Snoring...

I can hear the sound of soft snoring from the bedroom.

I’m in Israel now, visiting on a tourist visa for a longer term. I can stay for a total of 6 months, which I extend in bouts of 3 + 3 months. I’ve nearly been here three months now, but I’m going back to Finland for a little while anyway.

Soon, I’m going to start in a Ulpan. I am told this is Hebrew for ‘Studio’. It’s not a radio studio or anything. The name is deceptive. It is a language course for new immigrants and the occasional tourist. The course will last a full 5 months, 5 days a week, 5 hours a day.

We found a flat of our own to live in, and it’s the first time I really got to help choose a nice place to live. The years I spent moving from student flat to student flat don’t count, as then it was more a search of something affordable with a minimal amount of problems as opposed to something affordable and actually nice.

It’s up near the top of a mountain, and we have a view of the city as it glitters in front of the Mediterranean.

None of our belongings from Hungary have arrived yet, and Eyal works during the day. I spend a lot of time on my own, but that will change when I’m spending 25 hours a week learning a new language, most likely with a bunch of Russian immigrants. When my scanner arrives, I will show you some sketches of what I’ve been up to since Dec. 2008.

I’m slowly starting to settle in. The heat is still hot, but I no longer feel like screeching every time I leave the house. I haven’t managed to get sunburned yet, despite a couple days at the swimming pool without sunlotion.

So here I am, still surviving, and no regrets yet.