Hello! I'm writing from my bed on this very lazy Friday, enjoying the fact that Fridays are "get ready for shabbat" days...which I obviously take great advantage of. I did go to the mall earlier to get some extra towels and a blanket (I was not expecting to need one), but that was only after waking up at noon. The reason I woke up at noon is because last night we went out for the first time (and I have to say...the view from my window makes waking up hungover a little less miserable). It's a girl on my program's birthday today so we went out last night to celebrate. It was actually tons of fun! They got introduced to Droby, which was fun and of course I explained to them their aliases as well.
We went to a bar called Lorenze? Lorence? something like that. We all took cabs there for only 10 shekels each! That's like $3.50. Super cheap. The bar/club was fun. We had a little corner-y booth area to ourselves and a waiter. I met a couple Israeli guys outside and talked to them (in broken English, of course) about Kid Cudi and Wiz Khalifa. Glad we found something important to bond over. The drinks were pretty expensive, but I figured it was our first time out and a girl's birthday so I decided to go ahead and order a few (sorry Mom...and Melissa). I got whiskey sours, of course, and they were delicious. Then when it turned midnight they brought us all over free shots of some fruity-tasting clear liquid and then brought us a bottle of it for free. It was pretty sweet.
The Israeli men are also very sweet and VERY intrigued by American girls. I won't go into details because my mother is reading this...but we had a good time. We all got home and talked for a while. It's fun getting to know people better.
But so now I'm laying here, avoiding getting up to shower despite the fact that we have a Shabbat dinner in about an hour. Irit is coming over with her husband and 2 year old and bringing a cake for the birthday. I hope it's funfetti. People have been cooking all day and I, as you can see, have not contributed but whatever...I'll contribute to the eating and OBVIOUSLY to the enjoyable company :)
Everybody enjoy your weekends and do something that makes you happy!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
My first date with the Mediterranean
The last 48 hours have seen very little sleep. My sleep patterns are far from normal at home and even worse here. Monday night, my first night here, I couldn't fall asleep until almost 5 am. The difference is at home, I have no one to commiserate with when I'm wide awake at midnight whereas here, I can call people to talk at 4 am because it's only 9 pm with you guys! And that makes the insomnia a little more enjoyable.
At around 1 am Monday night, I walked into our living room and decided to go on a walk with one of the guys living in my apartment, CJ (a rabbi's son and the most religiously observant one of the group). One wonderful thing about this city is that while it's sweltering during the day, the evening brings the most beautiful breeze and drops the temperature outside just enough that it is intoxicating to step outside. I was excited to walk to the water because I hadn't been yet, while other people had had time to go to the beach the day before. So we walked and walked, not really sure where we were going, and finally ended up at this outside hookah bar that is right on the sand. We bought waters and walked, barefoot, down the beach and into the water.
If anyone has worked out with me, they know the second I lift weights, I get this ridiculous smile on my face that is all from the endorphins. I felt the exact same way feeling the water on my feet for the first time. It was the most beautiful and peaceful scene I could imagine! Nobody else was on the beach and I could just stand in the water with the waves hitting my ankles. The moon was big and dark orange and it was truly beautiful. I told the kid I was with that I had to just stand and stare for a minute to take in the breathtaking view.
The next day (yesterday) we took the bus with Irit, our coordinator, first to a spot called Jonah Hill (not the actor) for some icebreakers and then to one of the three malls so we could see how to use the bus system and finally get out of our small neighborhood. We learned that we are in the very south, and most developed and affluent, part of Ashdod. As you move north, it gets less developed and poorer. It was really interesting to see the difference in just a few neighborhoods north of us how much less upkeep it has. It didn't look like a third world country, by any means, but just...schmutzier.
Jonah Hill is so named because Jonah from the Jonah and the Whale was either buried there, or spit out there by the whale (a very likely story, I know). We shared one personal item that we brought with us (mine was the necklace you gave me, Erica), played a few games, and then wrote down expectations on a piece of paper and put them in a wine bottle to break at the end of the program.
The mall was completely averagely mall-y. Not very remarkable, but there was a good coffee place called Aroma (which they apparently have in Canada, too). But the real highlight of yesterday was going to the beach.
A group of us walked down and spent just an hour and a half there, but it was fun! First of all, they block off the areas where you're allowed to swim that has something to do with the current pulling you back more that makes it harder to get out. So there's a huge span of coast, with a tiny sliver that you're allowed to swim in. They have black flags where you're not allowed to swim and a red flag where you are but, naturally, the silly Americans had no idea of this. So we were wading and jumping waves and we heard a lifeguard yelling over the loudspeaker, but obviously had no idea what he was saying so we didn't think anything of it. Then when we didn't respond, a lifeguard ran over to us and started yelling at us and everyone was staring. So we finally understood and got out and walked to the correct part, but it was pretty funny.
