I dream of bacon

Today is my mom's birthday...Happy Birthday mom!!!  I fell asleep while studying last night, I woke up around 8:30 pm and realized I was literally exhausted, so I gave up and went back to sleep.  Going to bed really early means waking up really early; I was up before 5, and remembered my friends who have already returned to America wanted to have a video chat (at 10 pm EST=5 am for me).  Once I figured out how to join the conversation (technology really has a way of making one feel old), I got to see their smiling faces.  Unfortunately this only lasted about 10 minutes as my internet connection wouldn't hold, and I got the boot more times than I can count.  I eventually gave up and took a shower.  But it was fun while it lasted.

Ulpan has been quite the rollercoaster ride; there are times I walk out of my 5+ hour class and wonder "What was I thinking?  I can't do this", blah blah blah, and then there are days I walk out happy that I was able to understand what we talked about in class and I feel confident once again that ulpan will not be the death of me.  Yesterday was one of those days and I hope the trend continues today.  My teacher told me I study too much (yes, it IS possible).  I usually do things all-out, it's my personality, however in this case (and probably in others too) I need to study in increments, not immerse myself for hours; my little brain just can't take the punishment.  I have discovered this actually works; I study for 10-15 minutes, take a break, and return.  I remember vocabulary much better and I do not feel like I'm drowning.  In addition, yesterday during one of our breaks I was reading my new favorite book in the bible, Ecclesiastes, and I came across a verse (12:12) that supports this: "Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh."  Amen.

I get asked from time to time, what will I miss when I leave Israel?  Of course people is a given.  Yesterday one of my roommates, Judith, was trying to teach me modern vernacular (I'm afraid I'm more lame than I realized), and I learned that my rope sandals are "hipster".  I think that's a compliment...?  Aside from people, what I will miss most is my garden.  Not that I own it of course, but it has become my sanctuary, my safe place to think, ponder, wonder, question, nap, eat, read, watch lizards sunbathe, listen to my mp3 player, pet the grey cat that always finds me there, watch a new building being constructed from its very foundation to where it currently stands, look at the Separation Wall...the list goes on.  I walk through it every day on my way to and from class, and I go there for almost every break.  It is a large garden with numerous trails that all end up meeting at four different exits, one being the exit from the campus.  There are innumerable trees (I found some yesterday that are usually found in the Sinai), bushes, flowers, benches, frog ponds, three tombs, and small waterfalls.  All of this combined with an amazing view to the East, showcasing the Judean Desert, part of the West Bank, and on a clear day Jordan and the Dead Sea.  It is a garden that shows off the diversity of Israel; parts of the garden are tropical, and other parts remind me I am in a desert (Jerusalem sits on the edge of the desert, and over half of Israel is desert).  My only complaint is that once Shabbat starts Friday evening and continues through Saturday evening, the campus is closed and I do not have access to the garden.  Ok my other complaint is that usually when I get home from class I have to change into a dry shirt.

All of the following pictures (taken with my IPhone) are taken inside the garden, except for the ones of the Student Village towards the end.

 

Fuzzy leaf

 

My second favorite place to sit/nap

 

Of course there would be a cat in the path

The bench I claim as mine

 

The grey cat found me today

Frog pond

Interesting way to pour concrete on a roof

Main entrance to the Student Village

Stairs I have to climb every day (walking down isn't so bad)

Courtyard

My window on the 7th floor (technically 8th, they start with floor 0)

The slowest elevators in Israel

I haven't told my mom and dad this yet, but I have started a list on my IPhone of foods I want them to cook for me; this list grows daily with every peanut butter sandwich I eat:

The List

 

I just realized I've never taken pictures of my apartment, I might do that next time.

Charlie randomly takes elevator rides, a lot of the time ends up in our apartment