The Best Surprise

Yesterday was a fun day to be alive. We started off with early services, a half decent breakfast, and a sleepy ride to Hebrew U. Ulpan class was fun because we got to take a break from learning to sit in an auditorium with all the other summer Ulpan classes (real people, not just Nativers!) to sing songs for Rosh Hashana! It was a good way to split up the day, and everything went by quickly. After the singing, we went to a new classroom just to finish up the lesson and the windows were open and we could see all of East Jerusalem and hear the Muslim call to prayer from the minarets. It was a very interesting, Jerusalem-unique experience.

Jerusalem class was unusually engaging yesterday, as we focused on Jesus Christ and the advent of Christianity. We took a field trip to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which was just as unexpected inside as it is spelling-wise. We started off with a walk through a church held by the Ethiopian Christians and then we went into the place where Queen Helena of Constantinople declared the crucifixion of Christ to have taken place. It was very ornate and overwhelming and it felt very ancient. I went into a 2,000 year old tomb and I didn't like it at all and wanted to leave the moment I stepped inside the small cave/tunnel/tomb. On a more positive note, the mosaics there were just incredibly beautiful and detailed, and the architecture is really amazing, especially when one considers its age. I did feel out of place in the Church, but not unwelcome.

After all of this, we walked home from the Old City through the Mamilla Mall and I purchased wine at the supermarket for my Rosh Hashana host family! We are going to be given a meal by a host family and were instructed to bring a gift, and I just put the wine on the conveyer belt right next to my raisins and Cini-minis and I didn't even get carded! It was a very exciting experience. I think that I accidentally purchased a cheap wine, but hopefully they will appreciate the effort!

The day got better when Chen, my staff from last summer's visit to Israel, called to tell me she was outside the gates of Beit Nativ!! I ran downstairs to greet her and ran across the street despite lack of a crosswalk or break in traffic and threw myself into her arms. There is something about an Israeli greeting a friend that is unmatched by every other nationality I have ever encountered. It was the best hug I have quite possibly ever received in my life. I have noticed this phenomenon when friends greet each other in shul on Shabbat, but I had never experienced the sweet bliss of this salutation myself. It was great.

Seeing Chen was really the best surprise I could have ever dreamed of. She took me to a nearby cafe and we ate Shashuka outside (on her recommendation!) and it was the most delicious night. We talked about everything that had happened to us since last summer (she staffed Nativ 28 this past year) and it felt as though no time had passed. Chen just IS Israel to me, and I love her so dearly, and I am so happy whenever I am with her!

Then it was time for the proverbial "going out." We dressed to the hilt, spritzed and sparkled, made up our faces and perfected our hair. I wore my black stilettos and a mini skirt and a beautiful shirt that Samantha gave me and it was a really good decision because I felt like approximately 4,000,000 NIS. There was a group of Nativers that were playing pong in the park across the street, so we all started there with a big party in the park, which involved a lot of Lil Wayne and dancing and jubilation. At one point, a cop started lurking near by and we decided it would be best if we moved on from the spot, even though we probably weren't doing anything illegal (though I'm not sure and neither was anyone else so it was a good idea to veer on the side of caution), so we headed to Ben Yehuda. I ended up just hanging out outside with a bunch of friends for a few hours and it was great because I don't really like the bar scene here. Don't quote me on that in two months.

Back at home, I finally shooed the boys out of my room and I was left with Shara and Razie and we fell asleep. I was half awakened about an hour later by Ariella crawling into my top bunk with me and pleasantly surprised to find her still tucked under my arm at 7:30 in the morning. As a note for future snugglers-I am not usually willing to take on the role of big spoon. Ariella has a special power over me and it just makes sense that she is the baby spoon. But usually that is my job.

That takes us to this morning-services and three study sessions. I learned so much about Rosh Hashana! And now I am going to prepare physically for the holiday by washing and scrubbing and lotioning and making sure I am sparkling clean to bring in the new year!

