This is going to be the first year that I'm not in the States for the holidays. I go back and forth on how I feel about it. I know all of my friends here, the majority of which are American, are going to do something fun for Thanksgiving and for Christmas, so it will be an experience to celebrate the holidays in Tel Aviv. But on the other hand, I am going to miss celebrating with my family.
Especially Christmas.
There are no Christmas trees, Christmas music, Christmas lights, Santa figurines or anything like that here (obviously), and I keep forgetting that it's the most wonderful time of the year! It's like in Home Alone 2 when the family leaves for Christmas and goes to Florida (Kevin, of course, goes to New York instead). Sure, it's warm and they are surrounded by palm trees, but that stuff isn't Christmasy. One scene in this movie particularly sticks out to me: all of the kids laying on the bed of some dingy Florida hotel room watching It's A Wonderful Life in Spanish. I think it's pouring rain outside too.
The good thing is, Hanukkah overlaps with Christmas, so there will still be a holiday spirit in the air. And I hear really good things about these jelly donuts (sufganiyot) that are everywhere during Hanukkah.
And I have the advantage of being able to go to Bethlehem on Christmas, which I suppose is one of the most Christmasy things that can be done this time of year.
In other news, school is keeping us pretty busy here. We don't do much during the week except for homework, and then on the weekends we get out and explore. This past weekend was filled with that. A group of us went to Mezcal, a Mexcian restaurant, on Thursday night and it was delicious! Chimichangas with chicken :) I have been craving Mexican food since I've been here but they don't have a ton of options. So when I heard about this place I had to go. It's in an "up and coming" neighborhood called Florentine, which is where all the hipsters hang out. When I was walking down the street I felt like I was in the States. I thought to myself, "Savannah Ellis would love it here!"
Then after church yesterday I was craving pizza, so we went to a place called Tony Vespa's, which was also delicious. They have huge square pans of pizza and you tell them how big of a slice you want. Then you pay based on weight. I got a slice with tomatoes and feta cheese and then another one with mushrooms and onions. It was so yummy. It's still warm here so we went outside and ate in the park. It was a lovely afternoon!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Classes, Gas Masks, and So Much More
So my first day of school was last week and it was all pretty typical...if you live in Israel. First, I was sitting on a bench with my friends (one of whom is in the Israeli Army) and a guy walked by with 4 boxes that had leather straps on them, and they were hanging on his neck. The boxes were a little bigger than a typical shoe box. Anyways, my friend who is in the army bet us that we wouldn't be able to guess what was in these boxes. I guessed that there were religious Jewish icons in there that some campus group was passing out. Someone else guessed that maybe it was food. Nope. You know what was in there? Gas masks.
The guy with the boxes told us that they were handing them out for free to all of the Israeli students. So he took one for him and three more for his family.
A couple of days later, we get a text from the school that says this: "Hi guys, Tomorrow at 10am sirens will be heard at the area of Ramat Aviv as part of a military exercise. Do not panic =)"
We were then told that if the sirens lasted 180 seconds it was an actual emergency and we would need to go to the nearest bomb shelter. Luckily, I live right by one of the biggest in Tel Aviv. There is a theater by me that sits on a public square. Under that square is a massive bomb shelter that can hold over 1,000 people. Seriously. Check it out: http://www.haaretz.com/news/tel-aviv-opens-massive-new-bomb-shelter-under-national-theater-1.844.
Then today I woke up to an email from my Mom telling me that the American news is reporting that Israel is talking about launching an attack against Iran. I don't know what scares me more...the thought of being here for the inevitable counter attack or the thought of having to be in an underground bomb shelter for an extended period of time. Yea, I'm that claustrophobic.
On a lighter note, I am really enjoying my classes and we are still having so much fun getting to know Tel Aviv! We've been going to a ton of school events and meeting all of the new people who are a part of the overseas school. It will be a good and eventful year!
