Day 15: My Baby Is An Israeli Citizen! My Day In Herzliya

First off, just to clarify, when I say "my baby is an israeli citizen" I do not mean that I am having a baby, nor is it referring to a man. Today in Herzliya I found an amazing, very random, cell phone place, where they ulocked my Iphone thus allowing me to put my Israeli SIM card in it. And so, my Iphone (a.k.a my baby) is now a fully functioning Israeli phone. I've never been more happy :-) and it didn't hurt that the guy who unlocked my phone was a breed of gorgeous Israeli (dark hair, baby blue eyes, half Iraqi)!!! Soul Mate? haha just kidding... but really

Ok now onto my day. Today, since I had no school due to the Jewish holiday Tisha Ba'av, I decided to travel to Herzliya to visit a very dear childhood friend. As you can see from the picture above, we have known one another since we were little kids (please note my sister passed out on the couch!!! priceless). Anyways her name is Talya, her father and his family are Israeli, she moved to Israel a few years ago to live with her dad, made Aliya (became a citizen), has served in the army, and now is studying at the university in Herzliya. I'm so glad she is so close to me, and it will be really nice having someone from home so near by. After fuddling around with the busses in Tel Aviv, I finally got on the one that I needed to take me to where she was. Thinking the bus ride would take longer than it did, I overshot the stop by a few streets and had to backtrack on foot. If it wasn't so damn humid I wouldn't have minded so much, but I did get to see a good deal of Herzliya, which is a beautiful city (lots of young people).

When I finally reached her apartment I had the pleasure of meeting her boyfriend and one of his friends, and we spent a good amount of time just catching up with one another. After the introductions and catch up sessions, we decided it would be a good idea to have some breakfast so Talya cooked a lovely meal for the both of us. After some more time at the apartment we decided to explore Herzliya and do a little shopping. It was a fantastic idea! I ended up getting everything I needed but couldn't find in Tel Aviv. It was very helpful to have a local guide with me :-). I turned my cell phone into an Israeli phone (which is amazing because now I can use all of my Arabic ringtones, and the first time I heard that Iphone text message sound I was pretty much in heaven), found a summer dress that I desperately needed, bought a water filter so that I don't have to buy water bottles, and didn't do too much damage to my bank account! After some more time walking around we looked at the clock and couldn't believe that the whole day got away from us. We headed back to her place for some dinner (a delicious tuna salad, baked potatoes, and corn), and then said our goodbyes so that I could get back to Ramat Aviv on time to do all of my homework.

It was such an amazing day being with an old friend, and I couldn't believe how easy it was go get to her once I found my way (I got a little lost getting to the right bus stop in Ramat Aviv but that was no big deal). I am really starting to learn the transportation system here and am very comfortable traveling on my own. I can walk 20 minutes here and there to various bus stations, walked home tonight in the dark with no problem, and, surprisingly, am really learning my way around and starting to feel like this is home (figuratively speaking).

Tomorrow I am having lunch with my friend Dana and then traveling to Jaffa to go to the big flea market out there! Then on Thursday it is back to Jaffa for the street fair :-) Stay tuned!

Lilah Tov :-D,
Jordana Simone

Day 14: Ha'Mivchan Ha'rishon Sheli! V' Tisha B'Av: O And I'm Vacationing In The West Bank...NBD

Today I had my first mivchan (test) in Ulpan, and I think it went really, really well. A week ago I would have taken a look at the test and been completely lost, but today I knew exactly what I was doing, and could understand everything! It was especially exciting because the entire test was in Hebrew (instructions and all); there was not one word in English... very intimidating. I'm really hoping that my testing karma is not the same as in the USA because every time I took a test back home and thought I did really well, I didn't, and every time I thought it was awful, I did pretty well. Here in Israel I hope that when I feel like I did well, I do well! I think I'll be fine though; languages are my thing :-) Really the only problem I had during the test was that, towards the end, I had to go to the bathroom so badly I thought I was going to burst. Not the most ideal feeling when you are stuck taking an exam, but I lived through it! 