I wish you a happy, healthy, sweet new year!!

The Health Triangle

The wise Alanis Morissette once said, "I've never felt this healthy before, I've never wanted something rational. I am aware now" and this precisely describes my current state of existence! In fourth grade health, we learned about the equilateral triangle of health, completely dependent on the lengths and strengths of each side-emotional, physical, mental. This day has been all about health (except for the last five minutes during which a few Pringles were consumed) and the different components.

We started off as usual working on our spiritual health with early morning services led by Rebecca. I just love how she davens and her voice is very beautiful but it doesn't command the service, it just guides it. There is a little competition and tension in the air over which siddur is the best siddur to use for your tfillah experience here, and it is making me uncomfortable because I just want to stick with "plain old Sim Shalom" but I really like it! Here is my favorite passage: May it be your will, Lord my God and God of my ancestors, that Your compassion overwhelm Your demand for strict justice; turn to us with Your lovingkindness. Have compassion for me and for my entire family; shield us from all cruelty. Put false ways far from me, turn me away from visions that lead to futility. Lead me on a proper path, open my eyes to the wonders which come from Your Torah. May I not be dependent on the gifts of others; forsake me not as I grow older. Bless me with a wisdom that will be reflected in all that I do. May kindness, compassion, and love be my lot, from You and from all who know me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to You, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Then came my mental health exercise! Four hours of Ulpan-four glorious hours of understanding and speaking and learning Hebrew. It is starting to feel so natural! And class went by quickly today. The only difficulty for me is all the different learning styles in the one class. The material is challenging because it compounds, and a lot of people are used to reviewing yesterday's material from high school. It is a good experience for me though, to learn from other people and also to work on my patience.

I then worked a lot on my physical health because I had a great dairy lunch again at Frank Sinatra made of everything green and delicious (plus a croissant) and then when we got back to Beit Nativ, I went on a run again! I am really perfecting the art of this running business-the timing has to be just right. The sun needs to be in the specific position that occurs around 5:30 pm, so that it is light and bright and yet the buildings create shadows so the whole street is in shadow. I ran further today than I have for the other two days, and it felt great. I was really red afterward, but it was totally worth it. Then I showered and read Jane Eyre in the courtyard.

After dinner I had my interview for the Magen David Adom (ambulance) and although I couldn't speak in Hebrew (I know words like shower, study, kitchen, and other things that have no use in an interview for an ambulance training program) she said I was a very special person at the end and that she was glad to have met me! I told her I wanted to participate in the program because in the immediate future, I see that I won't be joining the army or making alliyah, but I still want to directly impact and help Israel, and a first response/life saving occupation volunteer work opportunity is the perfect venue for my make-a-difference-in-Israel goal to take place.

After all of this, I went to Cup O' Joe with Adina and Debbie and we had such a classy coffee shop night. The topics covered in conversation weren't totally classy, but it definitely looked classy to people looking at us from the windows. There were hurricane force winds on the walk home, but it was worth it. This part of my day falls into emotional health, because I really just have the healthiest relationships with people here. Truly amazing friendships that make me a better person, just for knowing someone. Everyone wants the best for everyone else and we are a great support system for each other. It feels SO GOOD!

The last thing to mention is our evening program with the girls. We had a great discussion about decision making, self respect, friendship, consideration, trust, and healthy relationships. Our staff, Cori and Shosh, led the talk and we covered allllll angles of 18 year old girl life. I feel a lot closer to the girls now and it was a great little pep talk just to remind us to be our own best friends.

This is my resolution for the new year: to be my own best friend, and to be the best friend I can be to others.

Just another day in paradise

Waking up this morning was rough because of my late night energy yesterday, but I made it on time to services, unlike everyone else. Then we had breakfast and got on the bus and went to school! School was really great again today and Ulpan is sooo miraculous. I am learning so much so quickly and retaining it. We had another new teacher today named Shira, so that brings up the count to three-Shira, Shifi, and Shirli. They are all beautiful Israeli women and they are all so patient with us!

