be blogging more often that once every four days.
L'Shalom M'Yerushalayim,
(in peace from Jerusalem)
I've been into the old city to wander around for a while, up to Ben Yehudah street and out to Talpiyot to do some shopping. It is fantastic to not need to drive ever. In fact, the walking is probably the best part once you get past the fact that it is very hot and you need to drink three or four liters of water each day to stay fully hydrated. I can't begin to imagine how much it will take once I start to work out, maybe I will hold off on that until the summer breaks into fall.
I need to complain a bit about the dirt. My feet get dirty every day kicking a bunch of dirt up around myself as I walk. The cats too are annoying. On the whole, these are pretty minor complaints and this city is fantastic. It is still strange playing with the monopoly looking money that we have here. The fact that the half-sheckel and 1/10 of a sheckel are bigger than the 1, 2, 5 or 10 sheckle piece is just odd to me. I'm also still getting used to needing to carry all of these coins in my pocket.
I have been using a lot of Hebrew lately. In fact, there have been many times that I have made purchases, asked for help and given help to people on the street entirely in Hebrew. I probably sound like an American, but that doesn't really matter to me right now.
Speaking of Hebrew, we need to take a Hebrew placement test to set us into the correct group for Ulpan, which starts a week from Monday. The first page of this exam was pretty easy. Then I started working on the second page and so on. I have never worked on an exam that has gotten so hard so quickly. I want to do well on it because it determines what level we start at, but there are parts where I have just plain forgot some of the Hebrew words I should know.
One thing I have noticed around here that I like a lot is Israeli Standard Time. Things just work slowly here, unless you are in a car. For example when you order food at a shop. The person working at the stand could get you your food in about a minute or it may take 10 minutes to get your bagel ready (bagel is a term loosely used to describe bread cut in the shape of a bagel).
The people have been great so far. I have been meeting other students from the other campuses and it looks like our class is really interesting, especially the class that I will be with in Cincinnati for the four years after Israel. I hope to have more pictures to put up and be blogging more often that once every four days.
L'Shalom M'Yerushalayim,
(in peace from Jerusalem)
Packing Fail Leads To A Terrible Haircut
In an effort to pack light, I chose to bring my portable beard trimmer to also use as a head shaver. Not a good idea to skimp on that item. I went to give myself a shave today and about 2/3 of the way through, it died. Completely died. It wouldn't work at all and I needed to charge it. As I had very little time I had two other choices for the day. Choosing between wearing a hood for the night or shaving my head bald was an easy choice.
With only a few scrapes against my scalp I was able to "fix" my haircut. Believe me, I am not happy about it. I was left with very little choice. In the end it is just hair and it will grow back. On the bright side, the Jerusalem summer will be cooler until I get a little hair on the top of my head and the new Kippah I got from the Kippah man on Ben Yehuda Street will go a ways to keeping some of the heat on my head.
Ugh
With only a few scrapes against my scalp I was able to "fix" my haircut. Believe me, I am not happy about it. I was left with very little choice. In the end it is just hair and it will grow back. On the bright side, the Jerusalem summer will be cooler until I get a little hair on the top of my head and the new Kippah I got from the Kippah man on Ben Yehuda Street will go a ways to keeping some of the heat on my head.
Ugh
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Travel Log
This trip was very uneventful in comparison other flights I had. The trip between Minneapolis and Philadelphia was fast and pleasant. I merely read a lot and we were on the ground shortly. It took a long time for my guitar to come out from the gate check, but with a four-hour layover it's not like I was in much of a hurry. The time came in handy sine the airport is very large in Philadelphia. But there were a bunch of places that I could sit and eat and hang out to make some phone calls and read some more.
When we were about to take off, it was very pretty. The sun had just started to set and there was a dull orange splitting the night sky from the daytime. Then as we climbed higher in the sky, the colors separated into a bright rainbow. Being that it was the 3rd of July, of course there were fireworks. Not quite as cool as I would have thought, but it was still nice to see them going off celebrating the holiday.
On the ground, I got through customs and passport control without major issues and met up with a friend from camp TEKO, who gave me a ride down to Tel Aviv. It is really cool to see some of the history lining the side of the road to Jerusalem. We got to the apartment and unloaded all my stuff that I brought for the year. The place is a lot nicer than I thought, even after seeing it on Skype the other day.
I met a bunch of the other students and we hung out at someone's apartment before heading home. Right now I have most of my stuff put away. I'm exhausted and heading to bed. Maybe I won't have to deal with jet lag tomorrow.
Shalom from Jerusalem
When we were about to take off, it was very pretty. The sun had just started to set and there was a dull orange splitting the night sky from the daytime. Then as we climbed higher in the sky, the colors separated into a bright rainbow. Being that it was the 3rd of July, of course there were fireworks. Not quite as cool as I would have thought, but it was still nice to see them going off celebrating the holiday.
On the ground, I got through customs and passport control without major issues and met up with a friend from camp TEKO, who gave me a ride down to Tel Aviv. It is really cool to see some of the history lining the side of the road to Jerusalem. We got to the apartment and unloaded all my stuff that I brought for the year. The place is a lot nicer than I thought, even after seeing it on Skype the other day.
I met a bunch of the other students and we hung out at someone's apartment before heading home. Right now I have most of my stuff put away. I'm exhausted and heading to bed. Maybe I won't have to deal with jet lag tomorrow.
Shalom from Jerusalem
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)