Saturday, April 17, 2010
ATHENS!!! Days 1-3
Hello Everyone..I know its been a long time since my last post..so here comes a major update. For Passover vacation I went to Greece with 3 of my roommates, Becka/Ilana/Emily, another friend on my program Sam, and my friend Nikki from high school. Our journey started with a Sheirut from the Student Village to the Tel Aviv airport. I unfortunately was "the one" to get personally searched and searched again at the airport in Tel Aviv. They took everything out of my bags and stuch that little metal dector thing in every item I brought..go figure it was me--just my luck. We got the airport with plenty of time so it was no big deal and we FINALLY made it down to the gate. We then boarded our flight to Athens, I took a 2 hour nap, and woke up more/less in Athens! A friend of mine, Hillary, who was on the Hebrew U program a couple years ago, also went to Greece for her Passover vacation so she gave us great recs and a plan for what we should do/see in Greece. After landing in Athens we took the metro to the city where our hostel was. The metro was our first Greek experience---and it was interesting. Not many pepole spoke English and they were mad at us for taking up so much room with our bags, luckily this crazy English speaking woman helped us communicate a bit and gave us some pointers about how to fit "in" with Greeks....including the #1 thing Americans should do in foreign countries..BE QUIET!! We eventually found our way to our hostel..it was in an amazing location in the city of Plaka, walking distance from everything cool in Athens. By the time we got settled it was dinner time and we went out for our first meal in Greece. It was unfortunately DISGUSTING but don't worry..our eating drastically improved from that point on. We went to bed early because we knew we had a full day ahead of us.
The next day we woke up early and went to a delicious crepe place for brunch. After that we walked to the president's palace and saw the changing of the guards, it was very similar to London. Then we walked to the main street for the Independence Day parade..its the July 4th for Greece. It was really cool and EVERYONE was outside in the center of the city. After the parade was over and the streets reopened we went to Olympic Stadium, it was really really cool..AND HUGE. I took lots of pictures! Oh and fun fact..in the states we have squirrels..in Israel there are cats..and in Athens..DOGS..THERE ARE DOGS EVERYWHERE! Its really weird! Guess where we went next..my favorite place in America..well second favorite to Dunkin Donuts..we went to STARBUCKS! I had my first Starbucks since being in America and it was delicious! Nikki and I were so so happy! After our little refreshment we went to a huge flea market and walked around for the afternoon. I bought a couple gifts and took lots of pictures of the city. Around 5pm we started hiking/walking up this hill...the highest peak in Athens..to watch the sunset. It was gorgeous..one of the most spectacular views I have ever seen! Check out the pics on facebook! Finally it was dinner time and we had a traditional greek meal at this really cute restaurant that offered us free wine. I ordered a gyro plate..and the tzatiki sauce was amazing! After dinner we got drinks at this outdoor bar on a rooftop looking out at the Acropolis. It was another great view! Then it was bedtime because we had a huge tourist day ahead!
The next day we woke up..had a great Starbucks breakfast (obviously) and headed to the Acropolis. We saw everything ancient you can possible see in Greece..only to find out..at the indoor Acropolis museum, that the majority of the ruins at the acutal site are replicas and the real stuff is in the museum. It totally crushed our spirits but at least we got to go to the museum. After the museum we had lunch..one of the many Greek Salads complete with a HUNK of amazing Feta cheese. I saw my friend Alex Edwards at the bottom of the acropolis after lunch..it was so so funny to run into her! There were so many study-abroad kids that we ran into throughout the trip that were touring Greece for spring vacation. After a day of seeing ruins and ancient things we decided to go to Chabad in Athens for a Shabbat. It was so so nice, great meal, great people, and it felt good to celebrate shabbat..we were missing Jerusalem a little bit so this brought us closer to home. We walked to Chabad and got a bit lost on the way and stopped to try to talk to a policeman but the language barrier was too much and then we saw these tall men in black hats and black coats and decided with was safe to follow them..haha turns out we were following a HUGE CROWD of jews leaving shul en route to Chabad..perfect timing! After Chabad we went back to the hostel and went to sleep because we had to leave for the ferry to Santorini at 545am the next day.
More on Santorini to come..love and miss all of you!
Kayla
The next day we woke up early and went to a delicious crepe place for brunch. After that we walked to the president's palace and saw the changing of the guards, it was very similar to London. Then we walked to the main street for the Independence Day parade..its the July 4th for Greece. It was really cool and EVERYONE was outside in the center of the city. After the parade was over and the streets reopened we went to Olympic Stadium, it was really really cool..AND HUGE. I took lots of pictures! Oh and fun fact..in the states we have squirrels..in Israel there are cats..and in Athens..DOGS..THERE ARE DOGS EVERYWHERE! Its really weird! Guess where we went next..my favorite place in America..well second favorite to Dunkin Donuts..we went to STARBUCKS! I had my first Starbucks since being in America and it was delicious! Nikki and I were so so happy! After our little refreshment we went to a huge flea market and walked around for the afternoon. I bought a couple gifts and took lots of pictures of the city. Around 5pm we started hiking/walking up this hill...the highest peak in Athens..to watch the sunset. It was gorgeous..one of the most spectacular views I have ever seen! Check out the pics on facebook! Finally it was dinner time and we had a traditional greek meal at this really cute restaurant that offered us free wine. I ordered a gyro plate..and the tzatiki sauce was amazing! After dinner we got drinks at this outdoor bar on a rooftop looking out at the Acropolis. It was another great view! Then it was bedtime because we had a huge tourist day ahead!
The next day we woke up..had a great Starbucks breakfast (obviously) and headed to the Acropolis. We saw everything ancient you can possible see in Greece..only to find out..at the indoor Acropolis museum, that the majority of the ruins at the acutal site are replicas and the real stuff is in the museum. It totally crushed our spirits but at least we got to go to the museum. After the museum we had lunch..one of the many Greek Salads complete with a HUNK of amazing Feta cheese. I saw my friend Alex Edwards at the bottom of the acropolis after lunch..it was so so funny to run into her! There were so many study-abroad kids that we ran into throughout the trip that were touring Greece for spring vacation. After a day of seeing ruins and ancient things we decided to go to Chabad in Athens for a Shabbat. It was so so nice, great meal, great people, and it felt good to celebrate shabbat..we were missing Jerusalem a little bit so this brought us closer to home. We walked to Chabad and got a bit lost on the way and stopped to try to talk to a policeman but the language barrier was too much and then we saw these tall men in black hats and black coats and decided with was safe to follow them..haha turns out we were following a HUGE CROWD of jews leaving shul en route to Chabad..perfect timing! After Chabad we went back to the hostel and went to sleep because we had to leave for the ferry to Santorini at 545am the next day.
More on Santorini to come..love and miss all of you!
