Well, I'm finally in Eretz Yisrael! Wow, that is so weird to say! The last couple days have all been one long blur. All the flights went pretty smoothly. I had a very long wait in New York( 9 hours), but at least I got to see the Colts win and visit with my good friend living in NYC.
I was really nervous to meet up with the program, but everyone was friendly and helpful. There are 48 kids so it's hard keeping track of who's who, but I am slowly remembering names. This week is full of orientations and meeting teachers.
For the first tiyul we went to Tel Gezer and then to the Negev. I really enjoyed hiking through Tel Gezer. For those of you who don't know, Tel Gezer is an ancient city that contained 26 different settlements dating back to 6000 BCE. We went to Tel Gezer because in the Israel core class we are starting from Abraham and continuing chronologically. Abraham lived around 4000 BCE and would have went through Tel Gezer on his way along the Patriarch Road to Beer Sheva. There is so much more I would like to learn about Tel Gezer, but there is only so much time. The Negev was also an indescribable experience. We literally walked in the footsteps of Abraham and prayed in the desert, and, of course, rode camels. After spending the night in a beduin style encampent(very cold!!!) we hiked for a few hours and then head back to Jerusalem. There is no where else in this world where you can go from desert to green hills in a matter of hours.
Classes just started today(1/31/10) after the first Shabbat, which was a very different experience for me. I have never kept the Sabbath and am not used to walking to shul in the morning. I went to two different shuls to observe different services. On Saturday morning I actually had the chance to give the first Aliyah! When the Torah service began, the Hazzan asked if anyone was a Kohen....so as part of trying to go out of my comfort zone, I volunteered. I am so glad I did because it was so special.
It will be nice to finally get into a schedule. The campus is so nice and nice to walk and run around. When I go for walks, I can't believe I am actually here living in Jerusalem. I feel so at home here, and know this is where I am meant to be. There are lots of other kids on the campus (Israelis, French, Russians, etc.).
Sorry for the delay in a new post! It's crazy trying to adjust to this new lifestyle. I will be posting pics eventually...but I am having problems with my computer and no one here knows what's wrong. There is so much more I would like to say but I need to study.
Thanks for staying tuned!
Talk soon!
Shalom from Jerusalem!
