My New Stomping Grounds

So since my last post, I have officially moved into my new apartment. Unfortunately, I refuse to show anyone pictures until we tidy up a bit, plus some of our furniture still hasn't come in! The apartment came partially furnished, which means it had a refrigerator, couches, a coffee table, night stands, and one double bed. So right now, one of my roommates Rachel is sleeping on the futon in our living room, and Denize and I are sharing the double bed, and we are all living out of our suitcases. The rest of our furniture should be in early next week, and we can't wait! We also don't have the internet yet at our apartment, which has been kind of cathartic for me actually. I actually waste so much time on the internet, so it's great to get back to reading and things that are not on the internet. It's kind of sad to me the way that there can be a room full of people and nobody will be talking to each other b/c we'll all be on our laptops. I think I'm just old-fashioned. Also it's nice to take a bit of a break from checking email constantly, since it is the holidays after all, so I really don't need to be so caught up in my work.

Anyways, I love our new neighborhood! We are just south of Shuk HaCarmel, which is this huge outdoor market. I think it's sort of like a farmer's market, only they literally have everything! From fresh produce to cheap clothes (and scarves...) to spices to bakeries, and everything is very inexpensive. I think the concept of a shuk is a very Middle Eastern one, but it's wonderful!

We also live right by the beach. Literally two blocks away. I can see the Mediterranean Sea from my bedroom window! I have a picture, but I'll have to post it later, since it's on my camera at my apartment, and I'm currently on campus to suck up some of the internet while my roommate skypes with her family.

It was kind of a huge hassle to move in. I absolutely hate moving. I really thought the move would go quite smoothly, and it did for the most part. I am a terrible packer though. For the past few days before we moved in, we've been slowly bringing down stuff on the bus in our backpacks and bags, which was a really good idea, since I could barely get my suitcases closed. I have no idea how I managed to pack to come here. I need to find a vacuum before I move back home so I can use my vacuum seal bags again, that's for sure. Also making matters worse, the airlines pretty much ruined both my luggage and also Rachel's, so it was an interesting adventure trying to lug our bags to the street. Our friend Lianne was super nice and let us use her car to move our stuff down. But we each had two suitcases plus pots and pans plus bags of food, so there was no room for us in her car after we'd packed it all! So part of us took a taxi down to our new apartment. We live on the 6th floor of the apartment, which is the second to top floor. Thank goodness there's an elevator. 

Also exciting news is that I got my first package since I've been here from one of my best friends Becky, who I met at Megiddo last year! It was full of Christmas and Chanukah goodies and much appreciated! (Again, I have a photo, but it's also on my camera, oops. I really should have put them on my computer before coming up to campus.)

When we finally got all our stuff moved into our apartment, we realized that we actually had no food at all really except for like a pita and a thing of hummus and rice and ketchup and other random assortments of food, so we walked up the street a bit, and we found a wonderful Chinese restaurant! It made me a bit nostalgic for home, since my mom and I love Chinese food and were on a huge Chinese food kick right before I moved here. The food was a bit pricey but absolutely delicious!! Also very strange to be eating Chinese food in Israel. When I go out for Chinese food, I'm used to a menu in Chinese and English translations, not Chinese, English, and Hebrew. The food was soooo good, and I definitely have to go back!!

Anyways, I have a paper to get back to writing now. Hopefully in my next blog post, I'll have pictures of my new (fully furnished) apartment and internet at my apartment! Also more pictures of Hazor and Tel Dan, which I'm visiting on Monday! 

Israel vs. America/Michigan

Gilad Shalit, a kidnapped soldier who has been held in captivity by Hamas terrorists for over five years came home to Israel back in October. In exchange for Shalit, the Israeli government agreed to return1,027 Palestinian prisoners  to the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and east Jerusalem. The first group was already released at the end of October, and last night the second batch were released.  The 1:1,027 swap, as the media has dubbed it, is insane and beautiful at the same time. It shows that Israel values human life so much that they are willing to set over 1000 terrorists free. It also shows that Israel wants its people to know that when they willingly or unwillingly enlist in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) to know they will do their best to save him or her. 

