29 יומ

So I definitely need to update this more often because a) these are way too long and b) I’m hoping I remember everything I wanted to say. Either way, I just put up 2 albums of pictures on Facebook for those of you who are interested.

Ok, so last week was my birthday! I’m finally done with the first 2 decades of my life. I’m not really sure what that means or what I have to look forward to in the next year, but for now I’m just happy with how it started off. Monday of course, we had class. That night a bunch of us went to Perla to celebrate. It was a lot of fun. One of the girls, Hannah, brought a friend who she met on her kibbutz this summer and he brought a friend of his too. They were really cool; they actually talked to me whereas most of the guys that hang out with us are significantly more interested in talking to the girls in the group. Andrea was DJ-ing that night and she (and some the other people there I’ve gotten to know) made it incredible. They brought me a plate of delicious chocolate truffles with a sparkling candle and all my drinks were buy one get one free plus every once in a while they’d just through in another free one.

The next day though was probably one of the most influential experiences I’ve had yet. Sruti came into my room I don’t remember why and mentioned she was about to leave for a trip with the Reporting Armed Conflict class to interview a group of people who were forcibly removed from their homes in Gaza in 2005 as a part of disengagement. She said I might be able to come with so I made a spur of the moment decision to get dressed and go. On the way there a journalist from the Jerusalem Post gave us a little background on the situation. So to pass it along, in 2004, PM Ariel Sharon decided that Israel was going to leave the Gaza Strip and that all Jewish Settlements would be forced to leave the region. There were 21 settlements in Gaza and an additional 4 in the West Bank were also evacuated. They were supposed to be compensated and relocated within 2 years. 5 years later, these people still live in mobile homes and are awaiting the government to grant them a place to live.

We met 3 people who were evacuated from their homes. I wish you could have been there and felt their words the way that I did. The first gentleman, I didn’t like as much, but upon reflection he was clearly very angry about what happened. He compared his community to Palestinian refugees and kind of did a “this is why we’re better” thing. But he also gave his reasons for why the pullout was a failure. 1) It was supposed to be a democratic process, but in reality Ariel Sharon, who is a part of the right wing Likud Party, was elected partially for his firm stance on Israel’s right to Gaza and in a referendum, most Likud members did not support Sharon. 2) The act was supposed to bring peace, but rockets and mortars have continued and in fact the infrastructure they left behind for the Palestinians to help themselves was used to build more weapons. 3) It was supposed to better Israel’s reputation in the international community, but events such as the Goldstone Report and the flotilla crisis have proved that the world is against Israel. While I think these opinions are not fully informed, they were very understandable reasons and I’m glad I got his perspective on the issue. He also showed us a video about how successful the Gazan settlements were in producing a rich agricultural industry on sand that was supposedly impossible to cultivate.

The more impacting part was the story of a woman named Rachel Sapperstein. She’s an older woman from Brooklyn who made Aliya (immigrated to Israel) many years ago and eventually found herself living in Gaza (what they call Gush Katif).Her story was one of raising a family building a home, a career, and a life in a place where she was helping to build the state of Israel despite violence that began during the Intifadas. It is a story of tragedy in which her husband lost an arm, half his face, and 3 fingers on the other hand to attacks. And in the end, the government which she believed in and had served for decades was the same that came and took it all away from her. A lot went through my head while she spoke and even more through my heart. I have spent a lot of time reading about the conflict and making removed judgments of what is just. The moment the issue became human it becomes infinitely more difficult to judge. I felt for her. I really did. I can’t imagine having my home and my life taken away from me. When asked “Why did you stay with all the violence?” She said “I wasn’t gonna be pushed around anymore. Jews are finally gonna stand up for themselves.” I started to think of all the generations of Jews who were exiled, ridiculed, and slaughtered and admired her for refusing to let that happen to her. And then I thought of all the Palestinians who were also forced from their homes in 1948; thought that if anyone should be able to understand their pain, it should be her. I couldn’t help but cry for both. No one should have their home taken from them. No one.

The last woman told a similar story of coming, building, fighting, and losing. I continued imagining being in her shoes, coming to feel the complexity of the issues at hand, and sympathizing in ways I couldn’t before. This was the best experience I’ve had here and one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life. It may be weird, but it was one of the best things I could have done on my birthday. This is exactly what I came here for.

