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
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Pix of Mykonos, Greece
Hey Everyone...here is the link to my picasa web album of my adventures in Mykonos! Hope you enjoy :)
https://picasaweb.google.com/104710240781056273125/GREECE2ndStopMykonosTimeToRelaxAndParty?authkey=Gv1sRgCKPEzMi3g4vx-gE#
xoxox
<3 D
https://picasaweb.google.com/104710240781056273125/GREECE2ndStopMykonosTimeToRelaxAndParty?authkey=Gv1sRgCKPEzMi3g4vx-gE#
xoxox
<3 D
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
life gets better and better!!!!
Hello Hello!!!!
All I can say is how amazing life is these days!!!
Last time I posted I was about to go to the opening night of one of the hottest nightspots in Tel Aviv...Clara. It was amazing...so much fun...it was designed beautifully...basically think about a awesome lounge in NYC except all open to the outdoors and overlooking the ocean! Yea I know insane :)
Then Thursday went to work as usual...then came back to Tel Aviv to meet up with my mom's friend from NYC who was here visiting Young Judea and us wujies. We surprised her with a rooftop party on the roof of our apartment building. All of Hadassah was dedicating the redecoration of our roof to her...it is now called "Shelley's Roof Garden". She was super surprised...I also felt pretty special that I knew her and I was on the dedication movie too...it pays to have a mom super involved with Hadassah :) That night I finished packing and went to bed late only to wake up early the next morning to leave for my 7am flight from Tel Aviv to Greece!!!!
Woke up at 4am on Friday morning...got in a cab and was off to Ben Gurion Airport for a trip I had been waiting to take for a long time! We flew from Tel Aviv to Athens...so excited to have my passport stamped...my new goal in life...get my passport stamped like crazy..lol! Then we arrived in Athens and had to catch our connecting flight to Santorini immediately! So we didnt check any luggage because of that...so we ran to the gate to catch our flight and of course i got stopped at bag check because had a few items that werent allowed in ur carryon...meaning liquids that were too big...I got away with it leaving Israel but no such luck in Athens :( So I literally lost a brand new bottle of mousse, gel, suntan lotion and my only small bottle of USA brand contact solution...but cest la vie...just bought it all again in Santorini.
We arrived at the Santorini airport...had a transfer to the hotel waiting for us. We arrived at the tourist center and had to leave our bags until our room was ready so we went for lunch. I had an amazing greek salad and a spread of greek dips and grape leaves..soo good!!! Then we got walked to our hotel...lets just say walking down the side of mountains in flip flops on slippery rock not that kool...lol! The hotel was beautiful...all the rooms were cave apartments. Our view when on our balcony was of the Caldera and the whole side of the island. Santorini was literally what you think of when you think of Greece! We accomplished soo much in the time that we were there. Unfortunately we only had two days and two nights in each location. Therefore the minute we dropped our stuff off in the hotel we had to hit the ground running. We were staying in Oia..which is very quiet and amazing for the scenery but not much happening there..so we took a bus to Fira (Thira) where it was more active. We then took a bus to the red beach...amazing!!! and then back to the city center where we walked around...ate amazing baklava... and rode donkeys...never feared for my life so much...only made it down a few sets of steps and then I made them let me off and we walked the rest of the 600 Caldera steps by foot. We then took the tram back up and waited for a bus back to Oia so we could watch the sunset and grab some dinner.
The next day we booked a trip where we hiked volcano island...swam in sulfur water (the hot springs) and visited Thirassia (used to be attached to Santorini before one of the volcano eruptions) and then got taken back to Oia or Fira. We got off at Fira...visited the black beach...really not that kool...full of black rocks...hurts the feet! Then we went to a restaurant in the town to watch the sunset. There is definitely a reason why Santorini is famous for its sunsets. They were beautiful.
The next day we were off to the port to catch a fast ferry to Mykonos. Two and a half hours later...we got picked up at the Mykonos port and brought to our hotel. Another amazing and beautiful hotel! We hung out at the hotel until our room was ready and then we were off to Mykonos Town. We had a late lunch and walked around the town. It is soo cute. I finally found a bakery and ate my favorie greek dessert...galaktoboureko...doubt i spelt that correctly...lol...and a frappe...yum! We watched the sunset and then headed back to our hotel. The rest of our stay in Mykonos was more of a relaxing vaca...woke up the next morning to an amazing breakfast...my favorite breakfasts were at this hotel....then we sat by the pool for half the day and then went to one of the beaches for the rest of the day. This is where my crazy dark tan came from...lol! We had dinner at a gorgeous restaurant overlooking the water and then headed back to the hotel for a relaxing evening.
