9/20 | Out and About

Today, after ulpan, I accompanied Rachel to the doctor's in the heart of modern Jerusalem.  Since she did not want to go alone and I had nothing better to do, I decided to tag along.  We took a taxi--moneet--to the Wolfson Family Clinic, which was about a 20 minute drive.  On the way, we passed some beautiful scenery:

Right outside of the main pedestrian entrance of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The Prima Kings hotel.  For a city associated with the desert, Jerusalem has a lot of greenery.

A windmill in Jerusalem.

From a plaza next to the clinic, the Knesset was in clear view.  It sits on top of a hill surrounded by trees.  It is markedly different from the Capitol in Washington, D.C., but still gives me the same sense of pride.

The building with the medical clinic also contained a mini-mall.  It is an experience to shop in a place where everything is in another language!

Tonight, I had the chance to participate in a group discussion on Israeli foreign policy hosted by Dor Le Dor, the same group that sponsored the trip to the winery in Gush Etzion.  The big draw was free pizza, but the reward was the dynamic conversation we had.  Originally slated to be in someone's apartment, approximately 50 people showed up, forcing us to move outside.  I actually got to kick off the discussion by addressing Israeli "isolation" and what this means for its foreign policy.  I said this: "The Jewish people, throughout history, have been an isolated people.  Israel, throughout its history, too, has been isolated.  Both have thrived in the face of this 'isolation' and will continue to do so regardless of what the critics say."  Naturally, people disagreed with this, and for an hour and a half this is what we talked about.  It was a great night, and one that I really enjoyed.  It is amazing to be in a country where everyone wants to talk about exactly what I want to talk about!

It is the last week of ulpan, so most of my time will be spent wrapping up my Hebrew studies.  This, unfortunately, does not leave me with too much free time; therefore, expect blog postings to be less frequent in the coming days.