Closing Time

Loyal Blog Followers -- Pardon the lengthy time-gap between this post and the previous one. Things have been hectic here in every sense of the word. The Ulpan is coming to an end in 2 weeks but my plans are still not set in stone. I will probably (assuming everything falls into place vis-a-vis a job and everything) go to live with my adopted family on Kibbutz here and work on Kibbutz as well. Yom Sayarot (try-outs for specific army units) is not until July and then hopefully, whether I pass these tests or not, I will be drafted soon after. It's rather discomforting not knowing exactly what I will be doing in 2 weeks, but then again that is one thing I have to become more comfortable with. Embracing the uncomfortable. It makes for a more creative life. Plus, the army won't exactly be a walk in the park. I'm glad that I've stuck to, more or less, a lot of what I preached in my graduation speech. I have tried to be determined in learning Hebrew and all the other goals I have in mind. It's a little scary to think that almost all of my friends are doing the same exact thing. Of course, this is not 100% true but it would have been really great if some would have gone to do volunteer work in Africa, some to travel around Europe, some to work with emergency aid groups in impoverished parts of South America. I am very glad to hear when my piers are working hard in school and learning a lot in their new educational environments, but at the same time I worry when I hear about the drinking stories that were "awesome" which are then followed by "ughhh...class tomorrow." 40,000$ is a lot of money to pay for 1 year of education. I hope everyone paying that sum gets their money's worth.
If that sounded pessimistic...my apologies. Moving on, I am almost finished with Yoni Netanyahu's Letters. The more and more I read of it the more I feel connected with him. Maybe I am just empathizing with the author but I think I am similar to Yoni in a lot of ways. Hopefully our fates differ, however (not to diminish the importance of his final mission). A lot of Israeli society is driven by passion and strong emotions. Beautiful music, spiced-up food, crowded coffee shops, an excess of cigarettes, and overall connection (good and bad). I am more of the introverted type. Those who know me know that I do not confine myself to my room and never come out or anything like that. I just prefer to have time to myself and read or hang out in more relaxed situations. I don't think this is something that needs fixing; it's just my nature. Despite my contrasting social habits with Israeli society, I still get along with Israelis very well and relate to them in a deeper sense than I did with Americans (I think). Either way, please write to me via email (benjacobs1027@comcast.net). I want to know what things are like in the old country (not Galitzia, the US!).