The beginning of a good week...

An agreement with the striking professors and the government was reached Friday morning... and everything is finally going to get back to normal. :-)

More updates on my weekend in Jerusalem and hike today to come... after I finish preparing my Hebrew presentation for tomorrow morning!

shavuah tov!

The Wonkavator can go sideways and slantways and longways and backways...and squareways and front ways...

There a scene at the end of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory--the 1971 version--sans Johnny Depp although that was a mighty good film... where Charlie and Mr. Wonka enter the glass elevator to leave the factory. It's not just any elevator-- it's the Wonkavator-- and it can go in all these crazy directions... depending on what button you press. Similarly, I'm thinking of the university teachers strike as a sort of Wonkavator.

As of right now-- from what I've gathered from speaking with students here, reading online newspapers and the updates we've received from Shlomo, the director of OSP--this whole strike is a glass elevator and is literally hanging by a string ready to crack and break into a billion little pieces. Inside the elevator stands the government-- specifically the ministers of finance and education... then you have the university presidents... oh... and now the judge-- but as we all know-- he's just kinda chillin' there for now. Anyway...

These people are in this very fragile glass elevator and have for the past eighty some days pressed EVERY SINGLE POSSIBLE BUTTON IN THIS CRAZY ELEVATOR... there are buttons on the floor, on the ceiling, walls...everywhere... and while they've all gone somewhere... some went forward, some back, some sideways and upways and longways and shortways (I think you get the point)... they're still stuck inside the Wonka Factory (the strike... umpaloopas being the students stuck inside this mess) The university presidents decided to press another button... almost like an emergency stop... the "Close all Campuses until the Ministry of Finance Reaches Agreement with Striking Lecturers"... GREAT... fabulous choice. (ugh...) Proof and more information about this button can be found here:

http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/944928.html

http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/945375.html

Now... what does it mean for the umpaloopas...? For the Israeli students--it means they can't take their semester exams for the classes they are taking and if an agreement isn't reached, this semester and most likely the next will be lost. For us OSP students-- it means we're going on an extra tyul (trip) on Sunday!! YAY... seriously... I think we are... but again... for real... it means that if the campus remains closed, our ulpan courses are going to be moved to the old Ben-Gurion Univ. campus about a 10 minute walk from the moanot (dorms). There will still be some Israeli students there-- they're taking courses to prepare themselves to enter the university--kinda like community college-- it'll be a very different experience.

HOPEFULLY... someone will be cool and press the 'UP AND OUT' button--- you know... the one Charlie presses at the end and the elevator gains speed and goes bursting through the glass ceiling... that button here means they reached an agreement and universities can get back to normal.

crunch time...

It was no surprise to me coming here this semester that the senior professors at all Israeli public universities were on strike... strikes are actually rather common in Israel-- last spring university students went on strike demanding that the tuition not be raised... imagine that happening in the states.

The professor strike has continued now for over 80 days and as the following article from haaretz.com explains... a decision--some decision is necessary in the next 48 hours or this semester is going to be a rather different Israeli experience. By no means, are we assured that the Overseas Students Program (OSP) will be effected--- we have a different set of teachers, etc etc... but the who atmosphere here at BGU-- at any university in Israel may be very different than expected....

http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/944303.html

Week 1 photographs

http://indiana.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2368555&l=85502&id=6825807

above is a link to my photos from this week... I'll try to post a link to any new pictures I put up on Facebook! :-) You may have to copy and paste it into your browser... but I think it works.

First week in the most beautiful country on earth...

I've now been in Israel for a week and have been overwhelmed with experiences and opportunities.  This is my third time in the country and by semesters end--will be my longest stay to date. Returning to Ben Gurion International airport in Tel Aviv is a moving experience in itself... and each time brings back the feeling that I hope one day to make Israel my permanent home and for the next 6 months, it is. 

3.1 Arrival

We landed in Tel Aviv and after gathering our things, exchanging our American dollars for shekelim (in which the exchange rate was actually really awful...),  working our way through the large and very loud birthright groups that were on our flight... we boarded a bus that took us to the University. And while I'd love to say that the drive was great-- going from rolling green hills to sand dunes and desert--I can't... because I think each and everyone of us passed out on the hour and a half drive down to Beersheba.

We arrived at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev at moanot gimmel (Gimmel Dormitories), received our room keys and moved into our rooms.  The moanot are separated different benyanim (buildings). I live in benyan 86 on the first floor.  The rooms are little apartments with a small kitchenette/sitting room area, shared bathroom and 4 single bedrooms--I live with 3 Israelis--and now a week later-- I think I've made what used to look like a jail cell a little more friendly and homey... my most important purchases-- a small space heater and rug... it gets rather chilly here and a tile floor isn't too great to use as a heat absorber. We cook for ourselves, which is great practice for next year and I'm learning the Israeli way to cook-- especially rice... it's wonderful... and the art of using the toaster (to Americans--a panini press) and a koom-koom (electric water boiler).

