72 יום

I finally got to go to my internship on Sunday. Just a little background, the organization is called Youth Renewal Fund (YRF) and they provide tutoring services for students in underprivileged schools in Israel. Three other students and I have been working on tutoring at a school in Lod, which is a town about 25 minutes from tel Aviv by car. It has been such a pain trying to set everything up. First off, everything here happens after the holidays. You can't start anything within two weeks of Rosh Hashanah because everyone will just tell you after the holidays aka a month from now. Even once that's over, Israelis don't plan ahead, so when you do get in touch, it takes another month to coordinate schedules and even once we arrived on Sunday, they still had to rearrange when they want us to come. All in all, we realized that we have about 5 more weeks we can go because of Fall break, our trip to the Galilee, and us leaving mid-December. We'll go twice a week, but only for about 2 hours each day. Now, not a big deal: except it costs 35 shekels ($10) to get there and back plus an hour when you use public transport. Needless to say, we were rather annoyed to arrive, have already had issues and still not be able to teach classes right away. Turns out the 8th graders have a big test coming up and their parents don't went them out of class, so instead of doing both classes during the day and the afterschool program, we're just doing the afterschool thing.

Now, all of this would be a hell of a lot more frustrating if it didn't turn out that we have the coolest kids ever!!! When we finally got to the classroom of kids, they seemed hesitant, but curious at the same time. We took 4 girls and split 2 and 2. Abby (who luckily speaks fluent Hebrew) and I got 2 girls who are 11 years old, speak pretty good English, and are the most charming, adorable girls you're ever met. It was so much fun just talking about our families, favorite food, book, movie, music, where we've been in Israel and around the world. Sometimes they had to translate what we said to them for each other, but then they always responded in English. I was really impressed. An hour passed really fast and we had to switch, even though none of us wanted to. Abby and I took a 13 year old boy who unfortunately, didn't speak such good English. He said yes or no to a lot of questions that weren't yes or no questions. But, Abby would translate and try to get him to repeat in English so he could make the associations. I'm not sure how much it helped, but I now know he loves cookies and really wants to come to New York to see the snow. Despite that, we could tell he really wanted to learn, but he was very shy and wouldn't say much. Eventually it was time to go and we basically walked out with the whole class, those we taught and those we didn't. They all wanted to talk to us even if it was "Hi, What's your name?" or "I'm going home now". It was so cool to see them that excited. It really made all the frustrations unimportant. Now I'm really excited too. I really can't wait to go back, but unfortunately, we have to wait until after we come back from Istanbul!!! O my gosh, I can't wait; I've wanted to go for so long! Gotta pack tonight, because The flight leaves at 4 AM so I want to leave class, which ends at 8 pm, eat and go right to sleep, although it's obviously not gonna happen. Either way, it'll be good for me to prepare in advance for once.

69 יומ

Ok, so I'm gonna start now with this writing more often thing. It works so well that one of the most interesting days I've had coincides with my goal to update more often.

So after writing my last post, I went out with Abby and Sruti around midnight. We went to central Tel Aviv near the intersection of Rothschild and Allenby. We haven't gone out here much, so we figured we'd do something different. Unfortunately, when we got there, lots of places didn't want to let us in because we're all 20. This whole 25+ thing is weird. I would've never thought age would be an issue here. Luckily, we went back to Lima Lima and after giving my scouts honor that I'm 25 and an Israeli vouching for us, we were let in. So much fun. Great music and we got to dance again. I've decided that I really love dancing. As great as bars are, I love dancing. Anyways, we had a great time and left around 4.

Three hours later, we woke up to take a day trip to Jerusalem. Sritu and Abby were planning on going and I decided to tag along. So painful, but ended up being so worth it. We started off at the shouk which I always love. Everything looks so delicious and smells great.

From there, we went down Ben Yehuda Street,which is a mojor street in Jerusalem. We found our first bagel shop in Israel (They were ok) and a whole store just for Kippots. I almost got a new one, but they were kind of expensive. I would come to regret this decision later. We then went into the old city through past the Kotel (Western Wall) to the Mount of Olives. It was a tiring walk, but it was interesting to see all these (supposed) sites I grew up reading about. Gethsemane is there and some churches on the top. I've decided that the religious stuff isn't as aggravating when it's not so hot out. IT was interesting because Sruti and Abby aren't Christian, so Laura and I had to explain the significance of places. While we were at Gethsemane, I tried to explain the atonement to Sruti. It was such an interesting expereince to try and explain the concept to someone who's never grown up with it. It seems a lot less intuitive when you haven't always been taught it. I in fact had to stop and think about how exactly it's supposed to work. Definitely something I'm glad I had to do.