The guy with the boxes told us that they were handing them out for free to all of the Israeli students. So he took one for him and three more for his family.
A couple of days later, we get a text from the school that says this: "Hi guys, Tomorrow at 10am sirens will be heard at the area of Ramat Aviv as part of a military exercise. Do not panic =)"
We were then told that if the sirens lasted 180 seconds it was an actual emergency and we would need to go to the nearest bomb shelter. Luckily, I live right by one of the biggest in Tel Aviv. There is a theater by me that sits on a public square. Under that square is a massive bomb shelter that can hold over 1,000 people. Seriously. Check it out: http://www.haaretz.com/news/tel-aviv-opens-massive-new-bomb-shelter-under-national-theater-1.844.
Then today I woke up to an email from my Mom telling me that the American news is reporting that Israel is talking about launching an attack against Iran. I don't know what scares me more...the thought of being here for the inevitable counter attack or the thought of having to be in an underground bomb shelter for an extended period of time. Yea, I'm that claustrophobic.
On a lighter note, I am really enjoying my classes and we are still having so much fun getting to know Tel Aviv! We've been going to a ton of school events and meeting all of the new people who are a part of the overseas school. It will be a good and eventful year!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Back in the Holy Land
I got back to Israel a couple of days ago and about five pounds heavier (Mom, it's really true), and I'm super excited to be back. I moved into a new apartment in the heart of Tel Aviv with three other students in my program. During my first night in the new place I had my windows open because the AC isn't installed in my room yet and I heard all kinds of city noises: buses, car horns, people talking, people singing. In fact, one of my neighbors was singing along to Boyz II Men. It reminded me of that movie Rear Window, although without the Boyz II Men... and without the murder.
I love being right by everything. Yesterday, Patrick, Miriam and I walked to the Shuk to get some things we needed. The Shuk is quite the experience; it's like being in the Old City in the sense that you have to bargain for things. And they also have great fruit, vegetables, bread, meat, and tons of candies and desserts there for a reasonable price. And now I'm right down the street!
A little bit later I walked a minute from my place to get the best donut ever. And it was only 3 shekels, which is less than a dollar. That might be my new morning breakfast routine.
Another fun thing we did since I've been back is go to a party at this coffee shop. Apparently, everyone told the owner that the coffee shop was going to fail but it is actually pretty successful, so they celebrated its success by reading eulogies. What makes this coffee shop unique is that instead of paying per cup of coffee you pay per hour. And everything is self-serve. So you can go in and drink as much coffee as you want (they also have fruit and other snacks available) and then you just pay based on the amount of time you spent there. I think I'll check this place out when school starts.
Today, a bunch of us are going to a concert on the beach.
Did I mention it's still in the 80's and sunny here? :)
~~~
There is some big news in Israel today. Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who was captured by Hamas 5 years ago, was finally released in exchange for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. He was only 19 years old when he was captured. In order to raise awareness, Shalit's parents camped in front of the prime minister's house for over a year. Most Israeli's are excited about the release, but some are hesitant because of the obvious danger of releasing 1,000 Palestinian terrorists whose main goal is to destroy Israel.
We'll see what happens. Never a dull moment here!
I love being right by everything. Yesterday, Patrick, Miriam and I walked to the Shuk to get some things we needed. The Shuk is quite the experience; it's like being in the Old City in the sense that you have to bargain for things. And they also have great fruit, vegetables, bread, meat, and tons of candies and desserts there for a reasonable price. And now I'm right down the street!
A little bit later I walked a minute from my place to get the best donut ever. And it was only 3 shekels, which is less than a dollar. That might be my new morning breakfast routine.
Another fun thing we did since I've been back is go to a party at this coffee shop. Apparently, everyone told the owner that the coffee shop was going to fail but it is actually pretty successful, so they celebrated its success by reading eulogies. What makes this coffee shop unique is that instead of paying per cup of coffee you pay per hour. And everything is self-serve. So you can go in and drink as much coffee as you want (they also have fruit and other snacks available) and then you just pay based on the amount of time you spent there. I think I'll check this place out when school starts.
