Weekend

I had a nice weekend. It was short, it's always short in Israel though. Friday night I went to Loren's and had dinner with some of the male MAPMES students. They are all really funny, but I was so tired from the night before I wasn't very social. But I took cookies, with Israeli white chocolate (trying something new) and they were, of course, a big hit.

Katie told me whether she is having a boy or a girl!! She called me at 4:30 am......hahaha, but it was sooo worth it!! I am so happy for them!! I don't think it's public knowledge yet, so I am keeping a secret, but I'm going to be an awesome aunt!!

Today, I cleaned my apartment some more and went to the gym and did homework, it was nice to have a day alone. Now more homework!!!!

Halloween!

The OSP students decided to have a Halloween party! It was the first time I drank since being in Israel, and whatever they bought was disgusting, but the party was a blast and everyone had a great time. I dressed up as one of my friends, Robb. He loves Obama and wears khaki shorts all the time, so I wore my Obama shirt and khaki shorts, everyone thought it was hilarious, of course! ;-) The other costumes were very creative, especially because we had no assistance being in Israel and not having Halloween! Plus it was great because no one was slutty! Unlike in the US where Halloween is just an excuse to wear a bra and bunny ears out in public.

This weekend I am laying low. I have NO plans and I'm going to clean and do homework! I am actually really excited about it and my body really needs it. I haven't gotten enough sleep any night this week, so I'm looking forward to it! Shabbat Shalom!!

New home

So....I moved! My landlord in the old apartment just wasn't nice and for a few other reasons I really wanted to get out of there! Yesterday, my friends came and helped me get all my things (which is surprisingly a lot!!) moved up stairs. The only heavy thing was the washer, everything else was just bulky and weird shaped, needless to say, our butts got a good workout from the 4 flights of stairs. Two awesome guys came later and moved the washer. I was really scared they were going to hurt themselves, but they were definitely fine, I will have to make them some cookies for carrying a washing machine up 4 flights of stairs!

It's much more relaxing up here already, I just wish I had everything put away, but there is no rush really. There is a rush for me to study though. I have a map test tomorrow (over the Middle East, which isn't that big of a deal since we studied that at Portage High School last year!) but I have a Hebrew quiz on Thursday that I really need to study for!!!

Two more

Beautiful naked baby in the river!

So no joke, our kibbutz had a chocolate factory on it!!!!!! I just ate the ice cream!!!!!!!! (which was very good, Israel did not disappoint!!)

Kinneret

We went on a hike through a dry river bed! This is at the end!


Some of our views

In the Jordan River, very near where Jesus was baptised! Super awesome!


More fun in the Jordan River!! I bet Jesus did the same thing!! =)

Beer Sheva Black Swarm!!

Chen and Gadi are my best friends on the football team! We met at the pool on Saturdays! So now we're really close and Chen makes sure that I get rides to the games! =) Their first non-pre-season game is the 7th of November!!

More storage!

Okay...so I bought more storage so there will be more pictures and updates soon! Especially from my great weekend in the Galilee/Kinneret. =)

Classes!

I am taking five classes, which seems like a lot of grad school.

1. Hebrew

2. Economy, State, and Society of the Middle East

3. Iranian Revolution

4. Historiography

5. Intro to Islamic Civilizations

It'll be a lot to handle, but it should make next semester much lighter, so it's worth it! =)

Whirlwind!

The last few days have been long and a little overwhelming, but I will update soon! Classes are going well and I think I have pretty much finalized my schedule! Hopefully! =)

First day of graduate school tomorrow!

Unrecognized Village

There are Arab villages in Israel that the government refuses to recognize, they aren't provided services. They are also not allowed to expand, so if they try to build more building, the government blows it up or destroys it somehow. They want to keep their land so they don't move to better places.

Hand made

One of the women working on a dress


One of the dresses they made.

Rina's daughter is adorable!!!!!

Pillow covers


Sewing room! They need more machines!


Rina with her baby across the table from Nadia, who founded the NGO.

Women of the Desert

The women are taught to make the following things so they can earn money. Many are widows, so are trying to get divorces, but none of these ways of life are easy in an Arab society. Women are greatly suppressed and don't have an income, independence, or freedoms in many cases. Many women aren't allowed to drive, or believe they will go to hell if they drive.



30 Shekels.
Machine made

40 shekels.
Both hand made. The bottom one is potpourri!

Orientation Day!

So finally we had orientation. I didn't really learn anything new, but I did get to meet the other MAPMES students. That was very exciting to meet the other 21 people I will spend the next year. They are from all over and many of them already speak Hebrew. We're going to have a blast, even if that is sitting in class!!

There was a small reception in the evening with great food and hanging out with my new "friends." Then I went to play basketball with my new neighbor! (Instead of running) so it was great!! Now shower and studying more HEBREWWWWW. =)

Nice things and a dead bird.

I ran today, and since I didn't die, it felt good! =)

A student moved in next door to me and he's really nice! So that's good. More friends is always a plus. I might have to move apartments because I still haven't found a roommate, but my neighbor Shoshana helped me already and I know where I would move if I have to, which is awesome. It's 100 shekels more, for the same size apartment to live by myself, the only catch is that it's on the 4th floor, but I don't mind, stairs are good in the long run. Plus, if I lived alone, I would have even more room for my guests! And I'm going to have a lot of them!! So even though moving can be stressful, it might be worth it later. The owners are soooo nice too! They are really sweet and adorable and I would love to deal with them than my current landlord. We'll see.

Also, when I saw the apartment, the owners had left the windows open and there were birds in it! And one of the birds was so scared, it flew into a window and died! It was so sad, then the guy just picked it up and tossed it out the window!!!!!!

Katie!

My sister is definitely looking pregnant now!! It's greatttttttttttt!! =)

Tired.

I think I am still recovering from my trip! I was still so tired today.

When I was in Cairo, I bought goggles at the Adidas store. They were cheaper than in Israel, and kid size, but I guess my face is small, because they fix/work well. So I went swimming yesterday for 30 minutes, which was much more strenuous than when I was younger. But it was great exercise and will be a good mix in my routine! I am excited to go again... =)

Awesome pictures of me from Matt's camera!!

Just in case you didn't get to see enough pictures of me, here are a few more, mostly goofy, photos!



Yes, I really was on a horse....

More Luxor

At the queens temple.

Matt with our driver, Mohamed. He was great. This was before we got screwed over at this restaurant. There are no menus anyway on the west bank of the Nile in Luxor...go figure. So when they told us the price, they said 110 Egyptian Pounds. I almost choked, because Matt and I had been eating every meal for about 10 Egyptian Pounds, or less. One falafel is one Egyptian Pound, if that gives you an idea. So then after I said it was too much, they said 84 Egyptian Pounds. I still refused. I was really fired up about it. If you actually know me, I'm sure you have an idea. These men were then mad at me, because I didn't want to pay that much. After going back and forth and saying that it should only be 50...and even that was way too generous, I told Matt to get up and leave, which he smartly didn't question, and left, then I put a 50 on the table, stared into the man's face, daring him to touch me, really, or say something else...and walked out... I really can't remember being that mad or that pushed around for a long time. But I'm glad I didn't pay for 110 or 84 like they wanted. Maybe they'll think twice about taking advantage of a young American girl next time, although I doubt they will.

Luxor

Awesome...in Luxor...it's really as cool as it looks!

Button collection at Abdeen Palace

I like Ike!!!!