From there we went into the Muslim Quarter and got some lunch (Mmm kebab :) We then walked around and found a sweets shop with lots of little Arab pastries. Sooooo good! At one point we came to an intersection. All of a sudden, it went from everyone being Arab to A mob of Hassidic Jews on their way to the Kotel for Shabbat. It was like some magical line was between the two sides of the street dividing the two communities. We decided to go to the Kotel with them and see what Shabbat is like there. There were so many people (mainly very religious people). I stuck out like a sore thumb in shorts carrying souvenirs. The crowd was full of everything: tourists, pilgrims of varying religiosity, and soldiers who wanted to celebrate Shabbat carrying their rifles. I've never seen anything like it. People were dancing and singing at the top of their lungs. It was like a party to usher in Shabbat. I even got to dance in a circle with them. At the end, we happened to run into the American friends from Jeruslaem we had met at the Port last weekend. They were waiting to go to a hosted Shabbat dinner. As they were leaving, the program director asked if we needed dinner. we decided to let Abby ask since she's the only Jew. They said ok, so we followed them to a religious neighborhood in West Jerusalem. We walked with a group of very religious kids, most of whom are studying in seminary. I talked with a kid named Israel who was telling me that the fact that Jews have lasted this long with relatively little change proves that God exists, delivered the Torah, and that the word of the Torah and it's interpretation in the Talmud must be correct. I really didn't know how to have this conversation, but I liked hearing what he had to say. I'll have to think about it some more. When we got there, we waited for a while and met some of the people there. In that time, about 150 people showed up, mainly very religious people. Turns out that this rabbi who was hosting us does this for every meal of Shabbat (Friday evening, Saturday morning and late afternoon) and literally anyone who wants to come, can. I met some really nice girls, but when we got in, I couldn't sit with them or anyone in my group because tables were divided by sex. I felt kind of uncomfortable as my presence seemed to also make those at my table uncomfortable. Maybe I was just being paranoid. Luckily, I talked to a really nice guy sitting next to me from Canada. He's here for his undergrad in Talmudic studies. The night was so crazy. I've never been to a more orthodox Shabbat- or as crowded of one. All those people fit into a relatively normal size living and dining room. We were quite squished, especially as we tried to pass around buckets for hand washing and trays of food started going back and forth. They kind of would just plop everything down on the table where there was room even if it was on top of other things and get it out to everyone as quickly as possible. A lot of it was like what I've seen. Kiddush, hand washing, bless the bread, and eat. However, there were also lessons and lots of singing in between courses. The rabbi gave a nice talk for this weeks Torah portion, which is the story when Abraham is at his tent, looks up and sees 3 holy visitors and invites them in. He connected that to how there is a blessing to say before performing every mitzvah (good deed) in Judaism, except for ones that are acts of interpersonal kindness live visiting the sick and mourners and acts of charity. He said that the reason for that is that there is often no time to be lost when helping our fellow man and so we help them first and bless the act afterwards. He interprets the scripture as telling us that there is always someone to help if we are looking for it. Just as Abraham we looking up, we should also for the opportunity to serve our fellow man. It was a beautiful message. The ones after I didn't really get. some people kind of just got up and said things about the portion that didn't really seem to have any significance, but I liked the first one.

Finally, we washed our hands again and said the closing blessing and left. I got so much out of that in terms of how I see Israel. I decided that Jerusalem is a Jewish city (you know what I mean) and Tel Aviv is an Israeli city. For the most part, people who make aliyah for religious reasons (which is most) move to Jerusalem and those who just like Israel move to Tel Aviv. Obviously this is a generalization, but I think it captures the essence of each city. I am sure if I were to move to Israel, it would be to Tel Aviv. When I was talking to Abby about it afterwards, she said she would move to Jerusalem because if she were to make Aliyah, it would be with a family for religious reasons to a place with a strong American community, which is exactly what Jerusalem provides. I would want to opposite. I would leave America to leave America and become a part of another country and culture rather than religion (although obviously to at least some degree, Judaism and Israeli culture are inseparable). Plus, Tel Aviv's more fun :)

