Lack of creativity

Today! ULPAN!
I snapchatted with people sitting next to me AND people in the actual Ulpan track. Then, after school, we went and got our buses. FUN FACT: it will take me an hour to get to school every morning and yes, I have morning classes. 4 times a week, Hebrew first thing. EW.
Came home and everyone else was either still getting there bus pass (I was in the front of the line) or taking the other Jerusalem course final. LONELY.

Then people came home and got sushi with me BUT they have finals tomorrow so I was left to my own devices... And I wandered Nativ. Finally found friends. Hung out. Had heaven in the form of tim tams and coffee. Got locked out of my room and finally got in. It was eventful but now I'm exhausted.

GOODNIGHT
keep it sassy,
Miriam.

Everyday I'm blogging

HI! so according to my family members I am letting them down with my blog so I will now be writing one everyday and if something amazing happens I will put it on a status and if not then only parents and family friends are going to need to be hearing about every single day. Today was the first day back to school after a week and a half off for Chaggim. It was exhausting to say the least, even though I only got about 4 hours of sleep last night. I ended up sick in bed all day because cafeteria food is disgusting even if every other Hebrew U Nativ student thinks Frank Sinatra is the perfect type of food. I napped all day, had dinner, went grocery shopping, and made new friends that weren't in the Advanced Jerusalem Course that has a final tomorrow. I have snacked all day and I remember my love of Oreos and potato chips. I hate that my sister is home so my entire family will be together without me. I guess this is how she feels all the time but....thats not fair because its HER deal not mine, yet here I am being sad that I'm so far away from my family. At least they can bond over how much they miss me ;) . Thats all that happened today but if it will satisfy the masses who am I to argue with them? LOVE YOU GUYS! KEEP IT SASSY, Miriam

I'm quite distractable

Hello everyone!!! I forgot about you guys.... I'm so sorry its been so long. I swear the weeks here go by a lot faster than they ever did in the states. I also was in the desert for most of this past week which meant I didn't EXACTLY have the best ways communication. Before you ask, the desert was great. I realized that I'm not the most avid hiker. I know, its a crazy thought. Regardless of my grumpy self during the hikes of the day the camping out at night was amazing. The stars before the moon comes up is something that you'd have to see to believe. I just realized its been like 2 weeks since i've written. Last week it was Yom Kippur so we had a fasting day which actually wasn't as bad as I expected. Its much easier to fast when every other person in the country is also fasting. I didn't even go to shul in the morning. Instead I went to the Kotel and davened by myself which I liked more. I moved at my own pace (which didn't mean I left in 20 minutes) and I ended up staying for a few hours, finishing the service, and getting a nice sunburn on one half of my body. For the first night of Chag I also got a chance to go visit my uncles house with 2 of my three cousins. It was so great to get to hang out with them. It was also funny that my cousin referred to the line of bars that me and my friends frequent as the "American Square". GRANDMA COMES THIS WEEK! I'm sure other things have happened but I don't remember what they are. I'll try to be more up to date with my information. Now that we are on the final Chag of Simchat Torah I won't be as unable to get on the internet. I hope everyone has a great week! Keep It Sassy, Miriam

Sorry I left you waiting!

Hello all random people who have decided this is entertaining! I know it had been awhile since I wrote you all and I am sorry about that. I promise that life really is this exciting an I truly don't have time to write here and talk about everything that I want to say as it is happening. I'll try to give you the FULL experience. Rosh Hashanah was absolutely amazing. I have never felt so religiously connected at a service in the last 8 years if not in my entire life. I felt like what I was saying was actually connecting to G-d. It was amazing. I was also REALLY sick the first day so I ended up going home from services but night time services the night before were amazing. The second day I went to Yedidya which was also an amazing time and we were hosted away for lunch. There 13 year old son was checking me out. Best Afternoon Ever. Then this past week after the Chag we had school and I GOT A 93 ON MY WEEKLY HEBREW TEST and it was all spelling which means I actually know...maybe....kind of what I'm saying! SOMETHING SO OVERWHELMINGLY FANTASTIC HAPPENED! I had religious enlightenment...at the church of the holy Sepulcher. I know that sounds a little bit ridiculous because, you know, the whole jewish thing but it was so spiritual. The person that actually caused this change was my Jerusalem History teacher. As we were ending class me and my friend Laur went up to Keren and talked to him about how spiritually connected we felt while in the church. How we could tell this place completely over whelmed people and even brought them to tears and how we, as a jewish people, didn't have something so tangible that could bring us closer. He then proceeded to look around and question us. He told us that we were standing on the Tangible. That everything surrounding us, from the walls, the stones, to the people could be traced back and that was our tangibility. That we were still there. I HAVE NEVER IN MY ENTIRE LIFE FELT SO CONNECTED TO JERUSALEM AS A PLACE AND THE JEWISH PEOPLE AS I DID IN THAT EXACT INSTANT. It was so fantastic but even when I told my sister she said great and proceeded to ask me about my BOY situation. Which is non existent but i love making my daddy nervous about it. Shabbas was nice...I slept through everything and ended up staying on Base. Tomorrow is Erev Yom Kippur which means a lovely day of fasting and cranky teenage friends. I'll update when I can!!! LOVE YOU GUYS! Keep it Sassy Miriam

Well Hello Chagim!

