Sorry this wasn't actually posted until today, but I actually just didn't have a chance to take my computer up to the lounge where we have internet today. Today was the first day of אולפן (ulpan) classes---the ulpan is something started back in the early days of Jewish migration to Israel and is an intensive month long hebrew class. So, from 8:30 to 1 (or 14:00 as it's done here) with a one 30 minute and one 10 minute break, I'm in hebrew class. Today was the first one, and it was really great! My teacher is an old israeli woman and she's hilarious. The class seems like it will be great, but really tough, I'm in the next-to-top level, and at that level there's a really wide range of familiarity with the langauge, I'm at the low end, but some of the people who are really good can speak really quickly. My constant reminder is that I'll be awesome at hebrew (I hope) by the end of the month (and the end of the semester!).

After class we went to lunch on campus, and then had our first טיול (tiyul)--field trip!!! For this one we went to a kibbutz 45 minutes or so away where the first holocaust museum in the world is located---interestingly it's topic is not the holocaust in general, but ghetto resistance during the holocaust, at Warsaw in particular---very interesting, but rather depressing. I did get really mad at our guide when he started going on about how the holocaust was just so much worse than any other genocide. He tried to express the organization, use of (and development of) technology for killing, and totality of the final solution made it so much worse than any other genocide. While maybe some of what he said was true (particularly the technology bit) I don't think that makes the holocaust worse than any other genocide---you can't have a worse genocide. That's about as bad as it gets. Granted, the holocaust was different from any other genocide, but no more than any genocide is different than any other.

Then got back to campus, made rice with hummus and peas and carrots with a bunch of people for dinner (much thanks to mom for the recipe :)), and then had a study party in my apartment. Much fun was had by all. Tomorrow we're either going to hike to the beach right after class or go to a bar/club in the evening (as none of us are 21, being able to do that is very exciting!)...which is TBA.



I'll end the post with some pictures:



On the walk from the dorms to the school buildings, this is the view down the mountain at night. The big colorful things are part of a petroleum refinery.

A 2000 year old aqueduct next to the holocaust museum.
The museum.