After class I came home to get ready for Tisha B'av which started tonight around 7:30. For those of you who aren't Jewish, or aren't familiar with all of the holidays, Tisha B'av stands for the 9th day of the month of Av, and it commemorates the destruction of both the first and second Temples (of which only the Western Wall still remains). It is so fascinating, and almost unheard of, that both of the temples were destroyed on the exact same day of the same month but about 650 years apart! FASCINATING! It is said that Tisha B'av is the saddest day in Judaism, and for the religious, Tisha B'av is a day of mourning and fasting. Two years ago when I lived in Jerusalem I was at the Western Wall for Tisha B'av, and it was truly remarkable. There are so many people who flock to the Old City that there is hardly room to move. Men and women are at the Kotel (Western Wall) all day praying, crying, praying some more, etc. It is a sight to see, and an experience I am so thankful to have had. I was thinking about going this year, but seeing as I'm still getting settled in, I didn't think it would be the best idea to go to Jerusalem on a fast day (when I won't be fasting). 

It is so interesting to see how different the atmosphere is in Tel Aviv on this day. In Jerusalem everything is closed, the mood is so somber and sad, and you can feel an aura of mourning in the air. In Tel Aviv life goes on like a normal day, except there is no school, and state and government offices are close. It is an interesting situation for me because, though I am what most people consider a secular Jew,  I am observant in the sense that I celebrate the holidays (I may not fast for all of them), but I am very conservative. I think this is why I am so in love with Jerusalem. In Jerusalem you can't escape any holiday, and you can literally feel it going on around you. Even if you aren't orthodox, you feel like you are participating in every major and minor event and holiday. In Tel Aviv, unless you go out of your way to go to synagogue, you really don't feel like you are involved in anything religious. Maybe on Yom Kippur (because the whole country practically shuts down), but not really anything else. This is why I think I will be going to Jerusalem for the big holidays! 

More exciting news from today. I have been thinking a lot about what to do for my month off coming up. At first I was thinking about going to Europe, but I want to wait until I have people to travel with before making a trip like that. Then it hit me; I have a whole month, and I am already in Israel, why not take this time to go intern and volunteer in the West Bank! Genius! I have wanted to do this since living in Jerusalem 2 years ago, and finally have the time and means to do so. Not only will this be a great way to spend 3 weeks, but it will help me so much with my Arabic (which is very important to me). I applied to a position working in Bethlehem, at the Deheishe Refugee Camp, and would most likely be working with women and children (probably teaching English or the fine arts). The minor cost would cover living, food, travel, and city tours of the West Bank, and I think it will be an amazing experience. I'm not going to lie, I am a little scared to live in a place that is so turbulent, but I look Arab, the Arabic I do know I speak convincingly, and I won't have my star on so hopefully there won't be a problem. It is scary being a woman traveling anywhere by one's self; I would be just as concerned going to Europe alone, but it is an organized program, there are advisors, so though I'm doing it alone, I won't be alone (if that makes any sense). Sometimes I wish it wasn't so hard for us females to travel alone; there are so many places I want to visit, and don't necessarily want to wait for people to go with me, but it is too dangerous to be a girl alone in a foreign country, and to do so would be to invite trouble, so until I have more people to travel with, I will stick to doing things in Israel (or the territories). Anyways, I should find out soon if I get the position and then I can start planning my 3 weeks in occupied territory! Should be great for some research for my thesis! 

Tomorrow I am off to Herzliya to visit a childhood friend who is living there. I am so excited to see more of Israel, and thank goodness it is only a quick bus ride away! That is the very good think about living in a country the size of Rhode Island (figuratively speaking). Stay tuned for an update on that visit, and more to come on Shuk Ha'pishpishim and the street fair in Jaffa! 

Lilah Tov Chaverim Sheli! 

Jordana Simone 

Day 13: Life is Too Short

Today, amidst my studying and grocery shopping, I couldn't get the death of a childhood friend out of my head. This morning around 1am, as I was browsing on facebook due to a lack of an ability to go to sleep at a normal hour, I read that he had passed away; he was 23 years old. At first I was in shock; I didn't know if it was a joke, or wrong information, but after more research, and a confirmation from my step sister, I knew it was the truth.

