Down South

Ready to hear about my trip to the southernmost city of Israel? Okay! First I'll catch you up on everything else. Classes have been okay, last week was hard because I was still adjusting and didn't feel so motivated. A lot of what goes on here is self-motivation, so lacking that means lacking enthusiasm. But this week already feels better!

We had a very enjoyable Midrasha Shabbat . I went to sleep early, rested a lot, and still woke up in time to pray before lunch. For lunch I made a HUGE fruit salad with two friends (we split the cost of buying the fruit from the shuk on Friday), and then it was so big that we shared it with three other friends. We took it to a nearby park with lemonade, iced tea, and books...we ate a little, talked a little, read a little, and just lay in the sun (it must have been in the 70s over Shabbat)! It was adorable.

On Saturday night I had an Israel Brandeis event at a pizza place. I had the best time, I'm not even sure I can describe how hyper I was. I met friendly, intelligent, religious people also spending the year in Israel and going to Brandeis next year, and then we swapped numbers so that we can get together again throughout the year. I've always been excited for college, but this event topped my previous excitement. Of course, I then had to come back and somehow fall asleep to be able to get up at 5am for our Tiyul the next day.

So Eilat...
The first day, we went to a place called Kenyon HaAdom - the Red Canyon. I signed up for the hard, hebrew hikes for all three days, so that in of itself was fun and challenging. When we got back from that hike, we signed into the hotel (!), washed up, and then went out for a party-boat ride with the HaRova Israeli Program. That could have been a blast, but I was so exhausted that I was a little mopey and just sat on the side cuddling with a few friends. Which isn't too bad for a random boat ride!

The second day was a six hour hike through Nachal Gishon - the Gishon Valley. I went with the Israeli group, which was amusing. They do hiking all the time, so they're used to the tough stuff, but this hike was even hard for them when we ended by hiking just about vertically for the last 25 minutes. That was my favorite part, though. Then we returned to the hotel, I had a quick choir rehearsal, ate dinner (hotel dinner versus Midrasha dinner was very refreshing), and then we sat on the beach and sang with our Rosh Midrasha (Head of School). It was beautiful - all of the stars were out and you could hear the water nearby...and EVEN smell the camels (not quite beautiful, but it certainly added to the experience).

The last day we went on a shorter hike in Nachal Timna and then went to a man-made lake for lunch and to make sand souvenirs (you know, those little sand bottles that you fill with different colors?). Then we took the 5 hour trip back home, and when we got back, I exercised! Normally, I would give myself a break, but an easy hike just wasn't enough. People did look at me funny as they passed me doing my workout video, though.

Next week is essentially choir, choir, and more choir. Then we have a Shabbat in honor of the competition at the Midrasha, and apparently there are some professional musicians lined up to speak to us. Sounds fun to me! But I can't wait for the competition to be over. A week and a half...I'll just keep counting down. Hopefully next post I can tell you that all went well and that we got first place and that now I can sleep soundly at night! Until then,

Gabriella