Political current events aside, I'm trying to be a much better blogger and to captivate my blog readers, that means I should probably update more than once a month. The past few days have been quite lazy for me, mostly filled with cleaning and reading about Late Second Temple burial and cult practices for my classes. Also Harry Potter, but that's not for class. :)

One of the things that I really enjoy about my program are the other students in it. We have such a good group dynamic. It's also incredibly neat to be able to sit in class with these people all day and struggle with speaking Hebrew and then later that night sit with the same group at the pub splitting a pitcher of Goldstar and eating hummus while talking about archaeology. I've never experienced such a dynamic before or had friends who really share the same passions for archaeology and ancient history as I do. It's also amazing to think that these friends are really the future of our field. Sure, we are nothing but graduate students now, but many of us are planning to pursue the field even further and eventually it will be us. It's so crazy to know that even when our year here is finished, it won't be the last we see of each other, since undoubtedly, we'll run into each other at academic conferences and some of us might even collaborate on papers together in a few years. 

Many people have asked me if being away from home so long is difficult, and quite frankly, I haven't really been that homesick. Sure I feel as though I'm missing out on a lot back home such as the birth of new baby cousins and my brother's recent engagement, but technology has made everything much easier. I do miss my friends back home, but at the same time, my friends here have quickly become my new closest friends and new family away from. We are all exactly in the same boat, and for most of us, it's our first holiday season away from home. Also, truth be told, it doesn't even seem like Christmastime to me. I actually didn't even realize that Christmas is in less than a week. There is no snow obviously and also obviously not Christmas decorations. No lights decorating the street lamps, no holiday flavored coffee at coffee shops or other Christmas treats, no blowup Santa Clauses and his reindeer, and no Nativity scenes anywhere in Tel Aviv. Right now my Christmas plans are to sit at home with my roommates Rachel and Denize with a bottle of wine and snacks and watch Christmas movies online. 

I think another reason why I haven't been homesick at all is because I came to Israel with the knowledge that the next time I would be home wouldn't be until the end of next August. I can hardly believe that I've been here two months exactly (as of yesterday). On the one hand, it seems like ages ago that I was sitting in the Gerald R. Ford International Airport with my parents waiting to board my flight, but on the other hand, it seems like only yesterday. I still remember vividly the preparations of the day that I left, running around town like crazy with my mom purchasing last minute supplies and packing and unpacking and repacking my suitcases. Last summer it seemed like I was in Israel for such a long time, but it was only two months; I've been here two months now and my time here is still only just beginning.

Furthermore, I absolutely love living in Israel! It's quite different to visit a country for a few weeks or even months like I did last summer, but to actually live here. To buy groceries here, to have a bus pass, to purchase furniture for your apartment, to cook your dinner with the vegetables that you just bought at the shuk, it's all so great. I've never had such an opportunity to be able to live in a foreign country, and I actually doubt that I ever will have such an opportunity again. I really do try to make the most of each day, though most of the day is spent in class. It's strange to think how Israel no longer seems foreign to me any longer. Hearing Hebrew spoken all around me is completely normal, and I'm used to having to try and communicate in my broken Hebrew and apologize for not knowing more. Living here is also really different than just visiting because I get to live in the heart of of the city, surrounded by people who aren't tourists and who aren't students and many of whom don't speak English very well. It's such a unique opportunity, and I'm so glad that I decided to do this!

The Israeli education system is also much different than the American one. First of all, I am one of the younger people in the University, though I'm not even an undergraduate student. This is because every Israeli student must do 2-3 years in the IDF before they enroll at the University. Many choose to continue with their military career and many do not choose to go to University. Many of the people I've met find it very surprising to know that I'm only 22 and working on an MA degree here. Further, the environment is totally relaxed. I'm not sure if this is because it's graduate school or because it's in Israel, but I was so used to the fierce world of academia present at Michigan, that it was a little unnerving here. I absolutely loved my four years at Michigan, but I would be lying if I did not say that it was the most stressful four years of my life. Every student was really in the mindset that every moment you weren't studying was a wasted moment. I was also a subscriber to this thought. It was completely commonplace to be unable to find a seat (or an outlet) in the library at 2am. At TAU, the library isn't open past 6...6pm that is! So strange, considering the UGLi at Michigan was open until 5am, and you could always find somebody there at that time too. 

