Living in Israel

I realize that most of my posts have to do with great places I've been to or observations on the political and religious situation that I've seen while here, and I haven't really written about what my life is actually like here. I will attempt to do so now. I start off my day with my iPod alarm beeping to inform me that 7:15 has once again come too soon. I get out of a bed that sits about a foot off of the ground but blessedly has sheets and a down comforter to keep away the unnatural nighttime chill here. My room consists of my bed, a long desk and a dresser next to it taking up the far wall, a shelving unit above and to the left of the desk, a window with a heavy armor shade, and a low three shelve dresser on wheels. I share this apartment with four other guys, each with his own room. Phillipe is from France, Adam is from Idaho, Mori is from New York, and Laif is from New Jersey but he studies in Abu Dhabi. One of the bedrooms doubles as a panic room/bomb shelter in case of attack, and it has two doors in order to seal it from the rest of the apartment. Thankfully, these apartment units are blessed with hot water, though you have to click on a switch outside of the shower labeled "boiler" and wait a bit for the water to warm up before taking a shower. I assume that this system is based off of a desire to save the planet, but we always leave the boiler switch in the "on" position so we don't have to wait for hot water. Environmentally unfriendly? Yes. Convenient and efficient? Also yes. We are also blessed with abundant and drinkable tap water, though it differs from the tap water back in the states. It takes longer to boil this water and apparently combined with American shampoo it can destroy your hair, but those inconveniences are more than made up for by its drink-ability. I've been told that Israel is the only country in the region with 24/7 tap water availability, the other countries having such bad water shortages that they have to cut off service a day or two during the week and the people have to stock up between stoppages. Our living room is spacious, with a couch and table taking up one half and a kitchen area taking up the other. The kitchen comes with a sink, a four burner stove, shelves, a refrigerator, and a microwave. It's a very nice place to live. The weather alternates between the low 50's and high 60's, with rain always threatening but some days allowing for clear blue sky. I've taken to carrying an umbrella and jacket everywhere I go, as rain can show up out of nowhere. Jerusalem is situated in the mountains, so a cool breeze is never too far away. The people here dress in pants and a combination of sweatshirts or heavy winter coats, and many people stare at me in astonishment when I go outside in shorts and a t-shirt. Several people have asked how I can handle the "cold"; I merely smile and say "In Minnesota, this is spring to us." I get such looks of surprise and astonishment I feel like I am single-handedly creating a myth of Minnesotan toughness and hardiness in the face of overwhelming weather. I've held a couple of audiences in awe of Minnesotan winters. The sun rises before 7:15 because it is always light outside when I get up, and it sets sometime between four and five. I noticed something interesting today as I walked to class; the Arabs and Israelis have different buses for themselves. The Israelis get on the Israeli bus, and the Arabs get on the Arab bus, which we would probably classify as a big van back home. Each has markings clearly defining it, with the Israeli bus marked in Hebrew and the Arab bus in Arabic. I heard someone say earlier last week that Arabs and Jews only willingly mix in three places: the hospital, the zoo, and a third place which escapes my memory. I eat lunch in the school cafeteria and eat dinner at home, either making scrambled eggs, omelettes, hot dogs, or noodles. The most adventurous thing I've cooked so far is potatoes with carrots; I haven't had the time to make something more challenging. Phillipe is a master at making noodles, and everyone is always on the lookout for a free meal being offered somewhere so none of us have to buy food or cook. Anyway, those are my disjointed thoughts and descriptions of life here so far. I will most assuredly write on this subject again soon.