LSATs: The Israeli experience. Or: Yentl revisited.

tel aviv, on yom kippur. This street would ordinarily be full of cars. EERIE.



angry baby graffiti.


Well, hello there.

It's been awhile...sorry for the delay, but may I just say, MY LSATS ARE OUT OF THE WAY. and yes, I know that rhymed. Snarky snark snicker.

Aaaaayways, so I am sitting at city with Michal, once again, blogging and writing for law school. I love this cafe--not only are their salads the most bomb thing ever, but they also play THE BEST MUSIC EVER. Like, moloko and dmb, two of my favorite bands. Thank you, lord. Today Michal and I made shnitzel-ed eggplant, which is seriously my new favorite thing ever. AND we made a sauce for it, out of tahina and zatar (my new favorite spice that we put on EVERYTHING and I am bringing a bucket of it back to the states) and it was heaven. We didnt even put it on plates, we just ate it straight out of the pan. UNREAL.

Now I must update you on my day without food: Yom Kippur. I actually fasted the whole time, which I was hesitant to do becuase of my LSAT the next day. The night before Yom Kippur, at like 4:30 pm of course, we had a pre-Yom Kippur dinner with all of the boys, which consisted of an AMAZING mexican burrito night. Now, that might not sound so special to all you lucky ducks in America, but let me tell you: Mexican food is the one genre here that is IMPOSSIBLE to come by. As is cheddar cheese. Cheese here, in case I havent explained it, comes in two varieties: White cheese, and yellow cheese. THere are hard-ish and soft varieties, but that's the whole shebang. So, the fact that we were able to have a real burrito night with cheddar and black beans and ground beef for the meatetarians, was UNREAL. we had all been craving it, and we finally had a fix. Nooooow, what was funny is that AS we were eating, we realized what a silly idea it was to have mexican as our 'last supper' before fasting, since it goes straight through you. Argh, blinded by the craving. After dinner, we decided to take a walk outside and it was UNREAL. No cars, no sound: just silence. And stoplights. We laid down in the middle of the street and legit played games, it was So much fun. But, since we were all hungry again by like 8pm, we all went to bed. And stayed in bed, as long as possible. The next day was allright: we mostly sat on our balcony and listened. And watched. It was just so STILL- its like new york city except on mute, and without cars. It was beautiful and eerie and SO cool. Before our break-fast, we walked around Tel aviv, taking graffiti pictures (see above) and listening to prayers from the various schuls arond the city. Becky and Jacks wanted to hear the shofar blow at the end of Yom Kippur, so we stood outside a shul for like 30 minutes waiting to hear the shofar. Honestly, I was fine until the walking and just straight standing for 30 minutes outside the shul--that, coupled with the heat, was when I was like, I have to go. So I headed for where our break-fast was, the 'new' apartments (which we will probably be moving to in a few weeks, ugh. moving.) It was a wonderful break-fast, which was ironically breakfast themed, haha. We had bagels and cream cheese and lox and onions and tomatoes and scrambled eggs and kugel and borekas (pastry-like awesomeness things that I avoid at all costs, haha). It was really really awesome, and so nice to break the fast all together.

That night was also quite fun becuase my friends Sarah and Jaks (both ironically canadians) taught me one of my favorite songs on the guitar, Walk Away by Ben harper. Its rather easy, and I'm tickled that I now know 1 (ahem, don't joke) song on the guitar. Yay!!

AAAnd, then was my LSAT. oh, what a day. The day started, instead of with a gentle wake up from my apartmentmates as they left for the day, with a JACKHAMMERRIGHTOVERMYHEAD. No, I kid you not: this is the day that my neighbors decided to begin renovations on their apartment. At 8:30 am. On the day of my LSAT. whoof. So, waking up with a giant pounding headache was fun, and not being able to escape it was even more fun. Hoorah. Then, on my way to the LSAT, I was nervously focusing on the bus, and as a rule i generally ignore Hebrew chatter (since, well, I don't understand it), but apparently the woman next to me on the bus had been asking me whether anyone had pushed the button to stop the bus or not, and I didnt answer her, like 4 times. So, she decided the best course of action was to jump up and start screaming at me in Hebrew. Being accosted on a bus is SO not fun, especially not when you're stressed. Shaken, I finally made my way to the LSAT, only to discover that I was going to take this 5 hour test in a performance space (there was a legit stage and piano at the front of the room) on a crookedy rattley old fold out table and chair. Fabulous. And, as I looked around the room: Holy hell i felt like Yentl and I'm not even kidding: There was one other girl, and like 17 yeshiva boys. Legit, yeshiva men: white shirts, black pants, tsittsit, peyes, yarmuke, black coats, the whole shebangy. WOW. It was very surreal. And, on top of it, the proctor was as Israeli as they get: I won't get too specific, but lets just say it was ridiculously unorthodox (hehe). Like, what, am I taking an LSAT now??? Craziness.
I am still deciding wether or not to cancel the test, weighing the options and perhaps contacting Georgetown Law, but for now we shall seee.