Now, instead of writing carefully worded emails to professors about if they would perhaps considering meeting with you during their prearranged office hours to discuss something with you if they weren't too busy, I'm emailing my former professors pictures of my adventures here and having coffee dates with my professors here and talking about archaeology and my future goals. It's really amazing how many people that I've met, both at Michigan and now here, that are also invested in my academic future, and I love it.

So sorry this blog is completely void of pictures. Hopefully in the next one. :)

If you want to start World War 3, take a trowel to the Temple Mount

Dear readers, I am so sorry that I haven't updated in such a long time. On Monday, we went to the City of David in Jerusalem for one of our archaeological tours. We didn't look around the Old City of Jerusalem, but I was fine with that, since I've already spent quite a bit of time in Jerusalem last summer. It was great to be back though. Jerusalem is really neat, but one thing I don't like about the city is the amount of tourism there and the way that historically questionable "facts" are presented as truths. I think that's just the biblical historian in me though. :)

One of the features that was neat to reexamine is the Stepped Stone Structure just outside the city wall. It's actually a highly controversial topic in archaeology, because some scholars think that it can be the palace of David or one of the fortresses that he took over. The complex actually plays a major role in the debate of the historicity of the United Monarchy, which, of course, I find absolutely fascinating! One of the major problems in the complex is how to date it, since the topography of Jerusalem doesn't really lend itself very well to being able to date stratigraphically.  In archaeology, we like to use layers and pottery typology to figure out a relative dating scheme, but that's difficult to do in Jerusalem for a few reasons including the fact that Jerusalem has been continuously inhabited for thousands of years and the Babylonian destruction of the city in 586 BCE and lastly, there are holy areas in the city that you just can't get to. I'd imagine it'd be any archaeologist's dream to excavate the Temple Mount. However, this would definitely be a really bad idea and anger a ton of people. So unfortunately, the Temple Mount is off-limits.

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Anyways, so the Stepped Stone Structure (seen above) is controversial. The complex is actually made up of two components included the Stepped Stone Structure and the Great Stone Structure.  Part of the debate is whether these two units made up one complex or if they are actually separate entities.  This architectural problem also contributes to the dating problem. Some scholars who read the Bible maximally think that this might be the Fort of Zion from the 11th century BCE (David's time). The minimalists however think that the stone terrace is 11th-10th century BCE and that the mantle should be dated to the 9th century BCE. Pottery typology really doesn't help us too much in this situation either. A collared rim jar (typical ancient Israelite pottery) was found on the floor below the stone terrace dates to the 11th-10th century BCE. This gives us a terminus post quem (Latin for the date after which) but no terminus ante quem (or date before which). So in other words, we know when the structure has to be after but we don't have an upper limit. There were stone houses built into it in the 7th century BCE, which could provide a terminus ante quem, but this isn't that useful. So really all we can say that this complex was built sometime between the 11th century BCE and the 7th century BCE. 

But does this all even matter? The structure obviously is a sign of monumental architecture, so this is a manifestation of the power of the city-state of Jerusalem. What it cannot tell us though is the size and extent of the so-called "Davidic" kingdom during this time.It's really only enough to conclude that Jerusalem was a political base of power not the sprawling capital of a huge kingdom like the Bible says. But it also doesn't mean that it wasn't. Very interesting!

On Monday, we also visited Ramat Rahel, which was used as an administrative city instead of Jerusalem during the Babylonian Period. There were a bunch of stamp impressions found there like the rosette stamp impressions and the lmlk stamp impressions. These were pressed into the handles of jars, which were used for taxes. At Ramat Rahel are also some great examples of the proto-ionic capitals, a number of which were also found at Megiddo!

We also had the opportunity to go to the Israel Museum, which is in New City Jerusalem. We only looked through the archaeology wing really, but it was AMAZING! Their collection is great and every time period of Israel is so well-represented!! One of the highlights might even be like the highlight of my entire academic life, which is that I got to see the TEL DAN STELE!!!! I was sooo pumped! The Tel Dan stele is an inscription that is the only other mention of David outside of the Bible. It was only found in the early 90s, and it's absolutely incredible!!! Unfortunately, pictures aren't allowed inside the museum though. The Ketef Hinnom scrolls are also at the Israel Museum, which is super cool! They are these two tiny little scrolls of silver inscribed with the Priestly Blessing from the Book of Numbers, which was found in a burial chamber. It might be the oldest surviving text of the Hebrew Bible from 600 BCE! Very cool!