The day got better when I had lunch at Frank Sinatra and didn't have to go to Jlem class AGAIN afterward! We walked back to the bus through the botanical gardens on campus (each section of the garden has flora from each region of Israel) and it was very scenic and agreeable. The bus ride back home was really fun because I was in a very bizarre mood and I was saying really weird things but my friends are really nice to me and I definitely feel like they were laughing with me instead of at me, though you can't be sure.

After school we had a lot of time on our hands so I brainstormed ways to make a fireman's pole from my third floor window using banisters but that didn't work so I turned my attention to creating a pulley system to transport goods from the ground to the top floor but that also required more work than I was willing to invest at the time so when my friend suggested a walk I took the opportunity to wander more around Jerusalem. I went to a Jewish bookstore with Meir because he needed Machzorim for the High Holidays. It was a trove of Jewish knowledge and I was overwhelmed with happiness in this two floor bookstore (with rare and out of print editions on the second story!!).

Soon after, I prepared for my second run! This time, Shara and Ilana joined me and we were quite the trio in our white Hanes V-necks and Nikes. The run was very nice and we felt so accomplished afterward! It is a great way to experience the city as well-no camera, no touring, no stopping, no shopping. After the run, I showered and went down to dinner, which was worse than usual but the company made up for it. We had a program following dinner that focused on a certificate in Israel given to restaurants who treat their workers fairly and abide by all the labor laws. It was interesting and I fully plan to support these restaurants because I can't keep eating here!

Then Ally and I helped Seffi and Josh clean and organize their Pirates' Cove Dorm Room and we were named honorary roommateys!!! The clean up was quite the affair and I was really glad that Ally was there because there were some crazy boy-mess moments that I couldn't handle on my own.

While I was cleaning, Adina found me and I realized that we had scheduled a lil date for the evening so I took a break from cleaning and went on a really nice walk with her. We walked down to the new Mamilla Mall, a really new and beautiful and fancy schmancy place with all kinds of expensive American and European stores and cute outdoor cafes. The mall is right on the edge of the Old City, so it is a really striking contrast in cultures, between the in-your-face Westernization and the ancient religious sites. Adina and I had a satisfying heart-to-heart on this walk and it was a really successful bff date fo sho.

The most exciting part of this whole great day came when I entered my building and found Marc in his room on the first floor admiring his new sandwich maker. I had bread and bowls, he had cheese and utensils, and we combined forces to make the most scrumptious grilled cheese sandwiches that have ever touched my lips. You have no idea how amazing grilled cheese tastes after two entire weeks of grilled cheese withdrawal. Incredible. Just incredible.

Jordana Tries New Things

Today was a shehechianu kind of day. Ulpan was pretty standard, but things are really starting to click!! It is so exciting to be able to read entire pages of our textbook in Hebrew without vowels! I always feel accomplished after class in a big way. Then I got a dairy meal at the Frank Sinatra Cafe on campus and that was new because usually I get a really heavy meat meal and the dairy was super delish...or taim m'od, I think. And then the best part of the day is that we didn't have Jerusalem History, which is always informative but not my favorite and it also just makes the day very long.

When I got back from Hebrew U, the fun really started. I did LAUNDRY!!!!! 'Stasia and I combined forces/loads and played some Kanye and made the cleaning happen like no other. THEN WAS THE MOST AMAZINGLY RESOURCEFUL MOMENT OF MY LIFE SO FAR. I was like, wow, all them Israelis have these handy dandy clotheslines. I want me a clothesline. Sooooo I went up to my roof balcony with Stasia and got some duct tape (not exactly sure if this is allowed here and the management probably doesn't know so I hope I don't get in trouble for this, but it is definitely temporary don't worry, management!) and taped it around one side of the balcony and made two right triangles and folded the duct tape in half and created a clothesline!! Then I hung my clothes on it and now they are all dry! The even BETTER part of this story is when I went to creepy storage place and found a tent frame that no one was using so I removed the metal rods to expose an elastic cord that was holding the frame together and threaded my undies on the cord and tied one end to one bunk bed and the other end to the bunk bed across the room. Then I needed the sun and its fabulous antibacterial properties so I relocated my undies line to the roof and it all worked so well! Everyone was appropriately amazed and marveled a good amount. I enjoyed that.

