יד ושמ

let's seee... thursday, i went to bezalel again to register for classes. for some reason, they didn't realize that they had to set aside an allotment for the study exchange students because guess what?! there are no classes for us. so i had to beg and plead... actually, i had to be really stern and tell the photo secretary that the only reason i'm at bezalel currently is to study pure photography and if there are no classes, my time and money is being wasted for nothing. after i said that, she gave me options that i could look into. for a full semester of classes i need a minimum about 12 credits. i have 9: israel: place & culture; collage; art & activism; documentary workshop; and the sea, the mountain, and that in-between. that last class should be interesting. it is a friday class, which is kind of unheard of in israel since it's the start of shabbat, and it is a 6 hour class. oh well. i need at least four more credits in order for me to get full credit from SMFA. argghh.

after all that israeli bureaucratic nonsense, sarah, suley, jonathan and i went to the יד ושמ (yad veshem), the holocaust memorial. it was super intense and depressing. the exhibits were laid out really carefully and it was done well. they brought back a piece of the ghetto and recreated a scene around it. they also had original torahs that were saved from the burning synagogues. the museum is located on mount herzl, which is incredibly gorgeous and the memorial takes up most of the mountain. it's freaking huge. we're going there for our culture class so hopefully i get to see more of it.

today, friday, i wanted to go to the שוק to take advantage of the low prices. however, i was beaten with hail and torrential rain. it's been raining and thundering nonstop. i hate it but it's good that israel, or jerusalem, is getting so much water... to somewhat alleviate the water crisis. and my umbrella broke. later, i hung out with arielle and lisa. their suitemate, liran, is really funny and cool. his friend, edad, is like a super gentleman. he also happens to be a bartender and recommended a drink that i should try called martini biano. or i think that's what he said. it's a really smooth drink that should be savoured, not devoured. i liked it. afterwards, we were feeling a bit hungry so edad took us to this arabic food place. i got something called malewach, which consists of a flat bread (reminds me of naan) that is smothered in choice of hummus, tahini, sour cream, or cream cheese. then you get a boiled egg, chopped tomato, some spicy concoction, salt, pepper, za'atar and olive oil. OH MY GOD. it is super awesome. i got hummus, tahini, and cream cheese on mine with an egg... it just melts in your mouth. kind of like a sauce burrito but not really. kind of amazing. ahhh. i really should go to the gym if i keep eating street food. dammit. oh well.

classes start sunday. ahh!

orientation

so we had orientation today. it was nice to meet the people who i'm going to be hanging out with (hopefully) for the months to come. they are all really nice and super artsy looking. plus the two guys from france are really really really good looking. haha. we got an introduction to the school and how the semester is going to run. it appears that we can't really deviate beyond our department because the classes are prioritized for the department students. but i'm going to try anyway. we have a mandatory culture/history class, which will be taught by a professor from germany. we'll be going on trips around the city, learning about the culture and what not. sounds cool. it turns out we have a three week break for pesach: april 8-april 29. how awesome is that? classes will begin monday and i'm really excited. woo.

gosh, i've spent quite a lot since i've gotten here. ahhh! anyways, that's all i have to say for now. will probably update later! i think we're going to hang out tonight. i hope so!

edit 8:39 pm - i just got back from rock climbing for the first time ever with joseph and kimmy. it was really fun and exhilarating BUT SCARY. my body was on overdrive with adrenaline because i didn't want to lean back and clung to the wall for dear life. maybe i have some height issues. whatever. now my hands are stiff and my arms feel like they're about to fall off. i really liked it so i might make it a regular thing? but that means buying shoes and a harness.... booo

edit 1:21 am - my friends, joseph and kimmy, and i went out on the town... which means to city centre. joseph brought along his friend, harris and kimmy brought her friend, jenny. we went in search of a bar, was turned down because we weren't twenty-two or twenty-three. we finally found this place called blue hole. it's a pretty decent bar... with random music that keeps you guessing. i had a sex on the beach. please don't judge. the server was right there and i wanted a long island iced tea but she said no.. we also got free shots on the house of penguin, which is their house shot specialty. it was being able to go out and have fun.

