One month

It's kind of hard to update this blog regularly because everything kind of melts together here and I can't remember what I've documented and what I haven't. But it's March 17 today, a month after my arrival in Tel Aviv, so it's probably time for an update.

Two weekends ago, we went to Jerusalem, which I thought was pretty incredible. We went to David's tomb, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and, of course, the Wall. Having never been to Jerusalem before, I was relatively mesmerized by the (perhaps transient or unfounded) holiness of the city. And I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that people actually live there, and walk those streets every day. I'm looking forward to going back to see more with my family when they come in June.

And last weekend we hiked the Negev and ended at the beach in Eilat on the third. We camped out for one night in the middle of the desert which was pretty cool, and I got some really awesome photographs. Of course, I accidentally ate a little meat on Friday night and spent most of Saturday and all of Sunday violently ill, which kind of ruined my trip, but I still appreciated it in some ways. For one thing, I have literally never seen a desert before. I mean, I've flown over some desert states but we never went to the Grand Canyon or anything like that while I was growing up. So the thought that I was experiencing something I've never seen before wasn't lost on me, despite the vomit.

And other than that, I've been getting into a groove here. I feel pretty good. I am mostly enjoying my classes, although I do miss the academic and intellectual companionship Simon's Rock offers. I like most of my professors and I am really enjoying Hebrew. Today, I went to the mall with my friend Jaime and we asked some ladies on the bus how to get there in Hebrew. Even though it was a really basic conversation and they eventually switched to English (not to mention that about four other Israeli women we weren't talking to jumped in to give their own advice), I was really proud of myself for addressing them in Hebrew. Of course, once they answer in Hebrew, it gets a little more complicated...

This weekend I'm going to Tel Aviv to visit Dara and I am really excited because I still haven't been there! So I will update more after Tel Aviv. Then, after next week of classes, Pesach break starts. I'm going to meet my dad in London for a few days, which I am REALLY excited for and hoping he will bring three months' worth of Mexican food with him) and then I'm hoping to go to Egypt or Greece or something for the rest of the break.

I want to say more, but something about the quality of life here defies extensive description. Maybe it will be easier in retrospect, but recording it while actually living it seems somehow contradictory to something I can't explain. Beseder.