Hello from the holyland!
I have been having a little bit of an up and down week.....
Since the last time I posted I went to the dentist (last Tuesday) and got a good bill of health...she said my gums/tooth cleared up and the medicine did its job. I still worry about my tooth a little bit here and there but hopefully it doesnt give me anymore problems until I return to NYC. The rest of that day I relaxed ran errands...went to the gym lived my daily life.
Wednesday was more of the same...went to work...ran errands and then came home and packed for Eilat/Ketura. Thursday morning I woke up early to prepare to leave for Kibbutz Ketura (which is a half hour north of Eilat) in the Negev. A coach bus picked us up and the Tel Aviv Wujies and Jerusalem Wujies were off on our first overnight together. The bus ride wasn't too bad and before we knew it we were in the middle of the desert!
When we got there we had time to find our rooms and then get ready for our first activity...I picked the hike. I was super excited to hike through the desert so I changed into shorts, a tank top and sneakers and packed a bottle of water for this adventure. The hike was amazing...we climbed cliffs that literally if I looked to my side the ground next to me was wayyy far down...wouldnt have been a fun drop..lol! What was supposed to be a 1.5 hour hike turned into a 3 hour hike and needless to say I was starving!! We finally made it back to the Kibbutz and prepared for our BBQ dinner which was amazing after that long hike. We then had a talk from the events coordinator of the Kibbutz about kibbutz life etc.
We made sure to get to bed early that day because we had to wake up at 4:30am to leave for our hike at 5:30am the next morning. We went to hike really early because by the time we finished at 10am it was already scorching!!! I was not used to that type of dry heat...def not fun! This time we hiked through the Red Canyon. It was amazing! It reminded me of the hike I did on Birthright in Mitzpe Ramon...amazing natural scenery!! After the hike we went back onto the bus so that they could take us to Eilat! I was super excited to go to Eilat since I have never been there before but unfortunately it wasn't all I think people make it to be! I had fun lounging and getting my tan on but def glad we didnt spend more time than a bunch of hours there. We then went back to the Kibbutz to prepare for Shabbat. When we got back we went to the pool...they have such an amazing pool and it felt amazing to jump in after being the heat the whole day. That night we had shabbat dinner (which was ok) and then a moonlight walk through the kibbutz.
On Shabbat we didnt have an early wake up call..we could sleep in and the first activity we had was at 11am....then lunch and then free time which we spent at the pool. I literally was in and out of the pool for a bunch of hours. The minute you got out of the pool to dry off...10 minutes later you needed to cool down..lol! The rest of the day and evening consisted of eating dinner and then packing up and getting ready to leave that night. The bus ride back was really annoying....no one would be quiet from Jerusalem and everyone from Tel Aviv had work the next day and wanted to get some rest...finally fell in and out of sleep...but my butt killed from sitting on the bus for 4 hours!!! (All in all the overnight was amazing! The Kibbutz was great and super nice compared to other kibbutizm I've stayed in and I think it really helped all of Tel Aviv to bond with one another.)
We got back to the apartment I unpacked and went right to bed. I woke up an hour later than normal the next morning and made my way into work Sunday morning only about a half hour later than normal. It was a pretty busy day at work but it was good...I wanted to be busy! That evening I had the last of my training sessions at the gym and took another great kickboxing class.
Monday was also really busy. I got into the office we went to visit an old project and then went to the current construction site and sat in the construction meeting and looked at my boss's family's apartments. Then while I was in the construction meeting I got asked to help one of the project managers with something on AutoCAD. It felt good to be back on the program...its been soo long! The rest of the day was pretty quiet...then went home...went to the gym and skyped with my parents and then one of my good friends from back home!!! It felt soo good to talk to her...it had been soo long and def made me miss her and nyc!! I also almost cried when I saw my parents on skype...for some reason I have been super emotional these past few days and just seeing them "in person" made me miss them even more than usual! Then I went to bed super early...I was exhausted...I slept so sound that even when my roommate came in to go to sleep she didnt wake me...and I'm a super light sleeper.
