On the edge of the first semester.

After the 7 week ulpan course ended I was able to move into my own apartment in downtown Tel Aviv, in the heart of the city. Just like any other town, there are various neighborhoods with their own unique personalities and quirks. I live on the most popular shopping street, Dizengoff. It's named after Meier Dizengoff, who was the first Mayor of Tel Aviv and an ardent follower of Hertzl. I live very close to my small but tight group of friends, which can come in handy when there are last minute lunch dates or you have a Doctor make a house call and he speaks only Russian and Hebrew (thanks, V...I still really appreciate you being there to translate)! Then I returned to the states for the vacation S and I has planned long before I was even accepted into the University...which was AMAZING!! Now I am back in Tel Aviv and looking forward to my semester starting in just a few days!

It's always an interesting time to be in Israel, the country is rich in history, culture...and conflict. I received my syllabi for the classes the other day and have already started on the suggested readings to prepare for classes. I am highly impressed thus far with Righteous Victims, and while it is dense, I highly recommend it to anyone curious about the roots and development of today's Arab-Israeli conflict. Be warned, there is a LOT of military discussion, which has the unique ability to put me to sleep in about 5 minutes... but bully through, it's well worth it.

Many friends in the states, suddenly more conscious about what is happening here because I am studying here, have recently contacted me in fear of the violence and random attacks that have been happening. There is little one can do to calm the fears of those who love and worry about you, but I try to explain that I take all the precautions I can, but none of us can afford to live in fear. You could be hit by a bus on your safe street in the US, right? Right. So we refuse to be afraid, and live every day like it could be our last. The reasons I had for wanting to study here are all revealing themselves to be more legitimate than I ever could have imagined, and that refusal to live in fear is just one of them. After these two month of living in Israeli society I feel I have already toughened up, mellowed out, and in some ways learned how to relax....to eat a little slower, walk a little longer, and argue a little better. I can only imagine how I will feel at the end of this year.