To completely switch gears, that night, the whole group came out with me to a place called La Champa, which is a cava bar (Spanish champagne). We enjoyed a few bottles and just had a good time together. Everyone presented me with my birthday fund cup (a small plastic cup they had each contributed to to cover that night) which was awesome of them. After that, a few of us went with one of Hannah’s friends from the night before and One of Becky’s friend’s to a bar that was having a karaoke night. It was a bunch of old time Israeli music that everyone knew – except us of course. Becky decided to ask for an English song and that turned into an English night. We told them they could go back to Hebrew, but apparently it was fun for them too. After that we went back to Benedicts and had a late night breakfast. It was really great.

That Thursday, we the professor of The Production of Everydayness in Israel took some of us on a tour of cafes, bars, and sites around the center of town, especially an area called Neve Tzedek, which was the first neighborhood in Tel Aviv. It feels so Mediterranean, but a quick glance up and you realize it is surrounded by tons of modern skyscrapers. We ended up at a bar called Levontin 7, which is also a small local venue. The music was really cool at the bar part and when I went downstairs they were getting ready for a hip hop dance party which was actually sounding really awesome. It was more old school real hip hop than the popular stuff we’re used to.

Friday was another unique experience (I know, I’ll try to wrap us asap). It was Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. It symbolizes so much of modern Israel, the varying levels of religiosity but simultaneously the virtually universal respect everyone has for the holiest day in Judaism. Before sundown, everyone was scrambling at grocery stores to have food for the day and for the break-fast meal. DVD rentals are super popular and you have to go early to get a good one. You’d think it’s Black Friday at these places. The orthodox on the other hand are performing the ritual Kaparot, which involves swinging a chicken above your head and slaughtering to take away the sins of the penitent. A bit before sunset, the entire country shuts down. Literally. Not a single store is open. Cars do not drive and planes cannot land. Every Israeli TV station has a Yom Kippur message instead of airing anything. The secular spend the day biking, walking, and hanging out in the streets. The religious spend the day at services fasting, the stricter ones observing it as Shabbat (no electricity). Everyone wears white to symbolize the purity of atonement.

So I decided to try a quasi-religious Yom Kippur. I spent the day fasting, went to services, and didn’t use electronics. However, I did spend Friday night walking around the city to experience that. It was an interesting contrast to the services I had been to. The synagogue was packed, people were standing, and of course, it was all in Hebrew. But regardless, the chanting was beautiful and it was really cool to see what it’s like to be a part of it all (sort of). Guy walked us around the city to see what the major highway (the Ayalon) and Rabin Square are like. We walked around for hours and I counted a total of 5 cars. I could not even begin to count the people in the street. Everyone was out enjoying the empty streets.

After that, Guy took me to his friend’s apartment and we hung out there for a while. They were really cool. One thing that I love about Israelis is that discussions of politics and religion are not uncommon and almost everyone cares and has something to contribute. They were intrigued that in a room of 13 people, the 12 Jews were not fasting (and in fact were enjoying lots of wine, hommos, and pita) and the one non-Jew was fasting. We talked about Mormonism, Weapons dealing, American culture and misconceptions of the world and a million other things. Luckily this distracted me until 5 am, which is when I got back home. This allowed me to sleep until 1:30 and bypass hours of pain of fasting (you all know how much I love food). Becky and I made it through together by hanging out and going to services again. As soon as the shofar blew, we were out of there, got home and downed everything in hour fridges. That was probably the best hommos I’ve had since I got here.

If you got this far, I’m really impressed. I don’t think I could. Anyways, I again hope that despite the length, you enjoyed. Wednesday was the beginning of the last of the high holidays. It’s called Sukkot and is 8 days to commemorate the 40 years of wandering in the desert. Religious Jews eat all their meals in a Sukkah (tent) and some even sleep in them. The first two and last two days are the most observed and lots of things are again closed, but not quite like Yom Kippur. Tomorrow morning we’re off to Jerusalem and we’ll also be going to Masada, camping in a Bedouin village, and then busing to Cairo for a few days. Naturally this means another long entry awaits you, but hey, at least you have 10 days until I’ll be back.