Love to all, Chels

HWOTD: mifchan- test. as in, i just took a meshugenah mifchan and am farblunget. Theres a little yiddish hebrew woah-now for you. :)

City of Concrete

So, I'm going to preface this serious-face post with a little update, and a cute-as-a-button picture: my coffeeshop. I love it love it love it. They play good music constantly, and the people who work here are SO freaking cool. Yay for neighborhood coffee shops. We also were adventurous last night and walked to the end of the street our neighborhood is named for: Florentin. FINALLY, we found out why people think we live in such a cute neighborhood! The end of that road is HOPPIN, with a cute little sushi bar, lots of little bar/pub/restaurants, coffee shops, and gelatto places!! SO cute! There's another yay for exploring our neighborhood.


Ok, now to serious-face post. Since this is a politically touchy subject, I am going to try and present just my experience and a little of what I was told without trying to seem too biased or one-sided. Try, being the operative word here.

Soooo, yesterday we went to Sderot, a city in the Negev (southern desert) in Israel. This city also happens to be 1km (about .6 miles) away from the Gaza strip. Since it is so close, it is unfortunately subject to a lot of rocket attacks from Gaza, almost daily. Since 2001 there have been 10-12000 rockets that have hit the city, with many casualties. We were on a neighborhood block where every house had been hit by a rocket at least twice...very sad stuff to see. The people there can't really leave because their property is worth nothing, and everywhere in Israel is basically within missile range (VERY small country), and a lot have stood in solidarity trying not to cave to the terrorists aims: to get them to leave.

Honestly, all of us were a little apprehensive about this trip. There has been relative quiet in Sderot since May: that is, up until Rosh Hashanah 3 nights ago. Two bombs were launched on the city in the middle of the night, but thankfully no one was hurt. We got off of the bus, and Sheldon (our professor/leader) gathered us near the entrance to the nearest bomb shelter and explained to us about Tseve Adom, or "red alert". When Tseve Adom comes on over the loudspeakers, located all around the town, you have a maximum of 15 seconds to get to a bomb shelter. He told us, "if you hear tseve adom, its not a time to discuss Hamas policy: I will point to the nearest bomb shelter and you will run. We came as a group, so if someone goes down, help them as fast as you can and get inside." Its mayhem: we watched a video of a tseve adom going off in a school yard, and it was panic and pandemonium. People have a visceral reaction to that sound here, I can't even imagine the terror that that evokes. I was scared and I never even heard it. Its also really sad that the kindergartners have learned to start singing at the top of their lungs as soon as they get inside the bomb shelter, to cover up the noise of the explosion. I cant imagine living like that on a daily basis: most everyone who lives in that city has PTSD, even the two year olds show signs of it. And what's even more horrible is that Israel really hasnt done anything about it: the families don't get any sort of help with rebuilding their houses completely, and the mental health facilities there which are sorely needed are all closing down due to lack of funding. Its a really really sad situation. After we had a meeting in the 'central' bomb shelter, we had the chance to go to the police station and see the rockets that had been recovered from the attacks. They are made from scrap metal and are very rudimentary, but i guess are 'kicked up' since a terrorist tactic is to load bullets, scrap metal, and any other sharp projectiles into the rocket so that they go flying on impact, injuring more people. It's ridiculous too, since these are all civilians. We also got a chance to stop at a school/playground in Sderot: the children basically play in painted bomb shelters because the playgrounds have gotten hit so many times. And the schools, everything is concrete. The good part is that you are never that far from a bomb shelter: the bad part is that it has to be like that.

After we left Sderot, we went to an outlook right over Gaza, where you can see almost everything. This was also quite scary since we were in sniping range, and couldnt bring cameras or anything that made us look more tourist-y. Its a beautiful view, but an unbelievably sad and frustrating area of the world. I dont know really how to describe it other than heartbreaking: and things weren't even presented to us in a sympathy-creating or overtly pitiful way. Everything in this country is so matter-of-fact about death and loss and their daily sacrifices and fears, it can be kind of disconcerting. It also makes me really grateful for how I live and for my quality of life. And for my life in general.


Sorry for the overtly depressing tone: what I saw there is something that you can't get out of your head very easily. If any of you want more info on Sderot or the conflict, they have their own media group with some interesting links, etc: http://sderotmedia.org.il/


Love you all--a more un-depressing post soon, I promise.



H.W.O.T.D: atzuv/ atzuvah (M/F): it means sad. rather appropriate.


10-12000 rockets have hit sderot since 2001: 250 of which have come in the past 8 months, during a 'cease-fire' with gaza.



children play in this bomb shelter on their playground.