Tuesday began with our typical group meeting at 8:15am and then at 10am we started our bike tour to the Olympic Museum. We met at the TLV Port (where I got an amazing pastrami sandwich..mmm) and then started off on our bicycles. We rode through the Yarkon Park (Tel Aviv's Central Park) and made our way to the Olympic Museum. The museum was amazing...the design was very futuristic...my kind of design...and the museum was great in general...I love the olympics so it was nice to see a museum just for that. One part of the exhibit explained to us who has competed and won for Israel. One of the competitors only won bronze but during his story he mentioned how he was overwhelmed by the amount of Israelis who came to cheer him on that after the medal ceremony they all started to sing the Hatikvah (Israeli National Anthem) at that moment I had a tear in my eye. I have noticed that everytime I hear the Hatikvah I have such a sense of pride for being Jewish and for Israel...I def dont feel that as an American when I hear our national anthem but now I feel that for the Hatikvah and I truly treasure that feeling!!!
Another exhibit was about the Munich Olympics when 11 Israeli athletes were killed in a terrorist attack. The museum has the original torch from that Olympics...the only original torch that they own!
After we finished our tour through the museum we rode our bikes back to the TLV Port. Instead of stopping at the port we wound up riding all the way to the Tel Baruch beach which is the northern most beach of Tel Aviv. It was amazing...to be riding by the beach on this Tuesday afternoon. It really helped to put things into perspective...I felt truly blessed to be here in Israel...having this amazing adventure!!! I decided to not go to kickboxing that night and instead we had a celebration on the beach for one of our fellow Wujie's birthdays. We got to the beach right before sunset and had a wine and cheese party in the middle of the TLV beach...life can't get much better than that!
However when I got home I kind of got a little depressed...I was feeling really down and a little homesick..I spoke with my mom about life...boys...adventures etc and was just upset...she helped me talk through it but this morning I finally realized that life is too short and I am here for my own adventure no one else's and I have to start getting back to what I was doing and how I was feeling prior to last week! I want to be excited to be here and not upset about trivial things! So from this moment on I am back to putting me first and being in Israel for me!!!
This morning I went online and had an email from my high school reunion committee with our 10 year reunion yearbook. It was crazy to see where everyone is currently in their lives...10 years after high school. It was soo crazy to see that some of my old classmates have 3 kids or are super religious..living in Israel and some are just married and others are just like me. I was a little annoyed because they didnt use the picture that I gave them but se la vie! (hope I spelt that right...lol)
I'm super excited to go to Petra this weekend and Greece next week...so that is what I am focusing on! Then once I get back I'm spending Shabbat by one of my cousins who I haven't seen in 20 years (I was a flower girl at her wedding :) ) and then is my birthday and then my family comes to visit!!! Ahh I can't wait to see you guys!!! I miss you more than words can say!!!
Although it was a little bit of a rough week I am that much stronger for it and I'm realizing more and more how much my gut really tells me and how I have to really listen to it more often and not to what other people say! I am a good judge of character and I should never doubt that! I'm slowly getting back to my old-new self and am happy for all good and bad experiences here because it is helping me grow each and every day!
Can't wait to tell you all about Petra in my next post!
Love u and miss you all!!!
<3 D
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
a time to remember...reflect...celebrate...and live life to the fullest!
Hello!
I'm sure you are all worried with everything going on over here and everything that you hear in the news but just know that I am OK! It is a little disturbing and nerve racking to think about living in a dangerous place but I try my best to be aware of everything and just be super careful. I also (as stupid as it sounds) try not to watch TV when I'm near one or listen to the news or read newspapers because it makes me scared and I really dont want to be scared to walk down my street everyday...so I'm living my life as usual and being cautious with everything that I do.
Now on to the good stuff...lol...I know it has been a really long time and I am truely sorry for the delay in my weekly update but time just seems to fly by quicker than I'm used to...so here is what I have been up to these past few weeks....
On Tuesday the 3rd we didnt have any programming through WUJS only our weekly meeting to go over upcoming events and any logistical problems. Our supervisor Ricky asked us how we felt during Yom Hashoa when the siren sounded and everything stood still for two minutes. I decided to say something and before I knew it as I was talking I started to get choked up and cry. I didn't think it was going to affect me as much as it did...but my roommates were right next to me comforting me as I finished up what I had to say...I was glad I said something because I wanted everyone to hear how much it meant to me to be here in our homeland on such an important day in Jewish history.
