2 months... feels more like 2 hours...

Wow... I'm really good at this, aren't I? SO sorry... the last two months have gotten the best of me--but I'll try to be a little more diligent from now on. ;-)

Like I said... The last two months (since my last post) have gone by way too quickly for my liking... specifically hard to realize today-- I had to book a flight back to the states for the end of the semester. Enough about that--

Things are going really well, I'm very, VERY happy and am having a fantastic time--surprise surprise. Ulpan ended the second week of February and we had a long 5-day weekend. Two friends and I headed down south to Eilat--and crossed the boarder into Jordan for a few day trip to Petra (reference: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark) and a Jeep trip in Wadi Rum. Despite being a little chilly... it was beautiful and a lot of fun. Links to pictures are below.

Album #1: Petra
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2394926&l=d67f5&id=6825807

Album #2: Petra and Wadi Rum
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2394939&l=710e9&id=6825807

Album #3: Wadi Rum
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2394961&l=3c562&id=6825807

Upon returning to Israel...
I entered the country on a 3-month tourist visa... because I was accepted to the program in early December--not enough time to apply for a student visa. (I was not the only one). Our plan to leave the country and return to receive another 3-months failed... as we were issued 1-month visas at the boarder and told to get student visas. Fast forward and 300 shekels later... I have an Israeli student visa--just a crazy annoying process--but two nice full page stickers in my passport. haha...

The official semester began shortly there after. I'm taking 5 classes... all very interesting and none really too demanding--which is nice, leaving plenty of opportunity for travel and the like.

Class schedule:
Monday: 8:30-10:00 Hebrew, 10:15-12:00 Ethnic Perspectives on Israeli Society
Tuesday: 8:30-10:00 Hebrew, 10:15-12:00 Disease that Shaped Modern Israel, 16:15-20:00 Holy War in Judaism, Christianity and Islam
Wednesday: 10:15-12:00 Diseases that Shaped Modern Israel, 14:00-16:00 Ethnic Perspectives on Israeli Society
Thursday: 8:30-10:00

I'm also taking a class as a reader class--meaning the course was too small to have as a real class, so I do the reading, write a few papers and meet with a professor once every two weeks-- Visual Culture in Ancient and Medieval Judaism

If you can't tell... my weekend starts on Thursday at 10 am and goes well into Sunday. It's wonderful. I've spend one weekend here in Be'er Sheva in the past month and a half. Tyulim (trips) include down to Ein Gedi and the Dead Sea-- wonderful hiking... so pretty... too bad I forgot my camera on that trip. I participated in the TaMaR (Tnuant Magshamim Reformim) Movement of Reform Zionists--the young adult movement of the World Union For Progressive Judaism--veida or seminar. I spent a week and a half in Jerusalem last March on the same conference. This year's was really nice... I saw some good friends from the states and we had the opportunity to travel around a little... spend time in Tel Aviv, down south at Kibbutz Yahel and Lotan, Eilat, and Jerusalem.

Pictures from TaMaR Veida:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2394990&l=5b577&id=6825807

Other happenings... I also spent a fantastic weekend up on Kibbutz Sasa (in the North... about 15 KM from Tsfat and has a GREAT view of Lebanon...stam...) My very good friend Hannah (from EIE) and my friends Jomi (from camp) and Julie (from EIE) live up on this kibbutz. They made aliyah about a year and a half ago and joined a program called Garin Tzbar-- overseas young adults who make aliyah together, live on kibbutz and join the army. I have other friends in the 2007 year of the garin living on different kibbutzim as well. I was a great weekend... a lot of fun and I'm heading back up there this weekend for PURIM!! It should be a really good time.

Really... other than that... the time is flying by. I continue to find new and exciting things in Be'er Sheva-- it's not as lame of a city as so many people think... There's a monument to honor the soldiers that fought a battle in Be'er Sheva during the War of Independence (1948-49). It's on the top of a hill overlooking the city and the whole negev. We took a little hike up and watched the sunset... It was so beautiful.

Sunset Photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2394919&l=4a6c9&id=6825807

Last Thursday, I headed up north to Zicron Ya'akov-- between Tel Aviv and Haifa. My friend Josh--who is in the garin-- turned 21 that day and it was also his tekes masa kumpta. [Tekes: ceremony Masa: journey Kumpta: beret (army beret)] His whole unit began a long hike (2 am) that concluded at 9 am. Friends and family were invited to join them on the last 500 meters of the hike and at the end was a ceremony where they received their berets. Josh is in the tochanim... artillery--noted by the bright blue kumptot. This tekes marks the end of their basic training as well. Usually... each soldier receives a kumpta and that's cool... Josh however, was given a kumpta from his Samech Mem Pey (his commander's commander). Receiving his personal kumpta was a HUGE honor-- a sign that Josh was one of the best men in the group. Amazing, actually.

Photos from Josh's Tekes:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2395007&l=66281&id=6825807

Well... I think that was a pretty good 2-month catch up. Like I said, I'll try to update more often. Spring Break (Passover week) is coming up... and I'm heading to BARCELONA, SPAIN to meet up with some other Phi Mu girls, explore the city, etc. I'm also hoping to spend a few days in the middle of the week in Berlin, visiting a friend from TaMaR. I'm really excited.

I'd love to hear how things are going in the states...
my e-mail: tstratfo@indiana.edu or
phone (from the states): 011-972-52-6092493