Thursday night began our orientation weekend... the Overseas Student Program (OSP) director Shlomo welcomed us and spoke briefly about the academic strike that continues in Israel--this would be the first of maybe 15 times the strike was explained to us that weekend. Unlike the strike last year by Israeli students protesting the tuition increase, the strike that has been in effect since fall semester in Israel is being held by the senior lecturers/professors.  Additionally, the high school teachers were on strike, however there issues were resolved a few weeks ago. There are still university classes in session--but only those taught by non-tenured professors. Generally speaking-- most of the people I've met are taking 2 or 3 of what would usually be a 5 or 6 course load. There are still students living in the moanot and on campus, although many of them do choose to stay here for a few days a week while they have class and then go home for the others.  Everyone is holding their breath... if a solution isn't worked out by Sunday, the semester will most likely have to be cancelled and perhaps the next... our OSP classes are minimally if at all effected as we have our own lecturers and classes.

4-5.1 Orientation Weekend

Our first weekend in Israel was dedicated to orientation and getting to know each other.  We left the moanot early and headed to Sde Boker--the desert home of Israel's first Prime Minister and the man that my university here is named after, David Ben-Gurion.  We toured his home, which has been turned into a museum and visited his grave and the grave of his wife Paula. He is one of only two Prime Ministers not buried on Har Herzl (Mt. Herzl) in Jerusalem.  We also went on a short hike at wadi Eni Avdat which was gorgeous. We went down to a waterfall in the middle of the desert and the went up the mountains that were surrounding the water. We spent shabbat on Kibbutz Mashabei Sade, about 25 minutes from Beersheba and where we lit candles, had kabbalat shabbat and spent a relaxing day in really comfortable beds... :-) and going over orientation information and playing a ton of get to know you games.

We returned to the university motzi shabbat (evening after shabbat ends) and two friends and I walked from the moanot to mirkaz BIG (BIG center)-- a huge shopping center which was about a 20 minute walk from where we live.  We had dinner at Aroma and shopped around for little things that we needed-- bowls,plates, cutlery, blankets, groceries etc. They had any store you could ever need--electronics, food, clothes and yes and perhaps unfortunately... Office Depot and ACE hardware.  We took a monit (taxi) back home will all of our stuff. 

6.1 Orientation continues... and never really ends

Sunday we had a tour of the campus and continued our orientation to Beersheba, Israel and the OSP program. We met with the morim (teachers) for ulpan (Hebrew immersion program... generally for new Israeli immigrants). We have uplan 5 days a week, Sunday-Thursday from 8:30-10:00 ... half hour break... and then again from 10:30-12 pm for the next six weeks until our classes begin for the semester.  There are four levels, Aleph, Aleph Plus, Gimmel and Dalet.  I'm in Gimmel, the second highest with 4 other OSP students. It's a lot of time in class but the level is basically perfect for me and I generally really enjoy it. 

7-10.1  First week of Ulpan... getting adjusted and seeing special people! :-)

We began ulpan on Monday. While it's hard getting up at 7... especially for someone like me who hasn't taken a class in college that didn't start until at least 9:30 am.... I know... pity, right? It's really nice having the whole afternoon off to study, walk around campus, go shopping, nap, hang out... whatever. Generally, we have little programs or opportunities every evening for us to take part in--lectures, movies, meetings, trips, etc. The OSP program offers 2-3 weekend trips a month for us. The next trip is next weekend to Jerusalem. 

On Monday, we had a little Israel orientation program... about the country, fun facts, etc.... just us hanging around together for a little while. 

Tuesday Yoni drove down from Jerusalem and spent the afternoon in Beersheba. It was really nice and a most excellent reminder of the number of friends I have either living in Israel, here this semester or will be visiting this semester. We went to lunch, walked around the mall and hung out for a little while in my dorm. That evening, the OSP played the Israeli film, "Yossi and Jager" for us. It is about two gay Israeli soldiers, Yossi and Jager (obviously) and I guess I won't say anything else about it... it is a really good movie, though. 

Wednesday we had a volunteer session about opportunities for us to volunteer in and around Beersheba this semester. There was everything from walking dogs to teaching Ethiopian immigrants and Bedouins English. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do yet... but I'll figure something out.  Wednesday night is also a huge party night in Beersheba... because most classes for the week are done on Thursday, many student head home that afternoon and aren't around Thursday-Saturday. There is a huge discoteck called Baraka about 5-7 minute taxi ride away that hosts student parties every Wednesday. They pass out cards in the student union every Wednesday for free cover before 12:15 am with a student ID, a few of us went this week... but I chose to take a little tyul (trip) around the local pubs with a friend of mine. There's a super cute little pub/restaurant literally across the street from our dorms called Gatro and another one behind the dorms called Coca. 

Yesterday--Thursday-- after ulpan I took at bus to the central bus station and met Hannah. We went on EIE together and a year ago August she made Aliyah (immigration to Israel) and joined the army. Her base is in the Negev and she gets off every Thursday-Sunday...the bus she takes stops in Beersheba so seeing her weekly is likely. We had coffee in the city and came back to the moanot, hung out, walked to BIG.  It's hard to describe how amazing it is to see here when I come to Israel... and how helpful she is-- my pelephone (cell phone) is now in Hebrew... learning slowly but surely... haha. Thursday night those of us who didn't go out of town for the weekend went back to Coca... where...well...lets just say we were a little bit too American...right...

Today I finally got to sleep in and did some last minute errands before shabbat comes in. I'm going to a Conservative Shul with one of my roommates tonight, I'm pretty excited. The rest of shabbat I think will be dedicated to studying Hebrew and relaxing-- it should be really nice.

!!שבת שלום