This 24 hour period really highlighted a lot about Israel, its diversity, and some of the problems. In the Jewish State of Israel, what does it mean to be Jewish and what does it mean to be Israeli and what's the difference? As they say, ask 2 Jews, get 3 answers (AKA it gets really complicated really fast and leaves a lot of questions, especially when you consider the relationship of Jews outside of Israel and non-Jews, or even secular Jews, in Israel). Studying this country is like studying philosophy: just when you think you've figured something out, you find 10 more questions than what you started with. Luckily, I study both. At least I'll never  be bored.

67 יומ

So I officially only have two months left here. I am going through a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions as I am here and realizing that and more specifically, all I have yet to learn and experience. I've spent so much time just trying to get to know this city, country, and language that I haven't spent enough time meeting people and getting to know the human side of Tel Aviv and Israel. I've started to meet some more people through Guys' friends. They're all really cool, but I wish I spoke Hebrew to really be able to get to know them better. Don't get me wrong, most of them speak fantastic English, but obviously, it's not the default in large groups of Israelis. I am teaching myself Hebrew here, but it moves much slower than learning Spanish or Italian. I did just take my first quiz and I got an 84. I'm not thrilled, but I try to remind myself that I'm teaching myself, where as everyone else who took it is actually enrolled in the class. Arabic here is also moving slowly. Actually, even more slowly. I think it's a combination of my professor not pushing us fast enough and bothering to do every exercise plus study abroad is not very motivating. In fact, it is just the opposite. Schoolwork is about the last thing anyone wants to do. While this is evidently not much  different than in NY, the professors here don't really push to hard in general plus there is a time constraint to do everything you want to before leaving. Money also becomes an issue. This city is at least as expensive as NY if not more. Also, I've not been unemployed since I was 15. I A) don't know how to use this time B)work usually forces me to take advantage of time and schedule life better and C) obviously allows me to feel better about going out and doing things. I'm finally going to my first day of an internship teaching English on Sunday, but at this point there's not much time left, especially since next weekend is fall break and in a few weeks we're going to Galilee on a group trip. Plus, the internship is not in Tel Aviv so it's tough to find days I can commute with my school schedule. The whole September not existing kind of made this whole thing difficult. I guess what it comes down to is that things are not going as I expected. This should be a Duh kind of realization, but somehow I didn't think it'd be so hard to make friends (Israeli friends), get to know Tel Aviv, visit around the country (which is tiny and easy to navigate), get an internship, maybe do a research paper, all on the money that I saved up to come here.

One good thing I have to look forward to for sure is my trip to Istanbul over Fall Break. I'm flying out at 4 am next Thursday and will come back early the next Tuesday. I've been wanting to go there for sooooo long and it looks so beautiful. Unfortunately, Lebanon's out of the picture because my friend who was gonna come with decided not to go. I then also realized that it will save me money not to go and that I couldn't really have a Lebanese experience in 3 days. I'm also trying to tell myself that if I decide I want to go in the future that I can make it happen. That's realistic right? Even without that though, I'm sure Turkey is going to be amazing and I'm trying to let my excitement for that overtake all this . . . whatever they are. Concerns, frustrations, disappointments. I don't know. I'm also gonna try and take a trip to Haifa, back to Jerusalem, Ramallah, and a wine tour before going home. We'll see what happens . . .

So to stop kivetching and update you what's been going on. So, I've probably forgotten a lot since I fail at writing journals (I forgot this about myself), but I'll put up what my pictures and memory piece together. So when I went out with Guys' friends two weekends ago, they first cooked for me (in exchange for me bringing wine). O MY GOD IT WAS AMAZING!!! They made this great breaded chicken with a kind of sweet jelly sauce, potatoes with a parmigiano onion cream sauce, and a salad with cheese, apple slices, and a red wine dressing. I miss real food so bad. It really made me so happy. After hanging out for a while eating and talking, we went out to this club called Comfort 13 for a 90's party. Jay and Becky also went but with some Israeli friends of theirs. It was a lot of fun. It's been too long since I went dancing and of course the reminiscence was entertaining as always. At the same time, a lot of the music was what was famous in Israel in the 90's which made it so I probably actually new only about a fourth of the music. Regardless, it was fun to just go out and dance. We left around 4:30 and walked back towards a main street to grab a cab. Unfortunately, we couldn't get a cab to go to my part of town, so Josh (not talking about myself in 3rd person, he's a new friend) let me sleep over at his place since his roommate was gone for the weekend. The next day we hung out and talked. That was exactly what I wanted. I somehow need to make this happen more often. I got to talk to him about everything from the conflict to whether aliens exist and have visited Earth. He's an interesting guy with some interesting (for lack for another word) ideas.

