Everyone is Biking and Corn Holing Except Marnina

(it's from Arrested)

It's Yom HaAzmaut and for the first, and I would imagine last time ever I have class. It is very sad. Not that I don't adore workshop, and YSDN and adaptive footwear systems, I just prefer driving around with my windows open blasting Israeli music... OK, I did some of that on the way to school, it is just more fun with friends. Despite the fact I am outfitted in blue and white and said Hallel (with a bracha) it just doesn't feel like a Chag when you are sitting in class listening to presentations. I may have to go get a celebratory slurpee... before locking myself in my room and slaving away over corp id- oh man how am I going to get everything done.

Wow this post is incoherent!

רק בטורונטו

Every year the Modern Orthodox Zionist community of Toronto has a Yom HaZikaron/Yom HaAzmaut thing. This year was no different. As much as I would prefer to be in Israel this time of year (ok, every time of year) there is something to be said for the Toronto festivities.

As there is only one true Modern Orthodox Zionist day school in Toronto pretty much everyone who attends this yearly event either went to Netivot HaTorah Day School or sent their kids there. Besides a love of Torah and Israel this gives us something in common, the ability to bust a move to the song "Ki Et Kol HaAretz."

Huh?

Jews have never been known for their ability to dance, but the actions that go along with that song are perhaps some of the most iconic moves performed in the city of Toronto. While the woman who introduced this song and "dance" to us all those years ago now lives in Israel her legacy lives on in that song. It really is quite a sight to see a massive room full of people from such a wide age range on their feet, hands in the air and belting out a song at the top of their lungs. Actually, that happens at most rock concerts so let me rephrase: It really is quite a sight to see the BAYT full of people from such a wide age range on their feet, hands in the air and belting out THAT song at the top of their lungs.

Happy 61st Israel!!!!!! See you in 76 days!

And now for something completely different!

and by completely different I mean format not content. Don't get too excited by the whole web cam thing :)

...

I am making aliyah in 79 days. Bezalel, Technion and Ben Gurion have all received my applications. I have no idea when I will find out if I have been accept to any of them. I do know Bezalel only does interviews in June and July. Basically it looks like I will be making aliyah with no home or plans or anything. I don't think I am quite as cool with this whole thing as I was say, a week ago. I really do like plans.

The Great Debate!

The great debate of the moment is whether I should renew my subscription to Fast Company and just have my parents send the magazine to me in Israel, resubscribe when I figure out where I will be living in Israel or forget the whole subscription and read everything online...

I kind of like the idea of having the magazine sent to me in Israel but this whole situation is very confusing! I have decided to email a customer service rep for help. They will get back to me within two business days. I will keep you all posted...

Speaking of magazines, I no longer work for one. It was a fun run. I met some cool people. I learned a lot and I think I did good work while I was there. On to bigger and better things!

Yom Hashoah

Tonight was the annual Yom Hashoah tent ceremony thing. They sang O Canada. Like everyone else there I got up and sang with them. This may seem like a completely unremarkable statement, but it isn't. You see for the longest time I would not sing O Canada, I wouldn't even stand for it. I felt that when the Liberals were in power the Canadian government did not represent my views in any way shape or form. I was embarrassed by my country's leadership and foreign policy and therefore did not feel the need to sing the national anthem.

How thing have changed. Today Canada is one of Israel's biggest supporters. It was the first country to announce it would not attend Durban II, Jason Kenny and Stephen Harper are the best friends Israel could have, and GST is down 2%. Today I sang O Canada.

When I get to Israel and people ask me if I am American I will say with pride that I am in fact Canadian. (Although I do have American citizenship...)

84 days and counting...

Man oh man oh man these next 84 days need to start disappearing faster, and not just for my state of mind. I mean I go to the mall to buy two tank tops and I end up with a whole new wardrobe! Ok I am exaggerating a bit but if I don't get out of this country soon I will have no where to keep all my stuff when I get to Israel!

Sfira update! Still in the game! Yeay for massively huge calendars!

Also, Beer Sheva is über-confusing they send me these emails about other emails they will send me with codes- I mean maybe Ben Gurion is a secret society or something! Honestly though, I appreciate the fact they informed me about receiving my app (according to Canada post my technion app is still floating around- I never should have tracked it), but why all the random registration steps?

Another thing apparently Sarit Hadad was some sort of child prodigy and started playing at some club when she was 8 and her parents didn't know... I mean when they found out they stopped her from playing there but really? I mean what kind of country am I moving to?!

Leaving in 91

91 days is not a lot of time, yet at this moment it feels like eternity! School seems to be simultaneously racing and shuffling by. Pesach has been a lot of fun but I am ready to throw in the towel when it comes to two (and three) day Yom Tovim. I am still in the sfira game and the calendar seems to be working out quite well for me. I am slowly getting together everything I need for the big move. Every time I try on an outfit in a store my mom feels the need to explain to the sales person how I can't get anything to heavy because I am moving to a desert. As a result I know have a desert proof wardrobe and in the event I end up in Haifa or Jerusalem I will be freezing. Ok, not really.

It is funny because when I think of the next 91 days I am super psyched. I am also psyched thinking about July 15. It is the 13th and 14th that make me nervous. I mean I will be out of my mind enough without the insane airport scenes. It is all just a bit overwhelming to think about. Mach Hach leaving on the same day doesn't help. Whatever- it is just a period of less than 24 hours, and I am sure it will be memorable!

לשנה הבא בירושלים

or Beer Sheva or Haifa, I'll take anywhere in Israel in fact. Actually I would take anywhere in the world as long as I only have to do one seder and I have a teudat zehut!

And just for those of you who are counting 96 days...

...

I am wondering if this whole calendar is as good an idea as I initially thought. I guess it isn't so much a problem with a calender but a problem with the fact I felt the need to count how many days it was until I made aliyah. When you think in terms of 100 days (now 98) times goes by much slower. This wouldn't be such a problem if it weren't for the month and a half of school I had to get through. It is impossibly hard to work with this countdown running through my head. On the plus side I still have high hopes for sfira and everyone knows school zips by after pesach! It's like high school all over again!

Here are the stats as they stand now:
34 days until gradshow.
3 (or 4) time sheets left to submit.
46 days until class is over.
4 projects left to complete.
80 days until graduation.
3 grad schools to hear back from.
98 days until aliyah.
32 jumping days left (over 11 weeks).

100 days!

I decided that since I was doing such a good job with this aliyah count down, that I had no excuse no to finally win the sfira counting game. I mean a count down is a count down right?
Since I finally took down my brainstorming wall (I hang up lots of random notes and visuals for projects I am brainstorming on my closet door) I have decided giant countdown calendars will go up instead.
Hopefully all my countdowns will be successfu1.