22 יומ

I have so much to tell you all. I wish I could be sure that I will include every fascinating detail from this past week (which has truly been an incredible experience), but I know I'll miss something so here it goes anyways.

So I left off on Erev Erev Rosh Hashana (Eve Eve). On Wednesday, I went with about 15 other students here to Eilat. It was about a 5 hour bus ride from Tel Aviv. It takes us through the Negev, which is the desert of Israel. It is the polar opposite of Tel Aviv. It was again out of the movies. Our bus twisted through windy mountain paths, just us and the desert. I never really thought the desert was that pretty. I've seen pictures of the Negev and it never occurred to me to call it beautiful. But there is something so captivating about it. The canyons, the mountains, the solitude under a boundless sky. Also along the way, we had some funnier experiences. Instead of signs warning about deer crossing the street, in the Negev, they are signs warning drivers of camel crossings. No joke. Also really interesting was passing the Bedouin villages. They're really just large collections of tents in the middle of nowhere. Occasionally, the bus would stop and one person would get off in what look like desolate land, but it turns out they live there. I'm gonna try putting up some pictures, but I'll say it for this and it will be true for all of these stories: the pictures just don't compare.

When we got there it was close to sundown. We settled into our rooms at a hostel that's part of the same association Bnei Dan is. We decided to go to the beach even though it was dark. I think we saw about 5 people walking to and on the beach. Everyone was at services or with family. That was actually really nice. I got to float on the Red Sea (which is colder than the Mediterranean and you can't help but float on) looking at the stars by myself pretty much (only 3 of us went deep into the water). It was so cool. After a while we started to walk down the boardwalk looking for dinner. Almost everything was closed. But the walk was nice. I determined that Eilat is kind of like Ocean City. Kind of trashy, fun arcade games, boardwalk food and some incredible looking resort hotels on the beach. Finally, we found an open sushi/Asian place and a shwarma place. I had kebab for lunch so I opted for stir fry noodles. Apparently boardwalk food is expensive everywhere.

We went back to the hotel and played charades, which was a lot of fun and went to sleep. The next day we got up, had breakfast, and made our way to Coral Beach. this area is fenced so you have to pay to get in, but it is what the name implies. It's the site of a coral reef and they rent snorkeling gear so you can explore it. SOOOOO COOL! We swam out to where it was like 25 ft deep but like I said, we couldn't help but float. Looking down we saw tons of different fish of every size and color, some in pair, some alone, and some in school that must have included hundreds of fish. Some of them even got really close, but they wouldn't let me touch them. Near the reefs was the best as that's where most of them were hanging out. Seeing the communities of so many different kinds of fish living in the coral (which was a wonder it itself) was too cool. Wish I could have taken pictures. Now that it was day time, the more secular Jews and tourists were all over the beach. People swimming and para sailing everywhere. 

So that night we split up for dinner. After that we decided to go to this bar in the tour book that was advertising 6-8 Shekel beers. Turns out that by bar, they meant neighborhood bodega. I thought I was back in Colombia. It was a corner store that also doubles as a laundromat that has some tables as well. We couldn't help but laugh, but at the same time it was kind of cool. It was clearly the kind of place that people who actually live in Eilat go. We were there with like 4 other Israelis and the occasional person picking up water or their laundry. We headed back by midnight because the next day we new was gonna be long.

The next morning, we got up around 7 got ready and made our way to the Jordanian border (a 5 minute cab ride) for a day in Petra. Petra was built in the 6th century BC as the capital of the Nabateans. It has since Been ruled by the Romans and was lost to the Western world for about 600 years to be found again in 1812. We crossed the Israeli border and paid the 100 Shekel exit fee (Grrrr) and then crossed the no man's land between there and Jordan. Being literally nowhere was pretty awesome. We then waited in line at the Jordanian border for visas. The security guys who checked our bags were very playful with us (especially the girls) in a cute way. It took a while, but we got the visas and crossed into the country. We found a group of cab drivers waiting for us. They wanted to charge us 60 dinars each way each car (there were 7 of us), but we got it down to 45. by the way, the dinar is so strong. Each one is worth like $1.60 so our cab ride which totaled 180 dinars was like $250. Granted it was for a 2 hour drive each way, it was divided by 7, and they were driving us on Eid al Fitr (which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan and is probably the holiest day in Islam; O and they agreed to wait around in Petra for 5 hours and take us back). So we had 2 drivers: mine was named Leith (he spoke great English as a result of studying English Literature in India) and Fadi was the other 4's (who spoke about 20 words of English, not that we can say anything as we speak 0 Arabic and are in their country). Leith was very fun. He played American hip hop the whole way (which he loves) and drove like 140 km/hour ignoring lanes for the most part (to the point that not he not only crossed lanes on his side of the road but even went onto the other side of the road on twisty roads through the mountains). We had a great time listening to music, joking around, and taking pictures along the way.