I totally lost track of time and ended up staying til almost 8pm when I realized I needed to get back for the Israel-Croatia EuroCup qualifier match we had gotten tickets for. I ran back, changed into my Israel colors and quickly had my face painted (we got really into it) and headed out. The game sucked in the end. Israel didn't play very well at all (although apparently, there was a penalty they should have gotten?? Don't ask me) and most people left 15 minuted before the game even ended. However, it was so cool to see what soccer is like there. Everyone was wearing blue and white, even if it was actually an Argentina jersey (very common), although I was much more Israel-ed out that pretty much everyone. They were all into it and had some cool chants (at least I think considering they were all and Hebrew and I don't really know). I also had never heard HaTikva (the national Anthem meaning the hope) sung by so many people and right after, they left off a bunch of balloons and confetti. Everyone was into the game although not as crazily as Americans at the Super Bowl or Argentines at the World Cup. Good experience, fun, but I'm definitely not a sports guy. At least not for how much those tickets cost.

This is where things get fuzzy. Sunday night, I'm pretty sure I went to a neighborhood called Florentin to do a photo assignment for our core class. It's a very cool neighborhood. It's the newly gentrified neighborhood and reminds me a lot of NY. There was some great graffiti. I need to wander more with a camera. It forced me to notice a lot more than I would usually. I'm not very good with details in general. I know it finally rained at some point. That sounds trivial, but it was really a funny experience. It's the only time I've seen rain here and it lasted 5 maybe 10 minutes. It's still gorgeous weather here. It's 81 degrees and doesn't look like it's gonna change much any time soon. I love it, although many Americans here want Fall. I will say though that we apparently are in a weird year and it's supposed to be cooler by now. What a shame! I can't think of anything else except I guess I've been spending lots of time in cafes. Cafe culture is big here. Like, I really wonder if anyone works because it likes like they're just always in cafes. Apparently it's because work life is more creative and flexible here, so a lot of people work from the cafes. I haven't asked at the cafes, just after, but I'm thinking of taking a poll. Coffee here is great by the way. At least at cafes. At home they drink lots of instant, which is awful. They don't really understand what brewed is for better or worse. 

So I guess I'll skip to last weekend. Thursday night, we went out to a club on to port. This area is right on the beach and the more popular, mainstream place to go (loved by some, reviled by others). We had such a great night! After a while of haggling and being annoying Americans, we got in for free instead of 50 shekels each. The music was so good. We knew every song either because it was American or great Israeli pop music. It was just really good, fun get down music :) I was the only boy in the group, so I also had the pleasure of defending the girls from the rather aggressive and relentless Israeli men. At the same time, I managed to hook my friend Laura up with one of these American boys we met from Jerusalem. I'm rather proud of myself. It was a great night for free. My favorite kind! That is until 2 of the girls made us take a cab home (they were in heels) and we paid 45 shekels instead of 15/20 because no cab driver would go that close for anything less. Whatever, it didn't end up being much and it was totally worth it! Friday, I went out with Josh and Amit (Guy's friends) again. We hung out for a while at Josh's place (had a great discussion about American food, which they find revolting for the most part) and then went our to another friend, Adit's birthday party. It was on the beach and they had a bonfire. So gorgeous. Looking to one side was the old port of Jaffa and on the other the skyscrapers of Tel Aviv. That with some roasted kosher marshmallows (not as good as regular) and we had a great night. Saturday night, I went out with Jay and two of his friends to Comfort 13, this time for a British invasion party, which was even better than the last one. I new a lot more this time. A mix of Lily Allen, the Cure, Spice Girls, Chumbawumba and a bunch of other British favorites. Plus, again, this party was free (the last one was 60 shekels)! Sunday, I spent the afternoon in Jaffa. Looking at it from the beach reminded me that I needed to go back. We got some good schwarma and walked around the old city. The views or Tel Aviv, the feeling of times of old, and the beautiful art everywhere made it such a great night. I really love Jaffa. It reminds me that yes, I am in the Middle East. That night, I went with Abby and Max to Mike's Place. Now I've been once before so I don't know how I didn't mention it. It's the American bar next to the embassy that serves American food while playing all the football games. If you know me, you know I only went to hang out with Max and Abby. I figured, why not give it a try. This place managed to very my desire to leave America in one night. I really just don't care about football and don't know how do talk to people who do when they're watching it. I hate being represented by dumb American teenagers drinking beer straight from the pitcher, wearing Abercrombie, while eating Pizza and wings, especially when they bothered to travel 7000 miles to a country with such great good and entertainment of their own. Now, fair enough. NY is largely not like that and I haven't been around the US enough to know what I could find elsewhere. Israel too probably has people like that. But, o well, so I'm ignorant and judgmental. I know. But hey, I like it here, so why fight it? And if nothing else, I can be sure I don't like that America.

