Peace out Jerusalem, hello Bat Yam

 Wow, tonight is the last night of my Jerusalem semester. The past two weeks have been a mess of studying, finals, arguments about left over stipend money, cleaning, packing, and a little bit of reflection here and there. The trimester has physically been the longest of the three this year, yet it seems not long ago that we had our opening ceremony over looking Jerusalem.

  Tonight we went back to the same look out, instead this time it was a group of 70 friends, who had just experienced some amazing things together. We sat down on some candle lit stairs, and a few Year Coursers shared what they’ve been doing in the past three months. Our Section leader spoke about how tight a group we are, and how our passion to explore has brought us to really see Jerusalem. Our Counselor who went on Year Course in 2007 stayed at a different Hostel not so close to downtown Jerusalem, and explained that when he was on Year Course, the group never fully immersed themselves in the city the way we did.

  We ended the night with a mock Year Course Bar Mitzvah (13 weeks in Jerusalem); filled with a skit, candle lighting, a slide show, and dancing. It was a funny and great way to sum up the trimester. Tomorrow we leave for a hike and the desert, and then onward to a new like in Bat Yam.

  I have truly come to love the city of Jerusalem, and have a deep personal connection with it. It is really the center of the world and of so many religions, including Judaism. I will miss the diversity, the food, and the ancient stones city only blocks away from the modern bar scene. It’s just all so much fun, and I know I will be back soon.

  This Trimester was amazing, but was also very challenging for me. The death of my Grandma Dorothea on the first day of Year Course was a huge loss, and forced me to dig deeply as to why and how I should spend a year in Israel. With the terrible apartment conditions, lack of food, family, and familiarity, the meaning of this year became that much more challenging and also important. I am here to become a good independent Jewish person, which means I may be placed in tough situations that will test my skills. I do wish that some parts of this semester could have been easier, but as my section leader said, “it’s a blank slate now”.

 I feel completely ready for Bat Yam, because of the adjustment process I have already gone through. Bat Yam is a fun lower class immigrant town next to Tel Aviv. I will be living with my good friends in our own apartment near the beach, and will hopefully be volunteering at a marine school. I will not have to share an apartment with fifteen other people. A great semester is behind me, and a great one is to come. Here we come freedom!

 Thank you to everyone who has been reading my blog, and keeping up with my adventures (even when the blog posts are lame). My year has been such a success so far, because I have been able to make new friends while keeping in touch with the old ones.

 Thanks and happy holidays,

 Alex