Kayla
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Palestinian Protests
As I mentioned in my last blog..there have been escalating tensions here in Jerusalem. The Hamas Organization is protesting the opening/rebuilding of a ancient temple in the Old City that was destroyed in the 6-Day War. Hamas declared today as "the day of rage" and threatened violence and bloodshed in East Jerusalem. Protests did occur in East Jerusalem and the army/police thwarted the attacks with by using guns with rubbet bullets and other methods to detain the Palestinians. We have be asked not to go to the Old City, ride buses, and practice safe traveling methods. The student village, where I live, is located on French Hill, a primarily Arab neighborhood. Our madrichiem have asked us not to walk anywhere in French Hill and take taxi cabs to all our destinations. I was woken up this morning at 6am by helicopters flying above the student village, passed 5 armed guards at the south entrance of the village, had the usual bag check and walk through the metal detector upon entering campus, and then received a text message mid-day regarding the specific locations of the riots thus far. The school, our madrichiem, and the student community is doing everything possible to live normally and stay safe.
I do not feel completely safe however..this is what living in Jerusalem is like...there is always a "what-if." I would not trade in any of my experiences here thus far..and could not picture living anywhere else this semester. After school, my roommates and I came home and spent hours looking up articles and other things to educate ourselves about whats going on. I saw that temple under-construction when I was here in the summer for birthright..and I saw it almost complete a couple weeks ago when I was in the Old City for Shabbat. We are actually living the conflict and it is quite the experience. I hope everyone will also take some time to read up on the situation here..about the temple, the prayer situation at the Temple Mount, the protests, and the US involvement.
Love always
Kayla
I do not feel completely safe however..this is what living in Jerusalem is like...there is always a "what-if." I would not trade in any of my experiences here thus far..and could not picture living anywhere else this semester. After school, my roommates and I came home and spent hours looking up articles and other things to educate ourselves about whats going on. I saw that temple under-construction when I was here in the summer for birthright..and I saw it almost complete a couple weeks ago when I was in the Old City for Shabbat. We are actually living the conflict and it is quite the experience. I hope everyone will also take some time to read up on the situation here..about the temple, the prayer situation at the Temple Mount, the protests, and the US involvement.
Love always
Kayla
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Major Update!
School Week Update:
Monday we went on our first field trip in Archaeology of Jerusalem. On the field trip we went to the Mount of Olives and to the City of David. Mount of Olives was really awesome...and I learned so much about Jerusalem as the "holy-city." Mount of Olives is about 10 minutes from Mount Scopus, where I live, and where Hebrew University is located. We can see Mount of Olives from the look-out on campus. Mount of Olives is very holy..said to be the place where Jesus was resurrected, where Muslims will start their walk to the Temple Mount on Judgement Day, and home of the Jewish Cemetary (jewish cemetaries are always located outside city walls, in this case, outside of the holy city of Jerusalem.) From the Mount of Olives you have a perfect view of the Temple Mount, the holiest place on Earth for many people. After the Mount of Olives we boarded the bus to the City of David. We learned all about the city, how it was constructed, protected, and hypothesized where the actual kingdom of David stood..no one knows for sure where it was. We walked through underground tunnels used for protection and saw the spring/pool where much of the water supply came from. It was a really cool experience..I love this class because its like getting a guided tour of the city..FOR FREE, and personalized. Wednesday I had my first test in a non-hebrew class..my holocaust class. It was all essays and identifications..but I think it went okay.
Weekend Update:
SUCH A GREAT WEEKEND! Thursday we did our own little Tiyul (trip.) Me, Becka, Emily, and two of our guy friends Max and Matt took a bus to Ein Geidi and the Dead Sea. Its about and hour and 15 minutes from Jerusalem. We started hiking Ein Geidi and swam in the fresh water springs. It was a great day..hot, but just perfect for a swim. Ein Geidi is home to many waterfalls and springs, and the hike is gorgeous. After the hike we walked to the dead sea, had lunch, and floated the afternoon away. Max and Matt covered themselves in some mud and did some good exfoliating. The dead sea is the lowest place on earth! It was such a weird experience to float..no matter how hard to try you actually cannot sink..the water just pushes you right up! It hurts a little bit because all the salt gets into your scrapes/cuts/ or if you have recently shaved your legs..it doesnt exactly feel so good..but your skin feels amazing afterwards! It was so much fun to travel in a small group, and do what we wanted to do..take our time..and really explore.
Friday me and Becka woke up at 530am to get ready for our overnight hike in the Judean lowlands, left at 630am. We spent all day hiking, it was super hot out. We went on the hike with about 30 other kids from our program, Inna (our madrich), Ori (our hiking leader,) and 2 guards. It was our job to navigate the hike, we got lost one time and had to trek through ferns/trees/brush to get back to the trail. After 7 hours of hiking we took a nice long lunch break in a shady area. We all took the food from the bus in our backpacks and carried it communally. We made Tahina, brought bread, corn, tuna, chocolate spread, peanut butter, tomatoes, cucumbers..it was delicious. And I was starving! We continued hiking after lunch till sunset when we finally reached our "camp grounds." We set up camp..and by camp..I mean..I unrolled a sleeping bag on a bed of rocks. Then we made two fires and started cooking dinner. Dinner was rice, vegetable soup, and potatoes..all made by us, using communal dishes. After dinner we roasted some questionable israeli/kosher marshmellos and went to bed. I don't think I slept a solid hour because I literally had rocks jabbing into my back and woke up covered in morning dew. Oh, and as hot as it was during the day...it was EVEN colder at night. It was quite the experience, one that we laughed about the entire time. We were woken up by the guards at 630am to have a quick breakfast of cereal, peanut butter, and bread..and we started hiking again. We hiked..had a similiar lunch..and then stopped hiking at sundown. There were a couple kids on our trip who are Shomer Shabbos (meaning the keep Shabbat) so we were not allowed to leave by bus until after sunset..after shabbat ended. I came back..took a well deserved shower..and passed out watching Friends in my bed..AT 9:15pm!!! I was so exhauseted! It was the best workout I have ever had...we hiked about 30 kilometers! I got very tan :).
Update as of Today:
In class I received a text message from our program, it warned us not to visit the old city for the next couple days due to rising tensions in Jerusalem. Joe Biden came to speak on Thursday in Tel Aviv. There have been issues regarding territory in Jerusalem between the Arabs and the Jews. I encourage everyone to read and educate themselves about it. After walking home from class I could already see a change in energy in Jerusalem. At the entrance to our apartment complex instead of one guard checking IDs there were about 5 armed guards patrolling the entrance and ID check was intense. We also received messages from our Madrichim to stay away from the Old City. I don't want anyone to worry..we are exercising caution..listening to all the warnings and being safe. I do want people to read about it..read about the situation I am living every day because it is important that Americans stay informed because we have such a strong connection to Israel.
