Put me on hold/ The Last Post

I am supposed to finish packing for camp today.
I'm supposed to do all my laundry.
I'm supposed to finish packing and labeling the "New York" boxes, move them back into my room and let my parents have half their bedroom back.
I'm supposed to do all of this by 6:30pm so I can go with my dad to the Federation's annual dinner to honor 10 amazing Jewish women.
Am I doing any of this? Nope. I'm sitting at my computer, generally avoiding anything "real" I'm supposed to be doing. I'm planning on going to Starbucks in a few to get an iced coffee and then to the mall to return a bracelet I bought. Thats doing real stuff, right?

For those who are still reading, and others who care, this will be the last Promised Land post for a while. Maybe forever, I'm not sure.

I'll be at camp for the summer and will go almost immediately to New York to start my "A" year. Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

So make yourself a note to check back with us in early September and there will be an update. Either you'll be directed to a new site, or you'll just learn that Promised Land has moved on to that cyberspace in the sky.

Either way, thanks for being such loyal readers if you read- it made doing this so much more fun.

And like the song says, "I"ll see you in September..."

Love to everyone reading-

Home? Sweet, Home?

Today my mom told me that I should update my blog in case people were still reading.

So for everyone reading: I'm alive, back in the states, slowly adjusting to life here.

Jet lag is over, shopping and American coffee drinking has begun, the endless social events and meals are continuing. Have new contacts, a cute new haircut and a supercool red cell phone.

Tomorrow I'm going up to see three of my best friends at the Appel Farm Folk Festival. I'll stay over in NJ and see Jamie before coming back to Maryland to have dinner with Adrienne.

One week ago I was davening under the stars in what I thought was my home.

Tonight I'll be davening under different stars and wishing I was back there.

Bittersweet? Liminal? Just plain hard. Yep.

SPELLING BEE!

Let's do some spelling, shall we?

D-O-N-E. Thats what I am today!

R. Thats the letter I gained after this very long year.

T-W-E-N-T-Y P-E-R-C-E-N-T. How much of my Rabbinic Education I've completed.

K-A-T-H-A-R-I-N-E M-A-C-P-H-E-E. Who I want to win American Idol.

B-E-E-R A-N-D H-O-O-K-A-H. What I'm going to be enjoying tonight.

S-H-O-P-P-I-N-G. What I am going to do tomorrow.

S-H-A-B-B-A-T. My last one tomorrow.

P-A-C-K-I-N-G. What I MUST start doing ASAP.

B-I-T-T-E-R-S-W-E-E-T. What these past few days have been.

T-E-L A-V-I-V--F-R-A-N-K-F-U-R-T-- P-H-I-L-A-D-E-L-P-H-I-A. My route home.

L-E-H-I-T-R-A-O-T. Don't worry, we'll see each other again soon.

More End of the Year Pics

Tonight my class, kitah gimmel traveled out of Jerusalem to eat dinner at the home of our [amazing] Hebrew teacher, Zohara. She lives in a *beautiful* house with her husband and three kids. Here is my class with Zohara [from R->L: Micol, Lauren, Zohara, Me, Luisa, Claire, Rollin, Josh, Elana, Shira (Zohara's daughter), Sarah, Heather).

Here I am with Zohara, the master [mistress?] of all things Hebrew.
Today: saw Mindy, did last-minute shopping, studied, dinner at Zohara's
Tomorrow: lunch with Mindy, studying with Julia
Tuesday: Biblical Grammar exam, studying/packing
Wednesday: Bible Exam, Liturgy Exam, studying/packing
Thursday: Hazal Exam, celebrating [on being done with my first year and having my R!]
Friday: clean and pack, pack and clean, goodbyes, last Shabbat...get on a plane...

Let the procrastination begin! Love to everyone still reading!

End-Of-The-Year

The First Year class in Jerusalem 2005-6. I'm on the bottom right, second from the end.


The entire First year, Fourth year, Israeli Students, Staff and Faculty of HUC Jerusalem. Again, I'm on the bottom right.

End of the year pictures...end of the year picnics, end of the year Shabbat...must be the end of the year.

Finally. Finally?

Today is the last day of school. The last day of my first year of rabbinical school. woah.

1 paper. 4 finals. 8 days.

Time to go party it up in Tel Aviv before the busy weekend of studying/socializing.

Love to all...feel free to leave encouragement/love/support.

I'm really excited to see these people

Here they are at a Family Fraternity Event (I'm not sure what that means, beer pong and bagels?)

12 days...

To do before then:
Hebrew final, Part II (May 16)
Israel Seminar Paper (May 23)
Biblical Grammar Final (May 23)
Bible Final (May 24)
Liturgy Final (May 24)
Rabbinic Literature Final (May 25)

Pack boxes to be shipped (May 19)
Pack suitcases (everyday)

Today is Founder's Day (again, I don't know what that means) and we're having a closing ceremony and mandatory BBQ [Q: what kind of school has mandatory meals? A: A jewish one]

Friday night is our last Kabbalat Shabbat and dinner as a first year class. After that, people will be leaving as soon as their finals are over, some as early as Tuesday of next week, some are staying all summer, and still others leaving somewhere in the middle. I leave on May 27th and will be returning to the East Coast around 2pm that day.

At home I'll be celebrating all the holidays and birthdays I've missed and also my brother's graduation from Towson [yay dave!] I'll also be attempting to see most of my friends in the area and family before going to camp on June 11.

Hopefully before this experience is over I'll make some time to reflect on this year, this blog and other random things I like to talk about here. Topics may include: how many mulletts I've worn this year, obsessive internet tv watching, why i love the color pink and the hebrew root kuf, resh, nun. Stay tuned.