I apologize for the lackluster update after such a long blog hiatus. I will try to do better. I've been busy with papers and presentations and readings and furniture shopping, but I think it will calm down a bit next week. It's like 10:30pm here now, and I want to get back to reading Harry Potter. :)

Also completely unrelated to Israel or archaeology, but congratulations to my big brother Jake and his new fiancee Julia! Hope you're ready to be a VanVels!!! 

Thanksgiving and Iron Age Israel

Sorry for such a long delay since my previous update. I want to say that I've been extraordinarily busy, but I haven't really. I just haven't really had anything to blog about lately. Anyway.

Thanksgiving was last week, and, as you all know, Israel does not formerly commemorate the holiday. Since the majority of the people in my program are American, we decided to do Thanksgiving ourselves. One of my classmates lives in Tel Aviv with her husband and baby daughter and is also from American, and she invited us all over for an Erev Thanksgiving (evening before Thanksgiving) at her apartment. It was potluck style, and everything was incredibly delicious! We all left later that night considerably heavier than when we arrived. Also Thanksgiving also reminded me of the things I am thankful for, including my wonderful family and friends back home who have been so supportive of my crazy dreams and also my new friends here, who really have become a second family to me. :)

In our recent classes, we've been learning about Philistine cities, so on Friday for our tours this week, we visited Lachish, Gat, and Qeiyafa. It was great. Although these sites are well known in the Bible, there are not really huge tourist destinations like Megiddo or some of those sites are. With that being said, Lachish wasn't exactly open to the general public, and we ended up bypassing some yellow tape warning us of the danger of going to the site since parts of it were unstable. We actually had to climb one of the fortification walls and enter through the ancient drainage system. It was so cool, and we of course made several jokes about how we felt like Sennacherib, who was responsible for the sacking of Lachish (as evidenced by the reliefs found in Nineveh depicting the event). 

Lachish: the "capital" of the Shephelah

You can see the vertical stratigraphy here, where the walls are from two different times!

We also visited Tel Qeiyafa and Gath (where Goliath is from). 

Tel Qeiyafa

Two-chambered gate at Qeiyafa

Gath

 We climbed to the very top of Tel Gath.

In academic news, my class on Iron Age archaeology has finished up, and I am quite sad that it's over, since it's probably my favorite time period to study. I have absolutely loved the class and the subject material. I pretty much have written down everything our professor has said and all the articles and books he referenced since I'll be doing further research in Iron Age/Deuteronomistic history in a few years hopefully! We focused a bit on the Davidides and the United Monarchy (when the northern kingdom of Israel was basically assimilated into the southern kingdom of Judah) and the compilation of the early history of the Davidic and Solomonic Dynasty. I really want to do further research on the figure of David and that dynastic succession in my later research! It's so fascinating! We talked a bit about the influences of the northern kingdom of Israel on the Bible. 

In the Book of Samuel (which was probably written around the 8th c. BCE), David is portrayed as a traitor who cooperated with the enemies of Israel, but there is also a spin on the story to blacken Saul and to resolve the allegations against David. Recent scholarship has called this The Great Apologia, which states that there was a need to provide an immediate explanation during Davidic times. There is also a Second Apologia, which is more of a succession history. However, we have no evidence of a compilation of things like The Great Apologia in the 10th c. BCE (the times of David). Another question this raises is the necessity of such a apologia during the 10th c. BCE. For instance, Chronicles (4th c. BCE) shows a different viewpoints on the history than Kings (around the 7th c. BCE). The chronicler portrays David very positively, so why is the same not done in Kings? Perhaps this can be resolved in changing the question to what is the time period when the author cannot eliminate the negative stories from the north. So the author would then need to incorporate these stories and manipulate the text at the end to spin David into a positive light. All of it is the result of the Fall of Israel in the late 8th c. BCE. In the wider scope, we can see here that there are two phases of major Judahite ideology. First, Pan-Israelite ideology directed inside to unite the population and second, Judah would be able to export their ideology after Assyria pulls out in the 7th c. BCE. But that is a topic for another time...

