Hello Hello Hello!!!
I know it has been wayyy too long! The past 3 weeks have been a crazy whirlwhind!
Ok so lets go back to where I last left off...June 15...my last post...
So that weekend I had a great birthday weekend! Went out to an awesome club friday night and then saturday I hung out on the beach with my friends. Saturday night I went to a family birthday party. I finally met the rest of the family which was really nice! Then work as usual on Sunday and we went out to a new club Sunday night.
Monday was my birthday! All I can say is that my friends over here are amazing!!!! My roommate made me a homemade ice cream cake to replicate the carvel ice cream cakes my mom usually gets me every year! I got flowers..chocolate rugulach...flowers and awesome birthday cards! The love from everyone back home was also overwhelming!! I felt so loved that day! My friends took me out for a really nice dinner that night and we hung out the rest of the night in my apartment.
The rest of the week consisted of a free day on Tuesday where I actually met up with an old friend who I hadnt seen since I was in the 6th grade...and then Wednesday and Thursday I was in Jerusalem for the President's Conference. It was amazing...I heard Peres...Netanyahu and Sharansky speak. Just the security alone to get into the final plenary session to hear Netanyahu was insane!!! I also met Dr. Ruth and saw an interview of Moshe Safde a brilliant Israeli architect who designed the Mamilla Hotel in Jerusalem...amazing!!! We also heard a panel discussion with Matisyahu and Sarah Silverman which I have to say was underwhelming! Matisyahu was insanely rude and Sarah Silverman didnt really have much to contribute to the discussion. Thursday night we saw Matisyahu...I was soo excited because I got to hear both of my favorite songs that he sings...so that was a highlight for me!
Friday was filled with errands and preparing for our Shabbat dinner and Roof Party that night! Both were a huge success and I had soo much fun but most of the week consisted of me anticipating seeing my parents and my sister at the end of the week...Saturday morning when they arrived in Israel!
So I left the roof party a little early so that I could get some sleep so I could wake up early to meet my family at the hotel. Saturday morning came and I couldn't believe it! I had been waiting 3 months to see them and I missed them soo much! I was soo excited to see them and finally have a conversation face to face!!! I took a sherut up to the Hilton and walked up to the hotel. As I walked past the lobby and saw them I started to cry...I gave my dad such a big hug...then my sister who of course was crying too and then my mom!!! We went for breakfast where we started to catch up! The rest of the day consisted of resting and walking along the beach. That night we all went to my cousin's yacht on the Herzliyya Marina...which was soo nice!
Unfortunately I had to work the whole week so I planned stuff for them to do while I was at work and then I met them at night to go out for dinner and hang out! Tuesday we took a day trip to Jerusalem...sherut rides were no fun but the day itself was great! We visited the kotel...went on a great tour called the Chain of Generations Center...glass sculptures depicting points in Jewish History...then walked through the Jewish Quarter...got some amazing chocolate rugulach from Marzipan and then headed to the Mamilla complex. And what a complex that is!!! The hotel is amazing!!! It just made me want to delve right into hotel development and really made me yearn to be doing that already! The rest of the day consisted of shopping on ben yehuda and then back to good ole tel aviv!!!
Wednesday night we had dinner with my best girlfriends from my program. It was so nice to finally have them all meet my family and vice versa! It was amazing food and amazing company! Thursday was the only day I was able to take off of work so I met my family at the hotel...had breakfast and hung out at the pool for most of the morning...then my sister and I went shopping...we all ate dinner together and then my sister came back to my apartment and we prepared ourseves for Layla Lavan...which is a birthday celebration of tel aviv - the white city...there are concerts all day...museums open to all hours of the night and an amazing concert of Balkan Beat Box at 1am that I had tickets to!!! We left our apartment at 12am and walked down to Rothchild and over to Dizengoff Center where the concert was being held. It was one of the best nights that we had here...we wound up getting back to our apartment at 4am...had chicken in a lafa and went to bed...lol!
Friday was a relaxing day...Jen and I had a lunch with one of her friends in Yafo and then we rested that evening. Saturday we went up north with one of my friends to Rosh Hanikra...Bahai Gardens in Akko and Zichron Yaakov for lunch! The rest of Saturday was really hard for me...I was super anxious because I knew my family was leaving and I didnt want to say goodbye again...I know I only have a little time left here and I'm really excited but it was still hard saying goodbye when it felt soo natural to have them here! So we went for one final dinner in Israel and my family took me to the bus stop and I said goodbye...of course started crying and watched them walk away! I got back to my apartment and wound up crying a little bit when I went to hang out with my friends but they were amazing as usual and totally there for me.
It felt weird waking up Sunday morning...I really missed my family but I saw one of my friends as I walked out to work and it felt good to talk to someone. This week has been pretty busy...work is insane...I've been on the jobsite all day today and Monday and will be there tomorrow all day as well. It is fun but exhausting and extremely hot!!!
Monday night we all celebrated July 4th at Mike's Place...a bar by the beach where I actually went on birthright...it is about as American as you will get...beer...BBQ and a bunch of drunken idiots...lol! Needless to say I had a blast...started celebrating at 6:30pm and went to bed at 1:30am...good times!!!
Yesterday we went to Jerusalem to the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They both very interesting places. The Supreme Court is architecturally brilliant! The materials the design...everything was astonishing!
I've also finally started to plan my Europe trip....wow its making me super anxious and overwhelmed...lol! Trying to book all my flights and hotels etc in Europe soo not as easy as booking a trip within the USA! But slowly slowly I know it will come along...the old planner in me is trying to come out but im trying to remain easy going as I have been out here and trying to go with the flow as best as I can which I know I will have to do once I am in Europe!
My friends and I are trying to go out as much as possible and plan tons of stuff to do in the next 5 weeks because soon soon it will be time to come home! Part of me is really ready to come home and see my family and friends and the other part of me is really happy here. I love my lifestyle (much simpler than in NYC) I love how I have grown and Israel helped me do that! I am still the same me but I think just more mature and wiser and I know once I get back to NYC I will have to try and be strong and keep up that part of my life even in a big crazy city like new york! I am excited though to find a job and move out into Manhattan. I've definitely become alot more independant and can't wait to live on my own again after living here by myself! But I am not trying to get ahead of myself...still trying to live in the moment and soak up the rest of my time here in Tel Aviv!!!!
I hope you are all doing well and I definitely can't wait to see all of you really soon!!!
Love you and Miss you all!!!
Yalla Bye!
<3 D
