4 life lessons in 108 hours
108. 108 hours.
It’s only been 108 hours since I’ve landed on this beautiful terrain
that is quickly becoming my home. I
actually can’t believe it’s only been 108 hours, because I feel like I’ve been
here for weeks.
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A
beautiful sunset over Jerusalem.
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A lot of
people I’ve talked to that have studied abroad say you change so much, and
finally, I believe it. I already feel
like I’ve picked up some of the language that I am eagerly trying to learn, I
am beginning to navigate places on my own, and learning that it’s ok to get a
little lost. Getting lost was always one
of my fears, but I have embraced it being in a new country and moreso on my
own.
Now, I guess “on my own” is not
entirely true. There are about 120
other Rothberg Hebrew University International students on the program with me,
a lot of them whom I’ve gotten close to quickly. I also have family and friends all over
Israel, one aunt who I consider my ima (mom)
while I’m over here.
Like I
said, I feel I have already changed a lot, in one way becoming more wise. Here are the lessons I’ve learned so far in
Israel:
Preparing for Shabbat is like preparing for a
hurricane. I have never celebrated Shabbat as intensely as I have this
past weekend (and that really isn’t saying too much). At home, I rarely celebrate it, but it is a
weekly holiday here. Friday night to
Saturday night is like the Christian Sunday, so we have classes on Sunday
instead of Friday (still getting used to that).
I thought it was odd that my aunt Beth (calling her ima for now on)
asked me before Shabbat if I had enough food for breakfast and lunch. I understand why, now, because everything in
Israel shuts down. The grocery store is
a hectic place to be on a Friday afternoon, and I will try to prepare for the
“hurricane” a little earlier.
Be pushy, or you won’t get anywhere. Shuk The
shuk (market) in downtown Jerusalem is the place to be, especially on Friday
afternoon before Shabbat. As a fellow
foodie, it is basically my heaven, with so many different kinds of fresh foods
with barely any spare place to move. Some
of my finds were 4 large pitas (best pita I’ve ever had keep in mind) for only
10 shekel, tomatoes, cucumbers, and nuts.
The nuts stand I went to was crazy, and basically a free for all. I found that smiling and raising my hand was
simply not enough. That’s when I got
out of my element, because when I want nuts, I mean business. I shoved myself to the front and yelled
“slicha (excuse me)!!!” while flailing my arms.
Let’s just say I got my nuts.
Stay out of East Jerusalem. A part of being in a different country is immersing yourself
in the culture. I indeed got a big
culture shock when I found myself in an Israeli’s house in East Jerusalem
(which is 99.9% Arab). Of course, I was
accompanied by Israelis so I felt safer, but it was still a scary experience. When we were stopped at a light, a young Arab
boy came by and tried to get the Israeli I was with (in Arabic) to buy a cheap
toy off of him. When the Israeli said,
“no thanks” he replied by trying to kiss him.
Awww?
A
symbol for two peoples. On the left is an Israeli flag. The black
and white cylinder on the right is a water heater that only Arabs use.
This is the roof of the Israeli I was with, so clearly he is pretty bold to
have an Israeli flag in East Jerusalem.
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Israelis are humans too.
They all go into the IDF, they’re
tough, but they’re also human. I’m not
going to lie, Israelis intimidate me.
With their beautiful bronzed skin and deep brown eyes (the safardics at least),
and their ability to endure the army and still enjoy life makes me perceive
them as robots or some sort of machines.
But in reality, they are “sabra,” which means hard on the outside and
soft on the inside (used to describe cacti).
I realize that they are human, just wanting to enjoy life, and I came to
the right place to enjoy our homeland.
Here's
one that's kinda sababa.
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