After a nine-month vacation, I have this thing called, uh, school. Honestly I did so little work in Israel I almost forgot how to sit in class and take notes in a lecture of hundred people and have daily homework. Although, we had a snow day and half last week.
Seeing everyone has been really nice. It makes you realize how much people like you and miss you. People who I have barely exchanged two words with came over and hugged me and asked about Israel. I feel like a freshman all over again, though. I mean sure I know my way around campus and I know how things work, but since a lot of my good friends went away for the semester, there aren't that many of my close friends around. Plus, there are a gazillion new faces and people who I never seen. When I went to the dining hall for the first time, it was a bit overwhelming. Of course, it didn't help that I went to the one way across campus and wouldn't recognize anyone anyway. When people ask me how Israel is I just say "awesome!!!" but that word doesn't encompass anything about Israel. I have found that people who have been to Israel or have been abroad understand my experience better. They tend to ask better questions after the "how was Israel?" part.
I'm still on Israeli time meaning that time doesn't exist. I haven't been late for class, yet, but I'm not fast-walking to class anymore nor am I constantly looking at my watch seeing how much time I have left. I'm also not looking at the clock so much in class, although I think that's just due to the fact that I had three hour classes in Hebrew and my longest one here is only two hours.
The two things I majorly miss are real Hummus and Pita and waking up in Haifa and seeing the Mediterranean Sea as I walk to class. Instead, I wake up to door alarms, freezing snow, and the oh so wonderful smell of the dining hall.
There's so much more I want to say, but it's hard to put it into words. It feels like I was never in Israel last semester while at the same time it is so obvious that I wasn't here. I've only been one for a month, but that time seems longer than a month in Israel. However since being in Israel, I feel that I can explain that Israeli-Palestinian conflict better than before. It is also really nice that when we talk about Israel in Hebrew class, I can picture the exact place. For example, we were talking about Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem and I could picture the exact location and I even know how to get there from the Old City. What's also really cool is that one of my friend's, who is a sophmore right now, wants to go to Haifa U. during the summer and wants to know everything about it so it's been fun explaining things to him, especially when I had the same worries, like food.
I am so jealous of my friends in Israel right now because I wish I were there. But at the same time, I'm glad I'm not. All my umass friends that are there now are all at Hebrew U. They are not neccessarily best friends with each other, nut they do have one another to rely on. I'm glad that my experience was one of a kind. Not many people go to Haifa and the city is just so different from Jerusalem. (I also really don't like J'lem). I was the only person who had my experience from here. I made lots of friends, only a few of which I still talk to, but all in all, I'm glad I went when I did and where I did.
Seeing everyone has been really nice. It makes you realize how much people like you and miss you. People who I have barely exchanged two words with came over and hugged me and asked about Israel. I feel like a freshman all over again, though. I mean sure I know my way around campus and I know how things work, but since a lot of my good friends went away for the semester, there aren't that many of my close friends around. Plus, there are a gazillion new faces and people who I never seen. When I went to the dining hall for the first time, it was a bit overwhelming. Of course, it didn't help that I went to the one way across campus and wouldn't recognize anyone anyway. When people ask me how Israel is I just say "awesome!!!" but that word doesn't encompass anything about Israel. I have found that people who have been to Israel or have been abroad understand my experience better. They tend to ask better questions after the "how was Israel?" part.
I'm still on Israeli time meaning that time doesn't exist. I haven't been late for class, yet, but I'm not fast-walking to class anymore nor am I constantly looking at my watch seeing how much time I have left. I'm also not looking at the clock so much in class, although I think that's just due to the fact that I had three hour classes in Hebrew and my longest one here is only two hours.
The two things I majorly miss are real Hummus and Pita and waking up in Haifa and seeing the Mediterranean Sea as I walk to class. Instead, I wake up to door alarms, freezing snow, and the oh so wonderful smell of the dining hall.
There's so much more I want to say, but it's hard to put it into words. It feels like I was never in Israel last semester while at the same time it is so obvious that I wasn't here. I've only been one for a month, but that time seems longer than a month in Israel. However since being in Israel, I feel that I can explain that Israeli-Palestinian conflict better than before. It is also really nice that when we talk about Israel in Hebrew class, I can picture the exact place. For example, we were talking about Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem and I could picture the exact location and I even know how to get there from the Old City. What's also really cool is that one of my friend's, who is a sophmore right now, wants to go to Haifa U. during the summer and wants to know everything about it so it's been fun explaining things to him, especially when I had the same worries, like food.
I am so jealous of my friends in Israel right now because I wish I were there. But at the same time, I'm glad I'm not. All my umass friends that are there now are all at Hebrew U. They are not neccessarily best friends with each other, nut they do have one another to rely on. I'm glad that my experience was one of a kind. Not many people go to Haifa and the city is just so different from Jerusalem. (I also really don't like J'lem). I was the only person who had my experience from here. I made lots of friends, only a few of which I still talk to, but all in all, I'm glad I went when I did and where I did.
