Life after Paris...(we'll always have Paris!)

A lot has happened since we returned from Paris on October 14.

1. I went to call backs for Annie! (the musical at Hillel that i tried out for during Ulpan) I ended up being cast as an Orphan (Sugar) and we just finished a run of seven shows (they ran from the 15-25 of December). Being a part of the play was really an amazing experience. As it turns out I love performing ; ) ! And i really like being part of a group. The cast was Israeli's and International students. It was a great way for me to meet some new people and break out of my little Rothberg bubble. The next show is Beauty and the Beast....and i am trying to decide if i want to try out. (updates to come)
   
2. We started school on the 18 of October. Now there are two weeks left in the semester. On Friday morning, Christmas day, I took my Hebrew exam and if i pass i will be in level Dalet next semester! Hebrew went really well this semester. I feel like i have learned a lot and my Hebrew has improved. My other classes are also very interesting. I am taking Foreign Policy of Israel with Meron Medzini (aka grandfather). He is 77 and has been living in Israel his entire life. As a boy under the British Mandate he ran errands for the Haganah! His lectures are just like story time. It is so amazing to hear him teach about history from his own experience. I have some amazing quotes from his lecture that I will post at a later date. My other professor is Robbie Sabel who teaches a class on international law. He is also very impressive. He has served all sorts of positions in the Israeli government and help in the negotiations of various treaties (including the 1979 Egpytian - Israeli peace treaty). His class makes me think I might want to go to law school. I am very impressed by the level of my classes here.
3. I have an internship at Hand in Hand. Which is school focused on bilingual, equal education. It is a very innovative school that aims at breaking the system of segregated education that tends to dominate Israeli education. At Hand in Hand i work in a second grade class. The kids are great, and the whole experience has been great for my understanding of both Hebrew and Israeli society.
   
4. Hannukah! In Jerusalem was truely AMAZING! נס גדול היה פח! (a great miracle happened here!) one night i went to the old city for a Hannukah party. Everyone was lighting candles and handing out sufganiot. It was so festive! Also, there was a school trip to the Negev. We went to Mitzpe Ramon and hiked through the Machtesh (which is esentially a crator but made by water erosion or something like that). The hike was really scary but cool and at night we layed under the stars. I have never seen as many stars in my life as I did that night by the large Machtesh. It was one of the coolest things i have ever seen. The whole weekend was great. All of Hannukah was one of the best parts of the semester!
   
5. Rach came to visit. She was here from the 18 - 30 of December. Even though I was CRAZY busy with school and Annie, it was really fun having her here. I introduced her to my friends and tried to take her to all of my favorite places in Jerusalem. She got along well with my friends and i think she had a good time here. Even though i was really sad to see her go, it was necessary. As soon as she had gone i moved into the library and spent the week writing three papers and studying for an exam.
   
6. New Years Eve came and went and now it is 2010! I had a great New Year's Eve. We all went out and dance and then I met up with some friends from Berkeley.
   

This is basically more or less what happened this semester. I kept myself VERY busy with school, Annie, internship and friends. I had a lot of fun, learned a lot and met some amazing people. Now the first semseter is over and all of the people who came to Israel for just the fall have gone back home (saying goodbye was very hard and sad). We are on break from now until Feb 21. The next bunch of students come next week. So now i am just waitng and figuring out how to spend my break. Updates to come.

Sending love from Jerusalem

Where to start........

Basically i haven't written a blog in over a month and A LOT has happened. I am going to just start where I left off last time and work my way forward.