I have been in school with Dustin Johnson since we were in elementary school, and we had some great times together in Odyssey of the Mind (an academic competition for elementary and middle school), and just being apart of a great group of kids that grew up in our little town of Palm Springs. Since my step brother David's tragic passing I have looked at death a bit differently, but you never get used to hearing about the deaths of people you know, especially ones who you grew up with and are your age. At 23 years of age you have your whole life ahead of you, and to be taken away so young is a tragedy beyond belief.

Knowing what death does to a family I can only offer my prayers and wishes to his poor family as they endure a long, tough road ahead. No parent should have to bury a child, and no sibling should have to lose a brother or sister (as I know all too well), and to see what happened in my family happen to someone else saddens me beyond belief. Dustin was a wonderful man, loved by many, and though we lost touch and only just recently briefly reconnected, I will always remember him as being kind, generous, creative, fun loving, and an all around wonderful person. He will be missed by everyone who knew him, even if they did not know him well.

It's funny how much you think about your own life when someone else's is taken away. It is so scary to think that a tragedy of this magnitude could happen to anyone at any time. Now more than ever, especially since I am so far away from everyone I love and care about the most, I must be sure to always let the people I love know that I am thinking about them with all my heart, and constantly remind those in my life how much they mean to me, and how special they are, because you really just never know when you will be saying it to them for the last time.

Aside from that news, I have been studying all night for a huge test tomorrow, and have been finishing up with some extra work so I can be all finished with any work befor Tisha Ba'av, the holiday that starts tomorrow night and goes until Tuesday night (which means no class YAY, but that also means there is a fast BOO), and then I can look forward to a tour of Tel Aviv on Wednesday, going to the Shuk and Street Fair in Jaffa on Thursday, and then the weekend! One thing I have noticed about my time here in Israel, is that the days seem to go by like seconds. It really is amazing how time is flying, and I'm not even doing that much yet!

Stay tuned for an update on Tisha Ba'av (for those of you who don't know what that is there will be an explanation so get ready for a Jewish lesson :-p), and the goings on of the rest of week 2 in Israel!

Until tomorrow,
Jordana Simone

Day 12: Death By Dehydration... Shabbat Shalom!

After my jam packed time in Jerusalem I was very excited to have a day off where I could sleep in! I finally got over the lack of sleeping part of the jet lag, and now I decided it was time for my body to get over the "I can't sleep in for the life of me" part of jet lag. Unfortunately that is easier said than done so I ended up waking up around 7 in the morning... Now, the good thing about me is I'm very stubborn so I told myself I wasn't going to get out of bed, put on some music, and fell back asleep until 11! YAY for sleeping in! When I finally got out of bed I looked out and saw that it was a gorgeous day in Tel Aviv, and the day should not be wasted staying inside. I made some brunch, got myself organized, and decided I would walk to the beach. My Suite mate Mara decided that she wanted to join so we both packed our beach bags and headed out. I decided that I wanted to walk to the beach that was closest to our apartments (though it isn't the most popular beach), because I didn't want to deal with busses and it is free to walk :-). Even though the beach is "close-ish" it still took about 30-40 minutes to walk there and it was HOT HOT HOT and HUMID HUMID HUMID... Luckily I had my bottle of water... After about 40 minutes we finally reached our destination, and it was so worth the gross walk in the heat.

The beach was absolutely stunning; there were families, young children playing, people walking their dogs, and young adults gathering on shore with their friends. It was such a fun place to be on a Shabbat afternoon! My suite mate decided that she wanted to walk along the beach, so I took her stuff, made a place for myself, put on my ipod, and enjoyed the sun and open ocean! After listening to my music for a bit, I decided it was time to bust out the kindle and get some reading in. That lasted all of 10 minutes before I decided that nap time was much more important! After sleeping for a bit Mara came back from her walk and we decided it was time to go home.  I said my goodbyes to the beach and then we were off.

Now it is important to note that I didn't go into the water this trip to the beach, but was still soaking wet... Thank you humidity you are slowly killing me... As we began our trip back to our apartment I found that I was without water (since I had finished it on the beach), and stupidly, thinking that I would be fine, we continued walking. About 5 minutes later, as we were crossing the street, I had to turn back to the sidewalk because I was on the verge of passing out... I dropped to the sidewalk and praised God that Mara had an extra water bottle that she had forgot about. I was so dehydrated and losing so much water because of the humidity, I literally thought I was going to die. After sitting for a few minutes we decided to start walking again, and luckily there was a shaded bench near by because I was getting dizzy again... We both decided it would be beneficial to stop on the bench for an undisclosed amount of time and rest until I was feeling a bit better. As I was laying in the shade, trying really hard to get over the fact that I felt like I was going to pass out, I couldn't help but notice just how beautiful Ramat Aviv is (and it must be really beautiful if it still caught my eye amidst my dehydration attack)! I just sat there looking at the beautiful scenery around me, and fell more and more in love with this place and this country.