I will be posting picutres from the weekend very soon. Hope everyone is doing well. Love and miss always
Kayla
Monday we went on our first field trip in Archaeology of Jerusalem. On the field trip we went to the Mount of Olives and to the City of David. Mount of Olives was really awesome...and I learned so much about Jerusalem as the "holy-city." Mount of Olives is about 10 minutes from Mount Scopus, where I live, and where Hebrew University is located. We can see Mount of Olives from the look-out on campus. Mount of Olives is very holy..said to be the place where Jesus was resurrected, where Muslims will start their walk to the Temple Mount on Judgement Day, and home of the Jewish Cemetary (jewish cemetaries are always located outside city walls, in this case, outside of the holy city of Jerusalem.) From the Mount of Olives you have a perfect view of the Temple Mount, the holiest place on Earth for many people. After the Mount of Olives we boarded the bus to the City of David. We learned all about the city, how it was constructed, protected, and hypothesized where the actual kingdom of David stood..no one knows for sure where it was. We walked through underground tunnels used for protection and saw the spring/pool where much of the water supply came from. It was a really cool experience..I love this class because its like getting a guided tour of the city..FOR FREE, and personalized. Wednesday I had my first test in a non-hebrew class..my holocaust class. It was all essays and identifications..but I think it went okay.
Weekend Update:
SUCH A GREAT WEEKEND! Thursday we did our own little Tiyul (trip.) Me, Becka, Emily, and two of our guy friends Max and Matt took a bus to Ein Geidi and the Dead Sea. Its about and hour and 15 minutes from Jerusalem. We started hiking Ein Geidi and swam in the fresh water springs. It was a great day..hot, but just perfect for a swim. Ein Geidi is home to many waterfalls and springs, and the hike is gorgeous. After the hike we walked to the dead sea, had lunch, and floated the afternoon away. Max and Matt covered themselves in some mud and did some good exfoliating. The dead sea is the lowest place on earth! It was such a weird experience to float..no matter how hard to try you actually cannot sink..the water just pushes you right up! It hurts a little bit because all the salt gets into your scrapes/cuts/ or if you have recently shaved your legs..it doesnt exactly feel so good..but your skin feels amazing afterwards! It was so much fun to travel in a small group, and do what we wanted to do..take our time..and really explore.
Friday me and Becka woke up at 530am to get ready for our overnight hike in the Judean lowlands, left at 630am. We spent all day hiking, it was super hot out. We went on the hike with about 30 other kids from our program, Inna (our madrich), Ori (our hiking leader,) and 2 guards. It was our job to navigate the hike, we got lost one time and had to trek through ferns/trees/brush to get back to the trail. After 7 hours of hiking we took a nice long lunch break in a shady area. We all took the food from the bus in our backpacks and carried it communally. We made Tahina, brought bread, corn, tuna, chocolate spread, peanut butter, tomatoes, cucumbers..it was delicious. And I was starving! We continued hiking after lunch till sunset when we finally reached our "camp grounds." We set up camp..and by camp..I mean..I unrolled a sleeping bag on a bed of rocks. Then we made two fires and started cooking dinner. Dinner was rice, vegetable soup, and potatoes..all made by us, using communal dishes. After dinner we roasted some questionable israeli/kosher marshmellos and went to bed. I don't think I slept a solid hour because I literally had rocks jabbing into my back and woke up covered in morning dew. Oh, and as hot as it was during the day...it was EVEN colder at night. It was quite the experience, one that we laughed about the entire time. We were woken up by the guards at 630am to have a quick breakfast of cereal, peanut butter, and bread..and we started hiking again. We hiked..had a similiar lunch..and then stopped hiking at sundown. There were a couple kids on our trip who are Shomer Shabbos (meaning the keep Shabbat) so we were not allowed to leave by bus until after sunset..after shabbat ended. I came back..took a well deserved shower..and passed out watching Friends in my bed..AT 9:15pm!!! I was so exhauseted! It was the best workout I have ever had...we hiked about 30 kilometers! I got very tan :).
Update as of Today:
In class I received a text message from our program, it warned us not to visit the old city for the next couple days due to rising tensions in Jerusalem. Joe Biden came to speak on Thursday in Tel Aviv. There have been issues regarding territory in Jerusalem between the Arabs and the Jews. I encourage everyone to read and educate themselves about it. After walking home from class I could already see a change in energy in Jerusalem. At the entrance to our apartment complex instead of one guard checking IDs there were about 5 armed guards patrolling the entrance and ID check was intense. We also received messages from our Madrichim to stay away from the Old City. I don't want anyone to worry..we are exercising caution..listening to all the warnings and being safe. I do want people to read about it..read about the situation I am living every day because it is important that Americans stay informed because we have such a strong connection to Israel.
I will be posting picutres from the weekend very soon. Hope everyone is doing well. Love and miss always
Kayla
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Life on a Yacht
I can without a question say that this weekend was the best weekend I have had in Israel. I only had 2 days of school this week because of Purim Break. My friend from WashU, Morton, came to visit from Paris (she is studying abroad.) It was so nice to see her and have another WashU connection. It made me feel more at home and it was so great to catch up with her. We explored downtown Jerusalem and she slept over and met all my friends. She also got a chance to visit with some of her camp friends and explore the Old City and other fun spots in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Start of the AMAZING weekend: The weather was perfect..upper 70-80s all weekend.
Thursday my roommates, my friend Max, and I all went to the zoo, its really called the Biblical Zoo. It is on the other side of Jerusalem (from Hebrew University,) and we had to wait an hour for the bus to come, and then it was about an hour bus ride--BUT it was totally worth it. It was such a cool zoo. They had your classic zoo animals and then some more exotic/different animals such as the Red Panda, a 3-legged cheetah, a herd of elephants, and much much more. All the animals were outside and the area is beautiful..its on a mountain. It was unreal to be in a zoo in the middle of ISRAEL..ha very weird..not free like the St. Louis zoo (yay) but we got a student discount. All the signs about the animals are in Hebrew and English. It was a cultural experience in itself...and I don't mean just the animals. The people watching was great! Its a different experience to see clusters of little orthodox children with their payas screaming and playing in hebrew and the mothers in the skirts, and the dads in black suits with big top hats--very Jerusalem. Overall--great day, I will definitly be going back!