The water is as warm as the air so, while beautiful, is not exactly refreshing to jump into. And the saltiness made my eyes sting really badly so I might get goggles. But nonetheless, it was pretty magnificent to be in there at sunset. And the saltwater made my hair look great!
Now it's 10 pm and we're going to go hang out on our balcony for a while. Tomorrow's my first day with nothing to do so I'm excited to (finally) get some sleep and go to the beach! Thanks for reading, I'll write more soon!
At around 1 am Monday night, I walked into our living room and decided to go on a walk with one of the guys living in my apartment, CJ (a rabbi's son and the most religiously observant one of the group). One wonderful thing about this city is that while it's sweltering during the day, the evening brings the most beautiful breeze and drops the temperature outside just enough that it is intoxicating to step outside. I was excited to walk to the water because I hadn't been yet, while other people had had time to go to the beach the day before. So we walked and walked, not really sure where we were going, and finally ended up at this outside hookah bar that is right on the sand. We bought waters and walked, barefoot, down the beach and into the water.
If anyone has worked out with me, they know the second I lift weights, I get this ridiculous smile on my face that is all from the endorphins. I felt the exact same way feeling the water on my feet for the first time. It was the most beautiful and peaceful scene I could imagine! Nobody else was on the beach and I could just stand in the water with the waves hitting my ankles. The moon was big and dark orange and it was truly beautiful. I told the kid I was with that I had to just stand and stare for a minute to take in the breathtaking view.
The next day (yesterday) we took the bus with Irit, our coordinator, first to a spot called Jonah Hill (not the actor) for some icebreakers and then to one of the three malls so we could see how to use the bus system and finally get out of our small neighborhood. We learned that we are in the very south, and most developed and affluent, part of Ashdod. As you move north, it gets less developed and poorer. It was really interesting to see the difference in just a few neighborhoods north of us how much less upkeep it has. It didn't look like a third world country, by any means, but just...schmutzier.
Jonah Hill is so named because Jonah from the Jonah and the Whale was either buried there, or spit out there by the whale (a very likely story, I know). We shared one personal item that we brought with us (mine was the necklace you gave me, Erica), played a few games, and then wrote down expectations on a piece of paper and put them in a wine bottle to break at the end of the program.
The mall was completely averagely mall-y. Not very remarkable, but there was a good coffee place called Aroma (which they apparently have in Canada, too). But the real highlight of yesterday was going to the beach.
A group of us walked down and spent just an hour and a half there, but it was fun! First of all, they block off the areas where you're allowed to swim that has something to do with the current pulling you back more that makes it harder to get out. So there's a huge span of coast, with a tiny sliver that you're allowed to swim in. They have black flags where you're not allowed to swim and a red flag where you are but, naturally, the silly Americans had no idea of this. So we were wading and jumping waves and we heard a lifeguard yelling over the loudspeaker, but obviously had no idea what he was saying so we didn't think anything of it. Then when we didn't respond, a lifeguard ran over to us and started yelling at us and everyone was staring. So we finally understood and got out and walked to the correct part, but it was pretty funny.
The water is as warm as the air so, while beautiful, is not exactly refreshing to jump into. And the saltiness made my eyes sting really badly so I might get goggles. But nonetheless, it was pretty magnificent to be in there at sunset. And the saltwater made my hair look great!
Okay this is a lot, I know so I'll try to make the rest quick. Last night was actually kind of the first rough night I've had emotionally. I've been so numb to this whole experience that I think last night I had the emotional response most people probably had months ago. It finally set in that this was for 10 months, not 10 days and that even if I don't like the people I live with, I really don't have a choice. So I was a little sad, but that was probably due to lack of sleep. All is better now. I feel much less volatile.
This morning we learned a little Hebrew slang which was fun and then later in the day we got to meet Ofer (or Ofir) who is the director of all of Oranim, the header organization that we're a part of. He told of us lots of details about the trip and the program and living in Ashdod. One of the most shocking (and exciting) things was that unlike in the US where we have to buy plane tickets weeks in advance to get the lowest price, Israelis get the best deals the NIGHT BEFORE. Apparently people say here, on a Wednesday for instance, "I'm going to europe this weekend, want to come?" And the other person would say "Oh what country?" And they would reply "I don't know, it's only Wednesday! We'll decide tomorrow!" - People even pack a bag, go to the airport, and go to tables they have there and say "okay what do you have for me?" and decide right then and there! How fun and spontaneous! I really hope we get around to travelling soon!