So! Hello! I'm doing this a little earlier than a week because not only is it shabbas this weekend, it is also Rosh Hashana! For all of those who don't know that is the holiday that celebrates the new year. That means I won't really be able to write a post on Sunday night while I'm at shul! So what happened on Monday? We went to school and then we came home and ON IMPULSE I pierced my nose. It's lovely and studly and everyone tells me how nice it is! I love it. It's fantastic and it's clean and perfect. On Tuesday we went to class but we have our second class top which pretty much means we talk then wander Jerusalem and see where everything happened so we went to Hezekiah's tunnel which is pitch black and filled with water. It was awesome! Until, we had to walk back to base which was like 25 minutes away because our bus ditched us. Then we got home, changed, not showered, and went to a soccer game. Israel lost. No one was surprised. Then last night we had accapella for the first time which was also very cool. Different, but still awesome and I convinced my friend to come too so it was worth it. Tonight is Thursday which is like Friday so I shall enjoy my night and have a good shabbas and happy new year!! Keep is Sassy Miriam

I've arrived, I've legally ordered, and i'm learning

Hello everyone! I have officially arrived safe and sound in the lovely land of Israel! I left this past Monday and traveled on a plane from Newark for 10 HOURS so I could get to this great place and I’ve finally arrived. I know everyone wanted a post sooner (if you didn’t please lie. It makes me feel awesome.) but you have no idea how intense this week has been! We got in on Monday and had a small orientation for the actual program we are on which is Nativ. On Tuesday we had the real, long orientation for the program and I ordered MY FIRST LEGAL DRINK! Probably one of the most exciting moments thus far I must say. I had myself a nice little mojito because it made me think of Family Guy which, in turn, made me laugh. On Wednesday we took a tour of the city of Jerusalem and I kid you not, my dormitory is in the middle of one of the most exciting cities in the world. I can take a walk to Ben Yehuda. I can waltz over to the Kotel if I get the inkling. I can EVEN walk across the street to an extremely packed full super market that has all of my needs. That night we went to a nice bar-b-que so that all of the group could bond and we have a nice evening out at the park! On Thursday I had my first day of classes! We took a bus to Hebrew U and had our orientation for classes and since I have to actually learn Hebrew before we start the true semester I had to stay for 4 HOURS to learn some letters and words. Don’t get me wrong it was nice and interesting but that didn’t mean I had to like sitting there for that long. I was put into the beginner instead of intermediate classes but looking at how fast paced the classes are I’m very glad I’m getting a refresher before I start classes in October. My uncle also came to visit! He was brining me a sim card but it still made me feel great seeing him. Literally everyone except me went out partying this night. Instead me and my friend stayed in and watched the second Sherlock Holmes movie (I didn’t like and it I was so distracted! Sorry, bud.) and watched people slowly stumble in. FRIDAY AND ITS SHABBAS! Since I was still in the Ulpan classes we had an extra day to make sure we made up for the crunch time. I got the pleasure of waking up at 7:30 AM on a Friday (which here is like Saturday) while everyone else was sleeping off hangovers or just sleeping off the terrible jetlag (which was are slowly but surely getting over). After class we enjoyed a calm day without any pressures and the knowledge we had a day of rest coming up. We davened at a site where we could look into the past and also see the future of Jerusalem and see where we actually were getting to spend a year and see its significance. Saturday we went to shul. Each of chose our own and small groups went to different places to try it out. Mine wasn't exactly what I liked but eh, I have nine months to decide what's really for me. I took a three hour nap so the rest of it is a blur but that night my uncle, cousins, and step aunt all came to visit me and it made my night. I also got to talk to each one of my family members which is more than I have for most of the time I've been here. Sunday we have school. Its the worst feeling in the world to wake up at 6:30 on a sunday with the intention of 4 hours of intensive hebrew, 45 minutes for lunch, and then 3 hours of a History of Jerusalem course with a total of a 45 minute break between them all. Although all are fun, I could do without waking up that early. WE got home around 4 and the day has been spent hanging with friends, doing homework, and trying to fight the need to sleep. (Jetlag still sucks) Its now sunday night and i'm sorry I haven't been so up to date on this whole experience. Believe you me, its been a hectic and over whelming week but its also been so amazing and eye opening that I am absolutely loving it here. I'll start posting pictures when I remember to start taking them! Hope America is as fun as it is here! Keep It Sassy Miriam

Haven't even left the station...

Hey everyone!

Lets give you some general information about this disheveled blog.
- My Name is Miriam.
- I named this blog because people call Israel "The land of Milk and Honey." If you don't get the joke now, I don't think you deserve it.
- I'm quite awkward and I ramble.
- I've decided to spend a school year in Israel on a program called Nativ.
- I will go to college the first semester and volunteer for the second.
- This is to update my friends and family members because I can't always be on skype for the 50 people who want to talk to me every other day.

Why now you may ask?
It's because I am almost completely packed, I've said goodbye to most of my friends who left for college weeks ago, I am 10 days away from getting on a plane to leave for nine months, and I'm getting ready to live in a foreign country with people I have never met before. In my head I keep picturing something along the lines of "Real World: Jerusalem." We've been picked to live in a dorm room and see how grown up we can be when we are legally allowed to drink. There will be more than the normal 7 people though. There are 79 people going with me to an amazing country and onto an even more amazing life experience.

I'm a nervous wreck. I'm an excited nervous wreck, but a nervous wreck none the less.

But Miriam! you should be excited!
I AM SO EXCITED THIS WILL BE AMAZNG! I also realize this is a huge step in my life. I will officially be an adult. Someone won't be there to bail me out. Well, not the normal people who bail me out. This will be the longest I've ever been away from my parents. I'll be able to call but knowing I won't actually be seeing them for nine months is the saddest part of leaving. BUT I'm sure the people going on my trip with me will be willing to give me a hug if I ever need one!

This is going to be fun! I swear!

Keep it Sassy,
Miriam