Friday we left early in the morning via a Sherut (group taxi) to Herzliya--a port town near Tel Aviv. A man, Sergio, that I met in my Ulpan class invited my and 8 of my friends to stay on his boat for the weekend. Sergio is one of the most interesting/kindest/friendliest person I have ever met. He sailed to Israel on his boat with his 3 adorable kids and wife from Brazil. He speaks 4 languages, studied engineering at Cornell and business at Harvard, and lives life to the fullest. He was my partner during Ulpan and is in my Hebrew class for this semester. He invited me and two other boys, Jeff and Matt, from our Ulpan to come visit Herzliya anytime and stay on his boat. We took him up on his offer and brought my roommates (Becka/Leah/Emily/Ilana) and Jeff's friend from camp Nimrad. We arrived in Herzliya and met up with Sergio, his wife, and his youngest son Natan (2 years old) at the boat. They gave us the tour of the boat..its gorgeous/unreal..4 bedrooms, bathrooms, showers, kitchen, breakfast room, tv, THE WORKS. After the tour they went back to Jerusalem for the night and planned to meet back up with us on Saturday. All of us immediately changed into our bathing suits and headed out to the beach. It was gorgeous, 80 degrees and sunny. We laid out on the beach all afternoon! After the beach we went back to the boat and relaxed some more then went back to the port for dinner. We had a delicous meal outside overlooking the marina and celebrated being abroad together in Israel, good friends, good people, and good times in general. After dinner we went back to the boat and played music, played some cards and ended the evening with a classic film: SPACE JAM! Sergio's right hand man..his good friend and boat hand..lives on the boat and had some friends there as well. There were many language barriers--portuguese, spanish, hebrew, and english--ha its so cool to have that many cultures on ONE BOAT. Becka, Ilana and I took the kids room on the boat and all cuddled together in our borrowed sleeping bags from everyone on our program. Saturday morning we slept in a little and then laid out on the boat for a bit. After that we headed to the port for brunch...probably one of the best meals I have eaten in Israel. Becka and I shared the couples breakfast---it had everything you can imagine in it...eggs/cheese/tuna salad/tomato and cucumber salad/bread/marinated tomatos/white cheese/espresso/grapefruit juice AND more! It was delicious! We headed back to the boat after and met up with Sergio and his family. We played puzzles/cars with his kids..ages 2,4,and 6. Then had one final hour in the sun and took a Sherut back to Jerusalem. Overall AMAZING. Pictures to follow...
Going to go take a nap and gear up for the school week. I have a hebrew test and a test in my Holocaust class.
Love you all..hope everything is good back in the states.
Kayla
Start of the AMAZING weekend: The weather was perfect..upper 70-80s all weekend.
Thursday my roommates, my friend Max, and I all went to the zoo, its really called the Biblical Zoo. It is on the other side of Jerusalem (from Hebrew University,) and we had to wait an hour for the bus to come, and then it was about an hour bus ride--BUT it was totally worth it. It was such a cool zoo. They had your classic zoo animals and then some more exotic/different animals such as the Red Panda, a 3-legged cheetah, a herd of elephants, and much much more. All the animals were outside and the area is beautiful..its on a mountain. It was unreal to be in a zoo in the middle of ISRAEL..ha very weird..not free like the St. Louis zoo (yay) but we got a student discount. All the signs about the animals are in Hebrew and English. It was a cultural experience in itself...and I don't mean just the animals. The people watching was great! Its a different experience to see clusters of little orthodox children with their payas screaming and playing in hebrew and the mothers in the skirts, and the dads in black suits with big top hats--very Jerusalem. Overall--great day, I will definitly be going back!
Friday we left early in the morning via a Sherut (group taxi) to Herzliya--a port town near Tel Aviv. A man, Sergio, that I met in my Ulpan class invited my and 8 of my friends to stay on his boat for the weekend. Sergio is one of the most interesting/kindest/friendliest person I have ever met. He sailed to Israel on his boat with his 3 adorable kids and wife from Brazil. He speaks 4 languages, studied engineering at Cornell and business at Harvard, and lives life to the fullest. He was my partner during Ulpan and is in my Hebrew class for this semester. He invited me and two other boys, Jeff and Matt, from our Ulpan to come visit Herzliya anytime and stay on his boat. We took him up on his offer and brought my roommates (Becka/Leah/Emily/Ilana) and Jeff's friend from camp Nimrad. We arrived in Herzliya and met up with Sergio, his wife, and his youngest son Natan (2 years old) at the boat. They gave us the tour of the boat..its gorgeous/unreal..4 bedrooms, bathrooms, showers, kitchen, breakfast room, tv, THE WORKS. After the tour they went back to Jerusalem for the night and planned to meet back up with us on Saturday. All of us immediately changed into our bathing suits and headed out to the beach. It was gorgeous, 80 degrees and sunny. We laid out on the beach all afternoon! After the beach we went back to the boat and relaxed some more then went back to the port for dinner. We had a delicous meal outside overlooking the marina and celebrated being abroad together in Israel, good friends, good people, and good times in general. After dinner we went back to the boat and played music, played some cards and ended the evening with a classic film: SPACE JAM! Sergio's right hand man..his good friend and boat hand..lives on the boat and had some friends there as well. There were many language barriers--portuguese, spanish, hebrew, and english--ha its so cool to have that many cultures on ONE BOAT. Becka, Ilana and I took the kids room on the boat and all cuddled together in our borrowed sleeping bags from everyone on our program. Saturday morning we slept in a little and then laid out on the boat for a bit. After that we headed to the port for brunch...probably one of the best meals I have eaten in Israel. Becka and I shared the couples breakfast---it had everything you can imagine in it...eggs/cheese/tuna salad/tomato and cucumber salad/bread/marinated tomatos/white cheese/espresso/grapefruit juice AND more! It was delicious! We headed back to the boat after and met up with Sergio and his family. We played puzzles/cars with his kids..ages 2,4,and 6. Then had one final hour in the sun and took a Sherut back to Jerusalem. Overall AMAZING. Pictures to follow...
Going to go take a nap and gear up for the school week. I have a hebrew test and a test in my Holocaust class.
Love you all..hope everything is good back in the states.
Kayla
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Hag Samech! Happy Purim
Happy Purim!
I am currently enjoying my 5 day weekend--its Purim Break! I don't have class on Thursdays and we are off school Sunday and Monday for Purim Break.
Week Update:
Successfully finished my first week of school. On Sunday I have Arab Israeli Conflict, 4 hour class :(, I think its going to be really interesting but its hard to sit in a classroom for that long. On Monday I have hebrew in the morning..I have a new Hebrew teacher who is super tough--we have tests every day, but I know I will learn a lot. I advanced to the highest Bet level after my Ulpan so things are moving super fast. Monday afternoon I have Archaelogy of Jerusalem...it is also a 4 hour class but we go on field trips every other week. Its going to be really cool, we learn about the sites in lecture and then actually go visit archaeological digs all over Jerusalem. Its going to be a unique way to explore. Monday evenings I have a class called Jewish and Non-Jewish Relations in the Holocaust..it is my favorite class. The teacher is awesome and we are going to be learning about the Holocaust from so many different perspectives and at the end of the class we are going to Yad V'shem..the holocaust museum in Israel. On Tuesday I only have Hebrew---and it starts in the morning so I have the whole afternoon freeeee! On Wednesday I have Hebrew in the morning and the Holocaust class in the evening..and thats it! School is so nice/stress free and really laid back. During the week my roommate Becka and I cooked salmon that we bought and basically killed at the shuk. We learned from our mistakes and need to ask for a steak slice next time because there were a lot of bones in the fish. But it was delicious nonetheless...we marinated it in tomatoes, onions, lemon juice, and garlic..YUM! We are quite the chefs!