We then heard a Holocaust survivor's story. This was the first time when I heard someone's story and realized that I didn't have my grandparents around to tell their story. It was the first time I realized that wow if my sisters and parents, aunt, uncle and cousins don't remember everything that we have been told about our familys' survival of the Holocaust it will all be lost. Many of this survivor's stories sounded very similar to things that happened to my grandma (may she rest in peace) when she survived. I then went up to her and thanked her for coming into our meeting and sharing her story with us....and sure enough the minute I went to go thank her I started crying hysterically...wow i'm such a sap!!!
The rest of the day was pretty quiet...went to the gym and then had a career seminar in the evening. It was soo weird to be back in that world listen to what companies have to say on how to use our internships to our advantage on our resumes when we look for jobs back home. I made a few contacts and all in all it felt good to at least start to think about what I would do when I get home. Although i'm not gonna lie it is pretty nice not to be thinking about that stuff right now and living in the moment and day to day here in Tel Aviv. I am very proud of myself though because I think for the first time in my life I'm not thinking about the future but only the NOW (dad you'd be very proud...lol)
Wednesday and Thursday were typical days...went to work...gym and then came home and relaxed. Friday I decided to take a trip to Holon and visit one of the most amazing design museums I have seen yet...the Design Museum Holon. It was designed by Ron Arad Architects!!! All I can say is that it was truely inspiring to walk around that museum. The exhibits were amazing as well. That was definite the highlight of my week...people at the museum must have thought I was crazy the way I was walking around the structure and taking pictures and looking at it from every different angle...the last time I saw a building like this was in LA when Sam and I went to visit Frank Gehry's Disney Concert Hall!
Friday night was the first day I got to see one of my friends who came in to visit. It was soo nice having a close friend here...it felt like home for a short time. We went to one of his friend's houses to watch the final four basketball game in the European league and Tel Aviv won!! woohoo!!! The night proceeded to have an interesting outcome but we got home safe and sound and thats all that matters. Saturday was a lazy day from what I can remember...then had dinner with my friend from home on the Tel Aviv Port...it was beautiful and the perfect end to another amazing weekend!
Now on to last week. Last week like the week before was quite emotional. Sunday evening was Yom Hazikaron for the Soldiers and victims of Terrorism. Most of the people in my group and I went to the MASA event on Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem for a commemorative service honoring 7 soldiers/victims who were killed. It was an amazing ceremony. While each of the 7 was spoken about either a song played in the backround...or their parents spoke about how they have kept their child's memory alive or they had someone speak about how this person touched their life. It was a very emotional evening and it made me miss my family dearly. I wished they were right next me so that I could give them a big hug and kiss and tell them how much I love them and how much they mean to me!!! I specifically lost it when one of the victim's fathers came up to say kaddish for his daughter who died in 2001 at the age of 15 in the sbarro terrorist bombing in Jerusalem. It just made me realize even more how fragile life is and how you have to be thankful and greatful for everything! and literally seize the day everyday!!!
At the end of the program when we all started to walk back to the bus I spoke with one of the guys on my program and realized that one of the 7 soldiers that was talked about who was from Philly I actually visited his grave on Mt. Herzl when I was on Birthright! It touched me even more to remember this and realize that these victims were closer to me than I thought. The rest of the evening I definitely reflected a little bit and was just super thankful for everything in my life!
On Monday...we had half a day of work in honor of Yom Hazikaron. At 11am a siren sounded to remember those that were killed however this time I was in the car with my boss on the way to our job site. So we pulled off to the side and listened to the siren from inside the car. Again a moving experience. The rest of the day was spent at home hanging out until the evening when I went with one of my roommates to meet up with one of my friends. She invited my roommate and I to a BBQ in the middle of the woods on the outskirts of Jerusalem to celebrate Yom Haatzmaut - Israel Independence Day! It was really cool and a little eery...we pulled up into the pitch black of the woods to a fire where families were gathered around the fire eating the typical foods at an israeli BBQ...pita..hummus..israeli salad...and tons of meat! I had a great time...ate a ton of food and finished the night in bed by about 3am to the sounds of the street parties going on in honor of independence day in my neighborhood.