Today, a bunch of us are going to a concert on the beach.
Did I mention it's still in the 80's and sunny here? :)
~~~
There is some big news in Israel today. Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who was captured by Hamas 5 years ago, was finally released in exchange for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. He was only 19 years old when he was captured. In order to raise awareness, Shalit's parents camped in front of the prime minister's house for over a year. Most Israeli's are excited about the release, but some are hesitant because of the obvious danger of releasing 1,000 Palestinian terrorists whose main goal is to destroy Israel.
We'll see what happens. Never a dull moment here!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Poland Spring and Sausage.
I finally made it back to the US! It was looking doubtful for a while there because traveling out of Israel is always a challenge.
It started when Miriam, who had a morning flight yesterday, texted me this: "Houston, we may have a problem." She went on to tell me that there was some labor dispute at the airport and she was waiting on the runway. She was concerned that all the flights would be canceled for the day. (Mine was supposed to leave later that night.) But after a couple of hours the labor dispute was over and they were on their way.
I got to the airport 3 hours before my flight. After the security people took everything out of my large suitcase and shoved it back in, I got chosen to go through the "special security line," which was the same line I had to go through on my way to Istanbul. In this line they take everything out of your carry-on bags and wipe the items down with a cloth that they then run through some machine to make sure there are no strange substances detected. Everything was fine in this special line until the girl in front of me was suddenly surrounded by four security guards with earpieces in and everything. It turns out she had a bullet in her bag that an IDF soldier had given to her. Fail.
To make a long story short, I barely made my flight even though I got to the airport 3 hours early.
Always an adventure!
So, I am sitting in Philadelphia now waiting for my connecting flight to Nashville. I stopped off at Au Bon Pain and got myself some good old American Poland Spring water and a sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich on an asiago cheese bagel. Yummy to my tummy.
As I'm eating I'm chatting on gchat with Miriam, who is also back in the US for a couple of weeks, and we are talking about the little things we miss about living in the US. She said this: "dude. i just had raspberries on my cereal while reading the target ad. remember target?" I laughed out loud in the middle of the airport when I read this. I told her I am definitely going to make some target runs and in between these I am going to eat an insane amount of steak.
Ah, home sweet home. :)
What's so cool about being back in the US though is that at the end of my stay here I'm pretty sure I'll be homesick for Tel Aviv. That's a really good thing.
It started when Miriam, who had a morning flight yesterday, texted me this: "Houston, we may have a problem." She went on to tell me that there was some labor dispute at the airport and she was waiting on the runway. She was concerned that all the flights would be canceled for the day. (Mine was supposed to leave later that night.) But after a couple of hours the labor dispute was over and they were on their way.
I got to the airport 3 hours before my flight. After the security people took everything out of my large suitcase and shoved it back in, I got chosen to go through the "special security line," which was the same line I had to go through on my way to Istanbul. In this line they take everything out of your carry-on bags and wipe the items down with a cloth that they then run through some machine to make sure there are no strange substances detected. Everything was fine in this special line until the girl in front of me was suddenly surrounded by four security guards with earpieces in and everything. It turns out she had a bullet in her bag that an IDF soldier had given to her. Fail.
To make a long story short, I barely made my flight even though I got to the airport 3 hours early.
Always an adventure!
So, I am sitting in Philadelphia now waiting for my connecting flight to Nashville. I stopped off at Au Bon Pain and got myself some good old American Poland Spring water and a sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich on an asiago cheese bagel. Yummy to my tummy.
As I'm eating I'm chatting on gchat with Miriam, who is also back in the US for a couple of weeks, and we are talking about the little things we miss about living in the US. She said this: "dude. i just had raspberries on my cereal while reading the target ad. remember target?" I laughed out loud in the middle of the airport when I read this. I told her I am definitely going to make some target runs and in between these I am going to eat an insane amount of steak.
