I didn't realize until I arrived here that most people came in groups or pairs. There are definitely other "loners" out there, but there are also many previously established duos or groups of friends. The two Canadian girls I live with knew each other from home and are in my class, so I spend the most time with them. They are nice girls, though they remind me very much of the girls I went to Jewish summer camp with years ago. I haven't met anyone here yet who I would want to hang out with for the next month. Still, I am hopeful that I will make better friends over the course of the program.
At the same time, I won't be devastated if I don't make great friends here. I wanted to use this summer as a time to become more self-sufficient and take time to think about what I want to accomplish in the upcoming year. Perhaps I need to be forced to spend time on my own in order to become more independent. Of course, I've already made some new friends, and maybe I just need to give them a chance!
The only thing left that is bothering me is housing. I was originally placed in Ashdod, but something went wrong with the absorption center and we all had to relocate. 6 of us got together to decide who would go where, and I insisted that we decide in a systematic way. Two years of maneuvering housing at Penn have taught me how important it is to decide housing systematically. I didn't get my first choice and am currently supposed to go to Haifa, a port city in the north with the worst absorption center of them all. I'm hoping I can somehow manouver a change- we'll see.
Today was the third day/second full day of class, and I will be spending tonight studying for the midterm tomorrow. I think the hardest part will be the hebrew words, but hopefully all those years of Jewish day school will finally pay off!
Another student and I practicing CPR on Anne, the class dummy.
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