Perfect Night in Tel Aviv

Hanging out late at night with friends at Benedict's* eating shakshuka** for the first time (with a side of chips,*** of course), while taking turns reading poems by Shel Silverstein.

* A popular brunch place that is open until late into the night.
** A dish consisting of eggs in a yummy tomato sauce. Don't knock it till you try it. 
*** French fries. 

Eilatttttttt

Eilat. Red Sea.

I've come to realize that when you are having fun, you forget to post on your blog. A couple weekends ago I went on a mini vacation to Eilat! Eilat is the southernmost city in Israel, right by the Red Sea. It was perfect beach weather, which was great because the main reason you go to Eilat is to sunbathe on the beach. Oh, and you don't have to pay taxes, so that's a plus, too (although I didn't take advantage of this opportunity... which is why I must go back haha). The weekend was beautiful and super relaxing - the type of weekend that gears you up and makes you feel ready to take on your regular life of classes and reading (sad).

In order to get to Eilat I took a bus from Tel Aviv to Beer Sheva, where I met up with my friend. We proceeded to take the bus to Eilat from there. This was the first time that I had seen so many soldiers at once in one concentrated area (it made sense because we were in a central bus station, a lot of people going different places), and my friend asked me what my impression was regarding the soldiers and the fact that a lot of them had their M-16s on them. This was not the first time somebody had asked me what I thought about soldiers because of course coming from California it's not that common to see soldiers in uniform just catching the next bus with you, especially with their rifles swung around them like just another backpack. But (oddly?) enough the soldiers here didn't phase me. I didn't have to get used to seeing them around. They're just a fact of life in my head. Maybe I'm ok with it because I was initially excited at the prospect of seeing a lot of cute soldier guys (I have since come to realize that the soldiers here are between 18 and 20 for the most part, so yeah, pass). But honestly I would rather feel indifferent towards the presence of soldiers in everyday life than feel uneasy about it like maybe some other people.

Sunbathing in October; Eilat. And temps are still high in Tel Aviv!

Quick update on my Hebrew: Everybody speaks English here. Which means I don't get much practice. But that's not to say that I know enough to even take advantage of the fact that everybody speaks Hebrew as well (I only have Hebrew class once a week on Sundays for 2 1/2 hours... meaning not a lot of class at all). So really I just need to keep learning more on my own, force Hebrew into my daily conversations, and not be afraid to sound like a doofus in the process. 

Now I'm preparing for Jerusalem... I will be heading into J'lem tomorrow for the weekend. I am really excited. I need a break from this city that never sleeps (literally). Don't get me wrong, I love Tel Aviv, and I will update soon describing my time here, but I'm ready for a city that slows down a little. Therefore... tomorrow in Jerusalem. Yalla!

Oy Vey, I'm Schvitzing Over Here..

Group challenge. Yeah, we have mad skills.

I understand that I have to update more often because this post is going to be mostly about the overnight trip that happened last week... the Interdisciplinary Center, or the IDC (known in Hebrew as the בינתחומי (pronounced bent-khoo-MEE) planned an overnight trip to the Judean desert for the students in the Raphael Recanati International School and the MA students. It was only two days, but the experience was amazing. First, we stopped at a forest and each bus of students did what I can only describe as camp-like bonding activities (see picture, left). The point was for everyone to get to know one another and to work together as a group. Not a lot of MA students went, but it was still fun to get to know people from all over the world. Even though some of them were very young..

After the camp-like activities we headed to some caves (not entirely sure where we were at this point) to go spelunking! (Spelunk: v. to explore caves). Went through some tight spots and had a blast doing it! I had to wait for the second round of people to go into the smaller caves because there weren't enough flashlights for everyone to go at once. We were all a little dusty after that..

