First day of class...

So, today was my first day of classes at Haifa University, and I survived! Now, you may be wondering what I've been doing here for the last four and a half weeks, but up until now I have only been taking Hebrew classes. Even though the rest of my semester will be taught in English, it is still very helpful to know Hebrew so that I can get around the country.
Anyway, each class offered for International students takes place only once a week, and we have the first two weeks to try classes we are interested before making our final decision. This morning, I went to a Media, Politics, and Public Opinion class, which I found very beneficial and enjoyable, except that it was four hours long... The good news is that I really like the professor, who also teaches another media class that only lasts two hours...!
During class a lot of points were brought up which I have recently been thinking about. First of all, our teacher shared her story of making Aliyah to Israel with her husband in 2001, only three weeks before September 11th. She recalled how she felt that afternoon when she turned on the television just in time to witness the second plane crashing into the WTC, and I noticed her eyes well up with grief. While we spend so much time thinking about how these tragedies effect those on our soil, we often forget how it feels to be an American living abroad, and to feel a connection when such an event occurs.
We also spoke about the elections, and how both America and Israel are experiencing a change of government. However, while most of Americans are elated at the alteration, there is less of a euphoria in Israel. There is always a general support of the government, yet the election process lacks closure. Contrary to the 24-hour news coverage and the constant eye on CNN well into the night, there never seemed to be a definitive decision made. Tomorrow will be two weeks after the elections occured, and there is still a question of what will become of the government. However, there were a few similarities between the elections in the two countries, such as the surge of young voters, and the famous campaign slogan "Yes We Can," which was adopted by Tzipi Livni of the Kadima party.
Anyway, I'm now off to the 'Opening Ceremonies' of the semester for the International students... will write more later!

Lots of love,
Elyse