Entering England

               Well, here I am again, at the airport, getting ready for an international flight. The time at home went much too quickly. I’ve missed being in America, and specifically being in Texas. Our rain tends to be feast or famine, and right now we’re in a feasting phase, so what used to look like brown-and-yellow savannah is now lush and green. I’ll always be a Texan, not just for the music or food, but for Texas herself – gently rolling plains and wide-open spaces.

               I guess I’m just feeling a little nostalgic. It seems I barely arrive home before needing to leave again; between recovering from one trip and preparing for another, there’s no time to stop and rest. Don’t get me wrong; I love traveling and learning and doing, and I wouldn’t be happy sitting at home all summer. I’m very blessed to have this opportunity, and I’m very excited to go to England. It’s just the leaving home I don’t like.

               It’s just that because I’m always going to new places, I’m hardly ever returning anywhere. We did the calculation on the way to the airport this morning – I’ve been to fourteen schools in fifteen years. I’ve gained a lot of experience, independence, maturity, and perspective, but I can’t help but wonder if I’ve lost something along the way as well.

              But enough of that – on to the future! I will arrive in London tomorrow morning, after a flight that doesn’t seem nearly as long anymore, and head to Cambridge University for the rest of the summer. I will be in England for almost exactly eight weeks, taking three classes: International Law, Truth (epistemology), and The Moral Life.

             My class on Truth only lasts the first four weeks, while the others last eight weeks. Hopefully I’ll be able to study during the week and go touring on weekends – I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures for you! I don’t know how hard the classes will be; I’m expecting a challenge, but that’s good. The time is going to go by fast!

             I mentioned that last semester felt like a summer program. Consequently, I have to keep reminding myself that I’m not now heading off for the fall semester. Compared to my last study abroad, this one is short and sweet, but it’s going to be my busiest summer yet. They’re gradually getting more complicated: in Vermont, I had one class and no touring; in Jordan, I had two classes and some touring; now, I have three classes, and a whole bunch of touring to get done.

           I have check-in on Sunday, orientation on Monday, and class starting Tuesday; we’re going to hit the ground running. I don’t know which day I’ll end up posting on, but I’ll let you know when I figure it out. At the moment I just need to figure out my class schedule.

           I don’t have much more to say about the future, but I can let you know a little more about my break. I had a wonderful time seeing everyone again and spending time with my family. I always come home with great plans for independent study and exercise and healthy eating, but they rarely work out. With only three weeks to recuperate and get charged up again, there’s little energy or inclination for productivity, and especially between study-abroads, I want to eat as much American and Tex-Mex food as possible. Hopefully my great plans to study and go touring this summer will end better.

           I suspect, though, that my current plans will come to fruition. I’ve had a vacation, if a short one, and I feel about ready to go another few rounds before the summer’s out. Stay tuned for my progress as I once again head off to the other side of the world!

Update – I made it! A lot has happened, but I’ve already written an entire post, so I'll explain later, maybe, if I can find time. Long story short: that was one of the worst trips of my  life, logistics wise: my duffle bag began falling apart, and I ended up trotting around Cambridge carrying a little less than half my body weight in luggage in my arms. But even that couldn’t stop me from noticing how beautiful it is here. I may have worked like a slave, but I’m living in a palace fit for royalty. My room has a piano in it! Anyway, I’m very very happy, at least at the moment, but also busy, so this has to be short. Enjoy the pictures!

 - Lauren

Pictures:
I made it!

From break - let's not forget that Texas is gorgeous, too!

I go to school here!!! I had to stop and stare (and pant)!

 You can't walk on the grass. There are signs all over.

 The view from my dorm!

 View of England from the bus ride to Cambridge:

 Even their traffic circles run clockwise - it was making me kind of seasick.

 My - *cough* - two-room suite. :) I have a piano and two fireplaces (and still no discoverable ethernet port) !!! Can you beat that?!

 Honestly, I was speechless for about the first ten minutes - partly because I was out of breath from the trek, but mostly from shock. And then I said 'oh my gosh' about two hundred times, which is about the same level of reaction I gave when I totaled my car, so go figure. I also hadn't slept in two days, though... Anyway, enjoy!

Jerusalem: Saying Goodbye

                Writing this blog is a little depressing. This semester has been simply marvelous, and I’m very sad to see it end. I’ve had great opportunities to learn, sightsee, make friends, and generally have a good time. But there’s always something else to move on to, and in this case that something else is home and summer, so I guess I’ll be alright.

                I finished my last finals yesterday; I am officially done with the semester. I’ve taken (and passed) my level exam for Hebrew, so I am now officially “advanced” in my Hebrew knowledge, in the second-highest tier. I’ve finished what will probably be my last official class in Hebrew; I don’t have time to take any more. It’s a good feeling, but learning something always makes me want to learn more of it.

