Happy Holidays and a Lack of Internet

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Hello from another HOT day here in Be'er Sheva!

It has been a long time, has it not? Reason being that last week was Shavuot, immediately followed by Shabbat which translates into everything being closed for like three days straight. Except for the creepy Russian taxi services ::shudders:: but we won't speak of that...

Thursday found me waking up extremely late after a night out with my new Canadian friends - we explored some of the Old City and found a nice bar for a couple of drinks. They are living in the same place (Altshul), and they are working for Magen David Adom, the ambulance service (think Red Cross-ish - Adom means red and Magen David is the shield of David). I am officially the ONLY American living in Altshul, which makes meeting people an interesting task (one of only a handful in all of Be'er Sheva, too). My two roommates are Russian and very sweet, really eager to practice their English and help with my Hebrew. The apartment itself is pretty cozy - right now I have an entire room to myself, and we enjoy the comforts of a balcony, hot water, and a nicely furnished kitchen. I can't complain, although I still wear flip-flops to the shower.

So, Thursday night was the beginning of Shavuot, a holiday marked with lots of food (of course) and an all-night Torah study. I certainly took part in the former but found the latter a bit too taxing. My amazing boss, Anat, took me to her Moroccan family's Shavuot dinner - I ate so much food! All extremely delicious, too. Then we set our sights on Manga, a local hangout for the young and hip, where I met some of her friends. They are a scream! I laughed and danced and had a fun time only girls can have on a night out. As the girls were about to leave, who shows up at Manga but Gil and Dvora, so I felt like a regular celebrity, switching from one group of friends to the other to continue my evening.

Friday found me enjoying a relaxing afternoon stroll (and a subsequent darkening of my already tanned skin) - I am getting a good feel for my neighborhood, learning where things are and whatnot. Gil's family had me over for Shabbat dinner, which turned out to be leftovers from Shavuot. Again, more great food! Gil made me try this chocolate stuff called Tim Tam, a cookie that you bite the ends off of, drink coffee through, and shove the whole melted mess in your mouth. There are some good pictures and a funny video involved in this event. Again, we went out, but this was the last time I will see Gil for awhile. He was called to the army reserves on Sunday and will be gone until the beginning of July. This is probably good though; now I don't have a social crutch, and I'll have to get used to being a bit more independent. Hahaha wish me luck!

The rest of the weekend, I was truly able to be alone, lounging in the sun, reading (I finished two books!), and napping whenever I pleased - a truly refreshing Shabbat. It occured to me on that day that it was the first time I had really been by myself for an entire day. No roommates, no cell phone, no contact. For a social butterfly such as myself, it was pretty amazing. Yesterday reunited me with work, and afterwards, my Canadian friends. We had dinner together and then went to a free concert by Pablo Rosenfeld, an Argentinian-Israeli singer. There was a market (like in the streets of Rome!), food, Henna artists, and lots of Israelis loving the Latin sounds of the music (in both Hebrew and Spanish). Needless to say, this long update can only begin to tell you how great it feels to be here!

I'm in love with this place. I visited Ben Gurion University of the Negev yesterday, and I felt truly at home. The campus is breathtaking, and it is the only one in Israel that is built with dorms and a real living community for the students. Mark my words: I WILL go to this university! What was once a small idea is now a huge goal. Wednesday is an enormous student party for the end of the term (which ends at the end of June and is then followed by finals for the month of July - eeeek!), and I will take lots of pictures so yall will have a better idea of my future home. Don't get me wrong - I do miss Arkansas and all of my friends, but the things I am doing here are mind boggling. I haven't even truly grasped it yet, but I'm sure when I do, I'll be even more stunned. Wow!

As this post has gone on quite enough, I will vow to update again in the next day or two, with a little more than simply what I am doing. I've got a lot of observations to share about this place. Until then, I will return to work and make plans for a weekend abroad - maybe Tel Aviv? Maybe Jerusalem? Maybe the beach? We'll see...

With all my love,
Megs

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Comments

[Rachel]

oooh the beach
You just threw that "maybe the beach" on the end there to increase the jealousy. You know you did. Loved seeing the Roma pictures tacked up in your room. ;) And Magen David Adom is the Israeli branch of the ICRC whose long name is the International Coalition of the Red Cross, Red Crescent and Magen David Adom Society. Sounds like a blast.

[sarah j. l.]

pictures
why are there no pictures yet? i want pictures.