Mount Scopus

Hello friends! I have made it to Israel safe and sound and have moved in to the Hebrew University Student Village and have started getting acclimated to the culture of Jerusalem. The Student Village is made up of 12 or more high rise apartment buildings, with five students living in each apartment. The village is full of stray cats; everywhere you look, there is at least one cat stalking something or someone. The village and the university are located on Mount Scopus, an actual mountain with views of the Temple Mount and the Old City to the South and the mountains of Jordan to the East. The village is located a little ways down the mountain and the university is located at the top, so there is a bit of a hike to get to classes. Currently, I only have internet in the campus library, so I'm only online about once a day. The walk to classes is gorgeous: we walk past a WWI British military cemetery on the way up (our orientation leader said that there's a grave in there marked "Harry Potter", but we aren't allowed to go in so nobody has confirmed that). Also, the Old City is always visible and the Dome of the Rock (the Mosque on the Temple Mount) is stunning to behold. Everywhere you look, new apartment buildings are going up; construction projects are everywhere. From my classroom yesterday, the Wall of Separation is clearly visible to the East and stretches away into the distance. The weather here is in the high 50's to low 60's, a huge improvement over the subzero temperatures of Minnesota :). The people are nice and friendly, always greeting you with a "shalom" as you pass them on the street. Today is the Muslim holy day, so the city is a lot quieter and there are less people out and about. Tomorrow is the Jewish Holy Day, and Sunday is the Christians'. Our weekend is Friday and Saturday, with the work week encompassing Sunday through Thursday. Well, that's all for now. Have a good day and I look forward to hearing from all of you!