Apartment and Lifestyle

Apartment and Lifestyle:

Ok so here are some more details about my life here:

(my apartment when I first arrived)

I live in a single apartment (the only multi-rooms here are for families/couples). I moved into a room with a bed, dresser, couch, bathroom, desk, and kitchen. But the kitchen was completely empty, there are no accessories to the apartment. However, I am a lucky girl because I got here two weeks before the new school year starts, which means all the students who just finished are only leaving now. SO after three days, I have a toaster, kum-kum, broom, silverware, plates, and cups! I am so happy to be so lucky! An empty kitchen is no fun!

I ventured to Beer Sheva (45 min bus ride) yesterday and bought sponges, dish soap, pasta, soups, tea, and veggies. OMG I got three tomatoes, three cucumbers, one avocado, and one carrot for TWO SHEKEL! WHAAAA?! That’s like 50 cents! Daaaaang. Gotta love that open market. Also gotta love that American accent when I speak Hebrew – it’s really hit or miss. In my experience, some Israeli’s love foreigners that speak Hebrew, and others (this happens just as much, if not more) get fed up with you in about 2 seconds and wont speak to you. So anyway, I made friends with that guy so that next time I can get a good deal again.

After the shopping trip yesterday I decided to clean my apartment and move my furniture (with help from an Ethiopian, Chinese guy, and the Zambia guy). Now I feel so much better about living here. It wont be as hot, because I moved my bed to be near my back door so I can open it and get ventilation at night. Tomorrow I want to put up my decorations and organize where to put all my things, now that my furniture is in its right place.

The ambiance here is very academic. Everyone is associated with a professor – either for Masters of Ph.D. And Masters here is not like in America, it’s more like an American Ph.D. A Master degree is very intense here – a big accomplishment. This intimidates me a lot, considering I am entering the masters program with little experience in my supposed thesis topic, haha. Oh well, maybe I can get my masters in something like social sustainability, while doing my Fulbright research separate.

But I have to say, it’s truly inspiring to be around such intelligent people. This school specializes in environmental subjects like ecology, agriculture, and hydrology,  therefore I am constantly surrounded by people who speak the same language as me academically. It’s nuts! We can speak about complicated (or semi-complicated) environmental problems, or design solutions, etc, and everyone is on the same page – everyone is already past square one on environmental comprehension. Very cool. There is compost here! I bring my compost to the garden just down the road and there is some dude who’s job it is to take care of the garden.

Anyway, next week is my Fulbright Orientation. I am excited to go to Tel Aviv, and I am more excited to meet up with the other Fulbrighters. I know I haven’t written anything about Fulbright yet, but I am waiting until I have more info – about my research timeline, etc and then I will write!