April 25, 2007 4:26 AM

Hi everyone, my name is Tamara Frankel and I am studying at Hebrew University this year for my junior year abroad. I am originally from Toronto, Canada. I posted some info about myself on the weblog already so if you're interested to learn a little bit more about me, then you can refer to a comment I made on the next post. In any case, our course director, Vered Madar, advised us to introduce ourselves in a creative way (i.e. through an object or a text that is meaningful to us) instead of listing our hobbies and what our favourite flavour ice cream is. So I decided to take Vered's advice and tell you a little bit about who I am through a book by Shel Silverstein called "The Giving Tree". Well, here it goes!Shel Silverstein's "The Giving Tree" represents a significant aspect of my personality. "The Giving Tree" tells the story of a young boy who swings off the branches of his favourite tree in the entire forest. But as the boy grew older, he was no longer interested in playing games; he wanted to sell the tree's apples and use its branches for wood. The tree was always willing to give what she could to the young boy. Giving made the tree smile. I can relate to the tree's joy of giving to another. I often find myself sharing advice with finds, making time for family and also providing material things to others in need. This text demonstrates how I am able to connect to many different types of people and their needs.I hope that we will be able to share with one another in this course just like the tree did in Shel Silverstein's book; honestly and sincerely.