The next day I got picked up by one of my cousins and we went to her parents yacht on the Herzliyya Marina. We spent most of the day hanging out on the boat...sunbathing and relaxing! It was great! I met one of my uncle's other cousins...it is soo nice to be around family!!! That evening I met up with another friend of mine (who I met at the gym) to go to a concert. The concert was of her fellow students who are a cover band. It was sooo nice to be around other Americans and listening to American music. I had an amazing time and look forward to more in the future!!!
On Wednesday it was back to a regular day of work...however the evening was no fun...my gums had been bothering me since Sunday but I figured i must have bit something the wrong way and irritated them but I decided to make a dentist appointment anyway to be on the safe side. So I made all the necessary calls to go through my travel insurance company and finally found a dentist at couple towns over who could see me that night. My cousin was kind enough to pick me up and take me there...needless to say thank g-d she came with me because the doctor spoke very little english and the minute I could tell something was wrong my translation skills went out the window...lol! But the doctor was really sweet..she put medicine on my gum and told me how to take care of it until I saw her the week after for my follow up visit. Went home right after and rested up.
Thursday was a crazy day...but good crazy...had work...then went to the gym and then had to come home and get ready very quickly for our rooftop party that we put together very last minute. All I can say is that it was a huge success...we had an amazing turn out and I had a blast! I went to bed super late and allowed myself Friday morning to sleep in! I'd have to say Thursday and Friday were two of my best days that I have had on this program in a while. Everyone really came together for the party thursday night and friday was just a great roommate/wujies day!
On Friday the 4 of us who are going to Eilat/Petra next weekend got together to book our hostel...Petra trip and go get our bus tickets for our ride down to Eilat. The evening concluded with a Shabbat weekend by a family friend in Ramat Gan. She was soo kind and picked me up early Friday evening and drove me home Saturday night after Shabbat was over. The weekend was very relaxing...I slept...ate a ton of homemade cake...apparently every time you have tea you must have cake...lol...and finally finished the book I started reading on the plane ride her two months ago...I know I'm soo not a reader!!!
When I got home Saturday night I caught up with my roommates on how their weekend went and what happened while I was gone.
Yesterday was business as usual....work...an amazing kickboxing class and then cooking with my roommate...eggplant lasagna...no noodles all veggies...it tasted interesting...ohh food experimenting...lol!
Today I was super tired but pushed through...went to work...went to the job site...sat through the construction meeting that was all in hebrew and semi understood what was going on...lol! Then I walked through the building that is almost done to see the progress..its amazing!!! My boss then told me that next week we were going to spend one day together on site setting up a model apartment...I'm soo excited! I will also be punch listing his family's apartments...these Israeli construction workers are soo not going to be a fan of me and my NYC standards ;) !! Then came home...went to the gym and have been relaxing the entire rest of the evening...felt really nice!
Tomorrow a few of my friends and I were supposed to go to Jerusalem but our supervisor thought it would be safer to go another time because of the Muslim holiday of Hanakba Day...the day Arabs mark the "catastrophe" of Israel's birth on May 15, 1948. So we will have to reschedule our trip...to the old city...dome of the rock etc.
This weekend is our trip to Eilat and Kibbutz Ketura with WUJS. Should be interesting..we have hikes...time relaxing on the kibbutz at the pool and about 2 hours total...yup thats it...in Eilat...but thats ok because next weekend I will be there again :)
Oh also my gums/tooth are feeling better...I have my follow up dentist appointment tomorrow and I'm hoping for some good news that its healing.
I will try my best to keep updating this blog as often as possible!
So until next time....
I love you and miss you all...Laila Tov!!!
<3 D
I'm sure you are all worried with everything going on over here and everything that you hear in the news but just know that I am OK! It is a little disturbing and nerve racking to think about living in a dangerous place but I try my best to be aware of everything and just be super careful. I also (as stupid as it sounds) try not to watch TV when I'm near one or listen to the news or read newspapers because it makes me scared and I really dont want to be scared to walk down my street everyday...so I'm living my life as usual and being cautious with everything that I do.
