Do I really go to school here?

The past two days have been filled with the visits to school, shopping trips to the mall, more visits to school, more shopping, a first dinner at the apartment, and an evening out with fellow classmates.

Yesterday, Ally and I went to school in the morning to begin the registration and pre-ulpan paperwork. We met a few HUC faculty members, our summer HUC interns, and a few of our classmates as well. After school, we went to grab lunch with some classmates at Aroma right across from the David Citadel in the mall.

It was great to meet other HUC students ..everyone seems so nice! Afterwards, Ally and I were exhausted so we headed back to our apartment to rest for a little before realizing that we had not yet unpacked and still needed to go purchase bedding for our rooms. We shopped around for a little and then found the bedding we each wanted for the year (which happened to be matching!) Then we headed back home to unpack. We spent the evening anxiously awaiting Allie's arrival and when she got here, we all headed to Ben Yehudah for dinner/an evening snack. By the time we came home, we were all exhausted and called it a night as we knew we were going to wake up early today.
This morning we were at HUC at 10am for a tour of campus. I had actually been to HUC the other two times I was in Israel, but today felt different. I seriously go to school at the most beautiful campus in the entire world (sorry fellow U of I alumn), and if you don't believe, check out the pictures below.

This is where High Holiday Services will be.

I just cannot wait to actually begin classes and sit out in the couryards during my breaks, our as our HUC intern talked of his experience, wander around outside DURING class. We also learned from our HUC intern and tour guide that OSRUI is not just an overnight camp, but a floor of the HUC Jerusalem campus library!

After school we went to the famous Burger's Bar for lunch and then headed to Machne Yehudah (the Shuk) to buy food for our apartment. Since this was Allie and Ally's first time there, our first stop was, of course...MARZI PAN. For those of you who don't know what Marzipan bakery is in Jerusalem, you are just missing out! It is the most delicious, yummy, chocolate rugalach in the entire world. It is just so nice to live just a 10 minute walk from the shuk as oposed to the 25 minute bus ride from Hebrew University.

The food we bought from the Shuk

We came back from the shuk and rested before dinner. Rachel (another HUC Chicago student, and very good friend of ours already!) came over for dinner. We sat in our living room and each made a toast to our year in Israel and then said the Shecheyanu. I have never felt a Shecheyanu so meaningful as the one the four of us said tonight at dinner about to begin an amazing journey at HUC and in the Jewish community. It just felt so perfect.

Tonight we headed out to Zabotinsky's, a bar in Jerusalem with other HUC students. It was very layed back and nice to meet new people and to start getting to know each other.

There's not a whole lot on the schedule for tomorrow-we have to wait around midday for our internet to be set-up and then we might head over to the Old City.

It's getting late and it was another long day. Lilah Tov!