The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have. - Anna Quindlen

My last week before leaving CMU was a nice transition into summer research life: each day I worked out, went into my CMU research lab for a couple hours, then went to Phipps or some restaurant or the movie theater to relax. It's a good life when all you have to worry about is research...just kidding. It depends on the person, but I think summer research allows undergraduates to explore their environment, time alone, and the cutting-edge of their field of study.

Now that moving out and my sister's graduation are over and I'm back home in NJ, the real preparation begins. Above is my attempt at the Mediterranean dish shakshouka, which turned out surprisingly well. Here's how my goals are going:

• Memorize the Hebrew alphabet: I'm making good progress. I've memorized most of the letters; I keep getting Bet, Kaf, and Tav confused. I'm just using Quizlet for now, but will probably switch to Memrise later on.
• Make a TDL sight-seeing list: See below. I don't expect everything to go according to plan, but I want to have thought about this beforehand. Last year, I didn't do any planning before I went to Japan and I constantly had this feeling that I missed out.
• Listen to podcasts about Israel: I found this cool podcast called "Israel Story" that sort of reminds me of NPR's Rough Translation. I should probably give some other podcasts a try, as well.
• Research Israeli culture: I spoke a lot to two CMU students who traveled to Israel last year, and learned a lot about what to expect in terms of how Israeli people communicate and day-to-day living. There doesn't seem to be much of a cultural barrier as there was for Japan, where Westerners can easily offend if not mindful of Japanese customs.
• Make a reading list: See below. I purchased A Horse Walks into a Bar by David Grossman on Kindle for the plane ride. There are so many books, I hope I have a lot of free time to read :/

I've also been doing some other things, such as preparing for my research by reading related literature and reviewing ATP synthesis (tbt AP Biology and cellular respiration -.-), learning about staying safe, following news on the Israeli-Palestine conflict, packing, and figuring out dorm and insurance payments.

Many people, including previous CMU students who have traveled to Haifa, Israeli professors at CMU, and Study Abroad advisors, have told me that I should be safe in Haifa. At the same time, the current events unfolding in Israel, especially in reaction to the U.S. Embassy move to Jerusalem, are concerning. Study Abroad director Christine Menand sent the CMU students traveling to Israel a 'Security Travel Briefing Report' describing different issues in Israel, and actions travelers should take to stay safe. She also advised us to regularly check the Travel Advisory website on the U.S. government website. Crossing my fingers everything works out...

TDL: Sight-seeing in Israel

• Go to a cooking class/ cook with an Israeli family: there are so many spices and ingredients paramount to Middle Eastern culture, which I want to be able to bring back with me and actually know how to use.
• Go to a yoga class: My MSE faculty mentor, who attended the Technion, told me to visit Naya Yoga studio and tell the owner I'm her student :)
• Join a club at Technion: I'm thinking dance or something more active, to meet new people, if I have extra time.
• Go hiking up Mount Carmel: Haifa is located on Mount Carmel, so there are probably a lot of hiking trails.
• Go to the beach: Haifa is *also* right next to the Mediterranean Sea.
• Visit Baha'i World Centre (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Ein Hod Artist's Colony, Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art (it'll be fascinating to view Japanese art from an Israeli perspective).
• Go to some music concerts...classical? Jazz? Traditional? I wonder if there are performances and comedy shows in English.

Reading list:

• The Hilltop, Assaf Gavron
• Second Person Singular, Sayed Kashua
• To the End of the Land, David Grossman
• Homesick, Eshkol Nevo
• Borderlife, Dorit Rabinyan
• A Tale of Love and Darkness, Amos Oz
• Suddenly, a Knock on the Door, Etgar Keret
• Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Noah Harari
• My Promised Land: Triumph and Tragedy of Israel, Ari Shavit
• Let it Be Morning, Sayed Kashua
• A Horse Walks into a Bar, David Grossman
• Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle, Dan Senor and Saul Singer
• An Egyptian Novel, Orly Castel-Bloom

During my sister's commencement, David Tepper spoke about how we have have different lives: our lives before we graduate from high school, our lives during college, our lives after college. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say my time in Japan and my time in Israel were and will be separate lives, too. Which is good, because living a different life will give me insight into the one I'll return to in August.

Cheers,

Shivani