We woke up the next morning..checked out of the hotel and were off to the Mykonos Airport for our flight to Athens. This time I checked my luggage so no hair products would be thrown away :) However we had a delay in our flight but didnt matter anyway because it was only a 20 minute flight...so nice! We arrived in the Athens airport and took the train to our hotel which was right by Monastiraki Square. My first impression of Athens...not soo good. It was very dirty...graffiti everywhere and just not a comfortable place to be...I was a little scared to walk around because we got told to watch out for pickpocketing! And to make matters worse I wound up booking us a hotel in the ghetto of Athens...not cool! I figured this beautiful boutique hotel had to be located in an amazing neighborhood...but no! Mom and dad..probably wont want to hear this and I forgot if I told you but I actually saw a hooker getting picked up on the street of my hotel while i was in the business center...yea bad neighborhood!) So we were just very careful and always kepts our eyes open.
We had a great authentic greek lunch and then were off to see the sites! We took a tram around Athens because I felt safer in a vehicle than being on foot. After the tram though we wound up getting out and walking around anyway...but I def felt much safer. We also happened to have walked into the square by the Parliament where the daily afternoon demonstration was happening...basically because of all the economy problems there is a lot of unrest from the people of Athens and they have a demonstration everyday in the afternoon. We didn't understand why there were so many police officers out in the streets and they were looking at us like something was wrong with us that we were just walking around...then we got to the square and realized what we had walked into...lol! Btw all the Greek police officers are gorgeous!!! That evening as well as the next one we hung out on our hotel rooftop where there is a pool/restaurant/bar. We saw the acropolis lit up at night and the rest of Athens...what a sight!!!
The next morning we woke up super early to go to the Acropolis. It was sooo amazing to see this piece of Greek history and architectural history. I learned all about that in school and it was unreal seeing it in person! We then went to the New Acropolis Museum and back to our hotel to rest. Then we got picked up by the tour that we had booked. We went to Cape Sounian to see the Temple of Poseidon. It was also really beautiful but thats def an area where you see the sunset and it was too early to see it...but it was nice to get out of the city. Came back to the hotel for our last evening in Greece. We watched the sunset from our hotel bar...out of this world! and ate our final greek meal. Oh also that same day I had finally tried all my traditional greek desserts...including baklava...honey greek cookies and these powder sugared greek cookies...yummmm!!!
The next morning we woke up had breakfast...and took a taxi to the airport. We arrived back in Tel Aviv in the early afternoon. I was sooo excited to get back to Tel Aviv...first of all it wasn't like coming back from vacation where you have to go back to work...lets be real i was coming back to tel aviv for another 2 months of vacation..lol! Plus I was really excited to see my other roommates and friends in the program! Its been really nice...I've def gotten closer with ppl over these past few weeks and its soo nice to have that friendship! Had an easy rest of the day...just relaxed...went out for dinner and started packing for my shabbat by my cousin.
I woke up the next morning and finished getting ready to go to my cousin's house in Petach Tikva. I took the train there and she picked me up from the train station. So I haven't seen my cousin in 22 years. I was a flower girl at her wedding (along with my older sister) and then she made aliyah and we never saw eachother after that. All I can say is that time doesn't matter...we literally sat talking for hours about anything and everything. It was amazing to see her and her family. She has a wonderful husband and 6 amazing children (I only met 4 of them). It was so nice to be with family! It felt like home being in her house with them for Shabbat. We spoke about our grandparents...mothers...families back in brooklyn. We looked at her wedding pix...I saw little me at 6 years old...i was soo cute...lol! We went to shul on friday night and had a beautiful shabbat dinner. We went to shul the next morning where there was a bar mitzvah....stayed after for the kiddush and then went back to her home for lunch where she hosted another family and a few friends. We all hung out some more...took naps and then had shalah shulus together saturday evening. After shabbat was over she drove me to the sherut and we made plans to be in touch for when my parents and sister come and visit. I just want to say thank you thank you for having me over....it was amazing and i look forward to another shabbat with you and your family before I leave in August!
