The Journey Begins...

It's currently 5:20pm here in Jerusalem, and so I have some time to update my blog before we head to Shabbat services/dinner.

I arrived safe and sound on Tuesday around 3:30pm (local). It took me some time to get to my apartment, but on the way I had the opportunity to talk with a few different people in the sheirut (shared cab). I mostly spoke in English, because I was tired and wanted to make sure I got on the right sheirut, figured out money correctly, etc. However, now that I'm in Jerusalem and somewhat settled in, I have been speaking Hebrew as much as possible, unless I a) need to be absolutely sure of what I'm saying (such as when I exchanged money), or b) I don't know the majority of the words in the sentence I want to say. Otherwise, though, I have been communicating in Hebrew--and it's awesome!

Once I arrived to my apartment Tuesday evening, I met my roommates (who are awesome), Jeff and Nicole, as well as Ted, who was subletting my room until I arrived and still pretty much hangs out here (and is also awesome). We then went to dinner at another rabbinic student and his wife's apartment, where we watched The Newsroom, a new show on HBO (it was good, but I probably won't get into it).

Wednesday I checked in at HUC and got my phone, and then proceeded to take two tours: one of HUC and one of part of Jerusalem. Both were quite helpful. That night my roommates, myself, and Ted all made dinner which was delicious.

Yesterday (Thursday) I had a lot of free time, so I explored the Old City. I went to the Kotel, where I relearned how to properly lay tefillin (I had known how to do this before, but I wanted to ensure I was doing it correctly). I tried to find my friend Anas, who lives in the Old City, but unfortunately wasn't home at the time. The good news is that he is still living there, so I'll hopefully catch him later.

Last night two of the three student interns (they're all 4th or 5th year students) and the Israeli intern took us to dinner (most students went), then we split up and hung out at another two students' apartment.

Finally today I went to the shuk, the marketplace, where we bought great food for cheap. Now I'm cleaned and ready to go for Shabbat!

I will try to keep you better posted, but for now I just have to be quick about it. Soon to come: pictures of me exploring Jerusalem and pictures of my apartment.

Shabbat Shalom!