On another note, for more pictures and news, you should all like my program's facebook page! http://www.facebook.com/archaeologyandhistoryofthelandofthebible

I'm starting my class on Exilic and Post-exilic Archaeology tomorrow, so I have lots of reading to prepare for my class tomorrow. Also I'm about to go make a pita for lunch. Also:

!הודיה שמח לכולם

Field Trips part 2 and Biblical Exegesis

As part of our program, every other Friday we have archaeological field trips. This past week we went to Megiddo and Aphek and Betsarta (a small village near Aphek) and Migdal Tsedek. It was especially great to get back to Megiddo, since I spent all of last field season there! It was crazy busy with tourists. I also felt slightly out of place as a tourist. It really felt as though I should be in my dig clothes with my trowel with me. It will be so great to get back next season though!

So those are all pictures of Aphek, since last year I already took like millions of pictures of Megiddo. But if you want to see them and I haven't showed you, I will definitely show you again, because I obviously love talking about my experiences there.

Today we started our Iron Age Archaeology class sequence (the Iron Age comes after the Bronze Age chronologically). I absolutely love the class so far. I'm much more interested in the Iron Age than I am in the Bronze Age, since it is in the Iron Age that Israel rises up as a state. We talked a lot about biblical history and how much we can actually trust the bible as a historical source, which actually isn't a whole lot, which I'm sure some of my conservative readers will find controversial. But seriously in the book of Joshua, it details the Israelites' "conquest" of the Canaanites at Jericho in the Late Bronze Age, but there wasn't even a large settlement at Jericho in the LBA according to archaeological evidence. This is not to say that we cannot rely on the biblical texts to tell us about ancient traditions. 

Anyway, there are a few general rules to approaching such research. First, no texts, since biblical texts cannot really tell things as if it is an actual historical description. An example of this is that the entire book of Judges pretty much serves as an introduction to the Davidic dynyasty later on. Second, one has to be careful to not detach these processes from the general picture in the Ancient Near East. You have to remember the Edomites, Arameans, etc, as well as the Israelites. Third, you have to look at the long duree of history. It's impossible to gain an accurate picture and understanding if you're not looking at thousands of years of history. Fourth, one also has to bear in mind the differences between the urban sectors and the rural sectors. And last, it's also important to know what you mean when you talk about "Israel." A person? A nation? A geographical area?

We also talked a bit about the layers of the Book of Joshua, and how one can relate examining a biblical text like archaeology and look at the stratigraphy of the text and peel it back, layer by layer. Like in Joshua, there are vague memories of the past such as when it mentions that "Hazor formerly was the head of all those kingdoms," perhaps alluding to a time in the past when Hazor was the greatest of all the kingdoms. Another example of such memories is the Song of Deborah in the Book of Judges. It might be recalling memories of unrest in the northern valleys during the 10th century BCE, which is attested in a destruction layer of Megiddo VIA in the 10th c. BCE. A second layer is etiological stories. Joshua mentions a city called "Ai," which literally translates to "ruins." Perhaps the people around Ai passed the ruins everyday and that's how the city got its name. And the last layer is the reality and ideology of the time of the authors. Maybe the descriptions of the conquest in Joshua are more collected stories and traditions and myths, and the people put them together to advance their own ideology.

This is not all to say that I don't think that the Bible shouldn't be used as a basis of many faiths, quite the contrary actually. There is a big difference as having a text as part of your liturgical canon and viewing it as a historical source in academia, where you're supposed to view every text with a critical eye and look for extra-biblical sources (which do exist). It's all super interesting to me, and it's eventually what I would like to do further study in in later school!!! 

Field Trips

Shalom readers! So a ton has happened since my last blog update. I even made a sticky note of the things to include in this blog entry.

First, it's been rather chilly here lately. And by chilly, I mean between like 75 and 79. But really, it actually feels kind of cold to me now. I always knew I was made for a Mediterranean climate. Unfortunately, I have been way too busy to enjoy the beach. Classes are in full gear, so I've been hitting the books pretty hard. My class on Bronze Age Archaeology finished up last week, and this week we started Iron Age Archaeology (more on that later).