I came home saturday night and organized myself for the coming week where I would be returning to work after all this vacation! Sunday and Monday were pretty typical days...went to work for the day and then gym at night. After the gym I've been trying to upload pix for all of you...so please bear with me...they will be coming soon! Then Monday night I literally sat with one of my friends on the program and hung out for the entire night...it was awesome...it felt like we were in summer camp...lol!
Tuesday was group meeting and trip day! I was really excited to go on our trip this week. We were going to Sderot...a town in Israel that gets hits with kazams very often. However I was disappointed in the trip...we got a security briefing first and then literally got on and off our bus a bunch of times to see different areas of the town and how there are bomb shelters all over the place in case there is a warning which happens often...or sometimes not for a while..you never know! We also saw gaza at one point on our tour...pretty crazy!!! Our tour guide I think was the problem he didn't do a very good job!
Then we went to a kibbutz that is housing a bunch of families who lived in Gaza and were kicked out of their homes in 2005. They are from Gush Katif. It was definitely interesting hearing the story of one of the families...I felt really bad about the fact that she got kicked out of her home and was forced by the israeli government and the IDF to leave where she had lived for 30 years! Her story truely touched me! However I then heard a different side of the story. One of our Israelis (who lives in the apartment building with us) came along and sat right next to me during this speech. Afterwards he explained to me and some of my other friends how he was a soldier in Gaza and in that area where these people lived and he said it was not an easy task to be stationed there and a bunch of other things. It just showed made me realize that there are many different sides to a story and the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle!
We then went to Yesodot to see where they are building their new community. We finally made it back to Tel Aviv only a hour later than expected! We to kickboxing that night...had an amazing class...and finally uploaded pix of Petra to Facebook!
Today was a typical day at work and then more gym and picture uploading tonight!
I'm super excited for the weekend...we are celebrating mine and another girl's birthday on friday night...then beach on saturday...and a family birthday party on saturday night! Then next week I am going to the President's Conference in Jerusalem next Wednesday and Thursday and going to see Matisyahu on Thursday night...sooo excited...shout out to all my birthright jew crew...Jerusalem...if I forget you!!!! Love u and miss you all!!!
Then in exactly 10 days my parents and younger sister are coming to visit! I seriously can not wait to see them!!! I can't believe I have been here for exactly 3 months and that there are only 8 weeks left to my program! It is insane. The more I think about it I am super upset...I have gotten closer with people on my program and have started to get used to coming home to them every night. I will miss that dearly! I am excited to travel after my program and see my older sister in the middle of those travels...love u and miss you tons!!!
But Israel definitely has a special place in my heart that I never thought would be there...I am truely blessed to be here...I thank g-d everyday that I decided to come here and do this program...it has made me a better person and appreciate the little things in life that I definitely wouldnt have realized in NYC! I know when I get back home the transition is going to be difficult...life is a lot simpler out here but I hope to find a good balance and not completely loose everything I've learned while I am here!
Love you and miss you all!!!!
<3 D
All I can say is how amazing life is these days!!!
Last time I posted I was about to go to the opening night of one of the hottest nightspots in Tel Aviv...Clara. It was amazing...so much fun...it was designed beautifully...basically think about a awesome lounge in NYC except all open to the outdoors and overlooking the ocean! Yea I know insane :)
Then Thursday went to work as usual...then came back to Tel Aviv to meet up with my mom's friend from NYC who was here visiting Young Judea and us wujies. We surprised her with a rooftop party on the roof of our apartment building. All of Hadassah was dedicating the redecoration of our roof to her...it is now called "Shelley's Roof Garden". She was super surprised...I also felt pretty special that I knew her and I was on the dedication movie too...it pays to have a mom super involved with Hadassah :) That night I finished packing and went to bed late only to wake up early the next morning to leave for my 7am flight from Tel Aviv to Greece!!!!
Woke up at 4am on Friday morning...got in a cab and was off to Ben Gurion Airport for a trip I had been waiting to take for a long time! We flew from Tel Aviv to Athens...so excited to have my passport stamped...my new goal in life...get my passport stamped like crazy..lol! Then we arrived in Athens and had to catch our connecting flight to Santorini immediately! So we didnt check any luggage because of that...so we ran to the gate to catch our flight and of course i got stopped at bag check because had a few items that werent allowed in ur carryon...meaning liquids that were too big...I got away with it leaving Israel but no such luck in Athens :( So I literally lost a brand new bottle of mousse, gel, suntan lotion and my only small bottle of USA brand contact solution...but cest la vie...just bought it all again in Santorini.