Tuesday night, we went to a commemoration of Yitzhak Rabin (if you forgot, he's the one who was assassinated for making peace in the Oslo Accords). This year marks 15 years and this evening was its anniversary in the Hebrew calender. The ceremony was hosted by the scouts and was pretty much all scouts. We didn't understand much, but it was cool seeing their version of something I grew up doing. Scouts is for both boys and girls although I'm not sure of the troops themselves are mixed. Apparently, they're more like little army units according to guy. Not as in actually fighting, but as in how they are organized. I know, let the jokes commence. It's apparently non-partisan and doesn't discriminate, but of course it tries to build a love for Israel, as of course it should. The big ceremony will be on November 4 and that will apparently be packed with lots of big guests and performers.

(Bad picture I know, but just to give you an idea)

Ok, so that's all for now. Wow, I feel a lot better. Thanks for listening (reading) me vent. I really should write more often.

47 יומ

September 26 – October 3 I spent wandering the desert. This is quite amusing to have done on the particular days because it was Sukkot. For all the Gentiles out there, Sukkot commemorates the Jews wandering the desert for 40 years. It lasts 8 days and for that time, you eat all your meals in a Sukkah, which is a little hut/temporary building usually in your backyard. In Israel, neighborhoods build Sukkahs for those who cannot do so in their homes due to space constraints and most restaurants do so also. The first and last 2 days are the most strictly observed. On these days, everything is that would be closed on Shabbat is closed. The in between days are pretty normal. In the 10 days I was travelling, I managed to imitate the Israelites exile, return and wandering in between – albeit I’m pretty sure I had a lot more fun without the manna or slave labor.

So we begin in Jerusalem. We started at the Herzl Museum, which exposed us to Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern political Zionism. It was very cheesy, but rather informative. In so many ways, I can sympathize with Zionism especially as it arose during a time of intense anti-Semitism. At the same time, from the very beginning, there seems to have been a complete disregard of the Palestinians. From there, we went to Mt Herzl, which is like the Arlington Cemetery of Israel. All soldiers killed during their service are buried there and so are Presidents and Prime Ministers. It’s a very different experience going there than Arlington though in the sense that pretty much every Israeli knows at least one person buried there. It’s much more personal in that sense. It really was an eye opener to a part of the Israeli experience that is completely different from mine. For them, death and danger are the status quo rather than the exception to the point where there seems to be a disregard of it for the most part – at least in Tel Aviv, which is kind of removed from threat in a way that many other places are not. I’m not sure if that’s the attitude most Israelis have. After that, we went to Yad Vashem (Hand of God), which is their Holocaust Museum. It was very similar to the DC museum, but more straight-forward whereas DC has several exhibitions along with the main Holocaust history. Also an interesting difference is that the end of the Museum is with the establishment of the Israeli state and a view over the hills of Judea. There is an interesting implication –I think-- that Israel is the salvation of the Jewish people; it is what finally allowed for an end of the atrocities of the Holocaust as the Jewish people now have their own land. After that we went to the hostel changed and some of us attended Shabbat services, but at a feminist, Orthodox synagogue. To most Jews or those who know much about Orthodox Judaism in particular, the concept is not only foreign, it is an oxymoron. However, their explanation of the idea is very interesting and makes sense to me. So a quick background, In Judaism, there is the Torah (which contains Jewish law as delivered to Moses on Mt Sinai from God), there is the Mishneh Torah (which is the writing down of oral law), and the Talmud (which is a discussion of several rabbis as to how the law should be interpreted). What the congregation we met is trying to do is to preserve God’s law while recognizing that much of what is practiced is culture and interpretation and is therefore subject to change with time, in particular with regards to the role of women. The specifics are complicated and we didn’t have time to get into them, but that’s the general idea. Also interesting, they do not have a rabbi. Instead they make communal decisions and interpretations through committees on which both men and women sit. I think they’re doing something awesome and really want to know more about how their synagogue runs.

