Jerusalem is a whirlwind ...

Jerusalem in intoxicating. It's an incredible blend of secular and religious and can leave you feeling completely turned upside down. I knew when I came here that I wanted to learn more about Judaism and you can't help but feel a yearning for a deeper level of observance when you are here.

But there are sooo many different levels! Unless you truly have no issue being stared at, you dress when walking around most of the city as if you are orthodox. You wear shirts that at LEAST cover your collar bones and shoulders (think a t-shirt), though I wear a 3/4 length shirt or a very LARGE t-shirt that has sleeves that come basically to my elbows. You wear a skirt that covers your knees ...

You are surrounded by people who have made Alliyah ... it's easy to get caught up in the excitement and think "maybe I should Immigrate" or "maybe I should be Orthodox" ... but then you realize that means basically leaving behind friends and family ... and it helps put things back in perspective.

For example, there is no way that I could live here alone. I miss my family and Justin too much. Being here for a year is difficult enough. I find myself taking it "one day at a time" so that I don't get overwhelmed by the daunting amount of time that I spending away from those I love. To complete the MA in Archaeology, it would require being here for 3 years. I'm not entirely certain that I can do that. First of all, it's a LOT of money. Secondly, it's three YEARS. 1095 days. I can't possibly fly back every 3 months. The autumn semester is going to be difficult enough as it goes from Oct 18-Jan 29 with zero break. Ok, I get 1 day off for Chanukkah, but other than that, 0 breaks. That's a LONG time to go without seeing my family at home!

I've started shopping for people at home! I have some really creative ideas for people ... and shopping for others is more fun than shopping for myself! There are LOTS of really interesting things here that are outside the normal thought process. There are lamps, hookahs, goblets ... and then there are the normal things: religious jewelry, hamsa's, t-shirts, magnets ... so many different things. I'm trying to decide if I want to go to the Arab and Christian quarters today to do a bit of shopping (and getting out of the apartment would be nice ...). The unfortunate thing is that I'm by myself ... which can be rather uncomfortable when you are walking around.