We arrived at the Santorini airport...had a transfer to the hotel waiting for us. We arrived at the tourist center and had to leave our bags until our room was ready so we went for lunch. I had an amazing greek salad and a spread of greek dips and grape leaves..soo good!!! Then we got walked to our hotel...lets just say walking down the side of mountains in flip flops on slippery rock not that kool...lol! The hotel was beautiful...all the rooms were cave apartments. Our view when on our balcony was of the Caldera and the whole side of the island. Santorini was literally what you think of when you think of Greece! We accomplished soo much in the time that we were there. Unfortunately we only had two days and two nights in each location. Therefore the minute we dropped our stuff off in the hotel we had to hit the ground running. We were staying in Oia..which is very quiet and amazing for the scenery but not much happening there..so we took a bus to Fira (Thira) where it was more active. We then took a bus to the red beach...amazing!!! and then back to the city center where we walked around...ate amazing baklava... and rode donkeys...never feared for my life so much...only made it down a few sets of steps and then I made them let me off and we walked the rest of the 600 Caldera steps by foot. We then took the tram back up and waited for a bus back to Oia so we could watch the sunset and grab some dinner.
The next day we booked a trip where we hiked volcano island...swam in sulfur water (the hot springs) and visited Thirassia (used to be attached to Santorini before one of the volcano eruptions) and then got taken back to Oia or Fira. We got off at Fira...visited the black beach...really not that kool...full of black rocks...hurts the feet! Then we went to a restaurant in the town to watch the sunset. There is definitely a reason why Santorini is famous for its sunsets. They were beautiful.
The next day we were off to the port to catch a fast ferry to Mykonos. Two and a half hours later...we got picked up at the Mykonos port and brought to our hotel. Another amazing and beautiful hotel! We hung out at the hotel until our room was ready and then we were off to Mykonos Town. We had a late lunch and walked around the town. It is soo cute. I finally found a bakery and ate my favorie greek dessert...galaktoboureko...doubt i spelt that correctly...lol...and a frappe...yum! We watched the sunset and then headed back to our hotel. The rest of our stay in Mykonos was more of a relaxing vaca...woke up the next morning to an amazing breakfast...my favorite breakfasts were at this hotel....then we sat by the pool for half the day and then went to one of the beaches for the rest of the day. This is where my crazy dark tan came from...lol! We had dinner at a gorgeous restaurant overlooking the water and then headed back to the hotel for a relaxing evening.
We woke up the next morning..checked out of the hotel and were off to the Mykonos Airport for our flight to Athens. This time I checked my luggage so no hair products would be thrown away :) However we had a delay in our flight but didnt matter anyway because it was only a 20 minute flight...so nice! We arrived in the Athens airport and took the train to our hotel which was right by Monastiraki Square. My first impression of Athens...not soo good. It was very dirty...graffiti everywhere and just not a comfortable place to be...I was a little scared to walk around because we got told to watch out for pickpocketing! And to make matters worse I wound up booking us a hotel in the ghetto of Athens...not cool! I figured this beautiful boutique hotel had to be located in an amazing neighborhood...but no! Mom and dad..probably wont want to hear this and I forgot if I told you but I actually saw a hooker getting picked up on the street of my hotel while i was in the business center...yea bad neighborhood!) So we were just very careful and always kepts our eyes open.
We had a great authentic greek lunch and then were off to see the sites! We took a tram around Athens because I felt safer in a vehicle than being on foot. After the tram though we wound up getting out and walking around anyway...but I def felt much safer. We also happened to have walked into the square by the Parliament where the daily afternoon demonstration was happening...basically because of all the economy problems there is a lot of unrest from the people of Athens and they have a demonstration everyday in the afternoon. We didn't understand why there were so many police officers out in the streets and they were looking at us like something was wrong with us that we were just walking around...then we got to the square and realized what we had walked into...lol! Btw all the Greek police officers are gorgeous!!! That evening as well as the next one we hung out on our hotel rooftop where there is a pool/restaurant/bar. We saw the acropolis lit up at night and the rest of Athens...what a sight!!!
