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.
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!!!
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