THENNNN I WENT FOR A RUN! I was so proud of myself and all the girls were like, oh wow, I'm jealous, you really have your act together. So I went on this great run through the park and up Ben Yehuda and all round mah hood and I just loved being outside by myself (I checked with the staff first and got a thumbs up for daytime solo runs) and experiencing the city that way. I loved dodging through people on the streets because I felt like a dog in an agility course because those always looked like fun to me. It was all really successful except for one creepy old Chasid who was staring at my spandexed body disapprovingly but that only made me run faster and no trauma ensued! Jubilation!

After my run, I went to dinner in my work out clothes so everyone could see how motivated I am and they were all impressed. Dinner really sucked, I'm not gonna lie, but I did eat healthy foods, just not a wide range of food groups. I supplemented with Cocoa Puffs in my room.

Then I cleansed in the ritual bath I like to call my shower and it was delicious (even though we have to choose hot and no pressure or cold with pressure-oh well, you can't have everything) and I was so scrubbed and dried and great!

Then Shara and I went to Emek Refaim (the entire rest of our program was there too, but Shara and I just walked together) for a STREET FESTIVAL!! Honestly, there were two concerts per block. The street was blocked off (security at the entrance but of course) and there were so many people and kiosks and street performers dressed up in really bizarre outfits and lots of food smells and it was just the best experience. I love seeing people out and about and doing weird things like dressing up like the tin man in silver air conditioning tubes and wearing stilts. Or like a mermaid but a drag queen or I'm not really sure what that was all about but it was interesting. The festival was all I had hoped for and more and now I am just so ready for bed (although I'm really bouncing off the walls...I must be overtired?) and I am going to bed with such an excited feeling in my bones and I can't wait for another shehechianu day tomorrow!!!!

I wish the last 48 hours had a unifying theme worthy of a cute title

I am only going to post ever so briefly because I am le tired and it is late and there is Torah tomorrow baboker. You should know:

Shabbat was beautiful. I went to Friday night services at Yakar with Shara and I just loved it. The melodies, harmonies, passion, expression, excitement, rawness, awareness, hospitality-it was perfect. Then I was still recovering for the rest of Shabbat so I got to sleep a lot and just rest. We did yoga in the park and stretched out together and it was all great.

Saturday night, everyone returned from their families or trips and we all went to Selichot services together to get ourselves in the High Holiday mood. I went to a cool shul with instruments, visualizations, and a lot of intensely spiritual people in a small and oddly sponge painted area. I don't know if I would go back, but I enjoyed the time I spent there. I was trying to think a lot about how I want to improve myself in the coming year but since it was late at night and I was getting dizzy from standing up and I couldn't follow the Hebrew that well (no English in the books here!!) I didn't succeed all that well in my introspective quests. That will be my goal for the coming weekend.

Today we got up early of course and went to school and learned so much Hebrew and got a tour IN HEBREW of the University and then we went to Jerusalem class and we had a long lecture on several parts of Jerusalem history that still don't really seem like a cohesive unit and then we went to the Southern Wall and learned cool things about the buildings and ruins there which I liked. The best part was that there was a mule just straight up chillin in the sidewalk as we walked back to our bus and I made friends with the mule.