The next morning we woke up super early to go to the Acropolis. It was sooo amazing to see this piece of Greek history and architectural history. I learned all about that in school and it was unreal seeing it in person! We then went to the New Acropolis Museum and back to our hotel to rest. Then we got picked up by the tour that we had booked. We went to Cape Sounian to see the Temple of Poseidon. It was also really beautiful but thats def an area where you see the sunset and it was too early to see it...but it was nice to get out of the city. Came back to the hotel for our last evening in Greece. We watched the sunset from our hotel bar...out of this world! and ate our final greek meal. Oh also that same day I had finally tried all my traditional greek desserts...including baklava...honey greek cookies and these powder sugared greek cookies...yummmm!!!
The next morning we woke up had breakfast...and took a taxi to the airport. We arrived back in Tel Aviv in the early afternoon. I was sooo excited to get back to Tel Aviv...first of all it wasn't like coming back from vacation where you have to go back to work...lets be real i was coming back to tel aviv for another 2 months of vacation..lol! Plus I was really excited to see my other roommates and friends in the program! Its been really nice...I've def gotten closer with ppl over these past few weeks and its soo nice to have that friendship! Had an easy rest of the day...just relaxed...went out for dinner and started packing for my shabbat by my cousin.
I woke up the next morning and finished getting ready to go to my cousin's house in Petach Tikva. I took the train there and she picked me up from the train station. So I haven't seen my cousin in 22 years. I was a flower girl at her wedding (along with my older sister) and then she made aliyah and we never saw eachother after that. All I can say is that time doesn't matter...we literally sat talking for hours about anything and everything. It was amazing to see her and her family. She has a wonderful husband and 6 amazing children (I only met 4 of them). It was so nice to be with family! It felt like home being in her house with them for Shabbat. We spoke about our grandparents...mothers...families back in brooklyn. We looked at her wedding pix...I saw little me at 6 years old...i was soo cute...lol! We went to shul on friday night and had a beautiful shabbat dinner. We went to shul the next morning where there was a bar mitzvah....stayed after for the kiddush and then went back to her home for lunch where she hosted another family and a few friends. We all hung out some more...took naps and then had shalah shulus together saturday evening. After shabbat was over she drove me to the sherut and we made plans to be in touch for when my parents and sister come and visit. I just want to say thank you thank you for having me over....it was amazing and i look forward to another shabbat with you and your family before I leave in August!
I came home saturday night and organized myself for the coming week where I would be returning to work after all this vacation! Sunday and Monday were pretty typical days...went to work for the day and then gym at night. After the gym I've been trying to upload pix for all of you...so please bear with me...they will be coming soon! Then Monday night I literally sat with one of my friends on the program and hung out for the entire night...it was awesome...it felt like we were in summer camp...lol!
Tuesday was group meeting and trip day! I was really excited to go on our trip this week. We were going to Sderot...a town in Israel that gets hits with kazams very often. However I was disappointed in the trip...we got a security briefing first and then literally got on and off our bus a bunch of times to see different areas of the town and how there are bomb shelters all over the place in case there is a warning which happens often...or sometimes not for a while..you never know! We also saw gaza at one point on our tour...pretty crazy!!! Our tour guide I think was the problem he didn't do a very good job!
Then we went to a kibbutz that is housing a bunch of families who lived in Gaza and were kicked out of their homes in 2005. They are from Gush Katif. It was definitely interesting hearing the story of one of the families...I felt really bad about the fact that she got kicked out of her home and was forced by the israeli government and the IDF to leave where she had lived for 30 years! Her story truely touched me! However I then heard a different side of the story. One of our Israelis (who lives in the apartment building with us) came along and sat right next to me during this speech. Afterwards he explained to me and some of my other friends how he was a soldier in Gaza and in that area where these people lived and he said it was not an easy task to be stationed there and a bunch of other things. It just showed made me realize that there are many different sides to a story and the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle!
We then went to Yesodot to see where they are building their new community. We finally made it back to Tel Aviv only a hour later than expected! We to kickboxing that night...had an amazing class...and finally uploaded pix of Petra to Facebook!
Today was a typical day at work and then more gym and picture uploading tonight!
I'm super excited for the weekend...we are celebrating mine and another girl's birthday on friday night...then beach on saturday...and a family birthday party on saturday night! Then next week I am going to the President's Conference in Jerusalem next Wednesday and Thursday and going to see Matisyahu on Thursday night...sooo excited...shout out to all my birthright jew crew...Jerusalem...if I forget you!!!! Love u and miss you all!!!
