I realized this morning that I start studying on Wednesday (shortest summer vacation of my life) and thought it a good idea to post about the happenings of this, my first full week in Israel, before the craziness begins.
On Sunday Matan and I went to the Old City in Jerusalem. It's about fifteen minutes by foot from our apartment to the Jaffa gate, and then another few minutes through the twisting and turning market to get to the Western Wall (Kotel) and all the rest. We had planned to make a day of it and visit many of the historical sights in the Old City, but it was so unbearably hot that after a visit to the Wall we were too fried to continue. Those of you reading this know me well and likely know that I am not particularly into religious belief and practice. It might then surprise you to learn that I love visiting the Kotel, but I really do. Whenever I'm there I get a profound feeling of history and connectedness, like touching the stones that have been caressed by so many hands is linking me to generations and generations of people, of Jews, that have visited this most important place. In a strange way I feel like I can pull their strength and wisdom out of the stones. Here is a picture of Matan at the Wall with the Dome of the Rock in the background and one of me as well. I also bought a modest skirt to wear when the occasion calls for it, and now I fit in (at least a little) with the rest of the women walking around :)
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I think it's time for a little update on Matan. He is doing well. On Monday he took a job doing gardening work with a nice guy in and around Jerusalem which he really enjoyed. How one could enjoy manual labor in this heat is beyond me, but I don't argue. As many of you know, he has been planning on going to Culinary School here in Jerusalem this Fall, but it looks like he's changed his mind! He found out about a school that teaches Massage Therapy and Holistic Medicine and got really excited, had a meeting with the people who run the place and really loved it. He can do 3 certificates in one year which I think is pretty neat - 1 in Swedish Massage, 1 in Spa Therapy, and 1 in Integrative Massage (I have absolutely no idea what that is, but sounds good). People ask me which one I think he should do and all I can say is 1. whichever makes him happy and 2. how can I complain? I'm either coming away with a chef or a masseuse for a boyfriend - not bad! :) So that's Matan.
On Monday after he worked and had this meeting we took a bus down to Kibbutz Ketura (where Matan grew up, where I studied after high school, and where we met) for a visit which is where I'm writing from now. The ride is long but beautiful - they drive alongside the Dead Sea and then down into the desert. As we drove into the Arava Valley, winding our way through the crevice wedged between two mountain ranges - the Adom mountains on our left in Jordan and the nameless Israeli peaks and plateaus on our right - I let out a comfortable, familiar sigh: This is the Israel that I know. Being on the Kibbutz has been really nice. It's also unbelievably hot here, but they have a pool which is delicious. Each afternoon Matan and I have been playing in the pool with his niece Mai who is almost 6, which has been a ton of fun. It's a great place to relax and hang out with friends, and also to FINALLY overcome my jet lag.
So I think that's all from here! Like I said, I start my Ulpan on Wednesday (eek!) which I am excited and nervous about. Mostly I'm excited to meet the other students in my program, hang with people who also feel like fish out of water, make my own friends, and have a purpose/schedule to my days. I don't register for my actual classes for a while, so more on that later. Like I said before I am eager to hear news from home so let me know what's going on with all of you! E-mails or comments on the blog are very much appreciated.
Love love love (ahava ahava ahava),
Kate