It's hard to say what my feelings will be months, and even years, from now, but if it wasn't for my amazing family and friends back home I would probably be at the immigrant office in Jerusalem making Aliyah (becoming a citizen) as soon as possible. Worry not family and friends, I am still coming home, but it is tempting sometimes :-) After I got back from the beach, and hydrated, I wrote my page long paper (entirely in Hebrew), made some dinner, and am now spending the remaining hours of being awake going between watching movies and watching the news on the huge protests happening all throughout Israel tonight. It is really a very exciting time to be here with what is going on politically, and I'm so excited to be in the middle of it. If I wasn't so gosh darn exhausted I would probably have taken a bus to the center of town to see the demonstrations, but I have class at 8 in the morning and need to get some sleep. Luckily, I don't think this will be the end of the demonstrations so I'm sure I'll catch the action soon :-)

Well that is all for today. From this week on my ulpan teacher will be conducting class only in Hebrew so that should be really interesting! I plan on going to Jaffa a few times, and finally checking out the street fair and Shuk Ha'pishpisheem (Flee Market). Those will be fun posts to read about :-)

Lilah Tov!!
Jordana Simone

Day 10-11: You Don't Know True Love Until You've Been To Jerusalem

Ever since arriving in Israel there has been one thing on my mind: Getting home to Jerusalem. Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE Tel aviv. The city is so vibrant, energetic, full of life, and exciting, but even in the middle of all the action, my heart has always been, and alway will be, B'Yerushalayim (In Jerusalem). My friend Susanna and I decided we would go to the Holy City Thursday after my Ulpan, and I honestly don't know how I stayed focused for 5 hours of Hebrew while I was so excited about my upcoming trip. Anyways, Ulpan came and went (with some more compliments from my teacher, and a perfect homework grade minus any red comment marks), and finally it was time to leave! I went back home and realized I didn't quite know how to get to the Tachana Markazit (Central Bus Station) from my dorm. Again, with my fantastic sense of directions, I decided to walk away from the university in hopes of catching a bus that would take me down to the station. Well, leave it to me, I walk in the wrong direction, don't find a bus, am on a time frame, and end up having to spend 60 Shekel on a cab... NO BUENO. I made it to the Tachana Markazit just in time, and luckily Susanna held a Sherut (shared taxi) spot for me. Finally, we were off!

After about 40 minutes or so in the Sherut I could start seeing signs for Jerusalem, and my heart was racing with excitement. Another few minutes and I saw the big Bruchim Habayim (Welcome) sign that indicates we were entering Jerusalem. I WAS HOME, and it felt so amazing. We were now driving through streets that I knew, and places no longer looked foreign to me. I recognized streets, places, shops, restaurants, and it felt so familiar and wonderful. There were many things that were different however. When I lived in Jerusalem two years ago many of the streets were torn up to build tracks for trains, and bridges for cars, and the city was in a bit of disarray. Now, however, the scene was so different. The bridges were finished, the tracks were done, and every so often we would see a train (one that mostly resembled the monorail at Disneyland) run across town. It was magical, and Jerusalem looked gorgeous and new while still maintaining its ancient feel.

After we dropped off our bags at Susanna's friends apartment (where we stayed the night), we walked to the famous Ben Yahuda street to do some shopping. It was midday but the heat was so different than in Tel Aviv. In Tel Aviv the heat and humidity could choke a horse, but in Jerusalem it was dry, warm, and wonderful! Though it was on the hotter side of warm, there was a cool breeze that swept the city, and it made the day so profoundly beautiful. We spent some time walking around Ben Yahuda street, watching all of the birthright groups and tour groups stroll by, and then we decided to do some shopping! I didn't end up buying anything but it was so nice going into all the stores I used to frequent when I lived there. Around 4:30 or so we both were a little hungry so we decided to stop for a bagel, sit outside, and enjoy the splendor of the day. After another hour and a half of walking around Kikar Tzion (Tzion Square) and Ben Yahuda, we made our way near the Old City. Outside of the Old City is the big Mamilla Mall so we decided to go there first, just to see if there was anything we HAD to buy :-). After an hour or so there, we finally made it to my absolute favorite place in the whole entire world: Jerusalem's Old City.