Once we got there, we had to go to an ATM and change money as we did not anticipate the cost. Turns out it's 60 Dinars to get into Petra if you're not staying overnight in Jordan (33 if you are). After the ride and scrambling to find money, we entered at about 12:30. We walked along a path littered with Jordanian of all ages (literally from 5 to 60) offering horse rides, donkey rides, carriage rides. As we proceeded, we hit some of the first structures, which were pretty cool, but we had no idea what was in store. As we arrived at the official entrance to Petra, we walked along through a 2 km canyon to the treasury. The path was surrounded by sandstone a good hundred feet up in beautiful layers of different shades of red and gold. There were some more structures, kind of random stairs and tombs, along the way. The grandeur of it all was really overtaking. And then we passed through the narrow exit end entered the area of the Treasury. Pretty much all the buildings I mention are carved into the stone rather than free standing. The treasury is probably the most incredible. It stand at 43 meters high and 30 meters wide. It was incredible to see this magnificent building carved into the rock. We proceed to walk along paths with a theatre, tombs, temples. All along there were vendors with souvenirs. The coolest of them were the Bedouins. They were the original inhabitants of Petra and while most were expelled for tourism, some have resettled in their caves around the city. They were incredibly friendly and spoke great English for having learned from hearing tourists. A few of them offered us advice, and to stay in their caves overnight (plus dinner) and one even offered us free donkey rides and walked us down to a spring off the trail. The most striking thing about these people was their humility. They live such simple lives selling to tourists, taking care of their chores, and it didn't seem like much else. The offers they made to us may appear suspicious, but really think they were genuine and wish I could've stayed the night. the way they describe sunset from the top of the monastery and evening under the stars sounded so incredible. Unfortunately, we had to turn buck before we could even reach the spring to get to our cars and be back to the border by the time it closes at 8. We probably saw 1/16 of the whole thing which actually totals 60 sq km (I'm pretty sure, although the touristy part is only a section of that).

The way back was very fun/scary also. We decided to switch cars so the other group could have the music and English speaker. That did not last long however as Fadi got jealous of Leith (he could kind of tell we liked Leith better) and he asked why we switched cars, so we switched back after a while. But first Fadi decided to show of driving fast, passing cars on windy parts of the road, and when we pulled over and Leith did a 360 with the car, Fadi had to do the same. We were glad to be back with Leith, but the other group was not thrilled to be with Fadi. He spent the entire time smoking, drinking coffee, and yelling angrily on his phone in Arabic. Turns out he hadn't slept in 2 days. We stopped at a little store on the road to get a snack and coffee (we didn't eat lunch that day) and the people were soooooo friendly. Turns out Jordanians are incredibly hospitable and have nothing against Americans. They tried to make conversation in their broken English and told our ladies how beautiful they were (in a very sweet manner, really). 

Finally, we got back to the border and passed through Jordan. Just before crossing, we got to hear the call to prayer at sundown. It was the most spiritual experience. You really just feel so at peace at the passionate melodies professing God's greatness. The Israeli border would turn out to not be quite so beautiful. We started going through and everything was fine until our friend Jaya went through. She has a UK passport and her Israeli visa is on a separate sheet of paper. For some reason they pulled her aside and questioned her and when they realized we were with her, they took the rest of us too. We waited for half an hour and they finally let us go. Turns out they asked Jaya a whole bunch of questions like "Where are you from?", "Why did your family emigrate?", "Where does you family name come from?",  and "Why are you in Israel?". At the end they told her they were curious because they had never met a Brit with the last name Malik (which is an Arab name although Jaya is Indian) and ended by asking what religion she is (Hindu). They also had the other Indian girl in our group, Nitya, answer a bunch of questions and verify some of Jaya's information. Jaya was very taken aback by this experience. It was one of those Israeli experiences we hadn't had yet and until then, Jaya didn't know what it's like to be targeted due to her background. I think it was really good for us to experience this. While many of you may be shocked, this is normal in Israel. Privacy does not exist at borders and all questions are fair game, unlike in the US. 