Now on to the good stuff...lol...I know it has been a really long time and I am truely sorry for the delay in my weekly update but time just seems to fly by quicker than I'm used to...so here is what I have been up to these past few weeks....
On Tuesday the 3rd we didnt have any programming through WUJS only our weekly meeting to go over upcoming events and any logistical problems. Our supervisor Ricky asked us how we felt during Yom Hashoa when the siren sounded and everything stood still for two minutes. I decided to say something and before I knew it as I was talking I started to get choked up and cry. I didn't think it was going to affect me as much as it did...but my roommates were right next to me comforting me as I finished up what I had to say...I was glad I said something because I wanted everyone to hear how much it meant to me to be here in our homeland on such an important day in Jewish history.
We then heard a Holocaust survivor's story. This was the first time when I heard someone's story and realized that I didn't have my grandparents around to tell their story. It was the first time I realized that wow if my sisters and parents, aunt, uncle and cousins don't remember everything that we have been told about our familys' survival of the Holocaust it will all be lost. Many of this survivor's stories sounded very similar to things that happened to my grandma (may she rest in peace) when she survived. I then went up to her and thanked her for coming into our meeting and sharing her story with us....and sure enough the minute I went to go thank her I started crying hysterically...wow i'm such a sap!!!
The rest of the day was pretty quiet...went to the gym and then had a career seminar in the evening. It was soo weird to be back in that world listen to what companies have to say on how to use our internships to our advantage on our resumes when we look for jobs back home. I made a few contacts and all in all it felt good to at least start to think about what I would do when I get home. Although i'm not gonna lie it is pretty nice not to be thinking about that stuff right now and living in the moment and day to day here in Tel Aviv. I am very proud of myself though because I think for the first time in my life I'm not thinking about the future but only the NOW (dad you'd be very proud...lol)
Wednesday and Thursday were typical days...went to work...gym and then came home and relaxed. Friday I decided to take a trip to Holon and visit one of the most amazing design museums I have seen yet...the Design Museum Holon. It was designed by Ron Arad Architects!!! All I can say is that it was truely inspiring to walk around that museum. The exhibits were amazing as well. That was definite the highlight of my week...people at the museum must have thought I was crazy the way I was walking around the structure and taking pictures and looking at it from every different angle...the last time I saw a building like this was in LA when Sam and I went to visit Frank Gehry's Disney Concert Hall!
Friday night was the first day I got to see one of my friends who came in to visit. It was soo nice having a close friend here...it felt like home for a short time. We went to one of his friend's houses to watch the final four basketball game in the European league and Tel Aviv won!! woohoo!!! The night proceeded to have an interesting outcome but we got home safe and sound and thats all that matters. Saturday was a lazy day from what I can remember...then had dinner with my friend from home on the Tel Aviv Port...it was beautiful and the perfect end to another amazing weekend!
Now on to last week. Last week like the week before was quite emotional. Sunday evening was Yom Hazikaron for the Soldiers and victims of Terrorism. Most of the people in my group and I went to the MASA event on Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem for a commemorative service honoring 7 soldiers/victims who were killed. It was an amazing ceremony. While each of the 7 was spoken about either a song played in the backround...or their parents spoke about how they have kept their child's memory alive or they had someone speak about how this person touched their life. It was a very emotional evening and it made me miss my family dearly. I wished they were right next me so that I could give them a big hug and kiss and tell them how much I love them and how much they mean to me!!! I specifically lost it when one of the victim's fathers came up to say kaddish for his daughter who died in 2001 at the age of 15 in the sbarro terrorist bombing in Jerusalem. It just made me realize even more how fragile life is and how you have to be thankful and greatful for everything! and literally seize the day everyday!!!
At the end of the program when we all started to walk back to the bus I spoke with one of the guys on my program and realized that one of the 7 soldiers that was talked about who was from Philly I actually visited his grave on Mt. Herzl when I was on Birthright! It touched me even more to remember this and realize that these victims were closer to me than I thought. The rest of the evening I definitely reflected a little bit and was just super thankful for everything in my life!