another trip to the old city

sorry for the absence since thursday.  it was raining all weekend and i was inside.  sunday i did stuff but not very significant besides meeting an awesome girl named lisa who's doing photography like me!  oh i discovered an amazing falafel place near campus on הגבעה צרפתית  (french hill).  i just came to the realization that i'm going to walking along two freaking hills: mount scopus and the french hill.  my legs are already complaining.  anyways...

lisa, sarah, and i wanted to go to the old city again to explore.  i don't think lisa has been there before so score.  along the way we were further accompanied by suley, a hebrew university student, and joseph, another bezalel exchange from wash u in st. louis.  the first stop was the holy sepulchre.  and OH MY GOD!  i'm going to be an art history nerd here and i apologize in advance.  it was really cool walking into the holy sepulchre, not only because it is an ancient church but because i've actually studied it in my medieval architecture class in krautheimer's essay on iconography.  so cool.  as mentioned earlier, the last five stations of the cross are in the holy sepulchre.  they are located on the second floor and it was really crowded.  station eleven is the site of golgotha, where jesus was cruxified.  there were so many people, most who i think were pilgrims, kowtowing in front of the altar, lighting candles, and murmuring prayers.  it was really a sight to behold.  the altar itself was amazing.  everything was bathed in gold or silver and of course it wouldn't be complete without a medici altar next to it.  we explored further, visiting christ's prison, chapel of the discovery of the cross, and of course the anastasis, jesus's burial tomb.  it was this massive wooden structure in the ambulatory.  the entrance was tiny and in the first room was this slab of rock... i'm racking my brain right now, trying to remember what it was... oh!  it was part of the boulder that closed off the cave he was buried in.  the actual tomb itself is very overwhelming.  it was tiny and cramped.  everything was lit by candles and gold shimmered everywhere.  there was an intensity being that close to what is believed as his tomb.  furthermore, there were so many well-preserved mosaics on the ceilings and walls... and frescoes that are still present today.  being in the holy sepulchre just overwhelmed with the feeling of antiquity.  i just couldn't believe that i was walking around in the same space, on the same ground as many people have for thousands of years.  it's just... wow.  yes, it's wow.

after the holy sepulchre, (since no one wanted to walk via dolorosa) we went in search of the western wall and got lost in the muslim quarter.  in the meantime, friends bought spices, pots, and almost bought a hookah and some tobacco.  and it was sketchy.  we were led in the right direction finally and we were all hungry so each of us went in search of food.  sarah got some bagel at a store in the jewish quarter.  lisa got bonker's bagel.  bagels seem to be a luxury here for some reason.  i don't get it.  joseph and i got shwarma.  i never had it before and it's really good.  it's marinated turkey that's cut up in pieces and put in a pita or a lafah, a pita-like tortilla.  it comes with the same condiments as a falafel.  it was yummy.

the western wall was interesting.  it was really busy and i heard chants of prayer coming from the wall.  the old city is so overwhelming.  at least to me it is.  from there we went separate ways.  joseph and i went in search of the שוק because we're going to cook dinner together.  at the  i שוק found wonderful goodies!  three cinnamon sticks for 3 sh = .75$.  awesomeee.  i also got some rice and walnuts and that was 5 sh.  ahhh!  i also found this middle eastern food/candy/whatever called halva.  it's made from sesame seeds and something and comes in many different varieties.  it has the consistency of marzipan.  i love ittt.  i got some in coffee flavor and pistachio flavor.  !!!  i scored 10 pitas for 5 sh and they were still warm and fluffy and amazing.  love it!  i love the marketplace!

for dinner, lisa made fried rice with red cabbage, corn, yellow bell pepper and celery.  it was yummy.  i made a salad of spinach, apples, walnuts and tomatoes.... and for dessert: rice pudding!

i'm starting to adjust better, i think.  or i'm being more adventurous and giving things a chance before writing them off.  tuesday we might go horseback riding or maybe to mount of olives.  we have an orientation this wednesday.  i can't wait to meet the rest of the group.  i'm excited for classes!  i might challenge myself and take a history/theory class that is solely taught in hebrew.  but others photo classes are looking good.

my feet are exhausted as am i.  today was a good day.