The next day, we packed our bags and checked out, but spent one last day on the beach. It was so cool; so much better than American beaches. Not only was it beautiful, but everyone was back out now that the holiday was over and there were bars on the sand playing Israeli and American dance music, people were drinking and dancing and swimming, and everyone was just having a great time. It was hard to leave.

Ok, so that was really long. I just realized that this blog is turning out to be more of a book. I apologize for that, but I hope it was at least somewhat interesting. I was going to include my birthday festivities in this one, but I'm gonna save that for tomorrow so I can get lunch and do some homework . . . and for your sake.

13 יומ

Ok, so things are beginning to slow down and I’m settling into actually living here. We’ve definitely treated that last 2 weeks as more of a vacation than study abroad. But now that classes are beginning and deadlines are being established, the reality that this is real life is settling in. I figured I would take tonight to show you what my real life is like here in Tel Aviv.

So this is Bnei Dan, the hostel we live in. By all standards, it’s actually pretty nice. As I’ve described, it’s a beautiful neighborhood and as you can see, we have a lovely courtyard. The food is actually pretty good. While I’d love to be free to eat out, I’m alright with what we have in the cafeteria here. I don’t even miss mixing meat and dairy (it’s against kosher and the cafeteria is 100% kosher)! We have a great cook named Nadua. She is a Bedouin and speaks Arabic (she calls it Bedouin) and Hebrew, plus a little English. She’s been very kind to take requests from us (watermelon and peanut butter!)

This is my room. I didn’t get to mention that a few days ago, I moved out of Guy’s room into a single. All the rooms here are doubles and my to-be roommate dropped out of the program on the last possible day so since there’s not another guy to put me with, I just kind of lucked out. I must say it’s kind of nice, but I do miss chatting with Guy before going to sleep. He was a great roommate. Luckily, we’re all on the same floor, so you can’t really be far from anyone. This may sound perilous to some of you as this could easily result in Real World – esque drama. Luckily, everyone here seems really cool and I don’t expect more drama than we can handle (in as controversial a site as we’re at, some tension is bound to arise). I’m really glad I’m in a small program. I’m really enjoying getting to know everyone – like for real.

Speaking of which, let me introduce you to some of them. These are the boys on top of Azrieli Tower. From right to left (I’m starting to see the world in this direction) we have Max, Ariel, GUY!, Jay, and myself.

These are some of the girls at the courtyard of the Rabin Museum. We have Kara, Lindsey, Lisa, Marina, and Nitya.

One last group for now. We’ve got GUY! (Again), Mara, Cheryl, Becky, and Jay (O, and Charlotte in the background) at Perla.

Ok, here are some beach pictures. We spend a lot of time on the beach whether it be relaxing, swimming, or even going out of our way to enjoy the beauty. I really hope to manage studying on this beach. With my attention span it may not be possible.

This is our favorite kebab/shwarma place so far. YOU CANNOT IMAGINE HOW DELICIOUS IT IS!!!! It’s 25 shekels for a huge sandwich filled with meat, salat, hommos, tahina, spicy sauce, and chips (and by that I mean fries). This restaurant is probably one of the biggest reasons I wish we didn’t have a meal plan already. I’d be here sooooooo much more. The guys are really friendly. Only one of them really speaks English, so when he’s not around, we have a good time attempting to communicate between my Hebrew (which sucks) and their English (which is at least better than my Hebrew).

Speaking of delectable delights of the city, welcome to shouk HaCarmel. This is a market lust as you imagine it. It has the most beautiful produce, meat, fish, cheese, bread, and pastries EVER (plus you can bargain down the already cheap prices)! From now on, it’s the only place I’m ever buying groceries. There are also clothes, music perfume, etc. I bought a CD today (I know, they still exist) of an Israeli pop artist I heard and really liked. I’m really looking forward to learning more Israeli music and maybe even singing along.