Last week we didn't have class on Wednesday, so I went to the city of Ramla, which has a ton of cool archaeology but is seriously underrepresented as far as excavations go. I'm not sure if it's just a funding issue or if people are really unaware of all the neat things there. For instance, there's a ton of stuff dating back to the Crusader period. Anyway, Ramla really seemed like a REAL Middle Eastern village to me. It used to be a predominately Arab neighborhood, but now it's like 80% Jewish. My friend Lianne's boyfriend's family also owns a restaurant there called Samir's, and it's seriously my new favorite restaurant hands down. I am still full from that meal. If any of you ever come to visit me while I'm here, I am taking you to Samir's restaurant.

We went canoeing in the Pool of Arches.

This is what the Pool of Arches looks like above ground.

An inscription on the wall of the Pool of Arches!!

Nobody has been allowed here in 15 years, but they let us in because we told them we were archaeologists!

We climbed to the top, where you can see 70% of Israel

Anyway, so that was Ramla. Definitely a neat place to check out and keep on your radar. Also in my photo uploading spree, I forgot what else I was going to talk about in my blog in this update. 

In other exciting news, I have officially found my apartment for the rest of my time in Israel! I'm so excited to move in in December! It's in a great location downtown in the city and close to the beach too. Which should give you all even more incentive to come visit me! We just had the lease agreement translated by Rachel's cousin, and we've opened our Israeli bank account, and we are all set to sign the lease later this week! So excited! 

Anyway, blogspot isn't letting me post any more pictures in this update, so I'm going to do another update in a separate update, since I have much more to write about.

First Week of Grad School

I think that I've gotten pretty good at navigating my way around this blog website in Hebrew, because I can't figure out how to get it in English regularly, so I'm sorry if there are lots of typos. Or as they say in Ivrit, "Slichah." 

Last week Saturday my friend Lianne had a Halloween party at her boyfriend's restaurant out in Ramla, which is about 20 minutes outside the city of Tel Aviv. The restaurant was built by Crusaders, so needless to say, we archaeology students were pretty geeked about that. :) Since Israel doesn't really observe Halloween, we made our own costumes out of the things we had around really, so they weren't really that spectacular. 

On Sunday was the first day of school. Honestly, it feels good to be back in the classroom. I did enjoy my extended summer vacation, but I think that being a student forms such a fundamental part of my identity, and now it feels like I'm back where I belong once again. I also feel as though this whole experience has really reinforced that I really do want to pursue a career in academia. It's also such an honor to be able to study with some of the best and most prominent scholars and teachers in archaeology and biblical history that many students wait several years to study with, and I get to all in just one year. Okay, nerd rant over. Sunday we had a class on the Middle Bronze Age archaeology of Canaan. The way that this MA program is structured is that each class meets for just two weeks, but they meet pretty much all day long, so the past few days have been pretty exhausting. We also have instructed reading for like three hours every week. This week we used that time to prepare presentations on certain geographical areas of Israel. Basically, I'm now an expert on the Jordan Valley. :) This semester we are also doing a seminar with one of the PhD students using Jerusalem as a case study, which I absolutely love so far, even though we've only had one 4-hour meeting so far. I think the reason I love it so much is that it's more biblical history than the science archaeology, and I love biblical history.

We've also had a ton of reading to prepare for all of our classes. I guess this is what being a grad student is like. Unlike in undergrad, I have to actually read everything really closely and take notes on it as well. Our teachers are really trying to get us to be critical of the papers we read and find flaws and where they are lacking, which is something that wasn't really emphasized in undergrad. It's difficult but it really forces you to develop your own opinion and use your own knowledge and logic to determine the validity of the argument of the author. We're also supposed to be examining the bibliography of the readings we do to further determine the soundness of the subject material by looking at their sources. 