Nothing can describe my elation when I stepped foot inside Jaffa Gate and entered Il-Ballad Il-Adeemeh (The Old City). A flood of emotions came to me; I was excited, happy, overwhelmed, and more. For those of you who have never been to the old city, there really is no way to describe it in a way that will do it's amazingness justice. As you walk through the stone streets you see a mix of all of the big religions (Jews, Christians, Muslims- both secular and religious) filling the streets; walking side by side one another. You will see the Lubuvitch and Haradeim (Ultra Orthodox) flocking to the Jewish Quarter and the Kotel (Western Wall), the Muslims walking the streets, stopping in shops, and going on their way to Al-Aqsa  Mosque to pray (especially now during the moth of Ramadan), and the Christian monks, nuns, and pilgrims on their way to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where Jesus was said to have been buried. The streets are crowded and noisy with children running around, shop owners beckoning in foreign customers (that they will most likely rip off), tourists running around trying to find various places within the walls of the Old City, and just the general chaos of a crowded market place that spans an entire city. As you are walking around you will see the Arab run shops where the owners are sitting outside drinking coffee, smoking hookah, or playing a game of backgammon while they wait for people to enter their shops. You hear a various mix of Israeli and Arabic music coming from each and every shop, house, caffe, and restaurant in the city, and it is loud, crowded, busy, and glorious beyond all description.

The first thing Susanna and I wanted to do was go to our hookah bar. This was a place we were at almost every day two years ago, and we made it a kind of home base. We loved the Palestinians who owned the bar, would practice our Arabic with them, and they would take my ipod, play my Arabic music, and we would sing, dance around, drink, and have the time of our lives. To my ultimate horror, our beloved bar had closed down a few months ago; my sadness was pretty severe. After we mourned for a few minutes we continued on our way through the Old City. One of the things I wanted to do was look at hostels incase I ever came back by myself and needed a place to stay for a few nights. Susanna knew of a few so we decided to walk around looking for them. Most of them were very nice, but one was out of this world extraordinary. It is called Citadel Youth Hostel and it looks like an underground cave that was converted into living quarters; simply stunning.

The best part about this Hostel, however, is that you can sleep on the roof. Now this might sound strange, but when you see this roof there is no wonder why people spend money to sleep on it. From the top of the hostel you can see the entire Old City in all of it's splendor and glory. You have a million dollar view for only a few shekels a night.

After hostel hunting there was one more place I had to go. The Kotel (Western Wall). There is no way you can go to the Old City and not see this historic and amazing place. We get to the Kotel around 10:30 or so and it is still packed with people. All of the Ultra Orthodox are walking to the wall to pray, tourists are flooding to put notes in the wall, and it is within the holy 9 day period before Tisha Ba'av (the day commemorating the destruction of both of our temples) so it was extra packed with people praying and visiting. You can't describe the felling you have at the wall, and it is hard to understand if you are not Jewish. It is hard to listen to people who say there is no God when you go to a place like the Kotel; standing so small in front of this big wall you can feel God all around you. You see people praying, crying, laughing, and you feel spirituality everywhere. It is such an overwhelming feeling being at the wall, and it makes you feel so special to be connected to something so holy; to come from a people and culture so deeply rooted in history and spirituality. I have always felt so special being Jewish, and more overall being Semitic, and every time I am somewhere like Jerusalem, or the old city, or the wall, it just reaffirms how lucky I am to come from such a rich and profound culture and history.

