Five Musketeers (plus three (plus family)).

There are five students in our class. All of us are here and we are doing well. Here are some details about us (Marian).

Dude, 19 from the States. Utah to be exact. Likes Star Wars and debates.
Dude, 35 from South Africa. Likes to talk, very friendly.
Chick, 24 from Germany. Fashionable, experienced world traveler.
Chick 24 from States. Artistic, very personable.
Me.

Our teachers are two German women and a Brazilian man (plus family). They are all wonderful. We make a very good team.

The day before yesterday we went to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial. It was really a rough experience. It really gave me a lot of good insight into the Jewish mind. It was hard to explain the feeling that I had while walking through those halls. There are interviews playing from survivors and very graphic pictures and videos playing everywhere. I felt very heavy after leaving there.

Yesterday we learned about local culture. I had always seen the women with the covered hair and long dresses as oppressed. Then we learned about the reason behind the behavior. The duty of the women in public is to uphold the honor of the family. They cover themselves to show their reverence for God and there devotion to the honor of their family. Now, when I walk down the street instead of feeling sorry for them, I hold them in reverence. It is interesting how a little bit of ignorance can change the way that you view people.

I miss you all very much, but I really am having an incredible time here.