First Week of Classes

I will first explain the immense delay in writing...
Before I left I remembered to find my two converters (or adapters) and pack them in my bags so I would be able to plug my computer in safely while in Israel. My first day here on campus I eagerly plugged my computer in to my converter and the converter into the wall and vwualla- sparks flew out!. Unfortunately I was not looking for a fireworks show and quickly unplugged the computer and have been without power ever since. (Avi don't get your hopes up- i'm borrowing another friend's I haven't gotten my own yet--key word yet).

The first day here (Sunday) some people from my program and I went on a tour of different sections of Haifa's cities through different transportation methods. There are taxis, sherruts (which are like small shuttles), buses and even a small underground train. The train however has only 4 or 5 stops but since Haifa is on a mountain the train runs directly up and down the mountain. The train is so steep that when one boards there is only one compartment per stair. The first day here was a little overwhelming, meeting my roommate whose English is only so so, hearing only Hebrew and Arabic in my apartment, meeting people from all over the world and trying to find food. That first day I met people from Poland, Spain, France, Austria, England, and Hungary, since I'm part of the International school I should have expected it but hearing a Spanish accent speaking Hebrew was a fun experience.

Monday: we had our placement exams today to decide which Hebrew class I will be in. The semester does not start for another three weeks and during that time I am taking an intense Hebrew class called an Ulpan. After the exam I went on another campus tour where I figured out that the campus is actually not as big as I thought- small- with only three main buildings but many many levels. I plan on uploading pictures soon.

Tuesday: our first day of class- beginning at 8;30 in the morning and thankfully my teacher is on JIST (Jewish/Israeli Standard Time) and although she told us not to come more than ten minutes late, time is a relative thing anyway. Unlike the relaxed time standards the work load both in and out of class is quite strenuous. Our first day our teacher- Schlomet, told us she would not give us a lot of work because we had a field trip directly after class. After procrastinating on homework after our trip I realized that "a lot" is also a relative term until I received the homework for the next day which was even more. But anyway back to the field trip: We went to a Holocaust Museum at a Kibbutz which was the first Holocaust museum in the world, founded in 1949. The founders are all survivors and the museum conveys a hopeful message- displaying only pictures, letters, sayings from children during the Holocaust. the museum is directed at children and written by children, they tell the story in simple yet power words and images and through these artifacts there is always hope. It was a very unique museum and we all left in deep thought about the value of life and teaching instead of a sadness which usually encompasses one after such a museum. After we got back from the museum my friend from home- Dori- invited her sister over. Kira came bringing food which was very important because neither Dori nor I had eaten since breakfast that morning and it was already past nine at night.

Wednesday: After class two friends and I ventured out into Haifa city, near the inner harbor to an organic market. This was the biggest organic market I have seen, surrounded by Home Depot, Office Max and other American stores this market was an oasis of natural everything. From nuts to meat. Maia they had multiple aisles filled with gluten free food!! After buying food we went back "home" and my friend Brian cooked my other friend Samantha and I dinner- which was amazing.

Thursday: After class I decided to take a nap because I felt like I hadn't been able to sit down since I got to Haifa. However after my nap I made dinner and went to a cafe with some friends in a town called "Carmel Center". The cafe was beautiful and it looked out over the inner harbor which is so pretty to see at night with all the lights.

Friday: Usually on Fridays we would not have class but since there is no class on election day (February 10) we needed a make up day. After class I needed to buy some food because I was invited to a pot luck. I decided to make an adventure out of it, taking a bus by myself and getting off where I felt I needed to. I wandered around "Carmel Center" for a while, buying cheese, peppers and other vegetables from small outdoor food shops. After rushing back to campus before the buses stopped running for Shabbat my friend and I accomplished the majority of our homework for Sunday. After finishing our homework we went back to our separate apartments and cooked for the pot luck. Since I can't actually cook I made a "Jterm" recipe which consisted of tomatoes, four different colors of peppers, mozzarella cheese, olive oil and pepper. The pot luck was a lot of fun, there was a ton of food. Tonight I hung out with my roommate for the first time this week- and she told me in broken English that she was very happy I was her roommate- while we sat a talked for a few hours.

I must go to bed now but hopefully I will be able to find a converter soon and write more regularly.