During the break between Ulpan and the semester I went to Paris for a week (October 6 - 13) and spent one day at the end of the trip in Budapest. Paris was really amazing. I went with my roommates Juliet and Diane and we did all sorts of touristy things. On my first day there we went to Notre Dame and then followed our sight seeing with some shopping. The first night there was really crazy. We went out to a french dinner and then to a party at a mansion in Paris. There was a man cutting hair at the party (a man who cuts hair professionally for the prime ministers wives). The party was a little boring so we thought it would be a good idea for me to get my hair cut. Basically, he took out my hair clips and began cutting my hair and speaking to me in rapid French, which I do NOT understand. I finally managed to find a girl to translate for me and essentially he was saying that he wanted to cut my hair into natural layers to frame my face. I had watched him cut some other peoples hair, and once assured that he wouldn't chop off all of my hair, I allowed him to cut mine.
The subsequent days were filled with sightseeing, museums, parks, beautiful buildings and of course shopping. I went to the Musee d'Orsay on October 7th with the girls (Juliet and Diane). The museum is a converted train station. The building itself is amazing. A large portion of the museum was impressionist: Monet, Manet, Renoir, and Van Gogh to name a few. The impressionist paintings are so amazing. The Musee d'Orsay was my favorite museum I visited in Paris.
The next day (10-8-09) we went to the Louvre. Not only did I get to see the Da vinci's Mona Lisa in person, I got to see Rach! We planned to meet outside the glass pyramid (except I didn't know that there were multiple glass pyramids). It was so nice to be with her. We went to the Louvre together and then spent the next two days exploring Paris with her friends and my friends.
The rest of the trip flew by. We visited the Eiffel Tower, a holocaust and Jewish art history museum in the Jewish quarter (a man tried to sell us falafel and there was a sign that said "The best falafel in the world" but i told the man that we were students in Jerusalem and then he backed off". I went to some amazing gardens, wandered the streets of Paris with Diane and ate amazing food and desserts.
By the last day in Paris we had basically done all of the super touristy things we wanted to do so we went to Euro Disney! Juliet and Diane and I met up with two other girls from our program and the five of us spent the day at Euro Disney. It was so much fun! Almost like home. The girls thought it was hilarious that I knew my way around the park because it is the same basic set up as Disneyland. After a magical day of fun we went back to the center of Paris and had an amazing dinner right next to the Eiffel Tower which sparkles with twinkle lights at night. The week in Paris ended with a walk around the Eiffel Tower and then a morning flight to Budapest.
Budapest was FREEZING! All we managed was an afternoon nap and then dinner with Rachel and Ashlyn. The next morning, October 14, we headed back to Israel. When we left Budapest it was 6 degrees Celsius and when we landed in Tel Aviv it was 30 degrees Celsius! I had an AMAZING time in Paris but i was very happy to be back in Israel. The trip really made me realize that i picked the right place to study abroad.

Bon Voyage

Ulpan ended on the 24 of September, about a week and a half ago, and vacation has been awesome so far. I spent Yom Kippur in Jerusalem. I hosted a very small pre-fast dinner at my apartment, went to a conservative beit keneset very close to where i live and had break fast in the kfar at the boys apartment (Jonathan, Steve and Sergio). It was a surprisingly easy fast.
After Yom Kippur i went to Eilat for two nights (Sept 29-Oct 1). I absolutely love Eilat and think it is the perfect place in Israel for a relaxing vacation. I went with a really fun group of people and we stayed in an amazing hostel directly across from the beach.
We came back to celebrate Sukkot in Jerusalem. The first night i went with Jenna and Rachel to Jenna's cousin's cousins house in the old city. Dinner was very fun! It was all young people and everyone was very nice. It reminded me a bit of Chabad.
Now, Monday October 5, I am waiting to go to Paris! I am meeting Juliet and Diane (my roommates) there and on Wednesday Rach (Rachel Robinson) is meeting me there! I am so excited! I have never been to France and i have heard that Paris is an amazing city.....and I can't wait to see Rach!!!!
So, this is just a quick update. I will write all about my Parisian adventures when I return to Israel. That's all for now. au revoir !

Rosh Hashanah!

Today (Sunday September 20, 2009) is the second day of Rosh Hashanah. It is the begging of the year 5770 in the Jewish calender. In accordance with the tradition of the new year I will reflect upon the last year (and specifically the last three weeks) and make some grand statements about the future.
As we bring in the new year, Ulpan is fianally coming to an end. This will be the last week of Ulpan ending with a four hour exam and followed by three much needed weeks of freedom! While Ulpan has been great I am certainly ready for what will come next.
Ulpan has served its purpose in many ways. First of all it has greatly imporved my hebrew and given me the confidence that i need to use my hebrew in the streets. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it has given me time to get used to being in Israel, make friends, and push myself outside of my comfort zone with some exciting opportunities. I will start from the begining (since my last post)
Almost two weeks ago, Wednesday September 9, I did something i never thought i would do. I auditioned for a play! The beit Hillel at Hebrew University does a musical every year. Both israeli and international students participate but the musical is always in english. This year the musical is Annie! I talked about it with a friend of mine from Ulpan (Dara) and we both decided to audition. The audition consisted of a singing portion and an acting portion. I sang "Part of your world" from The Little Mermaid. I didn't sing amazingly but it was one of the most thrilling things i have ever done. I felt exhilirated and extraordinarily happy after the audition. I am not sure if i am going to have time to participate in the play or what part i will get (parts will be assigned October 14) but i am really happy that i tried something new.
Last weekend (September 11 and 12) i went on a Shabbaton to Kibbutz Hanaton in the Galil. It is the only conservative Kibbutz (part of the conservative movement: Koach, masorti etc.) in Israel. We spend most of the weekend eating, praying and relaxing. Basically everything that you are supposed to do on shabbat.
This past week another exciting thing happened. On Thursday September 17 I had an interveiw for an internship with "Hand in Hand" (http://www.handinhand12.org/). They are these amazing schools that promote bilingual and peaceful co-existence education in Israel. The schools are made up of half arab children and half jewish children. The curriculum is taught half in Arabic and half in Hebrew and every class has two teachers. I will be working with elementary school aged kids with English and hopefully other stuff. I think it is going to be a very valuable experience.
This weekend, Friday - Sunday, i celebrated Rosh Hashanah for the first time in Israel and for the first time without my family. I spent the holiday in Jerusalem and celebrated with friends in the Kfar and attended services at a local synagouge. The entire holiday has been very fun and full of laughter and love. Nevertheless, i have missed spending the holiday with my family and I don't think i will ever completely stop missing home. (but i think i would rather have a home worth missing than not missing it at all)
So, that brings us back to the present. The begining of the year 5770. My goal for this year is to continue what i have begun during the past five weeks. I want to take advantage of all of the amazing opportunities i have while i am in Israel. I know i will miss home (both Santa Monica and Berkeley) but i will not be crippled by that feeling. I hope to keep my connections to home strong with simultaniously creating new connections to people and places in Israel. Mostly, i want to have an amazing year that i never forget!
Shana Tova!