After the talk we walked to a little shopping area near our apartment for dinner (I had schwarma for the first time!) and then me and my friend, Rosie, found this great park with tons of kids and a lot of open space! I'm excited to get coffee and come here to read or something.
Monday, August 27, 2012
First day!
Hey everyone! I'm writing my first post from my apartment in Ashdod! The past 30 or so hours has been very exhausting. It doesn't really seem like there was an over night; just one long, drawn-out, sweaty day.
My mom brought me to the airport Sunday morning and of course she was sad. But I was, and have been throughout this whole process, "shockingly cavalier," to quote Juno. I thought about the fact that I used to bawl my eyes out in that airport going back to DC after a weekend or a break at home, but here I was, on my way to Israel for 10 months with barely any outward emotion at all. How the times have changed!
First I flew from Cleveland to Toronto. The plane was tiny (9 rows) and dinged up and I wasn't entirely confident we would actually make it to Toronto. But, alas, we did and I had a 6 hour layover there. That was actually quite enjoyable. A lot of my friends downloaded an app so we could text internationally so I was talking to them, playing on my computer, and reading The Game of Thrones on my kindle (I'm not really into it yet, even though I know people kept telling me to just push through the first 100 pages so we shall see).
Then was the big flight. So first, me and somebody else were both assigned the same seat on the plane. This person happened to be travelling with his wife and four children, so they asked me to wait while they tried to find me another seat on the flight that they said was completely full. So that was fun. It ended up fine and I had an aisle a few rows up. But this row was DIRECTLY behind a rampant baby that literally screamed the entire 11 hour flight. After a very flight-y meal of chicken and cous cous, two episodes of Modern Family, and half of (500) Days of Summer, I still could not fall asleep. I eventually did sleep but it was very unrestful due to the screaming child and the sub-zero temperature of the aircraft.
All of a sudden, here I was, landing in Tel Aviv! It was deja vu going through the whole place again and brought me right back to last summer! I took a service and was brought to my apartment in Ashdod. The apartment has a big common room/living room/kitchen area with 8 people living in 4 bedrooms. The bedrooms are teeny tiny, but the view is breathtaking and our balcony is lovely. My roommate isn't here yet (her flight got delayed until tomorrow), but the other people here seem pleasant enough. I'm waiting to pass judgment about them until a further blog post, so I'll keep you on your toes about them.
We all met Irit, our community coordinator, in the common room of the other apartment (there are 16 of us total, 8 in one main apartment and 8 in the other) and went over what the next couple weeks will look like. They seem very busy! I'll write more about them as they come, but I'm excited for them. We're not actually starting to teach until October 10th, but we'll be doing training and ulpan (Hebrew language learning) first. We have a lot of vacation days in September for all the Jewish holidays and people have been talking about travelling to Europe so, if affordable, that would be amazing!
Finally, Irit, a beautiful Israeli woman, took us on a small tour of our neighbordhood-not all of Ashdod, but some shops and markets around us. Then she left us to fend for ourselves. We bought some necessities and then got falafel from an authentic Israeli falafel shop. Just as delicious as I remember them! Now we're all relaxing feeling the cool breeze off the Medditeranean. Quite a day!
My mom brought me to the airport Sunday morning and of course she was sad. But I was, and have been throughout this whole process, "shockingly cavalier," to quote Juno. I thought about the fact that I used to bawl my eyes out in that airport going back to DC after a weekend or a break at home, but here I was, on my way to Israel for 10 months with barely any outward emotion at all. How the times have changed!
First I flew from Cleveland to Toronto. The plane was tiny (9 rows) and dinged up and I wasn't entirely confident we would actually make it to Toronto. But, alas, we did and I had a 6 hour layover there. That was actually quite enjoyable. A lot of my friends downloaded an app so we could text internationally so I was talking to them, playing on my computer, and reading The Game of Thrones on my kindle (I'm not really into it yet, even though I know people kept telling me to just push through the first 100 pages so we shall see).
Then was the big flight. So first, me and somebody else were both assigned the same seat on the plane. This person happened to be travelling with his wife and four children, so they asked me to wait while they tried to find me another seat on the flight that they said was completely full. So that was fun. It ended up fine and I had an aisle a few rows up. But this row was DIRECTLY behind a rampant baby that literally screamed the entire 11 hour flight. After a very flight-y meal of chicken and cous cous, two episodes of Modern Family, and half of (500) Days of Summer, I still could not fall asleep. I eventually did sleep but it was very unrestful due to the screaming child and the sub-zero temperature of the aircraft.