To kick off our Purim celebrations we went out Wednesday night to a bar in Jerusalem. My friend Alex was DJing with another guy on our program and it was so much fun. The whole international school showed up to support them and we had a great time. On Thursday the monsoon/wind/rain/hail set in on Jerusalem and was here to stay for the whole weekend. It dropped 10 degrees and was absolutely miserable, could not even walk outside! Thursday night I went to Tel Aviv with some friends. We went to this all you can eat/drink/dance/sing winery type restuarant. It was so much fun...the food was unbelievable. It was like a 5-course meal and it was constantly refilled. We had cheesy bread, hummus, salads, sweet potatoes, tahina filled egglpant, pasta, schnitzel, sweet-sour fries and a delicous selection of wine...it was amazing. After dinner the tables were cleared and the whole place turned into a bar/bat mitzvah style sing-a-long dance party..it was really funny. We stayed at an Israeli friend's apartment in the center of town. Friday morning I went back to Jerusalem--soaking wet. The weather was still miserable. We decided to have a huge Shabbat dinner and we had a bunch of our friends over for a pot-luck style dinner. It was delicious..we had challah, israeli salad, greek salad, potatoes, chicken, fries, fish, wine etc--good friends/good food. Saturday night we were craving some American food..so we did it..yes..we ordered Domino's pizza. IT WAS DELICIOUS. Sunday--Day 4 of the miserable weather..we slept in and lounged around the apartment. At night we went downtown and ate at this legitimate hole-in-the-wall..can only hold 10 people..waffle place. They make you waffles and you choose what toppings you want on top. I got applesauce and sour cream...sounds kind of questionable..but it was amazing! Everyone on the streets was dressed up for Purim which was really funny.
Monday will be a catch up/homework/laundry day. no fun.
hope all is well back home!
love and miss always
I am currently enjoying my 5 day weekend--its Purim Break! I don't have class on Thursdays and we are off school Sunday and Monday for Purim Break.
Week Update:
Successfully finished my first week of school. On Sunday I have Arab Israeli Conflict, 4 hour class :(, I think its going to be really interesting but its hard to sit in a classroom for that long. On Monday I have hebrew in the morning..I have a new Hebrew teacher who is super tough--we have tests every day, but I know I will learn a lot. I advanced to the highest Bet level after my Ulpan so things are moving super fast. Monday afternoon I have Archaelogy of Jerusalem...it is also a 4 hour class but we go on field trips every other week. Its going to be really cool, we learn about the sites in lecture and then actually go visit archaeological digs all over Jerusalem. Its going to be a unique way to explore. Monday evenings I have a class called Jewish and Non-Jewish Relations in the Holocaust..it is my favorite class. The teacher is awesome and we are going to be learning about the Holocaust from so many different perspectives and at the end of the class we are going to Yad V'shem..the holocaust museum in Israel. On Tuesday I only have Hebrew---and it starts in the morning so I have the whole afternoon freeeee! On Wednesday I have Hebrew in the morning and the Holocaust class in the evening..and thats it! School is so nice/stress free and really laid back. During the week my roommate Becka and I cooked salmon that we bought and basically killed at the shuk. We learned from our mistakes and need to ask for a steak slice next time because there were a lot of bones in the fish. But it was delicious nonetheless...we marinated it in tomatoes, onions, lemon juice, and garlic..YUM! We are quite the chefs!
To kick off our Purim celebrations we went out Wednesday night to a bar in Jerusalem. My friend Alex was DJing with another guy on our program and it was so much fun. The whole international school showed up to support them and we had a great time. On Thursday the monsoon/wind/rain/hail set in on Jerusalem and was here to stay for the whole weekend. It dropped 10 degrees and was absolutely miserable, could not even walk outside! Thursday night I went to Tel Aviv with some friends. We went to this all you can eat/drink/dance/sing winery type restuarant. It was so much fun...the food was unbelievable. It was like a 5-course meal and it was constantly refilled. We had cheesy bread, hummus, salads, sweet potatoes, tahina filled egglpant, pasta, schnitzel, sweet-sour fries and a delicous selection of wine...it was amazing. After dinner the tables were cleared and the whole place turned into a bar/bat mitzvah style sing-a-long dance party..it was really funny. We stayed at an Israeli friend's apartment in the center of town. Friday morning I went back to Jerusalem--soaking wet. The weather was still miserable. We decided to have a huge Shabbat dinner and we had a bunch of our friends over for a pot-luck style dinner. It was delicious..we had challah, israeli salad, greek salad, potatoes, chicken, fries, fish, wine etc--good friends/good food. Saturday night we were craving some American food..so we did it..yes..we ordered Domino's pizza. IT WAS DELICIOUS. Sunday--Day 4 of the miserable weather..we slept in and lounged around the apartment. At night we went downtown and ate at this legitimate hole-in-the-wall..can only hold 10 people..waffle place. They make you waffles and you choose what toppings you want on top. I got applesauce and sour cream...sounds kind of questionable..but it was amazing! Everyone on the streets was dressed up for Purim which was really funny.
Monday will be a catch up/homework/laundry day. no fun.
hope all is well back home!
love and miss always
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
End of Ulpan--Negev Weekend
Finally finished Ulpan!!! In my last week of Ulpan I had one unit test, one oral exam, and one final exam. It was a lot of work but made it through! I got an A wahooo! My credits only transfer as pass/fail but oh well. After Ulpan was over we headed to the Regency Hotel to have celebratory Mimosas. It was a gorgeous day and so nice to be done! At the Regency hotel there was this weird college/job fair going on and we crashed it and got free food and fake tatoos--odd combination but really funny. I ran into a friend from WashU (Annie Lascoe) at the Regency..such a small Jewish world, really fun to see a familiar face.
The OSA (office of student activites) planned a trip to the Negev for the end of Ulpan. I went with 3 of my roommates and about 60-70 other students on the program. We left Friday morning at 630am and drove to the desert. We did a 5 hour hike on Friday..it was unreal-amazing. It was so pretty and such a rewarding experience. After a huge climb we all sat on the rocks and looked out over the desert and had some "thinking time." It was such a cool feeling. After the hike we headed toward our hostel in Arad..a city in the Negev. It was acutally a really nice place..better shower than in our apartment. We all took a nap and hung around the hostel till Shabbos. Then we had a nice Shabbos dinner all together as a program and then the Madrichim lead us in a Color-war type of activity. After the Madrich activity we hung out with the people on the program..I met a lot of cool new friends from the program that I had never seen before. The next morning we slept in and ENJOYED THE SHABBOS. We took the sheets of the beds in the hostel and laid out in the courtyard area..it was 85 degrees/sunny/no clouds...perfect. After laying out, me Becka Ilana and our friend Sam went to go play wiffle ball with some of the guys. It was the perfect activity--jewish baseball..no running..gotta love it. After wiffle ball we cleaned up/packed up and went to Havdalah services and dinner. I love spending Shabbat in Israel..its an experience like none other.
