This post was due on December 6th, when we actually first moved to Jerusalem, but things have been so crazed, and I've been in and out of feeling sick, so I'm sending you the Jerusalem skinny two weeks in. =D
Right now, I am writing to you from my gorgeous apartment in Baka. We're about a 30 minute walk from the Old City (The Western Wall, Ricardo Street, etc), a 10 minute walk from Emek Refa'im (a great restaurant street), and it's just plain beautiful here. No one warned us about the cold, but we're making due.
My volunteering was switched around, so I'm not working with foster kids, but I'm still having an incredible experience! I volunteer sunday, monday, wednesday, and thursday at Yad Lakashish: A lifeline for the Elderly. There, I work with immigrants who are having a hard time getting settled into Israel, and I do arts and crafts with them. Some are incredibly skilled workers who have specialties from their home countries, and some are just interested in art, and come to have a place to go. It's very different from what I thought I would be doing, but I definitely feel like I'm contributing, which is half of what volunteering is all about, no? This past week, I worked with several immigrants from South America making clay beads. It was amazing to see how fast my Spanish came back while talking to them, and to see how alive they became when they had someone to talk to about their lives. It's a little strange to be working with the elderly, since my element is usually with kids, but I've really come to love new experiences over the past few months, and I think working in such a different environment will be great for me.
Alright, time for nerdy Rachel to come out and glow about how happy she is with her classes! This semester, I'm taking ulpan (hebrew - level 2!), Genesis Parables: Chaos and Creativity in the Genesis stories, Zionism and the Arts, Yoga, and Holocaust Film Study. Ulpan is a bit of a joke, since most of my classmates don't seem to care, but my other classes are AMAZING! Genesis Parables is the most thought-stimulating class I think I've ever had. I love that I leave there every time with thoughts buzzing through my head about the wonders of the universe. On our first day, we asked the question of where each of us stood regarding the origins of the universe and whether we though it had always existed, or whether God made it come into being. I have a very complex opinion on this due to my mix of religious and scientific feelings, but in a nutshell, I believe that the universe has always existed in chaos, but that a higher power (god or something) pulled pieces together and made certain levels of sense. As far as the earth itself, I'm undecided, but I think my feelings lie more towards the scientific end of the spectrum, and as far as life on earth, I'm an evolutionist, through and through. Not that that matters in this blog entry, but I thought I'd put it out there. Zionism and the Arts is a riot! My teacher Dr. Avi Rose is one of the funniest, most intelligent people I've had the pleasure of being a student of (no offense Lee and Mike!). I've only had this class once so far, but it's the highlight of my sunday. Basically, we look through the history of Zionism through art, music, and literature, including works by Jewish artists, and works throughout European history that influenced the image of Jews. More on this class to come with time! Yoga and film haven't started yet, but I will post about them soon as well.
Looking at my calendar, I can't believe we're already almost a month into the Jerusalem section. Arad seemed to last for ages, but now the weeks are flying by! I suppose that's also due to a packed schedule and having millions of things to do, but it's still mind blowing. My friends back home are posting their success of being done with one semester of college, and reading their posts really makes me think about how long I've been here. 10,000 miles is a long, long way from home, but at the same time, knowing that I'm having fun, and growing (apparently, according to those who know me well), and that I've been away from home completely for four months is oddly empowering. I have a feeling that going to college out of year course is going to be both strangely easy and strangely hard. I won't be dealing with the stress of leaving home, but at the same time, it's going to be weird going into classes with people fresh out of high school. I suppose I shouldn't worry so far in advance though!
I feel like I could be writing so much more, but my sinus infection is clouding my memory...
For now, Merry Christmas and Chappy Chaunnukah to you all!
Lots of Love,
Rachel
