Back to Civilization...I mean, English

And if by civilization I mean noisy traffic, terrible roads and the Boston accent, then my title is accurate. But I kind of feel it's not very accurate, it just sounded cool. In reality, I LOVED Vermont; really did. And perhaps even more civilized (despite the pervading dairy smell) than Boston. It was beautiful, open, green country that begged me to come explore it, either on my bike, or on the hiking trails. And I did do that, to an extent. Now, back in Boston, I'm inclined to be lazy in my house and undo all the good I did getting myself in better shape. Not that I lost much weight - wouldn't that be just too good to be true! No, I'm only four pounds lighter (maybe not anymore...), but my body is truly in much better shape. I worked out a lot, rode a lot of miles on the bike, and saw BEAUTIFUL rolling hills, lots of cows, and picturesque little farmhouses. What could be better?

While my body didn't seem to show the effects of my efforts, my head did. Kind of. I do in fact know a lot more Hebrew now, and feel pretty comfortable speaking it with just about anyone who is patient enough to let me get the right words out and help me find the ones I don't know yet. So, I guess that eliminates most Israelis. But it does qualify me to take a class I desperately want to take this fall (Minorities and Others in Israeli Society and Literature - awesome, right!?), and it's an excellent base from which to build. I have to tell ya, though, Hebrew is just plain tough. I never again want to hear a Spanish student complain about how hard it is! The little whiners! It's word play compared to Hebrew! But really, once you break a certain mental block, Hebrew becomes possible. It's just getting to that point - that's why the intensive Hebrew summer was important.

So, here's what I did every day: woke up (usually early - the poor people in the dorms on either side of me probably wanted to kill me because I was chronically unable to get up on the first alarm ring) and did the last bit of homework I didn't finish; quickly made myself presentable (I was much less concerned about my hair - it would probably just get sweaty and nasty later anyway, so usually some form of pony-tail); off to breakfast (cafeteria, about 10-min walk, 2 min. bike, but all up hill), which was actually pretty good for cafeteria food; class from 8:30-11:30 - we played word games in Hebrew, did some grammar, and later into the semester, discussed the short stories we read; lunch at 11:30 - again, pretty good for cafeteria, and I was diligent to eat mostly salad, but the choices were always so good I usually tried just a bite or two of things that looked interesting or tasty; 12:30-2:30 class; later in the day, they would have yoga, soccer, and other activities all in Hebrew - sometimes I went, and sometimes I slept or did homework. Homework always took at least 3 hours, and then I needed to study the new words. And in the evenings, they often had movies, guest lecturers, concerts, and other events in Hebrew, so there was really not a ton of time for my explorations, but I managed, especially on Saturdays.

So, that was kind of boring, but I thought maybe you'd like to hear about my summer. Some hot days (no AC in dorms), some good friends - but I was definitely the hermit in the group (I know many of you refuse to believe that I'm naturally pretty shy, but it's true, and being entirely out of my element among so many new people and of a different faith, I had a hard time putting myself out there), and good memories. And now, on to more adventures! This is the semester that kind of determines the rest of my life...dramatic, but true. I will be applying to PhD programs, which I have no experience in or understanding of, and hope like crazy to be accepted into one. So, stay tuned.

And now, I am getting off my duff and working out! Come determination! We will not be overcome by temptation of the so-easily-accessed Netflix movie!