This week is my first week of real school...I will update once my schedule is finalized. Im going to put up some pictures from the hike too!
Love you all!
The OSA (office of student activites) planned a trip to the Negev for the end of Ulpan. I went with 3 of my roommates and about 60-70 other students on the program. We left Friday morning at 630am and drove to the desert. We did a 5 hour hike on Friday..it was unreal-amazing. It was so pretty and such a rewarding experience. After a huge climb we all sat on the rocks and looked out over the desert and had some "thinking time." It was such a cool feeling. After the hike we headed toward our hostel in Arad..a city in the Negev. It was acutally a really nice place..better shower than in our apartment. We all took a nap and hung around the hostel till Shabbos. Then we had a nice Shabbos dinner all together as a program and then the Madrichim lead us in a Color-war type of activity. After the Madrich activity we hung out with the people on the program..I met a lot of cool new friends from the program that I had never seen before. The next morning we slept in and ENJOYED THE SHABBOS. We took the sheets of the beds in the hostel and laid out in the courtyard area..it was 85 degrees/sunny/no clouds...perfect. After laying out, me Becka Ilana and our friend Sam went to go play wiffle ball with some of the guys. It was the perfect activity--jewish baseball..no running..gotta love it. After wiffle ball we cleaned up/packed up and went to Havdalah services and dinner. I love spending Shabbat in Israel..its an experience like none other.
This week is my first week of real school...I will update once my schedule is finalized. Im going to put up some pictures from the hike too!
Love you all!
Friday, February 12, 2010
Week Update:
Successfully finished my 3rd week of Ulpan...one more to go! I am in the second level (Bet) of Ulpan and this past week has been all new material. The first two weeks included a lot of review mixed in with new material however we are moving so so fast and now I am learning totally new things. We speak a little hebrew with each other in the apartment and I try to speak it around Jerusalem...I am getting better but just need to practice with real conversations. We had "Drama Class" this week in Ulpan and it was so much fun..imagine a middle-school or even elementary school drama class...but in hebrew! It really helps us gain confidence to speak hebrew and breaks up our long 4.5 hour day!
I joined the gym..its actually called The Lerner Sports Complex, and its unbelievable. The cardio and weight machines look over the Old City and I can see the Dome of the Rock while I am running on the treadmill. My roommate Becka and I are training to run in the Jerusalem 10k with our madrich Eli. I am seriously out of shape but hopefully will be fine for race day!
Monday night we went out for our first sushi dinner in downtown Jerusalem. It was delicious! We did some damage at the grocery store and bought a ton of great food to cook at the apartment. We love cooking..we cook almost everynight. Chicken, pasta, fish, ravioli, salads, garlic bread, breakfast for dinner...all the classics. Thursday we did our weekly trip to the Shuk. We are getting so "good" at the shuk, its a skill...trust me. Our purchases included; avoacados tomatos, lettuce, bananas, onions, oranges, strawberries, wine, nuts, dried fruit, fish, chicken, cheese and potatoes. EVERYTHING IS SO SO CHEAP--its ridiculous...the combinations of freshest fruit ever for under 5 american dollars. This was our first time buying fish at the shuk..and when I say buying fish I mean literally the fish is swimming one minute..and then when you tell the man at the counter what you want..the fish is on the band saw and being sawed in half..stripped..and cleaned all in front of you. It was crazy! There are pictures of facebook of our salmon (rest in peace.)
Today was my favorite day in jerusalem so far. Becka and I went on a hike with a group of students and a leader in the Jerusalem Springs. We left at 630am and started hiking just as the sun was rising. It was beautiful! The hike was great....our guide was amazing and told us all about the plants and trees we passed and stories to go with everything! We crawled thru a spring (barefoot) in a cave and saw where they would store water from the spring...it was very dark and enclosed ha! We read and acted out the book.."The Giving Tree" at our break spots...and talked about the messages it taught us. At the end of the hike we MADE pita (from scratch,) tahini (from scratch,) and hummus (from scratch.) We made a fire and all just hung out and ate. Its been in the 70s here and sunny...amazing. I took a lot of pictures from the hike and will put them up on facebook later today--including the special way we washed dishes...WITH DIRT!! Hmmmmmm?
Going to take a quick nap before Shabbos starts..will update again after the weekend
Love and Miss Always
Kayla
Successfully finished my 3rd week of Ulpan...one more to go! I am in the second level (Bet) of Ulpan and this past week has been all new material. The first two weeks included a lot of review mixed in with new material however we are moving so so fast and now I am learning totally new things. We speak a little hebrew with each other in the apartment and I try to speak it around Jerusalem...I am getting better but just need to practice with real conversations. We had "Drama Class" this week in Ulpan and it was so much fun..imagine a middle-school or even elementary school drama class...but in hebrew! It really helps us gain confidence to speak hebrew and breaks up our long 4.5 hour day!
I joined the gym..its actually called The Lerner Sports Complex, and its unbelievable. The cardio and weight machines look over the Old City and I can see the Dome of the Rock while I am running on the treadmill. My roommate Becka and I are training to run in the Jerusalem 10k with our madrich Eli. I am seriously out of shape but hopefully will be fine for race day!
Monday night we went out for our first sushi dinner in downtown Jerusalem. It was delicious! We did some damage at the grocery store and bought a ton of great food to cook at the apartment. We love cooking..we cook almost everynight. Chicken, pasta, fish, ravioli, salads, garlic bread, breakfast for dinner...all the classics. Thursday we did our weekly trip to the Shuk. We are getting so "good" at the shuk, its a skill...trust me. Our purchases included; avoacados tomatos, lettuce, bananas, onions, oranges, strawberries, wine, nuts, dried fruit, fish, chicken, cheese and potatoes. EVERYTHING IS SO SO CHEAP--its ridiculous...the combinations of freshest fruit ever for under 5 american dollars. This was our first time buying fish at the shuk..and when I say buying fish I mean literally the fish is swimming one minute..and then when you tell the man at the counter what you want..the fish is on the band saw and being sawed in half..stripped..and cleaned all in front of you. It was crazy! There are pictures of facebook of our salmon (rest in peace.)
Today was my favorite day in jerusalem so far. Becka and I went on a hike with a group of students and a leader in the Jerusalem Springs. We left at 630am and started hiking just as the sun was rising. It was beautiful! The hike was great....our guide was amazing and told us all about the plants and trees we passed and stories to go with everything! We crawled thru a spring (barefoot) in a cave and saw where they would store water from the spring...it was very dark and enclosed ha! We read and acted out the book.."The Giving Tree" at our break spots...and talked about the messages it taught us. At the end of the hike we MADE pita (from scratch,) tahini (from scratch,) and hummus (from scratch.) We made a fire and all just hung out and ate. Its been in the 70s here and sunny...amazing. I took a lot of pictures from the hike and will put them up on facebook later today--including the special way we washed dishes...WITH DIRT!! Hmmmmmm?