Day two was more what you were probably imaging one would do in Jerusalem. We started off walking along the old city walls to get a good picture of what the city looks like. We got about half way around, passing the Armenian, Christian, and Muslim quarters. We did get some good views of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, but to be honest, it was just too hot, which made it not so fun for me at least. Finally we descended into the city and made our way to lunch. On the way, we entered some churches along la Via Dolorosa, which is the path one takes to visit the 14 Stations of the Cross. Each one represents a step along Christ’s path to crucifixion. There were soooooooo many people along the way from all around the world. I really couldn’t stand it. It’s not just the fact that I don’t believe in it and I therefore think it’s . . . well, you know. It’s that is felt so superficial. The mobs of tourists and all the ceremony of it really took away from the significance of the sites, or at least that’s how I felt. That might just be because I’ve never wanted to go to the touristy places much. What I really had fun doing was going off through the market while our lunch was being made through all the narrow streets seeing the vendors, their wares, and all the people going about their everyday lives. In a lot of ways, it was how you’d imagine a Middle Eastern market to be. Crowded streets, narrow alleyways going who knows where, people dressed in traditional Palestinian clothes (although plenty of men wear jeans and shirts), lots of dust and people calling out to you, and very hot. I walked down a bit with my friend Kerra and then stopped in a Kafiyya store, which is the typical Arab headscarf. I really wanted to get a Palestinian-style one. There are many now being made in China very cheaply, but I insisted on one handmade in Palestine. I definitely paid the price for it. The gentleman started at a price of 250 Shekels, which is like $70. I would never have guessed he would start there. I went for 100 Shekels. Through a long process of bartering and Kerra being adorable and helping me get discounts, we got it down to 160 shekels which is about $43. I still definitely overpaid. My tour guide wouldn’t tell me be how much and said it’s better not to know after the fact. But it’s one of the 3 things I have to have before coming back – that and an Israeli and a Palestinian flag. From there we had lunch and then went to the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The Church felt like the other sites I mentioned. The Wall, not so much, but that’s probably because it’s open and you don’t feel so choked by tourists. After the tour was over, Sruti and I went to visit a friend’s grandparents who live in Jerusalem. They were incredibly sweet and hospitable. We had an amazing evening talking about Israel, the US, Islam, and the world all while looking over and listening to Jerusalem. The sounds were really an experience on their own. We heard church bells on top of Islamic calls to prayer and the IDF doing practice drills along with fireworks and music from an Arab wedding. It was unbelievable and unlike anything I have experienced or can describe. This was the background to a great discussion in which the Kuvins gave me some good perspective from the eyes of Americans who have been in Israel much longer than I and have a lot to make me aware of – with a side of the best iced coffee you’ve ever had in your life (it had a scoop of ice cream in it). If you know me, you know this is exactly what I wanted out of my time here. When we got back, Kerra and I grabbed dinner (actually just me and she came along) and then we joined everyone at a hooka bar in what was clearly the American district. It was completely packed. My aversion to touristy places led me to wander and get lost in Jerusalem with my friend Ashley. Around midnight, we called it a night.

