We are a month into our semester now. The days are flying by quicker than ever. My bonds are growing stronger with all the people here. My classes are okay, for the most part. The material isn’t hard and even though the days are long, we get breaks for tiyul. Speaking of tiyul, this week we went on the tiyul I had been looking forward to the most. The week started off normal, but on Wednesday morning we headed on to the bus and began our journey. The bus dropped us off in the old city of Jerusalem. We went to a museum which contained the dead sea scrolls and replica of the city of David. The replica was really helpful and allowed us to really get a visual aspect to all the stories we had been hearing. You could see the different houses and where the different sects of Jews lived. The rich lived in one part with nice homes, and the lower class lived in a completely different area. In the model, there was also the beit hamegdash, which allowed for a clear picture of its true stature and beauty. After looking at the model, we went into this hershey kiss looking building which held the dead sea scrolls. It also contained the tiniest and oldest tefillin. This was really interesting to me because it’s not everyday you get to see ancient Hebrew scripts. Then we headed over to where the beit hamegdash used to stand. This was really something special because it was one of the holiest places in history. You could also see just how great King Herod’s architect was. We also went up to a part of the western wall which isn’t as commonly recognized by people since it was discovered much later. Our group held hands and walked up the stairs as one unit. We then took our time and said prayers at the wall. We also walked away from the wall as one unit. Aubrey also took the time to explain to us why the stairs were built two small steps one long step. It was so that when you walked up to the temple, you would be doing it with respect, and taking your time to absorb every moment. This was such a meaningful experience, and the aspects of being united as one was really special.

After all of this exciting history we went into the city to have an afternoon of shopping. Lisa took us to jewelry shop called hadaya which specializes in custom jewelry. I bought a ring with the first sentence of lech lach engraved into it and on the inside I got my Hebrew name and the date I left for Israel. I got lech lacha because just about two years ago my mom, dad, brother and I all had a b'nai mitzvah. The portion was also my rabbi’s Torah portion and the meaning to go from lech lacha has become an important part of life. On the inside I got my Hebrew name which my parent gave me at my baby naming, as well as the date that we flew here, to remember my first time ever coming to Israel. After shopping, we headed to a hotel in ein gedi to spend the night. We got there around five in the evening and had dinner at seven, this was probably the earliest I have gone to bed the entire trip so far. Going to bed early was nice since the next day we woke up at the crack of dawn  to hike Masada, so we could watch the sun rise. The hike has almost a thousand stairs but it was well worth it. The sunrise wasn’t spectacular, because it was one of the only days a year it rains on Masada as well as it was freezing. We then spent six hours on top of the mountain learning the history of the zealots. We learned why Herod originally built a palace there and how he made this desert mountain able to sustain life. On Masada there was also a Roman bath house which I thought was super cool and Aubrey let me explain how Roman bath houses functioned in their prime. We also got to see a scribe writing the Torah in the synagogue that used to stand their. Masada was really moving for me, and also brought up a lot of questions with myself about my Jewish identity. Some of them were whether or not would I have become a slave or killed myself in the suicide pact, and what does it mean to die with dignity/bravery.

After Masada, we went to the Dead Sea. It was freezing and raining, but none of my cuts stang, which was great. I also bought two bags of mud, which I’m very excited to use. Then we headed back to campus. That night I had a date with Lee, Mya and Honey. We drank tea and made friendship bracelets. It was nice to have a quiet relaxed evening. Then I went to bed early and woke up late, which is the best feeling ever.  As amazing as the semester has been so far there has been some really difficult parts to adjust to. Such as the fact that I look very American, and don’t speak Hebrew. School has also been a bit of a struggle as well. Looking very American automatically makes people assume you’re dumb or that they don’t have to treat you with the same level of respect in stores or on the streets. The same goes with not speaking Hebrew as well, people either just ignore you or shake their heads and roll their eyes at you. This is really off putting at times. On the boardwalk in Eilat one of the other students and I were walking and a group of young guys came up to us and asked if we spoke English, of course we said yes. Apparently this was hilarious since they all burst out laughing and walked away from us.  The school has also been a really big change from back home.  The classes here are longer than back home, and the days are also several hours longer than I’m used to. The adjustments are minor though. The hardest one is probably one on one classes. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the weeks are going to bring.