Ah, home sweet home. :)
What's so cool about being back in the US though is that at the end of my stay here I'm pretty sure I'll be homesick for Tel Aviv. That's a really good thing.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
On the Road Again.
I am coming home for a visit in five days, and there are several things that I intend to do while I am there. Here are the top 10.
1) Eat a big juicy steak at least 5 times in the 3 weeks I am home
2) Buy Aussie hairspray for a reasonable price
3) Get more Proactiv
4) Drive a car
5) Soak in good customer service
6) Go 3 weeks without seeing a wild cat
7) Eat an ungodly amount of American candy
8) Eat at Chipotle
9) Enjoy the fact that people in Nashville are friendly
10) Spend loads of time with my friends and family :)
I absolutely LOVE Tel Aviv, but it is such an adjustment moving from one culture to another. America definitely has more conveniences than Israel but there are several things I enjoy here that can't be enjoyed at home. For example, I can go to a restaurant and sit for hours and the servers don't care one bit. It's not like the US, where before you've even finished your entree the check is on the table. I've always hated that.
Here are some other things I'll miss about Tel Aviv:
1) The weather
2) My awesome friends
3) The busyness of the city
4) Trying to read the Hebrew signs
5) The excellent coffee
But these things will be here when I get back. And I have a feeling I am going to miss them while I'm gone. I think that's a good thing.
1) Eat a big juicy steak at least 5 times in the 3 weeks I am home
2) Buy Aussie hairspray for a reasonable price
3) Get more Proactiv
4) Drive a car
5) Soak in good customer service
6) Go 3 weeks without seeing a wild cat
7) Eat an ungodly amount of American candy
8) Eat at Chipotle
9) Enjoy the fact that people in Nashville are friendly
10) Spend loads of time with my friends and family :)
I absolutely LOVE Tel Aviv, but it is such an adjustment moving from one culture to another. America definitely has more conveniences than Israel but there are several things I enjoy here that can't be enjoyed at home. For example, I can go to a restaurant and sit for hours and the servers don't care one bit. It's not like the US, where before you've even finished your entree the check is on the table. I've always hated that.
Here are some other things I'll miss about Tel Aviv:
1) The weather
2) My awesome friends
3) The busyness of the city
4) Trying to read the Hebrew signs
5) The excellent coffee
But these things will be here when I get back. And I have a feeling I am going to miss them while I'm gone. I think that's a good thing.
Monday, September 12, 2011
The Unidentified Backpack
A funny thing just happened...
I am sitting in a coffee shop with 2 of my friends at the moment. It's this great little Bohemian place on Sheinken St., which is one of the most popluar streets in Tel Aviv because of the shops and restaurants.
Anyways, we are sitting on the patio outside with 15 other people and someone spots a backpack under one of the empty tables. A man starts asking whose backpack it is. It's pretty quiet at first, but then once everyone realizes that it doesn't belong to anyone in the shop, panic breaks out. But it's in a comical way.
One woman runs into the coffee shop to find the owner. I just see her left hand, the one with the cigarette in it, flailing about. When she comes out everyone starts yelling, in Hebrew of course.
Finally, someone asks the man sitting on the bench a couple of feet away if it is his.
It is. Then everyone yells at him for scaring them.
Only in Israel :)
I am sitting in a coffee shop with 2 of my friends at the moment. It's this great little Bohemian place on Sheinken St., which is one of the most popluar streets in Tel Aviv because of the shops and restaurants.
Anyways, we are sitting on the patio outside with 15 other people and someone spots a backpack under one of the empty tables. A man starts asking whose backpack it is. It's pretty quiet at first, but then once everyone realizes that it doesn't belong to anyone in the shop, panic breaks out. But it's in a comical way.
One woman runs into the coffee shop to find the owner. I just see her left hand, the one with the cigarette in it, flailing about. When she comes out everyone starts yelling, in Hebrew of course.
