November 30, 2004

Hey all,

Once again, I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to get an update on here.  My life is beyond hectic these days, what with settling in to lovely Be'er Sheva, getting through my first month of school, and traveling back and forth to Jerusalem at least once a week.

So finally I decided to stick around this godforsaken city for a couple of weeks and make a real attempt at connecting with it, rather than escaping to Jerusalem all the time.  It's not easy, I'll be honest.  The truth is, I really don't feel all that much animosity towards my new home.. It's nice, the university is great, and the students and professors in my program are amazing.  But that's really about it.  There is not much to do in the city -- the truth is there isn't much of a city.  It's just a university, hospital, and a small little city center stuck in the middle of the Negev Desert.  There are also 3 malls.. ugh.  I haven't found a park for Sava to run around in, and there are no real markets or restaurants near my house.

So besides my membership to the campus movie theater (which is awesome! 50 bucks for all the almost-current movies I can sit through in a year!), I really don't get out much.  Well, let's face it, that isn't much of a change from my usual routine. :)  But the truth is, I did go out quite a bit in Jerusalem.. even if it was just my daily visit to the outdoor market to get some avocados, I was always seeing friends and feeling like I was a part of LIFE there.  I don't feel that here.  Which is the main reason I've been jetting off to JErusalem whenever I get two days in a row that I don't have to spend here.  Oh well.. that's life, I guess.  At least I'm not in Tel Aviv.. I think I would really not be able to handle that at all, I really hate that place.  So at least Be'er Sheva is tolerable.. boring, but tolerable. :)

I also have to admit that there is another reason I have been spending lots of time in Jerusalem.. yup, you guessed it, I FINALLY met a guy!  Yes, I know, I can barely believe it myself.  We met a couple of months ago, about a week after I moved (yes, the famous "alison timing").. He is also American (don't think that doesn't bug the hell out of me!), made aliyah about a year and a half ago also, from the D.C. area.  I have to be honest, and you all know that I am not prone to optimism on this subject, but I think this could be very promising indeed.  We are in a bit of a tough place right now because I am down here and he is actually in the army for the next 2 months (because of the age that he became a citizen he had a 100-day obligation to fulfill).  So right now we are just taking it very slow and waiting until the major stressors in both of our lives settle down a bit.  It has not been easy for me to adjust to school and having him in my life at the exact same time, so we are both trying to find our footing.  I'm definitely looking forward to it developing, though, and feeling very excited about the future.

So that's about it, I think.  Things are good, Sava is enjoying Be'er Sheva quite a bit.. And my classes themselves?  That's another story, I guess.  No, in general, they are going very well.  Everything is in Hebrew, which has been a serious adjustment.. but the workload is almost non-existent and the courses themselves are interesting.  I generally pick up around 75% of what is going on, which isn't bad at all (much better than I expected).  The lecture-type courses are much easier, because I only have to get used to one prof's way of speaking.. But I have two discussion-type courses which are not easy at all, as I have to listen to 20 different students, all with different styles and accents.  My course with Arab students, especially, is close to impossible.  (If you want to read more about that course and how my ways of thinking have been changing in the past few months, feel free to flip to my latest two articles, #28 and #29).  And of course, my statistics course is kicking my ass.  Even when I do understand the Hebrew, I have no idea what the guy is talking about! :)

But in any case, I'm getting through.. and I'm glad I'm finally back in school and on my way to getting a degree.  I'm starting to do some thinking about my Master's Thesis, which will involve interviewing bus drivers in Jerusalem about coping strategies and responses to trauma.  I'm really looking forward to getting started on that.

And that's about it.  For real this time.  No really, I swear.  I mean it!  The End. :)  Until next time.  I love you all, and I hope to be in better touch with you all soon.. but please don't blame me if I don't succeed on that.  Just trust me that I am thinking about you and missing you and hoping you are all doing well. :)