I wrote this poem the other night, thought I’d share it:

Sunset throws its long rays across the page,

Slipping away as the quiet hall, full of voices, fills.

The shining orb sinks beneath the window,

And streetlights twinkle silently across the valley.

The bright hall sighs and turns the page.

Somewhere walkers taste the starlit air

And feel alive with summer on their skin.

The moon waxes and wanes above them,

The hall empties and fills, like the breath

Of a silent giant’s sleeping calm.

Dawn gathers her strength in the east, and

The bright hall sighs and turns the page.

On Friday we took a field trip to Jerusalem. To get there, we walked to Efrat (about 20 minutes away) and took the 167 bus to the central bus station. There, we got “rav-kav” cards, which you can load with money to use on the busses and light rail. 

After that, I walked around Jerusalem with my friend. We did some book shopping in Meah Shearim–I bought Rabbi Solovetchik’s על התשובה (On Repentance), which I am currently learning (along with half the school).

I then went to Immanuel with her (which is a two hour bus ride away from Jerusalem, in the Shomron), and spent shabbos at her cousins’ house. They were such a nice family, and I had a fun and restful shabbos.

(They had this gorgeous mural painted in their house. I asked about it, and they said that it was there when they moved in.)

Saturday night, we went back to Jerusalem and stayed with another family–good friends of my friend. The idea was that we would be able to catch an early bus back to school out of Jerusalem, and make it back for the start of class. We ended up just missing the bus. At least it was a beautiful morning:

The produce here is unbelievable. We have Israeli salad at almost every meal–there are bins full of cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions, as well as cutting boards and knives–at least twice a day.

My school is right next to Kibbutz Migdal Oz, which is a real kibbutz with cows and chickens and fields. It’s a beautiful place…

Hello, world! I’m Hannah Dimbert, and I’m studying at Migdal Oz in Gush Etzion, Israel.

I’ve been here for two weeks and the experience–intensive study, new friendships, and the serendipity of living in a foreign country–has been remarkable.

This blog will be a space for me to share my adventures, reflections, and discoveries. Please enjoy!