Sometimes it’s the little things: On my bus ride home from work yesterday (I worked a night shift so I was headed home at 7:00am), I heard a religious man before I saw him. I heard some morning prayers being chanted, not whispered on the public bus. I turned around to see an older man with long white peis - curls by the ears. He was huddled over his siddur, rocking back and forth, praying humbly, but publicly. Even though there is freedom of religion in America, this man is something you would never see.
That moment on the bus just reminded that I am in Israel…Israel. You may think that it’s obvious to me that I am away from home, but it often just feels like “away from home” and not necessarily “Israel.” Little reminders are refreshing.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
Bye Bye Family!
I am a lucky girl because my mother, father, and brother came to visit me! We had a really good time together. We went on an organized tour sponsored by Year Course for any of the year course the families that came to Israel for winter break. We spent 10 days going to museums, climbing Masada, and socializing with other families. Our family really hit it off with my friend Melissa’s family, so our families basically stuck together during the tour.
There was a Gala dinner for all the Year Coursers and their families on Christmas Eve. I was chosen to be the student speaker. I spoke about some of my experiences here, most taken from my blog. A lot of people came up to me afterwards to congratulate me; they said I spoke very well about interesting subjects. I felt very special!
My parents have only just left and I am already homesick. I was spoiled by them all three weeks they were here. With my family here, I stopped thinking about Berkeley, my cat, and my friends. Now that they have departed I wish I could go home, but I am scared that I wouldn’t come back. All these transitions have been very hard on me. Once I get used to something, it’s time to switch what I am doing. I am having a hard time in my apartment. I just always feel like I want to get out, I don’t know why. It gets dark really early here, like close to 5pm and I only get home from work at 3:45. I want to explore Netanya as much as possible, but there aren’t any girls here who I would really want to go exploring with and going alone would be lonely! I don’t know what to do! I would be totally fine with going out on the town at night if I had someone to go with, but the girls I like don’t even get off work until 7pm.
It’s bad, but I am already looking forward to moving again in March. I just have to push through January and February. Ad how much does it suck that this is my birthday month! This year’s birthday will be so different from Berkeley High’s balloons, brownies, cards, and signs. I don’t have an overloading amount of friends to spend my special day with anymore! I guess I see now that birthdays become less of a big deal as we get older.
Sorry that this is such a negative post, I am just missing my family!
There was a Gala dinner for all the Year Coursers and their families on Christmas Eve. I was chosen to be the student speaker. I spoke about some of my experiences here, most taken from my blog. A lot of people came up to me afterwards to congratulate me; they said I spoke very well about interesting subjects. I felt very special!
My parents have only just left and I am already homesick. I was spoiled by them all three weeks they were here. With my family here, I stopped thinking about Berkeley, my cat, and my friends. Now that they have departed I wish I could go home, but I am scared that I wouldn’t come back. All these transitions have been very hard on me. Once I get used to something, it’s time to switch what I am doing. I am having a hard time in my apartment. I just always feel like I want to get out, I don’t know why. It gets dark really early here, like close to 5pm and I only get home from work at 3:45. I want to explore Netanya as much as possible, but there aren’t any girls here who I would really want to go exploring with and going alone would be lonely! I don’t know what to do! I would be totally fine with going out on the town at night if I had someone to go with, but the girls I like don’t even get off work until 7pm.
It’s bad, but I am already looking forward to moving again in March. I just have to push through January and February. Ad how much does it suck that this is my birthday month! This year’s birthday will be so different from Berkeley High’s balloons, brownies, cards, and signs. I don’t have an overloading amount of friends to spend my special day with anymore! I guess I see now that birthdays become less of a big deal as we get older.
Sorry that this is such a negative post, I am just missing my family!
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