Havat HaNokdim, our Bedouin camp

Finally, we headed to our lodging for the night - a Bedouin camp called Havat HaNokdim. The Bedouins are a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group who are known for their hospitality. As soon as we got there we were offered either tea or coffee, and there were booths of food set up all around the campsite for us to enjoy. There was fresh popcorn, sweets, nuts, just about anything you could have wanted as a snack. And when we got around to dinner in the evening, the food was delicious. Really, you couldn't ask for more. Not to mention that the location was just gorgeous (see picture, right).

They had a DJ play after dinner, and there was a bonfire outside, so really you could choose your scene. The atmosphere was very conducive to talking and meeting new people. That night everyone stayed in the tents where we each had a small mattress and a sleeping bag to sleep in. I would say there were at least 30 people per tent. I think some of you who read this might know what I'm talking about as Birthright trips do the Bedouin camp thing, too.

The Dead Sea in the distance

The next day was pretty eventful (as if the first day wasn't enough). We went on a three-hour hike in Ein Gedi. it gets so hot in the desert that we were required to put some sort of head covering on and bring a LOT of water along with us. The hike was beautiful, and it is really about the experience which is why I had to put so many pictures up on this post, I just can't do the place justice with just words.

And last, but not least, was the Dead Sea. I got muddy, my face stung a little, but my skin felt great after I rinsed the minerals off. I have to go again so that I can actually go in the water (I had too many scrapes to risk being in dire pain by going into the water).  The overnight made me very excited for all the places that I can see here on my year abroad. Israel, I think we're going to be great friends.

Shalom, Israel! Manishma?

As some of you may or may not know, I have arrived in Israel! I actually got here Thursday afternoon, I just haven't had a chance to sit down and update the blog till now. Well, here I go.

Getting Here
First of all, my plane arrived 40 minutes early, which I thought was great. I would have time to leisurely go through the passport check, baggage claim and customs. Or so I thought. As it turned out I picked the wrong line at the passport checkpoint that day. The lady operating the booth must have been having the worst day of her life because as people in other lines were getting their passports stamped and approved, everyone in our line talked to this lady for what seemed like forever before either being referred to another person to do I don't even know what, or getting their passports begrudgingly approved. At one point she even asked another lady for a break, which she was denied. So part of me thinks she hadn't had lunch. Anyway, by the time the lady slammed my stamped passport back to me (after no more than a one minute conversation) and I went out into the arrivals gate, an hour and forty minutes had passed. Inbal and her brother Dvir were waiting patiently for me, pink sign and all! I have been staying with them in Rishon LeZion and they have been more than wonderful to me. I really cannot thank them enough. This is their shout-out haha.

Orientation
I started orientation the very next day on Friday. I am very excited for classes to start (they begin Sunday), and can't wait for the overnight trip they have planned for tomorrow and Thursday. (!!!) There are around 30 people in my specialization which has made it easy to meet new people, and since everyone is from all over the world each person is exciting to meet.

Tel Aviv
The city is great, I have been out and about exploring during the day, meeting up with friends after orientation (hey Asaf and Ami!), and loving every minute of it. Well, it is very hot here, so maybe I could do without the perspiration, but that's not so much of a problem when there is a completely new city at your fingertips. I have been to a Latin dance club on Bloomfield (called Castro? Carlos? don't really know), rooftop party near Rabin Square, a restaurant in the old train station of HaTachana right by the beach, been on the train many times, and have even ridden the bus a couple of times (the bus system is something I need to familiarize myself with a little more, it still intimidates me). Speaking of buses, the first one I ever took was evacuated randomly at one of the stops. I don't know why. Which is why I really need to learn Hebrew..

I want to make Tel Aviv my home, so I am viewing some apartments there. Today I went to see two, but they were near the central bus station (read: sketchy). So yeah... still homeless..

Judean Desert/Dead Sea overnight trip tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Explaining Myself

I am writing about my time abroad in this blog for the following reasons:

1. My memory is not very good, and I have a habit of forgetting even the most memorable events in my life;
2. I wanted to let my friends in on my experiences, and this is an easier way than repeating a story a hundred times;
3. Blogs are the cool thing to do (*cough*AndrewJoshLaurie*cough*).