Sunday, we started off with one of the founders of the Black Panthers who told us about the Katamon area of Jerusalem. The Black Panthers is a group that was established to advocate for Arab Jews (Mizrachim) who immigrated to Israel. They found themselves very poor when they arrived and pushed into this neighborhood of projects essentially. There was also a stigma against them from the Ashkenazim (Eastern European Jews) that made progress difficult. He gave us an idea of the problems that have been faced and some of the lingering issues, which turn out to still be the basics of education, housing, and employment. We then said “Shalom” to Jerusalem and when to the sweet water springs of Ein Gedi to hike, floated on the Dead Sea, and then arrived in the Bedouin village we would be staying at that night. During some free time, I got a chance to wander by myself to a real village nearby (ours was very touristy). I really want to learn more about the Bedouins. The way they live is so simple. They have livestock and live in shacks made of metal scraps and still keep their culture and language (Arabic) despite existing in Israel. As I was walking around, 2 boys (I imagine 10 and 8) came up to me and introduced themselves. They were so friendly; they just walked right up to me, stuck their hands out and said “Hi! My name is (sadly I forgot).” Unfortunately, we could say little to each other as their English was limited and my Arabic is even more. I went back and we went to the tent and we went to dinner. The restaurant was covered in soccer paraphernalia and reminded me of an American sports restaurant – until the food came out. We had hommos, baba ganoush (an eggplant spread), pita, Israeli salad, lamb and chicken kebab, and French fries (a hint of America). THE BEST SPORTS BAR FOOD EVER!!!!!! We then went back and did a short night hike. The more we walked around the desert, the more I came to love it. There is this overwhelming feeling of freedom and this connection to nature that embraced me and overtook me. If there was anywhere I felt God this trip, it was in this vast expanse of His creation. Maybe God doesn’t like gaggles of tourists either.

The next day, we got up at 4 am to hike up Masada and see the sunrise. Except it was too dusty to really see the sun. O well. From there we stopped at Ben-Gurion’s burial site and then stopped for one last hike. This was the best one though. It was more like rock climbing with ropes and ladders up steep inclines. I wish my brothers had been there. They would have loved it. We stopped at a mall in Dimona for lunch/break and then went to the kibbutz we were going to stay at that night. It was a dance kibbutz specifically for people who are older and want to start to dance (by older, I mean teenagers and up). We had a movement lesson that was a lot of fun and then had dinner and then I went out to be in the desert for a while again. That night, I went with Guy, Max, and Caitlin to a small jazz bar for jam night and watched Max join the band, which was surprisingly fun. I was actually impressed. It was the weirdest group of Rastas and hobos that just wanted to make music and they did a great job once they got a feel for each other.

The next day we did a jeep tour of the desert which was cool, but the best part was going to an unrecognized Bedouin village. They made us lunch, a sort of arroz con pavo, and I ate with my hands while sitting on the floor. They then gave us a lecture on the town and told us how the Israeli government has tried to uproot and contain Bedouin villages and refuses to recognize many that don’t comply. It was very interesting and made me want to get even more involved with Bedouins.

From there, 10 of us were dropped off in Beer Sheva to embark on our journey to Cairo!!!Our bus went to Eilat and we then took cabs to the Taba border crossing. Luckily, we had chartered a bus to wait for us and take us to Cairo and they were very helpful in getting us through the border. The drive through Sinai was long and bumpy, but by 5ish am, we had made it to our hostel. We had to wait for our rooms to be prepared, but took the time to nap and shower. From there we got breakfast. Coffee, a bottle of water, and kosher (this rice, macaroni, chickpea dish) cost about 10 pounds or $2. We then went to the Egyptian Museum, which has King Tut’s burial mask, many ancient Egyptian ruins, and many real mummies. Unfortunately, no cameras were allowed. By this time, about 7 people had already mistaken me for Egyptian, so at this point I decided to start counting. I then went and got shish kebab and took a nap. Luckily, behind our hostel was an Egyptian neighborhood, so everything was really cheap. That night we went on a dinner cruise down the Nile. They had musicians, a belly dancer, and some guys in funny costumes that danced too, but the real amazing part was just looking out over Cairo and thinking of where I was. I was floating down the Nile in one of the world’s oldest cities. I finally accomplished my dream of travelling to the Arab Middle East. I was in Africa! Tired from the journey, we passed out early that night.

