Final Days in Jerusalem

Quick note before I go back to studying...

I feel good (cue James Brown music). I had a minor panic attack today after class over two things:

1) Did I see everything? Have I wasted my time here? Could I have done more? (I thought this upon waking up from a much needed nap).

2) How am I gonna pass this test? I don't know anything (I thought this upon studying post-nap).

I was freaking out. To solve problem number 1, I looked through my guide book and online to see what I missed. Guess what! I have literally seen almost everything in Jerusalem (and a ton of stuff around Israel)! There isn't much else for me to see, short of going to Galilee or Eliat. This trip has been a success when it comes to traveling!

As for number 2, I know Biblical Hebrew (if I have a dictionary). I can parse every word; I just don't know the roots. The point of the class was to learn how to read Biblical Hebrew with a dictionary. This trip has been an academic success.

I lost weight. I got tan. I met people. I relaxed. I caught up on some work. I traveled by myself to a foreign country. This trip has been a personal success.

I know it seems like I spent a lot of it wanting to go home (and watching the West Wing), but that was a part of the process. This was a fantastic experience that allowed me to grow so much! Praise God (and everyone who made it possible) to get here!

(cues James Brown music, does signature happy dance, stops when he realizes the girls from across the way can see this from their apartment, awkwardly shuts blinds, continues happy dance until music fades)





So I went to the Garden Tomb today after class. It wasn't anything too special. I studied, packed, and relaxed a bit. My schedule for tomorrow is final, packing, waiting for the bus to the airport, waiting for the plane in the airport, waiting on the plane to get to Newark, waiting in traffic to get home, waiting at home to receive calls from everyone stateside. It is gonna be a busy day.

In a couple of days, I will have a post with some more reflections and a small essay on my personal journey of Judaism (that may get published)!.

Off to study!