SO... I'm back at college, starting class, and loving every second of it.
Except for one thing.
I'm still obsessed with learning more about all things Middle Eastern. It wasn't enough for me to just go to Israel and Palestine, no. I have to go and take an entire class on Jewish history, from Genesis all the way to the Medieval Period. It wasn't enough for me to just hear the complex sounds of Arabic in a busy market, no. I have to start teaching myself the Arabic alphabet and practice writing sentences in Arabic, even if I have no idea how to say them. It wasn't enough for me to just revel in the memory of the amazing food I had there, no. I have to start googling every kosher or Arabic restaurant within 50 miles of Charlottesville.
I'm starting to see a trend here.
I just don't know what it is about that place. It's allure goes far beyond mere tourist attractions or exotic shopping. It's not just the food; it's not just the language; it's not just the architecture. It's like the entire place is a living, breathing entity that I can't get out of my head or heart. It's like it's calling to me, begging me to come back. And I would in a heartbeat, if it wasn't for the fact that I don't exactly have access to a travel portal right at the moment. :/
It's crazy, but I think of Jerusalem and Bethlehem almost like they are actual people, not places. I long to go back, as though I were mourning the loss of a beloved friend. I mean, it literally has taken me almost a solid month to stop dreaming about Israel whenever I go to sleep. I'm serious.
Everything makes more sense there. The stupid things I used to worry about before I left all just came into the light to be seen for what they really are--stupid. In a place where God and family come before anything else, I got to see with my own eyes the futility of the "American Dream"--that my life is not about me and what I can achieve for myself. It's about serving God with everything I have and everything I am. And it's about serving others in His name, no matter what it costs me.
I saw life for what it really is: short, fragile, beautiful, and far less complicated than I tend to make it.
I have to go back. I just have to.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
You know you're moving to college when...
Never fear! I am still going to chronicle my adventures in the Middle East, but I'm taking a commercial break to talk about college.
So I'm back at UVA, and boy does it feel weird to be here again! I mean seriously, I feel like I was just here yesterday, eating salad at the dining hall. Weird.
But as I've been settling into my new house, I've been thinking about different things that must be universal for all college students moving back to their campus, whether they're living in the dorm or not, whether it's their first year at college or not. So here it is:
You know you're moving away to college when:
1. Your bedroom at home looks like a blindfolded kid with a baseball bat was let loose in there
2. You can't seem to find that one thing you know you're forgetting
3. You've packed all your clothes in separate boxes, so you have to separate a box for random stuff like books and Kleenex and cd's and your favorite coffee mug and packets for instant sweet tea
4. You get excited when you start to see carpet
5. You keep posting Facebook statuses about how packing sucks
...I feel like there is way more to add to this list, but I am just too tired to even think of any more. Bummer.
*CUE AWKWARD CHANGE OF SUBJECT BECAUSE I JUST REALIZED THAT I REALLY DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH TO SAY ABOUT MOVING TO COLLEGE AFTER ALL*
So... this evening after getting Starbucks with my friend, Jenna, we decided to sit outside on a park bench and enjoy the lovely view of UVA grounds. Then, all of a sudden, a brisk, cold wind assailed us, and instead of paying attention to the sky, all we could do was giggle about how nice it was to feel a cool breeze for once. MMMhmm.
The Weather Channel lies.
It said that it was supposed to be sunny, and before we knew what was happening, that brisk cold breeze began to blow into a gentle rain. We laughed as it slowly began to come down, till all of a sudden, WHOOOOOOSHHH!!!! Sheets of rain--no, entire STORM SYSTEMS began to pelt us with their angry torrents of basketball-sized raindrops drops and hail just big enough to make you get an attitude with people.
Within 15 seconds, we were completely soaked, and the puddles looked like olympic swimming pools. I swear I saw Michael Phelps butterfly past me.
Of course, every good-looking guy at UVA (and yes, the creepy ones too) just happened to jog by us, as we just stood there, drenched, and giggling like giddy school girls. I checked the Weather Channel app on my now-soaking-wet iPhone, and of course, it said that the current weather was sunny with the possibility of a light storm. Yeah no kidding.
Thank goodness for quick-thinking Jenna, who called her roommate and asked her to come pick us up in her car. And of course, as soon as she hung up and we left the shelter of the Lawn breezeway, it stopped raining. Like immediately.
I'm pretty sure that if I had jumped into a pool fully clothed, I wouldn't have been as soaked.
But jumping into a pool wouldn't have been as fun. :)
The Moral of the Story: When you're packing all those boxes for college, remember to take an umbrella with you.
So I'm back at UVA, and boy does it feel weird to be here again! I mean seriously, I feel like I was just here yesterday, eating salad at the dining hall. Weird.
But as I've been settling into my new house, I've been thinking about different things that must be universal for all college students moving back to their campus, whether they're living in the dorm or not, whether it's their first year at college or not. So here it is:
You know you're moving away to college when:
1. Your bedroom at home looks like a blindfolded kid with a baseball bat was let loose in there
2. You can't seem to find that one thing you know you're forgetting
3. You've packed all your clothes in separate boxes, so you have to separate a box for random stuff like books and Kleenex and cd's and your favorite coffee mug and packets for instant sweet tea
4. You get excited when you start to see carpet
5. You keep posting Facebook statuses about how packing sucks
...I feel like there is way more to add to this list, but I am just too tired to even think of any more. Bummer.
*CUE AWKWARD CHANGE OF SUBJECT BECAUSE I JUST REALIZED THAT I REALLY DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH TO SAY ABOUT MOVING TO COLLEGE AFTER ALL*
So... this evening after getting Starbucks with my friend, Jenna, we decided to sit outside on a park bench and enjoy the lovely view of UVA grounds. Then, all of a sudden, a brisk, cold wind assailed us, and instead of paying attention to the sky, all we could do was giggle about how nice it was to feel a cool breeze for once. MMMhmm.
The Weather Channel lies.
It said that it was supposed to be sunny, and before we knew what was happening, that brisk cold breeze began to blow into a gentle rain. We laughed as it slowly began to come down, till all of a sudden, WHOOOOOOSHHH!!!! Sheets of rain--no, entire STORM SYSTEMS began to pelt us with their angry torrents of basketball-sized raindrops drops and hail just big enough to make you get an attitude with people.
Within 15 seconds, we were completely soaked, and the puddles looked like olympic swimming pools. I swear I saw Michael Phelps butterfly past me.
Of course, every good-looking guy at UVA (and yes, the creepy ones too) just happened to jog by us, as we just stood there, drenched, and giggling like giddy school girls. I checked the Weather Channel app on my now-soaking-wet iPhone, and of course, it said that the current weather was sunny with the possibility of a light storm. Yeah no kidding.
Thank goodness for quick-thinking Jenna, who called her roommate and asked her to come pick us up in her car. And of course, as soon as she hung up and we left the shelter of the Lawn breezeway, it stopped raining. Like immediately.
I'm pretty sure that if I had jumped into a pool fully clothed, I wouldn't have been as soaked.
But jumping into a pool wouldn't have been as fun. :)
The Moral of the Story: When you're packing all those boxes for college, remember to take an umbrella with you.
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