Finally, someone asks the man sitting on the bench a couple of feet away if it is his.
It is. Then everyone yells at him for scaring them.
Only in Israel :)
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Catching Up Is Hard to Do
What have I been doing since I last wrote?
First, I went to the demonstration in Tel Aviv on Saturday night. People here are protesting because of the insanely high rent prices.
Check out this link: http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/some-450-000-israelis-march-at-massive-march-of-the-million-rallies-across-country-1.382366
I was on the phone with my Mom when I was walking to the protest with Anna. Of course, when I told her I was going to the protest she thought what most people probably think: protest in the Middle East = molotov cocktails + bloody riots + tear gas. But this one was so different. Parents were out with their kids and there was even some entertainment. We basically just walked down the street until we came to a large park where someone was speaking. It was low key but hopefully effective.
Cost of living here is so expensive. I honestly don't know how people do it. Even small things are unaffordable. For example, I wanted to buy some nail polish the other day. I went to the pharmacy down the street and the nail polish was 45 shekels, which is over $10. There is some nail polish in the States that costs this much for sure, but there are a ton of cheaper options. Like Wet 'n Wild! Sure, it's a little watery. But it does the trick. Here, there are no cheap options. For anything.
Neutrogena facewash, which I'm pretty sure you can get in Walmart for $5, is around $30 here. Most American products here are way overpriced. But food is also ridiculously expensive. I was telling my Mom that I barely eat meat anymore. It's around $15 for chicken breasts!
Ah, the life of a student.
After rambling on about how expensive it is here...
A bunch of us took Tony out for his 30th birthday a couple nights ago, and it was actually a super affordable place! My pasta dish, which came with a ton of pasta and vegetables, was only 30 shekels, which is under $10. (Can you imagine a pasta dish at a nice restaurant costing less than a tiny bottle of nail polish? Crazy, right?) So we got pasta, a nice bottle of Golan wine, which comes from the Golan Heights Winery here in Israel, and chocolate cake. It was so delicious!
Mom and Dad, when are you coming to visit? I need a nice piece of steak soon. :)
First, I went to the demonstration in Tel Aviv on Saturday night. People here are protesting because of the insanely high rent prices.
Check out this link: http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/some-450-000-israelis-march-at-massive-march-of-the-million-rallies-across-country-1.382366
I was on the phone with my Mom when I was walking to the protest with Anna. Of course, when I told her I was going to the protest she thought what most people probably think: protest in the Middle East = molotov cocktails + bloody riots + tear gas. But this one was so different. Parents were out with their kids and there was even some entertainment. We basically just walked down the street until we came to a large park where someone was speaking. It was low key but hopefully effective.
Cost of living here is so expensive. I honestly don't know how people do it. Even small things are unaffordable. For example, I wanted to buy some nail polish the other day. I went to the pharmacy down the street and the nail polish was 45 shekels, which is over $10. There is some nail polish in the States that costs this much for sure, but there are a ton of cheaper options. Like Wet 'n Wild! Sure, it's a little watery. But it does the trick. Here, there are no cheap options. For anything.
Neutrogena facewash, which I'm pretty sure you can get in Walmart for $5, is around $30 here. Most American products here are way overpriced. But food is also ridiculously expensive. I was telling my Mom that I barely eat meat anymore. It's around $15 for chicken breasts!
Ah, the life of a student.
After rambling on about how expensive it is here...
A bunch of us took Tony out for his 30th birthday a couple nights ago, and it was actually a super affordable place! My pasta dish, which came with a ton of pasta and vegetables, was only 30 shekels, which is under $10. (Can you imagine a pasta dish at a nice restaurant costing less than a tiny bottle of nail polish? Crazy, right?) So we got pasta, a nice bottle of Golan wine, which comes from the Golan Heights Winery here in Israel, and chocolate cake. It was so delicious!
Mom and Dad, when are you coming to visit? I need a nice piece of steak soon. :)
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