Thennnnn after dinner a bunch of us walked to the Kotel for a swearing in ceremony for Tzahal. It was a very crowded big-deal kind of experience. It really affected my friend and me because there is a certain sense of obligation that comes with caring about Israel so much and also the ultimate question of that could me be because the people getting sworn in to the army are our age. That all makes me wonder about what my role in supporting Israel is and what it will be in the future and if I ever decide to make Israel my permanent home, what it will be like to go to one of these ceremonies for my own children or whatever the case may be depending on where my life takes me.

The attitude about the army is so different here than in the states. The army is ubiquitous and expected and normal. I am tired right now (maybe my ten thousand run-on sentences hinted to that fact) so I can't really articulate my opinion about what it all means to me but know that I am on the edge of something profound so be ready.

Classy Cats

Last night was easily the classiest night of my life. We were such classy cats. I went on a "double date" with Brian, Ariella, and Aaron to the Jerusalem Jazz concert!! It was really cheap and in an outdoor theatre in the park. It was quite crowded but we had really comfortable seats and we could see perfectly and the acoustics were great and the music was just fantastic. Three different groups went on in the two hours that we were there, and they were all different and so talented. Ariella translated a few of the songs for me, which was really nice, and there was just a general atmosphere of fabulosity. What a perfect way to spend a Wednesday night.

To wrap it up, I went to a sups sophisticated bar off King George Street (right by the Fuchsberg Center) with a few gentlemen from the program. I didn't have anything to drink but it was still very enjoyable with the company and ambiance etc.

Today we had so much CLASS. Hebrew class for four hours, Jlem class for three hours. We are legit speaking hebrew now though. It's amazing. Like magic. Or a miracle. And in Jlem class, we went to the Israel museum to talk about the Second Temple Period and look at the model city and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Also, to address the second part of the title, there are just cats EVERYWHERE. I am loving it of course, but it's sad because some are a bit malnourished and sick but they are so cute and I love the kittens.

Tonight we have dinner (achshav) and a 9/11 memorial program of some sort and then we're going out on the town (hopefully it won't seem inappropriate to go dancing after the memorial service because Friday is the only day of the week we're allowed to sleep in past 6:30!!)

Lihitraot!!!

Adventures in Wonderland

I had my first real adventure today! Actually, two adventures in just a few hours!!! And maybe one more on the way before the moon is high!

My first adventure was during hafsacha, the break during Ulpan Hebrew class. Since the class runs for about four hours, breaks are definitely a necessity, especially on days like today when the class seemed a little more rowdy and distracted. So during this break, I like to remove myself from the classroom and visit the sites of the campus. Yesterday I had found the balcony of the Hecht Synagogue, which is just up two flights of stairs from my classroom, so I decided I would revisit the splendid vista. I did notice that the door was closed today, which should have been obvious foreshadowing, but since it wasn't locked, I assumed it was a great idea to go out. I did a lil yoga, a lil sun bathing, a lil thinking, a lil viewing. It felt great to look out over all of Jerusalem from Mount Scopus and unwind. Figuring it must be close to the end of hafsacha, I went back to the door. There was neither handle nor nob. The door was glass and I started to knock. Several people walked by close to the door but it was in a nook and no one turned to see me. I think noises like obnoxious, repeated banging are generally accepted here as nothing. I didn't want to be late to class!!! and I got frantic. I tried prying the door open with my hands. Too painful. I tried knocking again. Useless. Finally I knelt and pulled the door open with my fingernails from the bottom. I got to class just in time for my spelling quiz!

A side note: From the synagogue, one can see all of

Jerusalem, including the Arab sections, which are

close by. They look significantly less luxurious than

the western parts of the city, although some apartments

are apparently quite luxurious. The whole divide has

been on my mind a lot here, and my politics are very

much in conflict with my religion and the reality here.

