9/11/07

Tiffany Dunn
Journal
Today there was quite a bit of activity going on in the center. The day was so full and we had so much homework that only a couple (and by couple I mean about 5) people went into the city. The rest of us stayed in and worked. Well, pretended we were working anyway.
The day was crazy busy class wise. We had class from 7:30-11 and then again from 4-6. Let me say, that is a lot of class for one day. I do have to confess that towards the end of class, I had a bit of trouble staying awake. I blame jetlag.
Our Modern Near Eastern Studies from the Israeli perspective was very interesting. That’s my favorite class at the moment. During class today we talked about the differences between the zealots, Pharisees and Sadducees and the items that they did not agree about. We were talking about these three groups and their reactions to the destruction of the temple in 70 CE. I thought it very interesting that the Sadducees were so willing to acculturate to try and survive, but regardless of their efforts they still became, for lack of a better term, extinct. The Pharisees on the other hand survived. They wanted to keep their religion, but they realized that some adaptation would have to occur. Thus they adapted. The Rabbis came from the Pharisees.
Between our Israeli perspective and Palestinian perspective classes most people studied. A lot of people meant to study but ended up taking naps instead. That jetlag is a killer! We also had our first linen exchange. That was an adventure. We went down and got our sheets, towels and bathroom mats and waited to get our fresh new ones.
At 7:30 we had a forum. Mike Ross, from the US Consulate, came and talked to us. Ross is the Head of Security and he came and talked to us about the complex situation between the Palestinians and Israelis. He mentioned that the US gave Israel 33 billion dollars to help with things going on in Israel. He also talked about the security measures that are being taken. He spent some time on the terrorist groups. He was asked to name some, the most threatening, and he said that there were at least 30 different groups that he had reports on every morning. Some of note are the Muslim Jihad, Al-Qaida, etc. It was really interesting.
After the forum a couple of us went and played soccer in the gym. It was way fun. We had people that were really good and played in high school and those who had never played before. We also didn’t sustain any injuries that night.