Ok, that’s all for now. I love sharing my new world with you all. Hope you didn’t find it boring. The one problem with making this all feel real is that we have so much vacation time. We’ve only had a week of class (4 days) and we already have a break. September has three high holidays in the Jewish calendar and we get them all off. The first is tomorrow beginning at sundown. It’s called Rosh Hashanah and is the celebration of the Jewish New Year. Me and about 15 other students are going to Eilat, the southernmost town in Israel. It’s a beach town and we’ll be enjoying the beach and hopefully will also do a day trip to Petra, Jordan and snorkel in the Red Sea. Looking forward to sharing those stories. 

!!!טובה שנה (Shana Tova/Happy New Year)

10 יומ

So it's been a while since I've updated you guys. The past week has been crazy amazing!!! This'll be a long one probably. Hopefully you'll be at least somewhat as enthralled as I was.

Monday, we took a tour of Tel Aviv University. This is where we can use the library since Bnei Dan doesn't have any facilities like that. I"m gonna start adding pictures to this. I'm still getting used to carrying a camera around all the time so I usually forget ergo, I don't have a ton of pictures.

We had to go through security to get in, which was kind of weird, but I'm sure it's gonna be one of those things I find normal in a month.

Afterwards, we went to the Ben Gurion House. David Ben Gurion was the first Prime Minister and Defense Minister of Israel. I have to say that while it was interesting, it was hard to listen to the tour as it was told from a super Zionist point of view (which of course makes sense). As much as Ben Gurion can be called a hero for Israel, he can be called a war criminal by the Palestinians.

Later that night, we went to Azrieli Tower, the tallest building in Tel Aviv to watch the sunset from the helipad.

I CAN'T BELIEVE I GET TO LIVE HERE FOR 4 MONTHS!!!!!

That night at dinner, Guy asked us what we thought about the Ben Gurion House. He agreed that it was very Zionist. We then started talking about Operation Cast Lead and I realized that I have so much to learn from these people as to how they see and experience the conflict on a daily basis. Guy didn't go to the army (which is obligatory for Israeli citizens) but instead served in a home for autistic children. Obviously he has issues with the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) but he also pointed out some interesting things to think about on the Palestinian side. I'm very excited to continue this dialogue.

That night, we went to this club called Lima Lima. We came in two groups. The first one went up to get in and told the bouncer they were 20. He told them the minimum was 25. This is another interesting thing about Israel. While the drinking age is 18, a lot of places have higher age limitations as a result of service in the IDF. Luckily, Becky was there to encourage me and told me to lie and try to get in. So I went up and pretended to have a Spanish accent and only have limited English/Hebrew and told the guy I was 26 (I know, I know). He was like "Ok" and let me in and even let me bring one friend in with me no questions asked. I'm not sure why. All I know is I'm glad. Again, luckily, an hour-ish later they let a few more of my friends in so it was more than just 2 of  us. We had a great time dancing there and will definitely be back on Monday nights.

Tuesday, we went to the Rabin Museum (the same Rabin from Rabin Square who was assassinated). It was a fantastic museum. We got these headphones that sense what station we're at and provided an audio tour of the museum. It covered Israeli history and the life of Rabin at the same time. It was an incredibly moving exhibition. I almost cried as I went through the past century and read of all the horrible things people have committed against each other. It really inspired me to get involved in conflict resolution.

This poem at the end of the exhibit by a famous Israeli poet, Yehuda Amichai, may now officially be my favorite poem.

That afternoon, we had an internship fair. I think I'm going to apply to intern tutoring English to kids in Lod, an underprivileged town not too far from Tel Aviv. I'm really looking forward to this opportunity and I hope it works out.

Wednesday and Thursday were the first day of classes. Classes are once a week for three hours except language, which is 4 days a week for an hour and 15 minutes. So far I've been to Arabic, Israeli Palestinian Conflict, History of the Yishuv (the Jewish community in Palestine before the State of Israel), and Israeli Cinema. All of these seem great and our professors are really friendly. Monday I'll have my first Ancient Israeli Archaeology class. I plan on being an Israel/Palestine history expert by the end of the semester. I'm very excited to get all these perspectives from each of these classes so I can better understand, not just the conflict, but Israeli culture in general much better.

