I've been making some phone calls via Skype to Israel to get some things together. I know, why am I planning things less than a week before leaving? Maybe I really have been in Israel for too long!
This summer hasn't been quite summer-y in terms of weather so I'm pretty anxious to greet the 80+ degree weather with full sunshine. Sometimes I wonder why I'm sitting in my house for 4-5 weeks. But I owe it to my brother to show up for his graduation this Saturday. But when you're unemployed and the weather doesn't call for pool, it's easy to get fidget-y about the time passing faster.
But my mom thinks I've been in Israel too long. She'd read the paper and say, "Oh it's going to be like 70, 75 degrees next week. You should be able to go to the pool." Then I would stammer and say, "But Mom, it needs to be at least 80 degrees!" Then she would reply, "You really have been in Israel too long!" But I think it's just how I adapted and haven't dropped any habits. I love plain yogurt and don't mind eating tomatos, zucchini, and cucumbers for breakfast with my eggs. I still keep kosher 99% of the time within the parameters of my current surroundings. Shabbat tends to come and go for me but when I do it myself, it feels relieving that another week has gone by and I survived it. As implied in my last post, Israel is becoming a priority in my decision-making. I have also cut back on my shopping needs and gone scouting for cheapest sales, even in stores like Abercrombie. Not because I'm about to become a poor graduate student, but why pay more just for that brand-name? If I can get a pair of jeans for $20 at final mark-down from Abercrombie, then why not? Otherwise, I'll find another pair of jeans elsewhere or just wait.
Oh, not to mention that when I went to Jersey Shore with my oldest friend, I was seriously hallincuating while hanging out on the beach. I saw Tel Aviv and people playing in the water and on the shores. I was really missing that scene. I tried to "transport" back to Israel just by laying in the sun and playing Israeli songs on my iPod. Okay, I guess I have to admit that I was in Israel for too long.
When I made calls over to Israel, it didn't matter who, I just felt that connection to the land. It's so weird that I can't explain it. It's different from Facebooking and instant messaging. But when I heard someone's voice from over there, I felt as if I was right in the next room, a wall separating us. When I talked to Nate and Tobi, it's similar being back in my dorm room at Hebrew U making those weekly calls to see how Nate was doing with his chemo. When I called Linda and heard her warm voice, it was so easy to fall back in the old habit of being part of the family. When I talked with my old Jerusalem ulpan roommate, Meredith, I was so excited. I couldn't wait to get there already!
Hm, nope, I don't think I was in Israel for too long. It's definitely alive in my heart and soul (as this blog is appropriately titled). Even though I'm a little nervous but overall, I'm very excited to pick up my life where I left it (persumbly with lots of changes in terms of location).
Here's a tentative itinerary:
July 2nd-3rd: On the kibbutz with the Ravids
July 3rd-July 6th: Jerusalem
July 6th-July 30th: Haifa
--> July 18th-20th: My aunt's family visit Haifa so I get to play tour guide!
--> July 25th-27th: Jerusalem
July 31st-August 8th: Still up in the air, depending how the dollar is doing, the weather... and what everyone's up to. I'm sure at some point here, I'll go back to the Ravids' and spend time in Tel Aviv.
August 9th-August 14th: Melissa comes back and we're in Jerusalem!!!
I think my goal this time is try to take a few more trips like Caesarea, Modi'in, and Eilat. And yes, plus get the hang of Hebrew. I am making a goal to finish this David Copperfield that I'm reading so that when I go to Israel, I'm only going to read easy children's novels in Hebrew and anything in Hebrew. There's no Jerusalem Post in Haifa but maybe there's a copy around on Friday if I look carefully for some reading materials on Shabbat.
Goodness, how am I going to sleep? I got up at 6 AM this morning...
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