Marching Forward, Looking Back
Jewish tradition has a saying about its calendar that reads "מי שנכנס אדר מרבים בשמחה" (he who enters Adar hath a mutlitude of happiness). Not willing to be outdone, the secular calendar created its own pre-spring phrase: "March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb." Though this phrase may appeal most to zoologists and astrologers, I have learned recently that the these animals are a vague reference to the weather of the month. A lion, for some reason, seems to allude to harsh, winter-like weather, while a lamb is somehow indicative of spring. The general idea, it appears, is that the month of March starts out cold and dreary, and then gets gradually warmer until the end of March is positively springish.
The weather at Ma'aleh Gilboa, however, seems to be unaware of the existence of this phrase. March began with a few very hot and clear days, which were then followed with rain, then dry days, then cool days, then a warm day just to mess with us, then a few windy days, a sunny day or two, and then, today, a sunny-windy-drizzly-dry-cool day all in one.
Why did I tell you that? I don't know. Perhaps it is indicative of my yeshiva experience: though I expected yeshiva to get easier as time progressed, it behaved more like the typical Gilboan month of March: rainy and sunny and wet and dry in no apparent order. Or perhaps, I just felt like writing something about March being over. Speaking of March being over, here's a funny joke: why were the soldiers tired on April 1st? Because they'd just had a March of 31 days! Okay, that wasn't that funny.
Today, my last full day at yeshiva, didn't really feel like a day at yeshiva. Today was Election Day, so not a lot of learning got done during morning seder. Since the ballots opened right at the time when the shiur was to begin, well, there was no shiur.
Another factor contributing to the decrease in the Learnometer is the simple fact that the trimester is coming to an end. An Israeli confided in me that in the last week of anything, the attitude drops a bit. I totally can understand that, having experienced senior year. True, what's happening here is not senioritis, but it is defintely not the same intense learning experience. Students have already started leaving, not to return until April 26.
Other than the last of my packing, I didn't do a whole lot today. I watched "The Shawshank Redemption," which was as incredible as it was the first time I saw it. Then, later tonight, we had an unofficial end-of-the-trimester dinner. Jason and Ronen organized a barbeque, which was delicious, and not expensive. For a paltry ten shekels, each person received a hamburger, two kababs, four hot-dogs, and a pita. Good times. I was reminded a bit of the Senior-Freshie "Bond Day" of last year, when Noah Sharfman and Gabe Miller barbequed in Rancho Park. Both created feelings of unity within the group, though each was partially incomplete: at Rancho, the whole grade was there, but so were freshmen; here, it was only our shiluv, but not everyone attended.
That, ladies and gents, was my last full day at Ma'aleh Gilboa. Going to sleep soon; gotta finish packing, hit the makolet, and do some last second preparations before I leave for the airport at 7:00 p.m. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to post tomorrow. If not, I'll write again from my room in LA.
Nighty night, my last in Israel.
The weather at Ma'aleh Gilboa, however, seems to be unaware of the existence of this phrase. March began with a few very hot and clear days, which were then followed with rain, then dry days, then cool days, then a warm day just to mess with us, then a few windy days, a sunny day or two, and then, today, a sunny-windy-drizzly-dry-cool day all in one.
Why did I tell you that? I don't know. Perhaps it is indicative of my yeshiva experience: though I expected yeshiva to get easier as time progressed, it behaved more like the typical Gilboan month of March: rainy and sunny and wet and dry in no apparent order. Or perhaps, I just felt like writing something about March being over. Speaking of March being over, here's a funny joke: why were the soldiers tired on April 1st? Because they'd just had a March of 31 days! Okay, that wasn't that funny.
Today, my last full day at yeshiva, didn't really feel like a day at yeshiva. Today was Election Day, so not a lot of learning got done during morning seder. Since the ballots opened right at the time when the shiur was to begin, well, there was no shiur.
Another factor contributing to the decrease in the Learnometer is the simple fact that the trimester is coming to an end. An Israeli confided in me that in the last week of anything, the attitude drops a bit. I totally can understand that, having experienced senior year. True, what's happening here is not senioritis, but it is defintely not the same intense learning experience. Students have already started leaving, not to return until April 26.
Other than the last of my packing, I didn't do a whole lot today. I watched "The Shawshank Redemption," which was as incredible as it was the first time I saw it. Then, later tonight, we had an unofficial end-of-the-trimester dinner. Jason and Ronen organized a barbeque, which was delicious, and not expensive. For a paltry ten shekels, each person received a hamburger, two kababs, four hot-dogs, and a pita. Good times. I was reminded a bit of the Senior-Freshie "Bond Day" of last year, when Noah Sharfman and Gabe Miller barbequed in Rancho Park. Both created feelings of unity within the group, though each was partially incomplete: at Rancho, the whole grade was there, but so were freshmen; here, it was only our shiluv, but not everyone attended.
That, ladies and gents, was my last full day at Ma'aleh Gilboa. Going to sleep soon; gotta finish packing, hit the makolet, and do some last second preparations before I leave for the airport at 7:00 p.m. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to post tomorrow. If not, I'll write again from my room in LA.
Nighty night, my last in Israel.
posted by Yoni Bain | 12:29 PM
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