This entry is extremely long overdue. As explained earlier, the internet connection in my dorm was terrible. Luckily, they have fixed it. Here is just an overview of some of the things that have been going on in my life...
Galilee: The north of Israel is known as the Galilee. It is given this clever name because the area sits on the Sea of Galilee. The area is home to many famous places which include: Tiberius, Nazareth, the Golan Heights, etc. The trip I went on with NYU was packed with tours and information sessions in all of these places. All in all everything was really incredible and it was nice to get a more academic look at the Galilee. The most memorable part of the trip for me was staying in a Kibbutz that practically sat on the border with Lebanon. This kibbutz had front row seats to the wars with Lebanon and still has a birds eye view of South Lebanon which is now controlled by Hezbollah. When we arrived at the Kibbutz (at night) we were immediately taken to the border. To me, it was really strange and scary that I was 1KM away from Lebanon. I was also standing on ground that had been bombed and shot at during the war. I dont think I will ever forget the picture that is engraved in my mind from that night: The darkness of the night sky, the fence that separated Israel from Lebanon and the mystery of what was on the other side...
Sderot:Traveling to sderot was by far one of the best parts of my experience here so far in Israel. For those of you who dont know what Sderot is, I shall explain. Sderot is a city/large town that sits on the border of Israel and Gaza. If the name sounds familiar at all it is probably because your heard of some sort of rocket attack on this city. In the last decade different terrorist organizations have dumped thousands of Qassam rockets into Sderot. Almost everyone in the city has been effected by the explosion of one of these rockets and the city itself has been forever changed because of these attacks. Everywhere you look there is some sort of bomb shelter. (bus stop bomb shelters or part of a playground made out of concrete are among these shelters) Everywhere a person looks in Sderot there is a reminder of what has been happening to this city. The people of Sderot live in a reality that most people couldnt even imagine. Our tour guide even told us that the thunder from the prior nights thunder storm scared him out of bed...
I think the thing that really got me the most while we were visiting Sderot was when we went to the police station to see some of the blown up rockets. As we turned the corner in to the back of the station I saw the rockets sitting on shelves. Each one was cataloged, like it was a book in a library, with the date and location. There is nothing like seeing a thousand blown up rockets to make your think about life...(this trip was so complex and there was so much to it that I can't get in to written words, so if you want to know more, please comment and I will try and write more or talk to you personally).
Currently, Sderot is not under attack. But that may change at any moment. I am asking any person who reads this, religious or not, to say a prayer for the people of Sderot so that they may continue to try and live normal lives, or as normal as it can get for them....
...lets switch to something a little less sad....
Running: Running is on "track". (pun definitley intended) There aren't many new things to report about the running. I am still enjoying it and although I am not running everyday I can feel my level of fitness improving. Besides, it is still allowing me to see parts of Tel Aviv that I otherwise might not have seen.
Purim: This wonderful Jewish holiday is celebrated in Israel like halloween is celebrated in America x10. Purim, to put it, was simply wild. Although it was pouring and there was a terrible thunder and lightning storm, Purim still managed to be a ton of fun. Everyone, or it felt like everyone, was dressed up and walking around celebrating. There were street parties, club and bar parties and just all around mayhem. A few of the guys in my group and I dressed up as the T-Birds from grease. Some of the girls dressed up as the pink ladies, it was a lot of fun. My hair especially looked good.
My parents have joined me here in Israel for a two week vacation. It is there first visit to Israel and I am super excited that they are here. I look forward to blogging about my adventures with them. Keep an eye out for that...Tomorrow, I am going to attempt to post a blog of just pictures so you can get an idea of what some of these places look like.
I hope you have enjoyed my brief summary of what my life has been like in the last few weeks. It seems as if the time here is flying. Its already March which means my time in Israel is already half over. Israel so far, to say the least, has been amazing. I am looking forward to all of the things that I have coming up in the next few weeks and can not wait to see what the rest of my semester brings. I just wish there was a way to slow down time. Here is a preview of some of the things that I have coming up....
-Parents are here; traveling to Jerusalem
-Trip to the Negev (central desert of Israel)
-Spring break in Greece
-5 day trip to Cairo
-The arrival of Dan and Lisa Levine! (Lyndsie's parents!, hope Arizona is treating you well! Are your swimming yet?)
-Weekend trip to Cyprus!
Besides all of this, there will of course be adventures in Tel Aviv. And I PROMISE I will blog more...
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