Security is taken extremely seriously, and there isn't

the whole concept of "innocent until proven guilty" when

it comes to Palestinians. I feel weird about that, but

I know it's part of staying safe. It is strange that in such

a holy and Godly city there can be so much tension. Our

teacher, David Keren, told us yesterday that he thinks if

peace comes to Jerusalem, peace will come to the entire

world because so much of the conflict in the world needs

to be resolved here. This is just something I've been

thinking about a lot because it is a big part of life here,

and I have yet to decide how I feel or what I think.

The rest of the class was fairly uneventful, but we are getting much better at Hebrew! I've always heard that immersion makes learning a language easier but I didn't really think it would work for me, but I'm picking stuff up pretty well. We also all help each other out and I feel a lot of support around our little table. Our teachers are so patient and smart and everyone just wants to help us.

We were all stressed out during lunch (although the teriyaki with cooked vegetables was amaaaazing at the Frank Sinatra Cafe-fun fact: Frank Sinatra loved Israel so much and gave a lot of money to Hebrew U! It was even rumored that he dressed up as a gardener so he could just walk around the campus) because of the required readings for David Keren's Jerusalem Through the Ages class. While stressed out, I felt relieved that I am only kind of at college. A three week Jerusalem intro class is probably pretty low on the average college freshman's stress meter.

My next adventure happened during the Jerusalem class when we visited Hezekiah's tunnels. This adventure happened to everyone and it wasn't all that spontaneous but it was so crazy and dark and wet and scary that it definitely registers as an adventure on the life excitement scale.

We went to Ir David, the City of David, to learn about King David, the First Temple Period, and the 8th Century debacle with the Assyrians (they attacked the Kingdom of Israel to the north so King Hezekiah knew they were coming so he built a tunnel for a water source and they built it from both sides and met in the middle and it was quite a fantastic feat). The main attraction was a walk through ankle-knee deep water in the tunnels, which were about two feet wide and six feet high, at the most. The walk lasted 45 minutes and it was really intense and Josh Sacks' hand hurt afterwards because it was dark and I was gripping. We made it out all right though, thanks to some nice teamwork in the form of "low ceiling!" and some classic sing-along-songs.

Now I am going to try to have my THIRD ADVENTURE of the day! After dinner, I think I'm going to a park where there is supposed to be jazz and swing dancing and who knows what. There is always so much going on here. I want to get cleaned up and do my homework before going out, so...

lihitraot!!!

My new heavenly life

Tonight is my sixth night in Ir HaKodesh, and I still get chills (and not just because of the air conditioning that works really, really well in my beautiful dorm room) when I wake up and see the skyline of Jerusalem out my window before I can even remember my name. Speaking of my beautiful dorm room, I have a spacious quadruple with three AMAZING very high quality, very beautiful (inside and out!) roomies; one from Nebraska, one from LA, one from New Jersey, and of course, Rochester. Like we are actually best friends. It's amazing. I have the top bunk and it's a lil nest for me. I brought sheets and a quilt from home so it is the most comfortable bed ever, and I have a reading light built into the wall and shelves accessible to me without having to climb down the ladder (which is truly an extravaganza every morning at 6:30 am). I am learning so much about living with other people, without my closet, and up many, many flights of stairs. So far it's been an amazing adventure.

Once I exit my room at the ungodly hour of 7 am every day, I head to Shacharit morning services, which take about 45 minutes. It really is nice to pray every morning, even though it's hard before eating to sit down and stand up for the different prayers. Our group of 40 (the entire Nativ program is 80 students-half are in my group, headed to Yerucham second semester, and half are going to live on a kibbutz next semester) prays beautifully together and we have a great community. There is never a time when, if there is only one seat available, I do not want to sit down next to the people on either side. I always want to sit. It's a great feeling.

Then we have breakfast. Meals here are an experience because they are the same everyday (which I don't particularly mind, but many of my friends do), but they are free with the program, and if I choose well, I can eat a balanced diet. I'm still working on cutting my own chicken, but I do eat eggs with every meal! Baby steps.