Yesterday was the BEST DAY EVER!!!!! We spent the morning in Jaffa again, but on our own this time. ME and a friend Laura took a bus called the Shirrut (which runs on the bus lines but will pick you up anywhere along the lines, is mini-van sized, and is open on Shabbat) got lost, found the right bus and then walked around the old city. Anywhere a lot of people were, we decided to check out. We stumbled upon a famous hummus place called Abu Hassan and decided to sit down and have some. IT was pretty good, but not all it was hyped up to be. The restaurant we went to last time we were in Jaffa was better. Afterwards we walked through the Shouk (flea market). It was stright out of the movies. Small alleyways filled with vendors of all kinds of Middle Eastern Fare (I'll get pictures next time). I grabbed the most beautiful pomegranates, only 4 for 10 Shekels ($2.50)!!! We then met some other friends who had come down and went to the beach.

That's Jaffa/the beach. There were a bunch of surfer's at this point. Apparently the tide is very strong, so there is only a small part where we're allowed to swim. I learned that the hard way. I went into the water and quickly realized that the waves were pretty strong here. I had gone in with my glasses (the waves in north Tel Aviv are very weak and so it's not usually an issue). I am officially an idiot. A voice said get out and take them off, but I didn't. Sadly, a wave pummeled me and my glasses now lie somewhere at the bottom of the Mediterranean. I was so mad at myself and it ruined my day for about half an hour. Luckily, I have plenty of contacts here and I'll be fine, but I"m still so mad at myself that I lost them by being dumb. Tel Aviv, though, would not let me be upset for too long. The beauty of the beach and the city reminded me that they're replaceable and I shouldn't let that ruin this incredible day.

That night, we went to south Tel Aviv, which from what I gather is kind of like the Lower East Side of New York (very cool, but in a grungier, Bohemian way). Becky's friend Israeli from birthright (a trip to Israel that is free for Jews) met us there, but we again took 2 cabs, and hers took a while longer than ours. In the mean time, we had a round in a bar called Perla. By chance our waitress happened to be from Philadelphia and is studying in Tel Aviv for Grad school. We left quickly to meet Becky and friends, but before we left, I asked her for advice on meeting Israelis. The place was packed, so she told us to come back around 2:30/3. We went to the bar Becky was at and met her friend and his friends. They were all really cool and spoke great English. After a while, we returned to Perla. At some point, "Girls just wanna have fun" started playing and Becky and another friend Jay decided to dance and get up on the bar. A few other people were dancing, so I decided why not join? So I got up on the bench I had been sitting on and I  pulled up a few other friends. Before we new it, the whole bar turned into a dance spot with people on their chairs, on the bar, or on the floor. It was so much fun!!! The bar tenders were clearly thrilled and rang a cow bell every once in a while and the DJ kept playing great dance music until about an housr later, the cops came and said no one can dance on the bar. We kept dancing everywhere else though and had a ton of fun. While I was dancing, the bar tender motioned me down and I thought I was in trouble. Instead, he put down two shot glasses and asked "Whiskey?" I asked for vodka instead and he poured one for me and one for my friend Mara who I had been dancing with (Sorry Mom). We will definitely be going back! Andrea (the waitress) gave us a list of places to go and her email so we can keep up. Apparently, she DJ's Monday nights, so we'll be going back Monday. I CAN'T WAIT!!!

This morning, I was a little dizzy, but we got up and went to this 24/7 breakfast restaurant called Benedict. It's super popular, so we had to wait about half an hour, but it was delicious! They served freshly baked brioche with butter, jam, and nutella and I then ordered a Feta and tomato Croque that had pesto, a sunny side up egg, and hollandaise sauce. DELICIOUS and worth the wait!!!

Ok, so I know that was a lot. I'm gonna have to do this more often so each one is not so long. Hope you enjoyed. Seriously though, you should all come to Israel sometime. I swear there is no such thing as bad weather here. Every day is warm and sunny and you really just can't help but be happy here.

Hope to hear from y'all soon!!!