T-12 days

I leave for Israel in 12 days and I'm full of so many emotions.  I'm excited to live in a new country, eager to learn, anxious to pack, etc.  Everyone keeps asking me if I'm nervous about getting homesick and if I'm going to be okay with being away from home for 5 months.  My answer is always the same: Sure, I'll have my moments like I do at IU when I wish that I was at home where my Mom is cooking for me and taking care of me when anything's wrong, but this semester, I have Jerusalem.  I remember the first time I went to the Western Wall in the Old City and I was overwhelmed with this feeling of peace and comfort.  Anytime this semester when I'm having a rough day, I know exactly where to go to calm myself and decompress, and I cannot find that comfort anywhere else in the world.

This past semester, I took a class called "Images of War and Peace in Israel" in which we looked at pictures, songs, and movies and analyzed them.  One song that we focused on (and I wrote a paper on) is "Jerusalem of Gold", hence the name of this blog.  In the 1967 war, the Israeli soldiers sang this song as they fought, so when they sang it after they gained control of Jerusalem, it was a reminder of their victory.  Over the years, more verses have been added to the song about the city and many Israeli's think of "Jerusalem of Gold" as Israel's unofficial national anthem. I've known this song for many years now, but my favorite memory of it, is listening to it on the bus as we drove into Jerusalem on my Alternative Spring Break trip last year.  The song speaks more to me when I'm actually in the land of milk and honey because I am able to see and feel how precious Jerusalem is, just like gold.

I cannot wait for the best 5 months of my life to begin in just 12 days.. but until then, there's a lot of packing and goodbyes that need to be done!

Also, please bear with me, this is the first blog I've ever written so I'm trying to figure out how to make it most    enjoyable for all of my followers!