After the Kotel we spent a little more time walking around the Old City until  fatigue was starting to set in. We decided we should go get some food, and then go to another hookah bar in Jerusalem. Even if we didn't get to enjoy our special hookah bar, we weren't going to pass up the opportunity to go all together :-). We ate some good food, found another hookah spot, and spent the last hour or so of our time out enjoying the night, smoking some hookah, and taking in our day. Then we were off. I said my goodbyes to downtown and the Old City, and we walked back to Susanna's friend's apartment. It was a magical day, and I was so happy to be back. After a pretty good night sleep, Susanna and I got up today, had some coffee, walked around Jerusalem a little more, and then it was back to Tel Aviv. My time in Jerusalem was short but so filled with everything I wanted to do. Now that I know exactly what busses and Sheruts to take, I will have no problem getting back very frequently over the next year and a half. This trip reaffirmed that my heart is and always will be in this city, and it is a love affair that will be around forever (Inshallah v' Baruch Hashem). Now that I am home I am completely worn out so I will be using this Shabbat to rest and go to the beach!!! I also have to write my first page long composition entirely in Hebrew so that will take some work to do :-)

Stay tuned for my Shabbat update tomorrow!
Erev Tov ya Habibkum,
Jordana Simone

Day 9: If You Want To Save The Middle East, Raise Your Hand!

Today was a wonderful, wonderful day from start to finish. First of all, last night was my first night sleeping all the way through the night, and I finally feel like my body is getting back on track. In the morning I headed off to my daily 5 hour intensive Ulpan, and it was a great session. As we were getting our homework back my teacher made a comment about one of my sentences (I had made a very common mistake), and after she corrected me she handed back my homework, told me that I was an excellent student, and exclaimed that my homework was "Yafeh Meod"(excellent, very good, etc.). I was, of course, very happy after she said this; it is always nice to be recognized for working hard! I do need to practice my speaking a lot more though. When I read a paragraph I can understand almost everything; when someone speaks to me, however, it is a different story... Firstly, Israelis speak a hundred words a minute so it is extremely hard to keep up. Second, there are 3 different words in Hebrew for what one word would be in English, so keeping those straight are hard enough. Lastly, sentence structure is completely different in Hebrew; the noun comes before the adjective, the preposition comes before the noun, etc. It is very hard to keep all of this straight when someone is talking to you! But, I am certain that with enough practice I will be ok.

After Ulpan I had a little time for lunch and then it was off to the meet and greet for my Master's program. It was so great meeting all the people who I will be studying with, but what was really exciting was hearing about all of the amazing things we will be doing. Not only will I be studying all things on the Middle East from diplomacy, to history, to conflict, etc., but I will be taking 2 languages classes, and partaking in various study trips to places like Petra, Jordan, Um-Al Fahem, the Israeli-Syrian border, and one long study tour out of the country (place not know yet but they think maybe Georgia). Along with all of the amazing things I will get to study, I will also have the opportunity to hold various internships in both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and work on my Thesis out of the country (I will probably be in Jordan if my thesis idea stays the same as it is now, but who knows what will happen 15 months down the road
:-p). It all comes down to the fact that I am exactly where I should be at a very exciting time in the Middle East. With the dawn of the Arab Springs, the uprisings in many of the countries, the shifts in power and politics all over the Middle East, it is a changing society that hasn't been seen in the region in over a century; and I am right in the middle of it all! There is no more exciting place to be than somewhere rooted in so much history on the verge of so much change and revolution. I have no doubt that this will truly be a year filled with amazing discoveries and adventures.

After the meet and greet I had some down time at home where I cooked some food, did my homework, listened to my new Arabic CD's (I'm getting so fast at memorizing the songs now. I'm down to about 2 weeks to get a whole CD down in Arabic!!!), and took a little rest. Once night fell I FINALLY got to meet up with my friend Susanna who I went to school with in Jerusalem 2 years ago. It was so amazing seeing her again, and it was like no time had passed. We are going to Jerusalem tomorrow and spent the night talking about our upcoming trip, my school, and her new job in Tel Aviv! Another reason this year will be amazing is because I have a partner in crime to travel around with (both in Israel and abroad), and when we both have a little time off from our crazy lives, we will get to do a lot of great things!

Well that pretty much sums up today. I have such butterflies in my stomach because I am going back to Jerusalem tomorrow; back to where I lived, back to what is familiar to me. I can't wait to be in my Old City, see the Kotel, shop in the shook, visit my Arab friends right inside Jaffa Gate, and walk around Ben Yehudah street. I'm going home!!! Stay tuned to read all about my little mini trip :-)

Lilah Tov <3,
Jordana Simone

Day 8: Are You Sure You Are In The Right Place?

