Well,
we’ve finally reached the last week of classes for this semester. By the time I
post again, I will have finished the semester and just be waiting for my flight
home. It’s finally time to buckle down and study for finals, as well as going
to see a few more sights.
I
spent this weekend, though, seeing friends. It was very relaxing, especially
since we got an extra day off for Shavuot/Passover. The couple I was staying
with took their kids and joined their neighbors in a Shavuot celebration, and I
spent a nice evening doing classwork and independent study, with an empty
apartment and a real pepperoni pizza to keep me company. It was amazing.
At
Harvard, classes get fairly intense as they conclude, followed by a week of
preparation and then several weeks of finals. Here, it’s much more like high
school. We watched a movie in my Hebrew class, and we’re having parties in a
couple of my classes. We’re still studying, but things are much more relaxed.
In addition, my International Law class has already finished our curriculum, so
we don’t have classes this week. There are still exams to worry about, but the atmosphere
is still very calm.
Today,
for instance, I only had one class, so I spent my afternoon in the old city. I’ve
been meaning to visit the Tower of David Museum for months, and now I have. I’m
going to miss the preponderance of ruins here; you can always find more. In
most places, museums have rocks and relics in cases, surrounded by signs to
explain what they are. In Jerusalem, the signs are in the middle, surrounded by
the ruins themselves – the walls, the mosaics, the layouts.
We
spent a couple hours learning about Jerusalem’s history, then spent a while
walking down Ben Yehuda street. It was 109 degrees Fahrenheit today, and we
bought ice cream that tasted very good. I also picked up some Baklava along the
way – probably the last I’m going to get for a while.
My
courses have already finished their classwork. In Hebrew, we’ve finished our
irregular verbs and are just doing review. In formal Arabic, my tutor and I have
agreed to have one last review session. In colloquial Arabic, we’re having a
coffee clutch to learn some Arabic slang and hang out. In Palestinian History
and Society, we had one last session to talk about the final and options for a
permanent solution. And in International Law, as I’ve said, we’ve finished; I
just need to turn in my already-written essay.
I’ve
learned a lot this semester. Despite being ready to go home, I’m going to miss all
of my classes. I know a lot of people don’t do well in lecture-formatted
classes, but I enjoy them, and I’ve gained a lot from my elective classes this
year. My language classes, and the practice I’ve had living here, have also
improved my Hebrew and Arabic a lot. And I’ve had time to do some independent
study and reading as well, including classics and German.
I’ve
also learned a lot about life this semester. I’ve learned about using free
time, since I actually have free time this semester. I’ve learned how to buy my
own food and supplies, how to keep my room and suite reasonably clean, how to
get around in a foreign country with multiple languages, how to plan my own
sightseeing trips, and a bunch of other little things.
But
I’ll leave the rest of my ending thoughts for next week. For now, I need to
finish studying and check the last few things off my list. Almost there!
Pictures!
This is one of the best selfies I think I've ever taken...
This is the view of Jerusalem from outside my school building (all our classes are in one building on campus that houses the international school).
Thank you to Bekah for all the pictures she took of me!
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