On Monday...we had half a day of work in honor of Yom Hazikaron. At 11am a siren sounded to remember those that were killed however this time I was in the car with my boss on the way to our job site. So we pulled off to the side and listened to the siren from inside the car. Again a moving experience. The rest of the day was spent at home hanging out until the evening when I went with one of my roommates to meet up with one of my friends. She invited my roommate and I to a BBQ in the middle of the woods on the outskirts of Jerusalem to celebrate Yom Haatzmaut - Israel Independence Day! It was really cool and a little eery...we pulled up into the pitch black of the woods to a fire where families were gathered around the fire eating the typical foods at an israeli BBQ...pita..hummus..israeli salad...and tons of meat! I had a great time...ate a ton of food and finished the night in bed by about 3am to the sounds of the street parties going on in honor of independence day in my neighborhood.
The next day I got picked up by one of my cousins and we went to her parents yacht on the Herzliyya Marina. We spent most of the day hanging out on the boat...sunbathing and relaxing! It was great! I met one of my uncle's other cousins...it is soo nice to be around family!!! That evening I met up with another friend of mine (who I met at the gym) to go to a concert. The concert was of her fellow students who are a cover band. It was sooo nice to be around other Americans and listening to American music. I had an amazing time and look forward to more in the future!!!
On Wednesday it was back to a regular day of work...however the evening was no fun...my gums had been bothering me since Sunday but I figured i must have bit something the wrong way and irritated them but I decided to make a dentist appointment anyway to be on the safe side. So I made all the necessary calls to go through my travel insurance company and finally found a dentist at couple towns over who could see me that night. My cousin was kind enough to pick me up and take me there...needless to say thank g-d she came with me because the doctor spoke very little english and the minute I could tell something was wrong my translation skills went out the window...lol! But the doctor was really sweet..she put medicine on my gum and told me how to take care of it until I saw her the week after for my follow up visit. Went home right after and rested up.
Thursday was a crazy day...but good crazy...had work...then went to the gym and then had to come home and get ready very quickly for our rooftop party that we put together very last minute. All I can say is that it was a huge success...we had an amazing turn out and I had a blast! I went to bed super late and allowed myself Friday morning to sleep in! I'd have to say Thursday and Friday were two of my best days that I have had on this program in a while. Everyone really came together for the party thursday night and friday was just a great roommate/wujies day!
On Friday the 4 of us who are going to Eilat/Petra next weekend got together to book our hostel...Petra trip and go get our bus tickets for our ride down to Eilat. The evening concluded with a Shabbat weekend by a family friend in Ramat Gan. She was soo kind and picked me up early Friday evening and drove me home Saturday night after Shabbat was over. The weekend was very relaxing...I slept...ate a ton of homemade cake...apparently every time you have tea you must have cake...lol...and finally finished the book I started reading on the plane ride her two months ago...I know I'm soo not a reader!!!
When I got home Saturday night I caught up with my roommates on how their weekend went and what happened while I was gone.
Yesterday was business as usual....work...an amazing kickboxing class and then cooking with my roommate...eggplant lasagna...no noodles all veggies...it tasted interesting...ohh food experimenting...lol!
Today I was super tired but pushed through...went to work...went to the job site...sat through the construction meeting that was all in hebrew and semi understood what was going on...lol! Then I walked through the building that is almost done to see the progress..its amazing!!! My boss then told me that next week we were going to spend one day together on site setting up a model apartment...I'm soo excited! I will also be punch listing his family's apartments...these Israeli construction workers are soo not going to be a fan of me and my NYC standards ;) !! Then came home...went to the gym and have been relaxing the entire rest of the evening...felt really nice!
Tomorrow a few of my friends and I were supposed to go to Jerusalem but our supervisor thought it would be safer to go another time because of the Muslim holiday of Hanakba Day...the day Arabs mark the "catastrophe" of Israel's birth on May 15, 1948. So we will have to reschedule our trip...to the old city...dome of the rock etc.
This weekend is our trip to Eilat and Kibbutz Ketura with WUJS. Should be interesting..we have hikes...time relaxing on the kibbutz at the pool and about 2 hours total...yup thats it...in Eilat...but thats ok because next weekend I will be there again :)
Oh also my gums/tooth are feeling better...I have my follow up dentist appointment tomorrow and I'm hoping for some good news that its healing.
I will try my best to keep updating this blog as often as possible!
So until next time....