Firstly, many of my family members have requested to see what my hair looks like in this Tel Aviv humidity... Well here you go! It's quite...BIG!

I will never have to worry about having a flat hair day; granted I will NEVER be able to straighten my hair here, but I think I'll manage :-)

Today was a fantastic day in Ulpan. We did a bit more review and have now started reading and comprehension on various texts. When we tried this reading the first day of Ulpan (just 3 days ago) I felt so completely lost. Today, however, I understood almost everything I read, and was able to answer all of the questions. While I will get into what we read soon, because it is so interesting, I have to mention something that was said to me during one of our breaks. After getting my daily iced coffee (I'm already so addicted), I decided to head back to the classroom a bit early to catch up on some emails and do a little self review. I find that I like coming into class a bit early from break because the room is empty and I can just sit back and enjoy the stunning view and a little peace and quiet before the rush of Ulpan starts back up. Anyways, another one of the foreign students decided she would come back too (she is from Poland, but lives in Germany), and we started talking a bit. She asked me "are you sure you are in the right level, you seem to know everything so well", and all I could think was "YAY!". I had felt a little bad because usually I am so quick with languages, and I felt, vocabulary wise, I was a bit behind, but I guess what I was feeling and how I was performing were a bit different. I thank Arabic so much for the fact that I feel so comfortable with grammar; if only speaking Hebrew were as easy as being able to write it and recognize verb forms... I'm really really good at that, however, speaking is a different story. I assured her I was very comfortable in this level, and we got to talking about the other languages she speaks, and the other language I am learning. Overall it was a great compliment that turned into a great conversation, and it help me with my confidence that if I work hard, study, and practice (which shouldn't be hard I mean I live in a Hebrew speaking country), then I will get the hang of the language in no time! I"m a little worried about studying Hebrew simultaneously with Arabic, but I'll cross that bridge when it comes!

Now, about what we read in class today. It was a subject on Judaica that I had NO idea about, and was so fascinated by. It absolutely increased my excitement at the fact that I will be spending the next year and a half studying the fascinating Middle East. We read about something that is found in every Bayit Knesset (Synagogue) called a Gneezah. Basically, whenever a Jew would write something they would start by writing the name of God, and in Jewish custom, you really aren't allowed to throw anything away that has the name of God written on it. Because of this, every piece of paper containing God's name would be placed in the Gneezah until it was full, at which point all of the papers would be collected and a Jewish burial would be performed. Anyways, two women were traveling in Egypt when they came across people in tents selling ancient items. The two women bought some fairly ancient looking pieces of paper and brought them back home to a very knowledgable professor on the Middle East. He saw these papers and immediately travelled to Egypt to collect the rest of them. He now has 13 volumes dedicated to all of the papers he recovered in Egypt that were from a Gneezah in a Synagogue in Cairo from the years (900-1200 A.D.). Among these papers were questions written to the Rabbi in Cairo from Jews all over the Middle East; they found papers from Jews in Syria, Russia, Egypt, Spain, Israel, and Morocco, all written in Arabic, Hebrew, and Yiddish. AMAZING!

This whole region is so much apart of my history, and hearing about this sparked an interest in learning more about the fascinating history of the Jewish people in what is now called "the Arab Middle East". See, it's not so crazy that I am obsessed with everything Middle East, from the places to the languages! I've never felt so strongly about the fact that this is exactly where I need to be, and exactly where I should be. I have so many amazing things to see and to learn, and everyday brings new information that could lead to new adventures and travels! Who knows :-), I'm saying skies the limit, and letting each day unfold without a set plan (life is so much more exciting when you just let it take you where it wants to take you, instead of trying to bend it to your will); who knows what will unfold!!!

Tomorrow I meet everyone who is in my Master's program, and I am so excited to meet the people who I will be surrounded by for the next 12-15 months. After that it is off to the place that holds my heart completely; Jerusalem! I am going with my friend Susanna (who I just found out got a job in Israel and will be moving here permanently! YAY), and we are going to re-live the days we spent in the old city when we both lived there two years ago.

Stay tuned for many more updates :-),
Jordana Simone