Then in exactly 10 days my parents and younger sister are coming to visit! I seriously can not wait to see them!!! I can't believe I have been here for exactly 3 months and that there are only 8 weeks left to my program! It is insane. The more I think about it I am super upset...I have gotten closer with people on my program and have started to get used to coming home to them every night. I will miss that dearly! I am excited to travel after my program and see my older sister in the middle of those travels...love u and miss you tons!!!
But Israel definitely has a special place in my heart that I never thought would be there...I am truely blessed to be here...I thank g-d everyday that I decided to come here and do this program...it has made me a better person and appreciate the little things in life that I definitely wouldnt have realized in NYC! I know when I get back home the transition is going to be difficult...life is a lot simpler out here but I hope to find a good balance and not completely loose everything I've learned while I am here!
Love you and miss you all!!!!
<3 D
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
the amazing adventure that I call my life....
Shalom!!!
What a crazy week its been so far....
The last time I posted I was a day away from going to Petra. Let me just say what an amazing trip that was!!!! I went to work as usual last Thursday and then left early to go home meet my friends...finish packing and then go to the new central bus station to take a bus to Eilat. The bus ride wasnt too bad...then 5 hours later we were in Eilat. A taxi drove us to our hostel...which was really nice and we grabbed food for the next morning and went to bed early so we could get some rest for our eventful Friday.
Friday morning we woke up at 6am and got ourselves ready for our trip to Petra. A taxi picked us up at 7am and drove us to the Arava border in Eilat. A guide from the tour company met us and helped us leave the Israeli border and sent us a few hundred feet to the Jordanian border where we were picked up by our guide who would be with us for the rest of the day. We sat and waited for our passports to be stamped and then we were off on a coach bus through Jordan to Petra. It was crazy being on the bus we were literally driving through the desert without anything to either side of us on the road except for bedouin tents scattered throughout the landscape.
After a bathroom stop along the way and about a two hour drive we finally made it to Petra. My friends and I got geared up for an amazing adventure...and that it was. Our guide walked us throughout Petra. Eventually at the end he let us have half hour to walk around as we pleased and then we had to meet back at the bus. Words and pictures cannot explain how amazing and jaw dropping Petra is. The size and height of these mountains is insane. Needless to say we had a wonderful day and I was soo happy that I decided to take this trip!
After we got on the bus our guide took us to a buffet lunch in a Jordanian restaurant. The food was amazing!! It felt soo good to eat and sit in air conditioning after that 3 hour hike through Petra. All I can is that I am sooo not made for the heat...it was sooo hot in Petra and Eilat..not a fan...lol! Then the tour took us back to the Jordanian border so that we could enter back into Israel. We got driven back to our hostel and rested for a little while. That night my friends and I explored the hotel area of Eilat. We walked on the tayelet and went to eat by the hotels. We then grabbed a drink on the beach at one of the beach bars. It was soo nice to just hang out and chill on the beach on a friday night!
We had a bus ticket to go back to Tel Aviv at 7pm Saturday night but we were really over Eilat (lol) and wanted to get back to Tel Aviv earlier so we decided to wake up early grab breakfast at the hostel and then walk to the bus station to try and make it onto the 11:30am or 1pm bus. So we walked to the station figured we could make it for the 11:30am so we ran back to the hostel grabbed our bags from storage and took a taxi back to the bus station. While we waited for the station to open at 11am (Israelis def dont believe in 11am on the dot!) all these other people started creeping up to the front of the line to "look" at the schedule on the board but then literally cut in front of the whole line! I was pissed.
New York came out of me and I literally yelled at this woman who knew exactly what I was saying and pushed her way in front so that she could either buy a ticket or switch hers!!! I was soo annoyed and over Israelis at this point. I was hot...tired and annoyed...not a good combo..lol! Then when I was one person away from changing my ticket another israeli came up on the side of the line and asked the teller to change his ticket and I screamed again and since he was friends with the teller what happened but the teller changed his ticket! I had had enough at that point and just let it go! So we instead got tickets on the 1pm bus back to TLV.
We hung out in the bus station until our bus boarded and we made it back to TLV at 5:45pm after another 5 hour bus ride...I'm kinda over those bus rides! We rested for a while and then went out that night to a club on the TLV port for a friends birthday. I had a great night with my girlfriends dancing the night away to American music...yay!!!