another week, gone so fast!

This was the fourth week of Ulpan (August 30 - September 3) and it was a long week. We have hit the mid-way slump. Ulpan is no longer new or especially exciting but we are not quite close enough to finishing to be excited about the end. It is the middle. Class itself is ok. A little boring but picking up in pace.
The most exciting developement for this week is that I bought a plane ticket for the October break. I am going to Paris with two of my lovely roomates (Juliet and Diane) from October 6-13. During that time i am going to fly to Spain to see Rach! I am so glad i got my ticket and I am REALLY excited. At the end of the trip we have a really long lay-over in Budapest so we are going to spend the day exploring. I can't wait!
This weekend we had people over for a pot luck shabbat dinner (basically like last week at Rachel's but at my apartment). Both the food and company were amazing so it was an all around success. Today ( Saturday 9-5-09) I went to Tel Aviv with a bunch of people and we spent the entire day at the beach.
Now i am back in the Kfar and daunted with the thought of a full week of Ulpan including a midterm essay and exam on sunday and monday. I hope this week is easier than last week. Updates to come!

(I have talked to aba a little less this week, probably on average once a day. The fam was on vacation for a few days so i didn't talk to him for two entire days. I was glad when they got home and i got my calls again!)

3 weekends worth of fun!

It turns out that I am a horrible blogger. I have been too busy being in Israel and socializing in the kfar to blog. So, now i shall attempt to recount the last three weeks (and more importantly weekends).

My second weekend in Israel I went on an organized trip to the Golan. We left the Kfar very early friday morning and did a long hike in the Golan during the day. We learned about the destruction of the city of Gamla (unfortunately our tour guide did not speak the best English so I can't exactly retell the story of Gamla but essentially the city was built on this crazy hill and it was destroyed)

During my third weekend in Israel I finally made it to my favorite place, the beach! I went to Tel-Aviv with a bunch of people. As soon as i arrived in Tel Aviv I headed for the beach. The Mediterranean ocean is really great. I spent the better part of the weekend at the beach.

I spent this weekend, my fourth in Israel, in Jerusalem. On Thursday I moved into a new apartment with three great girls. My old apartment was both dirty and lonely so the move was a VERY good idea. On Friday I cooked for the first time since I have been here and went to a pot luck dinner it was amazing! We lit candles and did kiddush. It made me miss Berkeley but it was also a nice reminder of why I love Shabbat. Saturday I slept in and hung out around the Kfar doing homework and playing Frisbee. Basically, Shabbat with amazing!
And then, Saturday night i got a call on Skye and it was RACH! I was so freaking happy! We talked and chatted for over an hour! I can't wait to see her!

(Also, I have basically talked to aba at least two times a day, and sometimes more except for two days last week when he didn't call me. I think he was mad at me because I hadn't called Rifka. He said he wasn't angry but i think he was. I called her on Friday and we talked only in Hebrew. Now aba is back to calling me twice a day....love you aba!)

so, it is ten days into my year and everything is going pretty well. I am living in the student village (kfar hastudentim). My apartment is only Israelis and not excessively clean so i think i am moving apartments. Anyway, i have been filling my days with Jerusalem. On Tuesday I went to the kotel and Wednesday i haggled my way through machane yehuda. Yesterday (thursday) i had a mellow day. I went to the gym and watched Home Alone on the tv attached to the eliptical. Half way through my workout i looked up and realized that there is an amazing view of the old city. Jeruslem never ceases to amaze me! This weekend there is a trip to the Golan. Shalom!