                I’ve also finished my Arabic classes for the semester. I met with my MSA* tutor one more time, and we did a quick review. I’ve really enjoyed working with her. My colloquial Arabic class had a small party and took our final, which consisted of a dictation and several skits. I’m not quite sure how much Arabic I’ve learned here, but I have no doubt my knowledge of Arabic has improved.

                I turned in my research paper for International Law this morning; that class was a blast. Who knew discussing customs and treaties could be so fun when combined with substantial discussion, wacky examples, and gratuitous sarcasm? My Palestinian History and Society final came last. This exam had proctors, and they apparently spoke only Hebrew, which generated a lot of confusion among the non-Hebrew-speakers (this included the professor).

                In my free time, I’ve taken my last few trips to the old city. I ended up getting a few more souvenirs this past weekend; I couldn’t help myself, and I figured that if I’d been thinking about it all semester, I wanted it enough to pay for it. And earlier today my friends and I went to the City of David Archaeological site and walked through Hezekiah’s tunnel and an excavated sewer from Herodian times.

                I thought the tunnel was a lot of fun; there’s still water running through it, but it only comes up to your ankles in most places, and the tunnel itself is very damp and cool and cave-like. It’s also very small and dark, which I didn’t mind, but one of my friends did. The sewer was a little bigger, and of course dry and unused. It was a great walk, but bad lighting for pictures. We headed back to the Old City at around two-thirty for a very good lunch and then realized how late it was and headed back.

                At this point, I thought the excitement of my last trip to the Old City was over, but I was wrong. Our bus driver was apparently anxious to finish his route. He started by attempting to back out the rear entrance to the parking lot to avoid a traffic jam, but instead ended up accidentally-on-purpose bumping one of the other buses, which gave us all a good jolt. After the two drivers had yelled at one another in Arabic for a little while, we continued on, our ride back including a ‘shortcut’ over a few curbs and through another parking lot. We finally made it back, but it was the most interesting bus ride I’ve had here.

                And now I’m sitting in my room, surrounded by my almost-packed bags and getting ready to head out. Friends in-country will pick me up tomorrow, and I’ll be staying with them before leaving on my flight early Saturday morning. I’ll be back in Texas on Saturday night. I’m following the undergraduate method for combating jet lag: have such an abnormal sleep schedule in the first place that it can’t be messed up. Toward this end, I think I’m going to be staying up the majority of the night watching movies.

                It’s hard to put my time here into words, especially when I haven’t quite finished with it. I can see why people come here and fall in love with this country. Its scenery is beautiful, its weather is nice (well, if you like hot and dry), and there’s always something new to see. I’ll miss being able to visit all the ruins, go the Old City, buy cheap strawberries in the market, practice four languages in one day, and plan trips the morning of and get away with it. I’ll miss the free time I’ve had, the trips I’ve taken, and the late nights I’ve spent chatting with good friends.

                I’ve learned a lot here – not just in my classes, but outside as well. I’ve learned how to be more independent – to handle situations that come up, to plan trips and take them, to buy my own supplies, to spent my free time wisely, to interact with other cultures, and other skills, including things I probably don’t even realize yet. I’m more confident and definitely less stressed than I was at this point last year, and I’m officially halfway through college! This has been my longest semester, and yet it feels like one of the shortest; I’ve had so many opportunities and experiences that the time has just flown by.

                And now it’s time to say goodbye. I hope you’ve enjoyed my blog this semester; I’m sure I’ve forgotten to tell you a bunch of little details that are just routine to me by now, the details that make up what life here is – a crazy, disorganized, laid-back, slightly paranoid program that somehow works and turns out surprisingly warm and welcoming. We’ve stopped and talked to vendors on the street for twenty minutes; we’ve been given gifts by random people for no reason; we’ve ridden on buses with crazy drivers and interrupted our day for air raid drills. There are a bunch of other things I want to tell you, but I just don’t have space, so I’ll stop here. You should come and visit this country sometime, though. It’s worth it.

                After this blog I’m going to go dark for a few weeks, until I’m off to my next adventure at Cambridge University in England. More details on that later, but stay tuned, and until then, best of luck! Shalom and ma’a salama!**

*Modern Standard Arabic – formal Arabic, quite different from most forms of colloquial, enough to be incomprehensible sometimes

**shalom – lit. peace, greeting and farewell in Hebrew; ma’a salama – lit. peace be with you, farewell in Arabic (formal and colloquial).

Pictures: 

Selfie time!

One last picture of the streets near campus:

 This was my formal Arabic tutor - we had a great time!

 These are a couple of friends from my colloquial Arabic class - Diana is from Germany, and Johanna is from Finland.

 My last walk through the botanical gardens on campus:

 Walking to the City of David:

 Can't go to Jerusalem without at least one picture with the Dome of the Rock in the background!

 On the crazy bus ride back to campus:

 We discovered that we don't have many pictures at all of the three of us, but here's one back at the dorms!