Charged and ready to go, the next day, we did a tour of the Citadel (built by Saladin in the 12 century) with all its amazing mosques, Old Cairo full of Coptic churches and even an old synagogue, and the marketplace. I got a chance to buy an Egyptian flag (I buy the flag of every country I visit) and some gifts. Haggling is a must and was fun (but I’m too nice). The gentlemen I bought from even brought me tea (Egyptian hospitality) and I got to ask him about Egyptian perspectives on politics. He said his number one priority for Egypt is changing the president (Mubarak’s been around for about 30 yrs), that the US is hypocritical for letting Israel have nukes but not Iran, that he has mixed feelings about the Afghanistan War, and was against Iraq (according to him, the divisions in society needed a strong leader like Saddam). Also, they all LOVE Obama. I was so embarrassed when he asked what Americans think of Mubarak that I had to say most of us don’t know who he is. This conversation is exactly what I wanted and he was excited too for me to bring back Egyptian views to America. We went back to the hostel, took a quick nap, and then headed out to a shisha (hooka) bar. These are everywhere is Egypt. All day long, men of all ages are in cafes smoking and drinking tea or coffee. We went with one of the guys from the hotel (they were all really nice and we became friends) who took us to a place to get dinner and a popular pastry shop (OMG THE BEST DESSERTS EVER, O and 12 cookies for 9.50 pounds or $2). We got a chance to talk to him about Egypt and America and life and politics. On the way back, I started to feel really tired, but I just thought I was hungry since I hadn’t eaten yet. I got back and ate most of my food, but eventually couldn’t finish and had to lay down. Jay went out for a while and when he got back, he found me tired, sick to my stomach, and achy. He touched my forehead and told me I was really hot. He got some friends and luckily one of the hostel people’s friends there was a 6 yr med student. He felt my head and sent someone to get some medicines and a thermometer. My temperature turned out to be 39.2 C or 102.4 F. Luckily, in Egypt, you don’t really need a prescription so I got a strong analgesic, amoxicillin, and a digestive cleanser. He thought it was something I ate. Luckily, with these strong meds and sleep, my temperature came down to 37.9 or 100ish by the next morning.

I still wasn’t in great shape, but it was our day to see the pyramids and I wasn’t about to miss that. So I went, but my version was kind of like “Hi pyramids”, snap, “Bye pyramids”. Same for Sakkara which has the first pyramids in Egypt. The sun was way too much for me and I felt nauseous the whole time, so I didn’t ride a camel and decided to sleep the rest of the day. I was really mad at this. I got to see the sites I wanted, but that night everyone got to go out and see Cairo as an everyday experience and made Egyptian friends, which is really what excited me so much more than seeing the sites. O well. Unfortunately, the sickness made me want to be back in my bed in Tel Aviv and ideally my mom to come take care of me (yes, it turned me into a 6 yr old).

Our last day, I spent mostly in the hostel. I was mostly better by now, but my stomach wasn’t great. I walked around near our hostel for a while with Becky and Jay and found a cheap pair of sandals to replace the one’s a broke in the Bedouin tent. When I got hungry, I broke down, I needed something familiar. I went for the golden arches. I know, it didn’t sound like a good idea to me either, but it was all I wanted. It’s really cheap there. A Big Mac meal is 15 pounds or $3. Oddly, I guess my stomach just felt weird, because I didn’t react badly at all. The fries were so comforting. That night, we met up with Nitya and Jaya, who had been staying with some friends of theirs. We went to this mall that was so crazy. It had everything from Puma and Zara to Burger King and Cinnabon, TGI Fridays, and Macaroni Grill, O and several veil boutiques. Women wore everything from short shorts to Niqab. We ate at On the Border (most people miss American food a lot more than I do. I know “American”). The chips were fantastic, but other than that, it wasn’t so great. We got back packed and at midnight, we said Ma’salaam to Cairo and met our bus to get back to Taba. The journey took 17 hrs from Cairo to Tel Aviv due to distance, plus waiting for the bus in Cairo and waiting for a bus in Eilat. Oddly, it was when we were leaving that I was feeling well enough that I really wanted to go out and have those experiences I had been looking forward to instead of going back to Tel Aviv. Don’t you love irony? O and by the way, by the end of the trip, around 25 people had mistaken me for Egyptian (some of them even insisting I must be or at least my parents).

Wow, so that was my desert adventure. This week we have been chilling and recovering from it all. I did get to hang out with Guy's friends again this weekend, which was great. I'm really excited to hang out with more Israelis. I’m finally pretty much all better. Luckily, I don’t have to recover financially. I set aside way too much for this trip, which is a very welcome surprise. I really want to go back and can’t wait to go to Lebanon now so I can try out more of the Arab world. Hopefully, they’ll let me in. There are so many pictures from this, so if you’re interested, I’ve put them all up on Facebook. Right now, the internet is being dumb so I can't get more onto this, but I'll try adding more later.

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)