All of a sudden, here I was, landing in Tel Aviv! It was deja vu going through the whole place again and brought me right back to last summer! I took a service and was brought to my apartment in Ashdod. The apartment has a big common room/living room/kitchen area with 8 people living in 4 bedrooms. The bedrooms are teeny tiny, but the view is breathtaking and our balcony is lovely. My roommate isn't here yet (her flight got delayed until tomorrow), but the other people here seem pleasant enough. I'm waiting to pass judgment about them until a further blog post, so I'll keep you on your toes about them.
We all met Irit, our community coordinator, in the common room of the other apartment (there are 16 of us total, 8 in one main apartment and 8 in the other) and went over what the next couple weeks will look like. They seem very busy! I'll write more about them as they come, but I'm excited for them. We're not actually starting to teach until October 10th, but we'll be doing training and ulpan (Hebrew language learning) first. We have a lot of vacation days in September for all the Jewish holidays and people have been talking about travelling to Europe so, if affordable, that would be amazing!
Finally, Irit, a beautiful Israeli woman, took us on a small tour of our neighbordhood-not all of Ashdod, but some shops and markets around us. Then she left us to fend for ourselves. We bought some necessities and then got falafel from an authentic Israeli falafel shop. Just as delicious as I remember them! Now we're all relaxing feeling the cool breeze off the Medditeranean. Quite a day!
Friday, August 24, 2012
Looking for Lightbulbs (or, Setting an Intention)
Hello! Welcome to my blog! I'm excited to start this process. I hope to write every few days with what I'm doing in Israel and any thoughts or observations I have along the way. Thank you in advance for reading!
So this is really a two part post as kind of a precursor to the actual travel. First, as the title suggests, I want to set an intention for this trip. A good friend of mine recently reminded me of the value of setting intentions. (His intention was to 'Look for Lightbulbs' in children he was instructing). I have done a good amount of yoga throughout the past couple of years and a lot of instructors suggest you set an intention at the beginning of the practice. This can be something like 'strength,' 'perseverance,' 'peace,' or any other attribute you want to gain/accomplish during the 60 minute practice. I want to do something similar for this trip. So here it is, my intention for the next ten months: personal growth. It's a broad word I know, but I think it encompasses really the whole reason I'm going on this trip. I want to grow in intellect, in compassion, in worldliness, in experiences, in open-mindedness, and really just generally grow to be a better person who is more aware of, and sensitive to, others' perspectives. It's a tall order, but I'm eager and excited.
The second part of this blog is really just to express my gratitude for the people that I have had in my life lately and their words of encouragement in helping me with this trip. I would say I feel blessed, but we all know that isn't something I would say, so I will say that I feel very honored (and perhaps a little undeserving). I'm not going to mention names, but the amount and quality of people who have spent time and money with me before I leave has really been incredible. I am endlessly appreciative for the people in my life and the experiences I got to share with them this summer. Thank you all and I will carry you with me always while I'm gone.
Anyway thank you again for reading and I will write again during or after my crazy 24 hour day of travel!
So this is really a two part post as kind of a precursor to the actual travel. First, as the title suggests, I want to set an intention for this trip. A good friend of mine recently reminded me of the value of setting intentions. (His intention was to 'Look for Lightbulbs' in children he was instructing). I have done a good amount of yoga throughout the past couple of years and a lot of instructors suggest you set an intention at the beginning of the practice. This can be something like 'strength,' 'perseverance,' 'peace,' or any other attribute you want to gain/accomplish during the 60 minute practice. I want to do something similar for this trip. So here it is, my intention for the next ten months: personal growth. It's a broad word I know, but I think it encompasses really the whole reason I'm going on this trip. I want to grow in intellect, in compassion, in worldliness, in experiences, in open-mindedness, and really just generally grow to be a better person who is more aware of, and sensitive to, others' perspectives. It's a tall order, but I'm eager and excited.
The second part of this blog is really just to express my gratitude for the people that I have had in my life lately and their words of encouragement in helping me with this trip. I would say I feel blessed, but we all know that isn't something I would say, so I will say that I feel very honored (and perhaps a little undeserving). I'm not going to mention names, but the amount and quality of people who have spent time and money with me before I leave has really been incredible. I am endlessly appreciative for the people in my life and the experiences I got to share with them this summer. Thank you all and I will carry you with me always while I'm gone.
Anyway thank you again for reading and I will write again during or after my crazy 24 hour day of travel!
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