7/28 Ninth Week
Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold -Joseph Parry
Research
This week in research was pretty uneventful. I did a couple more experiments and had a few interesting findings, but I am still struggling with how to interpret the data. Prof. Schroeder is on a business trip for the rest of the month, but I'm hoping to Skype him next week to figure out next steps.
I've tried to open up more to my lab mates. I don't feel I've been very friendly - I mean, I don't feel I've met the Israeli definition of friendly. The girls in my office were showing me pictures of their nieces and nephews, which was really cute.
During my first meeting with Prof. Schroeder, he said he'd heard great things about me from the lab members. "You're very popular in the lab!" I was surprised, because I'd expect (and want) "great things" to be something like "She works really hard," or "She's really smart." I guess this is what Israelis aspire to be - not in the shallow way, but in the sense that this lab is very collaborative and social, and I think that's what makes it so successful.
Gold and Silver
This week in my flat was bittersweet. SJ left on Wednesday, and Marie left this morning, making me the only remaining member of our six girl power flat. I'll really miss these girls; they fulfilled the roles of a mom, sister, and friend all at the same time. We exchanged gifts and I wrote them letters, and I really hope some day I can meet them in their own countries.
It was sad, but on the bright side I just got another flatmate, a master's student from Switzerland. She's super friendly, and I'm trying to be as welcoming to her as my flatmates were to me. We're already planning to go to Jerusalem together, and try the new ice cream place that opened up last week in Ziv. Not for the first time I find myself wishing I lived in Europe so I could travel so easily to different countries. It's still a bit empty in our flat though :(
Lunar Eclipse
Our first excursion was to watch the lunar eclipse. We left our flat to watch it from the Student Union, and after being held up by a family of wild boars near the trash cans, we ended up on the roof, watching shooting stars, the red moon and Mars, and talking about what it means to be a man or a woman. It was a nice, relaxing way to end the week. It was also interesting to watch an eclipse in another country, since my friend and I joined the solar eclipse hype back in March over our spring break. This time it was so peaceful, and with very different people, but still great.
AcroYoga
This was my last week of AcroYoga lessons :( I'm actually proud of myself for finishing the class, and I'm rarely proud of myself. I have this annoying habit of starting things and then not finishing them, but I feel I really did learn a lot about AcroYoga, and how Israeli people interact. I gave the Arabic sweets from Akko to Hadar and Liran, the couple who drove me to Bat Galim beach every week. Hadar gave me this big smile and that really made my day.
FINALLY found the right bulgur!
Pomegranate tree near dorms
Eclipse approaching
Red Moon and Mars