The first few days were less routine-we went on a beautiful hike through the Jerusalem hills, ate lunch at a mall, got a neighborhood walking tour, and learned a lot of rules (we are not allowed to get pregnant and then get hit by a car because we were skydiving because those things are not covered by our insurance policy. but other than that, there's no curfew, we are legal for everything here, and boys are finally, finally allowed in girls rooms after four years of behaving very well in USY).

Then we had Shabbat, which was really the most spiritually fulfilling experience of my life thus far. My Yerucham group prayed together at Yemin Moshe, a field near a windmill that overlooks the Old City. As the sun set behind us, the moon rose in front of us, and it was glowing pink and it was huge (yuuuge, for anyone who makes fun of me for that and misses it) and it was the most serene feeling to pray with my friends facing the most holy place for three major world religions and literally just feel GOD everywhere around. After services we had a nice dinner (meaning there were tablecloths and Shabbat chicken, as opposed to placemats and shnitzel), sang some Birkat Hamazon, and then we had Nativ-a-Tisch!!!! This was just the greatest. We gathered in a small room, probably fifty of us, and just sang Jewish songs at the top of our lungs. We sang songs about Israel, songs about friendship, songs about God, and even just melodies without words, ningunim. Everyone had so much ruach and we bonded (fun fact: the same bonding chemical released when a woman gives birth is released when people sing together-source: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-08-06/just-the-fact/). The next morning, I went to Yakar, a modern Orthodox shul about 15 minutes walking from the Fuchsberg Center where I live. I went with my staff member Cori, who grew up in Queens, went to U Delaware, and then picked up and moved to Israel and served in the army. She recommended the shul to me and because I like her and I like Karlbach melodies, I decided to try it. Well, there is someone up there after all. The service was so filled with meaning and passion and harmony and learning and everything that you could ever want from organized religion. It was a small shul, not showy at all (people don't join synagogues here like they do in the states-the shuls are supported partly by the state and partly by donations so the politics are a lot different/less here), and it didn't feel like a performance by the hazzan, who had a really unique and middle eastern sounding voice, exactly what you would want from a small modern Orthodox shul in Jlem. The women sat behind the men and there was a shortish mechitzah of white cotton cloth. I could see through it though, and the bima was next to the mechitzah instead of in front by the ark. There was a study session in the middle of the service with a rabbi who spoke English and he did gematryia and it was really cool! (Gematriya is where ever letter has a number value, and numbers can be turned into words, and all kinds of cool connections are made that way-it's a secret code in the Torah!!). I even cried a little bit (not hysterics, I promise!!) during a particularly harmonious melody as they returned the Torah because it was so full of love and cavanah. The rest of Shabbat was restful, of course, complete with eating, singing, studying, and walking around to a park to watch the boys play basketball. I read a book and warmed myself in the sun (whilst wearing no less than 30 SPF. Not to worry, Ema!!) and even threw up the opening toss successfully!

Sunday was orientation at Hebrew University. We are taking a "MiniMester" because real classes don't start until after the festival of Sukkot in October, so we're just getting extra learned in the mean time. I am taking a four hour Ulpan (learning Hebrew from scratch...in Hebrew) every day and a two hour "Jerusalem Through the Ages" history course a few times per week. Today was my first day of classes and I loved everything! I am in the most basic of basic Hebrew classes, which is nice because I already know reading and writing so I can just focus on vocabulary and conversation. Both my teachers are awesome and the Hebrew University/Rothberg Intl School is gorgeous! There are botanical gardens on campus, an amazing view of all of Jerusalem and also the West Bank/East Jerusalem, and a great student center and oh just everything you could want. There are also feral cats EVERYWHERE (see my new profile picture on facebook)!!! They are not my kitties but they are good replacements because they are very cute and abundant.

Now we are tiiiired from walking around the neighborhood after classes and being so popular and social and learning so many new things. My roomies are asleep, except for one who isn't home yet, and my pillow is calling to me. More later!!!

Love from Eretz Yisrael!