Going to take a quick nap before Shabbos starts..will update again after the weekend
Love and Miss Always
Kayla
Saturday, February 6, 2010
TAU comes to HebU
Recap of the Weekend:
Thursday--IT SNOWED AND HAILED IN JERUSALEM! We were hoping for a snow day but it didn't start till we got to Ulpan. Everyone in Jerusalem freaks out at the word snow--it was funny to see the reactions of all the Israelis and there were some kids in my Ulpan who had never seen snow!!
My friend Nikki came to visit! She is studying at Tel Aviv University for the spring semester. Her best guy friend at TAU is one of my friends cousins--small jewish world--so she came with him and another guy friend. We had a great weekend! Thursday afternoon we went to the Shuk and bought tomatoes, avocado, mushrooms, lettuce, candy, wine, desserts, fruit, fresh challah, pita, hummus, chicken, and more. I absolutely love the shuk. We are getting better each time and figuring out which vendors are the best and how to ask for things in hebrew to make sure we don't get ripped off. Thursday night we went out in downtown Jerusalem. Friday it was freezing cold and we had a lazy day of movies, catching up on the latest American TV shows (aka Grey's Anatomy,) and games (Sporcle.) Friday night we had an AMAZING Shabbat dinner. We used all of our wonderful Shuk purchases and made delicious chicken, potatoes, salad (full of veggies,) challah, wine, pita, hummus, and our madrich (Eli--madrich means guide/RA/counselor type) came over after dinner and brought dessert. He is really great and comes over for dinner and we all chat about Israel, school, pretty much just life in general. After dinner--which didn't occur till very late due to an underestimate of the time it takes to make mashed potatoes--we decided to stay in and hang out in the apartment because the weather was once again freezing. Today we woke up to a beautiful (but misleading) sky. It was pretty cold but we had to take advantage of the sun. We went on a walk to this amazing look-out-spot in near our campus and took some picutres. Then we went to our favorite falafel stand (the ONLY thing opened on Shabbat) and ate a lot of falafel.
My friend just left and now I am going to start my homework and prepare for week #3 of Ulpan. WE ARE HALFWAY DONE WAHOOOO! I have a test on Monday that we are trying to change to Tuesday so we can watch the Superbowl, its on at 1am here! We want to go to an American bar downtown and watch with a bunch of kids on my program..let's hope I can figure out how to beg/suck up to my teacher in Hebrew so we can postpone the test.
That's all for now...
love always
PS. I have officially been in Jerusalem for 3 weeks..so weird!
Thursday--IT SNOWED AND HAILED IN JERUSALEM! We were hoping for a snow day but it didn't start till we got to Ulpan. Everyone in Jerusalem freaks out at the word snow--it was funny to see the reactions of all the Israelis and there were some kids in my Ulpan who had never seen snow!!
My friend Nikki came to visit! She is studying at Tel Aviv University for the spring semester. Her best guy friend at TAU is one of my friends cousins--small jewish world--so she came with him and another guy friend. We had a great weekend! Thursday afternoon we went to the Shuk and bought tomatoes, avocado, mushrooms, lettuce, candy, wine, desserts, fruit, fresh challah, pita, hummus, chicken, and more. I absolutely love the shuk. We are getting better each time and figuring out which vendors are the best and how to ask for things in hebrew to make sure we don't get ripped off. Thursday night we went out in downtown Jerusalem. Friday it was freezing cold and we had a lazy day of movies, catching up on the latest American TV shows (aka Grey's Anatomy,) and games (Sporcle.) Friday night we had an AMAZING Shabbat dinner. We used all of our wonderful Shuk purchases and made delicious chicken, potatoes, salad (full of veggies,) challah, wine, pita, hummus, and our madrich (Eli--madrich means guide/RA/counselor type) came over after dinner and brought dessert. He is really great and comes over for dinner and we all chat about Israel, school, pretty much just life in general. After dinner--which didn't occur till very late due to an underestimate of the time it takes to make mashed potatoes--we decided to stay in and hang out in the apartment because the weather was once again freezing. Today we woke up to a beautiful (but misleading) sky. It was pretty cold but we had to take advantage of the sun. We went on a walk to this amazing look-out-spot in near our campus and took some picutres. Then we went to our favorite falafel stand (the ONLY thing opened on Shabbat) and ate a lot of falafel.
My friend just left and now I am going to start my homework and prepare for week #3 of Ulpan. WE ARE HALFWAY DONE WAHOOOO! I have a test on Monday that we are trying to change to Tuesday so we can watch the Superbowl, its on at 1am here! We want to go to an American bar downtown and watch with a bunch of kids on my program..let's hope I can figure out how to beg/suck up to my teacher in Hebrew so we can postpone the test.
That's all for now...
love always
PS. I have officially been in Jerusalem for 3 weeks..so weird!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Overdue
Long overdue update....
I am almost done with my second week of Ulpan (my hebrew intensive.) It is going well..i am understanding a lot! My teachers literally speak for 4.5 hours ONLY in hebrew. It is super intense but I am learning so much. Ulpan is kind of like being in middle school. We have music class, computer time, we all have the same "passing time," stay in the same classroom, and start school super early! We have another 2 weeks of Ulpan and then we start school.
Last week we went to the shuk (outdoor market) and bought EVERYTHING, fresh veggies, fresh fruit, cheese, eggs, dried fruit, and of course marzipan (chocolate rugelech.) It was a lot of fun--totally overwhelming..everyone yelling in hebrew and small religous jews running into you with their rolling carts. After the shuk we went to the grocery store, its down the street from our apartment, and we bought all the necessities. We then ran out of hands to carry everything so we stole a cart from the grocery store...the man at the front (they search your bags before you walk in,) was yelling at us in hebrew but we pretended to be ignorant Americans and kept walking! We then went out in downtown Jerusalem, it was so much fun! We went to a couple bars and dancing clubs with some people on our program. We slept in on friday (we go to school Sunday-Thursday,) and then went to the Kotel for shabbos. One of my roomies left and went to stay with her family in Ramat Beit Shemesh. We walked to the Kotel from our apartment..it was about an hour walk. It was gorgeous...65 degrees..and we walked while the sun was setting. The Kotel was incredible--being there on Shabbat is such a unique experience. After we got back from the Kotel we turned one of my roommate's bedroom into a movie theatre and watched a movie with some of our guy friends. Friday night here is very relaxing/laid-back...everything is pretty much closed. We cooked a delicious shabbos dinner--schnitzel, salad, garlic bread, and pasta--it was yummy!Saturday night my roommate and I walked to a falafel stand near our apartment..it was amazing and only 9 scheks (little over 2 dollars.) It will be a frequent dinner for us! School week started sunday...:( Sunday night we went over to our guy friends apartment for a delicious pasta dinner.