Anyway, on Sunday I start my Hebrew class, and I can't wait. I loved Hebrew class in college, so hopefully I will really like it here too. It meets for like 5 hours every Sunday, oi vey. Here are a few pictures of campus:

Every other Friday (which is like Saturday for you all), we have tours. Last time we had a walking practical tour of Tel Aviv, and today we had another tour of Tel Aviv, which focused on the architecture of Tel Aviv. Unfortunately our tour was cut short because it started RAINING. I know, right? We talked a bit about the European and Oriental influences on the architecture in Tel Aviv and the perfectionistic style using simple geometric shapes, which still render the buildings functional. It was kind of intense, I felt like I was back in some of my art history classes at Michigan. Anyway, here are some pictures, and see for yourself if you can analyze the building designs!

Okay, this is already really long I think. Also it's storming out right now. Welcome to the Israeli winter. I have a Shabbat dinner to prepare for my friends and myself, so until next week. Shabbat shalom!!

Orientation Week

This past week was orientation week with the rest of my program and the other international MA students studying at Tel Aviv University this year. On Monday was the introduction to our program. There are about 17 students in my program, and I love them all so much already. We've already become a really tight-knit group, it's great. I know that I'm making friends that will last for a really long time! :) Anyways, on Monday the archaeology faculty and the Israeli archaeology graduate students welcomed us to the program with snacks and champagne. It was pretty exciting to meet some of the professors who I'm going to get the opportunity to learn from, since I read a lot of their work in undergrad in various classes and for some papers, and I'm really looking  forward to learning from them!

On Tuesday was a full day of lectures with the other international MA students. That morning we had a lecture about the city of Tel Aviv, which took the entire morning and then several lectures on things such as our health insurance through the university and academic writing. It was a really long day. That evening was a party at a bar down by the beach that TAU threw for the international students. One of my friends Lianne has been living near Tel Aviv for a while, so we headed down a few hours early to see the port and markets. She usually drives there apparently, but since we were walking it was a bit of a different route, and we almost wandered onto a military base on accident, oops. Of course when we explained what we were doing, "port" as in a water port is the same word as airport in Hebrew, so the guard was really confused about what we were trying to do. We never really did make it to see the port yet, because then we had to leave for our party, but hopefully our next attempt will be more successful.

On Wednesday, we had our Hebrew placement test first in the morning, and then our archaeology group toured and learned about the archaeology wing of TAU. The resources here are pretty impressive. There's an archaeology library, a pottery restoration room, mineralogy lab, photography lab, a room for sketching artifacts, and of course several exhibits about the digs associated with TAU. On Wednesday night, they had a party for our program at another bar in downtown Tel Aviv.

This morning, we had a tour by one of the PhD archaeology students of Tel Aviv, which was really neat. Since he's lived here so long, he was able to point out some good sites that wouldn't have been included in a regular tour such as where the best falafel is and the cheapest place to go for a beer in the city. During this tour, I actually took a few pictures of Tel Aviv. I've been so bad at taking pictures of the city to show you all, because I've got it into my head that I live here now and don't want to look like a total tourist. Anyway, it was neat to walk all around the city, because while I've done a lot of exploring since I've been here, it was great to have someone who actually knows Tel Aviv to show us around. Israelis are so much friendlier than Americans.

The White House of Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion:

The sea:

Looking south toward Jaffa:

I think this is like the first city hall building, but I can't remember for sure:

I'm also kind of good at taking the bus now. Well not really good, but I am not completely inept like I was earlier in the week. I consider this quite an accomplishment since I've taken the bus like 5 times total even in America. My Hebrew is also getting a bit better I think, and Lianne has taught us some new useful phrases as well. Tomorrow I have to go to the market in the morning before everything closes for the start of shabbat to grocery shop since the contents of our fridge right now consists pretty much hummus and olives. I also need to read for my classes which start on Sunday. It's difficult to get back into the academic mindset of being a student once again. I also got my Israeli phone, and it reminds me of the cell phones from perhaps the early 2000s. Like there's not a keyboard, and it has T9. I can now text in both English and Hebrew, which is sababa.

In other news, tomorrow I'm going with my friend Rachel to shabbat dinner at her cousin's! Super excited! I've never been (obviously because I'm not Jewish), but I'm really looking forward to seeing how the day is observed.

Also if anyone wants to skype soon, I'm pretty much always on gchat or facebook while I'm at my computer these days, so we definitely should! It's been great to talk to my mom over skype and to my best friends from homelike  Breanna and Sonia the past few days! :) Until next time, shalom and lilah tov!