Woke up the next morning exhausted after only getting 5 hours of sleep but knew I had a crazy busy week at work. Made it through work on Sunday and crashed that night. Monday was another busy day at work then rushed home went to the gym and went out for dinner/dessert with a friend. Had another great night of sleep..lol and then woke up early Tuesday morning to get ready and try and finish posting pix from Petra and my other weekends before our group meeting and siyur for the day. As you can all see (if you have facebook) I am slowly posting pictures :)
After our group meeting we took a bus to the Tishbi Winery in Zichron Yaakov to have wine and chocolate tasting..the wine was amazing and we made some new friends who lived on a kibbutz right near there. We were then driven to this really cute street in Zichron and given a half hour to eat lunch and be back on the bus...so not enough time but I wound up getting the most amazing shakshuka that I have had since I've been here. Ate the rest of my meal on the bus on our way to Atlit.
Atlit is a museum that tells the story of a Jewish Detention camp that held Jews who were captured by the British before..during and after WW2. It was a little eery being in the camp...and I feel for anyone who was held there until they were released.
After Atlit we took the bus back to TLV. I then relaxed in my apartment and kickboxed at night. After I got home from kickboxing I was supposed to pack for Greece...supposed to being the operative word...and we all know I am the biggest procrastinator when it comes to packing...I'm usually up the night before I leave finishing it up...lol! So instead I got home ate...showered and went to bed.
I woke up this morning got ready and actually began to pack...lol. I have an exciting day at work today...I am going to the site with my boss and we are setting up a model apartment in the building that was just finished. Then tonight I am going to Clara this lounge/club on the beach...it is the opening night! I am super excited!
Tomorrow is another crazy day...work...then I must change shekel into Euro for Greece...run home...have dinner with a friend of my mom who is visiting..run back home...be on our roof by 8pm for a cocktail party and then out with a friend for drinks...finish packing at some point and hopefully get some sleep because I must be in the airport by 5am Friday morning for my flight to Athens, Greece...yay!!!!
These past few weeks have seemed to fly by...I can't believe I have been here for 3 months its insane!!! I am having a blast and literally the time of my life!!! I'm super excited for Greece and the weeks to come!
My bday is almost here and I always seem to relfect on the past year of my life and I'd have to say that this past year has been eye opening...amazing...tough...and so fulfilling!!! I am soo happy to be in Israel...in my homeland...with such Jewish pride...I can't explain how much it means to me to be here!
And for those of you who don't have facebook or didnt see my post...I booked my ticket home...I will be back in NYC on September 16!!!
I'll be in Greece til next Thursday and then I'm away for the weekend...I will try my best to post asap after Greece.
Love you and miss you all!!!!!
<3 D
What a crazy week its been so far....
The last time I posted I was a day away from going to Petra. Let me just say what an amazing trip that was!!!! I went to work as usual last Thursday and then left early to go home meet my friends...finish packing and then go to the new central bus station to take a bus to Eilat. The bus ride wasnt too bad...then 5 hours later we were in Eilat. A taxi drove us to our hostel...which was really nice and we grabbed food for the next morning and went to bed early so we could get some rest for our eventful Friday.
Friday morning we woke up at 6am and got ourselves ready for our trip to Petra. A taxi picked us up at 7am and drove us to the Arava border in Eilat. A guide from the tour company met us and helped us leave the Israeli border and sent us a few hundred feet to the Jordanian border where we were picked up by our guide who would be with us for the rest of the day. We sat and waited for our passports to be stamped and then we were off on a coach bus through Jordan to Petra. It was crazy being on the bus we were literally driving through the desert without anything to either side of us on the road except for bedouin tents scattered throughout the landscape.
After a bathroom stop along the way and about a two hour drive we finally made it to Petra. My friends and I got geared up for an amazing adventure...and that it was. Our guide walked us throughout Petra. Eventually at the end he let us have half hour to walk around as we pleased and then we had to meet back at the bus. Words and pictures cannot explain how amazing and jaw dropping Petra is. The size and height of these mountains is insane. Needless to say we had a wonderful day and I was soo happy that I decided to take this trip!
After we got on the bus our guide took us to a buffet lunch in a Jordanian restaurant. The food was amazing!! It felt soo good to eat and sit in air conditioning after that 3 hour hike through Petra. All I can is that I am sooo not made for the heat...it was sooo hot in Petra and Eilat..not a fan...lol! Then the tour took us back to the Jordanian border so that we could enter back into Israel. We got driven back to our hostel and rested for a little while. That night my friends and I explored the hotel area of Eilat. We walked on the tayelet and went to eat by the hotels. We then grabbed a drink on the beach at one of the beach bars. It was soo nice to just hang out and chill on the beach on a friday night!
