The Orientation: Where am I?

I will start with just mentioning my last flight to Israel was a very lucky experience.  I had managed to get a non-stop flight and it was just about empty.  I thought I was going to luck out again this year when I did the online reservation.  It indicated very few passengers.  The online reservation lied to me.  I had one layover, and both flights were quite packed.  All in all though there were not any problems , there was an exhaustingly long layover in Heathrow (and the announcements there are non-stop), but on both flights the food was pretty good.

The hostel I arrived at is quite nice.  It is a little off of the main track, but it has a wonderful commons area on the rooftop terrace.  There are hammocks and couches and tables, and it's quite a bit cooler with a fine breeze passing through than inside.  The other travelers have so far has been a great mix of friendly individuals, with the few small groups that have not mingled.  I have found out that one of the other guests will also be attending the same university as myself, and another will be on Oranim for a while longer. 

Since classes start in only four days, and I am in a new location, I thought it would be a good idea to scout out the route to get there and where the buildings were.  I have to admit that it took a lot longer than I imagined it would.  Not only was it difficult to find the classroom (almost everyone I asked said they had no idea, or gave very poor and general directions, such "in the next building", without indicating a direction), but on the way there I missed the school entirely and walked nearly a mile too far.  It hadn't seemed like it was far away at all; however, that interpretation now seems to be incorrect.  That will help with the apartment search, locating one much closer to the school, though I wonder if I'll miss Tel Aviv.

One of the other travelers from the hostel had come with me to see Herzliya, and after we accomplished the task of locating the school, the fun started.  A few hours at the beach followed by an evening expedition to locate a few geocaches.  It was not the first time I had ever tried geocaching; during my under graduate studies I went with a few friends once; however, the case was unreachable.  This time it was certainly reachable, but I learned an important lesson.  There is the route you are supposed to take, and one you are not meant to, at least for this one.  We ended up climbing the 'hard' side of the mountain.  Faced with a steep slope, menacing thorns and a bit of growing exhaustion.  The reward of locating the cache, especially since I found this first one, my first one, was worth every tiny scratch.

This afternoon will mark the beginning of the Jewish holiday Rosh HaShana, the new year. I will be spending it with family friends here, a very wonderful and carrying family.  I am looking forward to it quite a bit.  I haven't seen them in over a year.  I'm sure they will be testing my Hebrew, and all I can say is I need to practice, very badly.  Allow me to close with wishing those of you who observe a very happy, healthy and sweet new year, and for all the rest, I hope the rest of your year is equally pleasant.

The Prologue: Preparation for an Adventure

The first word is always the hardest. I've always seen the pristine white page before me and hesitated to desecrate it with my scribble. Worrying and fretting over how to craft the perfect first syllable, a captivating first statement, the best possible first impression on the page. And so I lay my first thoughts to this electronic tablet, etching my inaugural sentiments before I set off for this journey.

A brief preamble if you will allow me. Before me awaits at least a year abroad. I will be pursuing a masters degree in Government and Diplomacy in Israel. In the coming weeks and months it is my firm intent to share my experiences, my thoughts and to bring home a piece of foreign insight into international affairs.

With the setting established, I have a dual confession. Firstly, though my flight is less than eighteen hours away, the reality has not quite sunken in. I still feel that there is plenty of time to accomplish the innumerable tasks I had envisioned, the myriad small jobs which I thought would have been fun to complete. A number sit, as they shall continue to do patiently, for the next year. Time has run out and I have to accept that my bags are just about packed, and I'm leaving.

My second confession before you, my companions, is that despite how fantastically amazing this opportunity is, I am still scared. To speak nothing of returning to school after a hiatus, or the fact that I do not have a permanent residence yet established; at the core of the matter is that it is a significant change. And like many people, I often grow complacent with a routine, perhaps uninspired or worse, stagnant in my personal development.

I hope that you decide to continue with me on this great adventure. I will endeavor to share all I can with you and to be consistent with updates. And with this I will close, Mark Twain is quoted as saying, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Where will you go in the next year?