I love you and miss you all...Laila Tov!!!
<3 D
Monday, May 2, 2011
from the desert to remembrance in the city...
Hello there...
This post is especially close to my heart because I am writing it on Yom Hashoah or Holocaust Remembrance Day....where we remember the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. And today for the first time my grandparents who survived are both no longer with us
זכרונו לברכם.
Normally the day wouldn't feel any different back in New York...I'd be going to work and only remember it was Yom Hashoah because I would have looked at my Chabad calendar where it states that today is the day of remembrance....but today as I walked to work at 10am it was quite different. As I walked from the bustling highway to the overpass (I use to get to the otherside where my office building is located) I heard a siren and thought ok something must have happened somewhere and the cops are going to help out the situation but then I noticed the people on the overpass were stopped looking over the highway so I went to take a look and saw that all the cars were pulled to the side of the road...lights flashing...everyone was out of their cars and all those who were walking stopped to stand in silence to remember this horrible time in Jewish history. This truly touched me...again being in a country where your history is remembered as national holidays really never gets old...each time we have a holiday it still baffles my mind that I am here experiencing these events in my homeland! I then came to work and went on facebook to see a post from a fellow wujie who experienced the same event on her way to work.
Again I can't say it enough and you're probably sick of hearing me say it but I feel truly blessed to be here and especially to call myself a Jew!
Now here's a recap of the past bunch of days since my last post....
Wednesday and Thursday were typical days...work...gym...food and sleep...lol.
Friday however was the start of a wonderful weekend. I got invited by one of my coworkers to a party in the desert in the Negev. She picked me up...we had lunch at her grandma...Iraqi cuisine...amazing!!!! Watched the royal wedding on TV before we left for the party then drove about 2.5 hours south about an hour away from Eilat. We were basically driving in the middle of nowhere until we saw a sign that said party this way (in hebrew of course)...then we proceeded to drive through barren desert terrain until we came to people pitching tents and a larger tent area where people were starting to make food and set up equipment. We then found a spot where we got out and started pitching our tents. Yes I roughed it and stayed in a tent and camped for the first time!!! I'm very proud...lol!
The rest of the evening consisted of eating a ton of amazing food...meat...salads...corn...soup...baked goods...etc....all homemade...and listening to music...some Israeli karaoke and hanging out with amazing people. It boggled my mind as I sat there just trying to take it all in that we were in the middle of the desert but somehow we had the technology to project a computer screen on the side of a mountain....very kool!
It was during this time that I was the most present I had been in a while since coming here...I really took a moment to realize where I was...thinking about how I was in Israel...I was amongst new friends who I consider family...I was in my home country but away from what I called home for 27 years of my life. This was an empowering feeling and made me greatful for these wonderful new experiences I get to experience everyday.
Then at around midnight we went to bed...can't say I had the best sleep..I was in and out of sleep for most of the night...it also proceeded to rain which was fun being in a tent and all...but no worries I didn't get wet...the tent was a wonderful protector...lol. But of course I have to go to the bathroom in the early morning in the middle of the rain....lucky I had my trusty umbrella...so I ventured out to our 5 star bathrooms in the middle of the desert only to find no electricity....so I guess I roughed it a little ;) Then I remembered I had my iPod so I put that on and got a couple hours of sleep.
The next morning we woke up to a wonderful homemade breakfast and some more shmoozing. We then packed up and left. They showed me around their friends moshav where he grows organic peppers that are amazing and then made our way back to Tel Aviv. I got a couple hours of sleep in the car but was looking forward to a nice shower and an early night of sleep. I finally took a shower however never made it to bed early enough...what else is new...lol! The rest of the evening consisted of hanging out with my roommates and booking more of my Greece trip..yay!!!
Sunday was a great work day...I met my boss at the office and then we went to a meeting about the design for the sales office for their new project....very kool....then went to the site of the building that is under construction...was really kool to see the progress that has been made in just 8 weeks...amazing! The rest of the day was smooth sailing and ended with me going grocery shopping and cooking dinner with one of my roommates....yess I am getting the hang of this thing they call cooking :)
The rest of today will be pretty quiet...
I hope you are all able to look at my pictures on facebook so that you are able to see visually my experiences in our homeland!