We had a bus ticket to go back to Tel Aviv at 7pm Saturday night but we were really over Eilat (lol) and wanted to get back to Tel Aviv earlier so we decided to wake up early grab breakfast at the hostel and then walk to the bus station to try and make it onto the 11:30am or 1pm bus. So we walked to the station figured we could make it for the 11:30am so we ran back to the hostel grabbed our bags from storage and took a taxi back to the bus station. While we waited for the station to open at 11am (Israelis def dont believe in 11am on the dot!) all these other people started creeping up to the front of the line to "look" at the schedule on the board but then literally cut in front of the whole line! I was pissed.
New York came out of me and I literally yelled at this woman who knew exactly what I was saying and pushed her way in front so that she could either buy a ticket or switch hers!!! I was soo annoyed and over Israelis at this point. I was hot...tired and annoyed...not a good combo..lol! Then when I was one person away from changing my ticket another israeli came up on the side of the line and asked the teller to change his ticket and I screamed again and since he was friends with the teller what happened but the teller changed his ticket! I had had enough at that point and just let it go! So we instead got tickets on the 1pm bus back to TLV.
We hung out in the bus station until our bus boarded and we made it back to TLV at 5:45pm after another 5 hour bus ride...I'm kinda over those bus rides! We rested for a while and then went out that night to a club on the TLV port for a friends birthday. I had a great night with my girlfriends dancing the night away to American music...yay!!!
Woke up the next morning exhausted after only getting 5 hours of sleep but knew I had a crazy busy week at work. Made it through work on Sunday and crashed that night. Monday was another busy day at work then rushed home went to the gym and went out for dinner/dessert with a friend. Had another great night of sleep..lol and then woke up early Tuesday morning to get ready and try and finish posting pix from Petra and my other weekends before our group meeting and siyur for the day. As you can all see (if you have facebook) I am slowly posting pictures :)
After our group meeting we took a bus to the Tishbi Winery in Zichron Yaakov to have wine and chocolate tasting..the wine was amazing and we made some new friends who lived on a kibbutz right near there. We were then driven to this really cute street in Zichron and given a half hour to eat lunch and be back on the bus...so not enough time but I wound up getting the most amazing shakshuka that I have had since I've been here. Ate the rest of my meal on the bus on our way to Atlit.
Atlit is a museum that tells the story of a Jewish Detention camp that held Jews who were captured by the British before..during and after WW2. It was a little eery being in the camp...and I feel for anyone who was held there until they were released.
After Atlit we took the bus back to TLV. I then relaxed in my apartment and kickboxed at night. After I got home from kickboxing I was supposed to pack for Greece...supposed to being the operative word...and we all know I am the biggest procrastinator when it comes to packing...I'm usually up the night before I leave finishing it up...lol! So instead I got home ate...showered and went to bed.
I woke up this morning got ready and actually began to pack...lol. I have an exciting day at work today...I am going to the site with my boss and we are setting up a model apartment in the building that was just finished. Then tonight I am going to Clara this lounge/club on the beach...it is the opening night! I am super excited!
Tomorrow is another crazy day...work...then I must change shekel into Euro for Greece...run home...have dinner with a friend of my mom who is visiting..run back home...be on our roof by 8pm for a cocktail party and then out with a friend for drinks...finish packing at some point and hopefully get some sleep because I must be in the airport by 5am Friday morning for my flight to Athens, Greece...yay!!!!
These past few weeks have seemed to fly by...I can't believe I have been here for 3 months its insane!!! I am having a blast and literally the time of my life!!! I'm super excited for Greece and the weeks to come!
My bday is almost here and I always seem to relfect on the past year of my life and I'd have to say that this past year has been eye opening...amazing...tough...and so fulfilling!!! I am soo happy to be in Israel...in my homeland...with such Jewish pride...I can't explain how much it means to me to be here!
And for those of you who don't have facebook or didnt see my post...I booked my ticket home...I will be back in NYC on September 16!!!
I'll be in Greece til next Thursday and then I'm away for the weekend...I will try my best to post asap after Greece.
Love you and miss you all!!!!!
<3 D
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
my time...my life...my adventure!!!!
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
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
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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