I'm sure that all of you have noticed my recent lack of blog posts. It certainly isn't because I have nothing to blog about...oh no. I actually have more blogs to write than days I have left before I go back to the States. It's just because I'm so dang busy!
Busy with what, I'm sure you're all wondering. How busy can one person be? After all, none of my classes or life here even counts for anything in the real world!
So I thought I'd tell you.
September-October: This was my least busy time here. I was in class 5 hours a day, Sunday-Thursday, in September. I went to church once a week. I started teaching Chinese daily. I moved four times. I started a kickboxing class. I went hiking a couple of times. I explored Jerusalem a bit. Spent Rosh Hashanah with an Israeli family. Had a month-long dogsitting stint.
November-February: Classes started at the university. I was taking Hebrew, Arabic, two classes on politics, and started an 8 hour/week internship (free labor!!). I battled for more than a week with the university about my Arabic level. Won. Decided not to take the class anyway. Still teaching Chinese 4 days a week. Attending church twice, sometimes 3x a week. Started an Arabic class in the city, 3 hours each Wednesday night. Moved to Bethlehem. Commute time started taking 2.5-4 hours a day. Church callings in 3 different cities, two different languages. Visiting teaching in two different cities--I'm pretty sure we went more than once a week in order to get everyone in. Decided that crossing a checkpoint every day is a big pain.
February-March: The night I finished my last final I took a plane out for Spain. Spent a week in Spain at the temple, took a stint down to Morocco, almost missed my flight back. The day after I got back to Jerusalem, my sister came for a 9 day visit. We went all over Israel and the West Bank. The week after she left my friend Noelle came to visit. A week later, when she flew home, classes had already started.
March-June: I am taking 3 classes at Hebrew University. In Hebrew. One class at Bethlehem University. In Arabic. One Arabic class in Jerusalem (not at a university). One 2-week intensive Hebrew class during Passover break (not at a university). Teaching Chinese once a week. 2 hour Arabic lesson with a private tutor once a week. Commute still takes 2.5-4 hours a day (including checkpoint crossing time). Still visiting teaching in 2 different cities with several different companions. I recently got released from one of my church callings but still attend church twice a week. Still working 8 hours a week at my internship (more free labor!). Starting a project of interviewing women in the West Bank. Might use it for a future thesis or book. Tutoring students in an intensive Arabic program at Hebrew University once a week.
This might explain why I fell asleep last night at 7:30 pm and woke up at 8:30 am the next morning, still feeling like I had been run over by a truck...
Busy with what, I'm sure you're all wondering. How busy can one person be? After all, none of my classes or life here even counts for anything in the real world!
So I thought I'd tell you.
September-October: This was my least busy time here. I was in class 5 hours a day, Sunday-Thursday, in September. I went to church once a week. I started teaching Chinese daily. I moved four times. I started a kickboxing class. I went hiking a couple of times. I explored Jerusalem a bit. Spent Rosh Hashanah with an Israeli family. Had a month-long dogsitting stint.
November-February: Classes started at the university. I was taking Hebrew, Arabic, two classes on politics, and started an 8 hour/week internship (free labor!!). I battled for more than a week with the university about my Arabic level. Won. Decided not to take the class anyway. Still teaching Chinese 4 days a week. Attending church twice, sometimes 3x a week. Started an Arabic class in the city, 3 hours each Wednesday night. Moved to Bethlehem. Commute time started taking 2.5-4 hours a day. Church callings in 3 different cities, two different languages. Visiting teaching in two different cities--I'm pretty sure we went more than once a week in order to get everyone in. Decided that crossing a checkpoint every day is a big pain.
February-March: The night I finished my last final I took a plane out for Spain. Spent a week in Spain at the temple, took a stint down to Morocco, almost missed my flight back. The day after I got back to Jerusalem, my sister came for a 9 day visit. We went all over Israel and the West Bank. The week after she left my friend Noelle came to visit. A week later, when she flew home, classes had already started.
March-June: I am taking 3 classes at Hebrew University. In Hebrew. One class at Bethlehem University. In Arabic. One Arabic class in Jerusalem (not at a university). One 2-week intensive Hebrew class during Passover break (not at a university). Teaching Chinese once a week. 2 hour Arabic lesson with a private tutor once a week. Commute still takes 2.5-4 hours a day (including checkpoint crossing time). Still visiting teaching in 2 different cities with several different companions. I recently got released from one of my church callings but still attend church twice a week. Still working 8 hours a week at my internship (more free labor!). Starting a project of interviewing women in the West Bank. Might use it for a future thesis or book. Tutoring students in an intensive Arabic program at Hebrew University once a week.
This might explain why I fell asleep last night at 7:30 pm and woke up at 8:30 am the next morning, still feeling like I had been run over by a truck...
The sunglasses help hide the bags under my eyes...
Kickboxing - I don't remember hearing about that one. Hope you can keep it up. Totally sweet!
ReplyDeleteYou need more sleep my friend :)
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