Love u and miss u all!!!
<3 D
This post is especially close to my heart because I am writing it on Yom Hashoah or Holocaust Remembrance Day....where we remember the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. And today for the first time my grandparents who survived are both no longer with us
זכרונו לברכם.
Normally the day wouldn't feel any different back in New York...I'd be going to work and only remember it was Yom Hashoah because I would have looked at my Chabad calendar where it states that today is the day of remembrance....but today as I walked to work at 10am it was quite different. As I walked from the bustling highway to the overpass (I use to get to the otherside where my office building is located) I heard a siren and thought ok something must have happened somewhere and the cops are going to help out the situation but then I noticed the people on the overpass were stopped looking over the highway so I went to take a look and saw that all the cars were pulled to the side of the road...lights flashing...everyone was out of their cars and all those who were walking stopped to stand in silence to remember this horrible time in Jewish history. This truly touched me...again being in a country where your history is remembered as national holidays really never gets old...each time we have a holiday it still baffles my mind that I am here experiencing these events in my homeland! I then came to work and went on facebook to see a post from a fellow wujie who experienced the same event on her way to work.
Again I can't say it enough and you're probably sick of hearing me say it but I feel truly blessed to be here and especially to call myself a Jew!
Now here's a recap of the past bunch of days since my last post....
Wednesday and Thursday were typical days...work...gym...food and sleep...lol.
Friday however was the start of a wonderful weekend. I got invited by one of my coworkers to a party in the desert in the Negev. She picked me up...we had lunch at her grandma...Iraqi cuisine...amazing!!!! Watched the royal wedding on TV before we left for the party then drove about 2.5 hours south about an hour away from Eilat. We were basically driving in the middle of nowhere until we saw a sign that said party this way (in hebrew of course)...then we proceeded to drive through barren desert terrain until we came to people pitching tents and a larger tent area where people were starting to make food and set up equipment. We then found a spot where we got out and started pitching our tents. Yes I roughed it and stayed in a tent and camped for the first time!!! I'm very proud...lol!
The rest of the evening consisted of eating a ton of amazing food...meat...salads...corn...soup...baked goods...etc....all homemade...and listening to music...some Israeli karaoke and hanging out with amazing people. It boggled my mind as I sat there just trying to take it all in that we were in the middle of the desert but somehow we had the technology to project a computer screen on the side of a mountain....very kool!
It was during this time that I was the most present I had been in a while since coming here...I really took a moment to realize where I was...thinking about how I was in Israel...I was amongst new friends who I consider family...I was in my home country but away from what I called home for 27 years of my life. This was an empowering feeling and made me greatful for these wonderful new experiences I get to experience everyday.
Then at around midnight we went to bed...can't say I had the best sleep..I was in and out of sleep for most of the night...it also proceeded to rain which was fun being in a tent and all...but no worries I didn't get wet...the tent was a wonderful protector...lol. But of course I have to go to the bathroom in the early morning in the middle of the rain....lucky I had my trusty umbrella...so I ventured out to our 5 star bathrooms in the middle of the desert only to find no electricity....so I guess I roughed it a little ;) Then I remembered I had my iPod so I put that on and got a couple hours of sleep.
The next morning we woke up to a wonderful homemade breakfast and some more shmoozing. We then packed up and left. They showed me around their friends moshav where he grows organic peppers that are amazing and then made our way back to Tel Aviv. I got a couple hours of sleep in the car but was looking forward to a nice shower and an early night of sleep. I finally took a shower however never made it to bed early enough...what else is new...lol! The rest of the evening consisted of hanging out with my roommates and booking more of my Greece trip..yay!!!
Sunday was a great work day...I met my boss at the office and then we went to a meeting about the design for the sales office for their new project....very kool....then went to the site of the building that is under construction...was really kool to see the progress that has been made in just 8 weeks...amazing! The rest of the day was smooth sailing and ended with me going grocery shopping and cooking dinner with one of my roommates....yess I am getting the hang of this thing they call cooking :)
The rest of today will be pretty quiet...
I hope you are all able to look at my pictures on facebook so that you are able to see visually my experiences in our homeland!
Love u and miss u all!!!
<3 D
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