The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

I sincerely apologise for the more than week long absence. To make it up to you I'll fin you in on my life.

I have now started studying Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. I've already told y'all about my subjects and how ridiculously excited I was to start so I wont go into all that again.

But I will tell you about the exchange program, about my classes and peers and about being a little bit older now.

There are 8 of us in the exchange program. 4 Danes, 3 Australians and one Spaniard (Catalan). Only the Australians are Jewish and speak Hebrew. Only I am taking half my courses in Hebrew. Additionally, I'm the only one staying for a year, which means that next semester I will be the only exchange student in the entire faculty. The Europeans are struggling very much for the following reasons - housing here is very expensive, everything is disorganized, nobody is patient or polite and they can't communicate with anybody b/c they don't speak Hebrew. If asked I'd say they are probably not having a great time just yet. Which is a shame but well... welcome to the middle east.

Regarding myself, well university is absurdly hectic. I'm taking 6 subjects, three in Hebrew and three in English. Additionally I got a position on the university kollel, which means I get paid to learn Torah but it also means that some days I'm at university for more than 13 hours. I also volunteered to teach a bit of Torah which means additional hours at university. In total I'm at university for 50 hours a week. Compared to the maybe 10 hours a week I had at university in Australia.

However, I mean like, that's what I'm here to do. Go to university. In oz I was distracted by my many extracurricular activities and here I have the opportunity to be a real student and to participate in university fully. So I'll see how it goes.

I have to say that it is absurdly pleasant to be attending a university full of Jews and that there are enough kippa wearing individuals that I no longer count how many are in my lecture theater. Then again - I suppose that's not very different to my uni in Oz.

I also had my birthday over the weekend. Which means that I am now 22. The age at which my mother entered her marriage. But then again she always says that she was too young, so I don't really feel the pressure, particularly given my previous post on my ambivalence to procreation.

I had friends over for shabbat dinner for my birthday - it was generally wonderful and I had a couple of my friends sleep over so it was a 25 hour celebration of my birth. It brought me much joy.

Finally, I have another date later this week with another boy. This one is another american (exhale of exasperation) studies engineering at Tel Aviv and teaches gemara at Machon Meir. The US thing and the Machon Meir thing don't bide well, but he is good looking so worst comes to worst I'll just tune out, smile and nod and appreciate his bone structure and complexion.

With that, I hope you've all forgiven me for my tardy postage,

Cheers, Miss.B