I am really excited for this weekend. My friend from home, Nicole, is coming to stay with me this weekend from Tel Aviv. I can't wait to see her!
more updates to come later...
love always
I am almost done with my second week of Ulpan (my hebrew intensive.) It is going well..i am understanding a lot! My teachers literally speak for 4.5 hours ONLY in hebrew. It is super intense but I am learning so much. Ulpan is kind of like being in middle school. We have music class, computer time, we all have the same "passing time," stay in the same classroom, and start school super early! We have another 2 weeks of Ulpan and then we start school.
Last week we went to the shuk (outdoor market) and bought EVERYTHING, fresh veggies, fresh fruit, cheese, eggs, dried fruit, and of course marzipan (chocolate rugelech.) It was a lot of fun--totally overwhelming..everyone yelling in hebrew and small religous jews running into you with their rolling carts. After the shuk we went to the grocery store, its down the street from our apartment, and we bought all the necessities. We then ran out of hands to carry everything so we stole a cart from the grocery store...the man at the front (they search your bags before you walk in,) was yelling at us in hebrew but we pretended to be ignorant Americans and kept walking! We then went out in downtown Jerusalem, it was so much fun! We went to a couple bars and dancing clubs with some people on our program. We slept in on friday (we go to school Sunday-Thursday,) and then went to the Kotel for shabbos. One of my roomies left and went to stay with her family in Ramat Beit Shemesh. We walked to the Kotel from our apartment..it was about an hour walk. It was gorgeous...65 degrees..and we walked while the sun was setting. The Kotel was incredible--being there on Shabbat is such a unique experience. After we got back from the Kotel we turned one of my roommate's bedroom into a movie theatre and watched a movie with some of our guy friends. Friday night here is very relaxing/laid-back...everything is pretty much closed. We cooked a delicious shabbos dinner--schnitzel, salad, garlic bread, and pasta--it was yummy!Saturday night my roommate and I walked to a falafel stand near our apartment..it was amazing and only 9 scheks (little over 2 dollars.) It will be a frequent dinner for us! School week started sunday...:( Sunday night we went over to our guy friends apartment for a delicious pasta dinner.
I am really excited for this weekend. My friend from home, Nicole, is coming to stay with me this weekend from Tel Aviv. I can't wait to see her!
more updates to come later...
love always
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Getting Settled..
Hey Everyone,
So i do not have internet in my apartment till tomorrow but I am at an internet cafe to give everyone a quick update. I am all moved in YAY! I live in an apartment with 3 other girls, they are amazing! We have a living room, kitchen, and each have our own rooms. It is great! We get along so so well and I am loving my living situation.
I start my intensive hebrew study tomorrow, 5 hours a day for 4 weeks. We have afternoons off so we have been planning to do some hiking and exploring. Its so beautiful here! We live on a mountian so its a bit chilly and very windy. We celebrated our first shabbat in Jerusalem, it was so great. We had a program dinner at a hotel nearby and then I had a shabbos lunch with a family near campus. It was delicious and then we took a long walk around town. The whole city basically shuts down for shabbos..we made a couple rookie mistakes about buying groceries in time, but we are learning. Every day is a new learning experience but we are getting better. I am understanding a lot of hebrew but not speaking very well.
Last night we went out in down town Jerusalem with some kids on our program. It was so much fun! Today is orientation---and then we are going to the shuk for some food.
Will update soon again once we have internet.
Love always
So i do not have internet in my apartment till tomorrow but I am at an internet cafe to give everyone a quick update. I am all moved in YAY! I live in an apartment with 3 other girls, they are amazing! We have a living room, kitchen, and each have our own rooms. It is great! We get along so so well and I am loving my living situation.
I start my intensive hebrew study tomorrow, 5 hours a day for 4 weeks. We have afternoons off so we have been planning to do some hiking and exploring. Its so beautiful here! We live on a mountian so its a bit chilly and very windy. We celebrated our first shabbat in Jerusalem, it was so great. We had a program dinner at a hotel nearby and then I had a shabbos lunch with a family near campus. It was delicious and then we took a long walk around town. The whole city basically shuts down for shabbos..we made a couple rookie mistakes about buying groceries in time, but we are learning. Every day is a new learning experience but we are getting better. I am understanding a lot of hebrew but not speaking very well.
Last night we went out in down town Jerusalem with some kids on our program. It was so much fun! Today is orientation---and then we are going to the shuk for some food.
Will update soon again once we have internet.
Love always
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
HERE!
Hello Everyone!
So i landed in Israel on Tuesday around 6:30 am (my time--which translates to Monday night in America.) Shout out to my dad--i traveled business class and enjoyed a 3-course meal, a seat that reclined into a bed, a warm wash cloth, wine, and being waited on the whole flight by a nice israeli man. I was picked up at the airport and driven to Jerusalem..I landed at sunrise and it was gorgeous. It was about 70 degrees in Tel Aviv but it is a lot colder in Jerusalem. I am currently staying at my birthright leader's apartment in Jerusalem. I am having some issues recovering from the jet lag (did not sleep on the plane because I did not want to miss out on business class perks.) I move into the dorms tomorrow morning *Thursday. I have had a nice Israeli meal of schnitzel and veggies..and woke up to a breakfast/lunch of toast and instant coffee. Love it haha. I am so excited. I am not sure what my internet situation will be there but I will try to update as soon as possible. Hope all is well in the States (thats what America is referred to.)
lots of love
So i landed in Israel on Tuesday around 6:30 am (my time--which translates to Monday night in America.) Shout out to my dad--i traveled business class and enjoyed a 3-course meal, a seat that reclined into a bed, a warm wash cloth, wine, and being waited on the whole flight by a nice israeli man. I was picked up at the airport and driven to Jerusalem..I landed at sunrise and it was gorgeous. It was about 70 degrees in Tel Aviv but it is a lot colder in Jerusalem. I am currently staying at my birthright leader's apartment in Jerusalem. I am having some issues recovering from the jet lag (did not sleep on the plane because I did not want to miss out on business class perks.) I move into the dorms tomorrow morning *Thursday. I have had a nice Israeli meal of schnitzel and veggies..and woke up to a breakfast/lunch of toast and instant coffee. Love it haha. I am so excited. I am not sure what my internet situation will be there but I will try to update as soon as possible. Hope all is well in the States (thats what America is referred to.)
lots of love
Friday, January 8, 2010
Pre-Departure Plans! ALMOST READY!! :)
Almost done packing for Israel! I am going back to WashU for sorority rush from January 10-16th. After rush I am leaving on the 17th for New Jersey and spending a night with my friend Hillary. I leave for Israel on January 18th from Newark and arrive in Tel Aviv on January 19th. I will be staying with Shallya, a friend a met on birthright last summer, for a couple of nights in Jerusalem and will move onto the Hebrew University campus on January 21st. I will try to update this as often as possible with posts, pictures and links!
So excited--!!
So excited--!!
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