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. :)
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