Apparently there IS such a thing as a stupid question in Israel

...for me at least. While this may be a broad generalization, it seems that if we ask a question with an (obvious-to-Israelis, at least) answer, we get glared at (we have learned that this means yes. well, it can mean no, too. see, its tricky--since you're supposed to know the answer, you're supposed to know the answer to the question, too. Sometimes we get thrown a bone with a blatant "...of course"--that's helpful). But in all seriousness, polite questions or "just-checking" questions here seem to be out of the norm, and get answered as such. While this may seem like I'm starting my blog with a rant about Israeli 'bad' manners, let me tell you, it may turn out to be quite the opposite (DUM DUM DUM....foreshadowing).

Let's see, what other tangents can I go off on before I get to the meat of this entry? Hmmm...oh! I know! My roommate has found a way to keep me from fainting. For those who dont know me intimately...see...I have this thing with blood. As in, I can't be around it or I have a tendency to pass out if I overthink it. As in, me popping blood blisters is a reallllly bad idea (ewwwww, I know. TMI. Just deal for a hot sec, ok? I promise this is going somewhere). So, my roommate saw me freaking out and was like "uh, uhhh, tell me what to do!" so I told her to distract me, to put on some music or something! To which she replies, "ohok!! What kind of music????" To which I, true to form as my mother's daughter, immediately scream the first thing that comes into my head: "PUT ON SOME TECHNO!!!!" It was just the most bizzare thing to pop out of my mouth, that we just busted into giggles and forgot all about fainting and ended up listening to I guess the closest thing to techno in Canada-- "another one bites the dust". Suffice it to say, it worked, no fainting spell. Although, it moves me to question my roommates taste in music (ahem, canadian, ahem) (JUST KIDDING JAKS).

One last tangent, which is not so tangental, I promise. So, the FLOWER SHOW WAS SO FREAKIN COOL. It was a legit carpet in the middle of rabin square made ALL out of flowers, and we got some pretty cool postcards and they even gave us little flower plants to take home!! Oh how I love the belgians. So nice. Be sure to stay tuned for pictures below!!

So, this weekend was the beginning of the Chagim, or high holy days. Rosh hashanah, to be specific. Happy new yearrr woooooo (insert annoying horn/shofar sound here). My first high holy days in Israel, wow. And what an experience! Friday night was Shabbat and also the beginning of Rosh Hashanah. I was lucky enough to have a wonderful friend in Michal who invited me to spend Rosh Hashanah celebrating with her family in Ra'anana, which was wonderful (as is the word Ra'anana. I think it might be my new favorite hebrew word--On the way in the car, I kept saying 'I want to eat a bananaaaaa in Ra'ananaaaaa'. Sooo annoying, I'm aware haha). Her whole family is South African but they all live in Israel so they have these wonderful accents and are the most charming people. AND COMPLETELY BROKE MY STEREOTYPE: FORESHADOWING BOOYAAA. And now, of course, what would one of my blog entries be without the FOOD?!?!?!? Nothing I tell you, nothing.

So, the food. Let me start by saying that this was a pretty traditional Ashkenazi Rosh Hashanah meal, full of symbolic foods for a sweet and wonderful new year. Let me also say that my family eats maybe 1/2039482 of these foods, so although I knew about them from my Jewish studies classes, I had never experienced them. Shawwweeeet. Pardon my memory, but I am going to try to sum up what we had symbolically (and ALL covered in sugar, if you can imagine that) and (maybe) what it means:

• spring onions
  
• dates
• pomegranate- following the commandments. oh, and sweetness.T
  
• spinach omlette
• apples and honey-sweet new year, apples are round like the earth
  
• green beans
• sweet challah- round like the earth. and the womb (fertility woop woop). oh, and sweet.
  
• a whole fish--so as to be the head and not the tail of our endeavors. oh, and a sweet new yr.
  
• roast pumpkin

Ok, so I got 4/9... I dont really know what the rest mean (curses on me, vanessa ochs would be so ashamed of me right now) but most are for defeating enemies, being leaders, money, and having a sweet new year. duh.

After all that shmorgasboard, the plates were cleared, and I was just feeling satisfied as....I was informed those were just the appetizers. Woah, nelly. THEN we proceeded to have even MORE of a traditional, symbolic, FEASTOFALLFEASTS and it was glorious. These included: chopped herring (sounds ew, but SO GOOD), stewed spicy fish (i wanted to makeout with whoever made this dish...jk but no really), spicy chicken, sweet chicken (with raisins and apricots and prunes, oh my!) and an overall shmorgasboard of potatoes: sweet and roasted and kugeled and all topsyturvy up in potato land. YUM. And, of course, I had to try my magical honey cake. It was good, I will give it that, but I was looking for, well, MAGICAL. and I think I am going to have to continue on my search for something that good--it was good, definently on the dense bread-y side of a cake, and rested so that I found the outer parts ever-so-dry, but still a rather successful adventure.

Rosh Hashanah dinner aside, spending the day in Tel Aviv was pretty cool. And by cool, I mean eerie. Imagine a city with traffic like NYC. then, imagine being able to walk down the middle of lex, and not get hit by a car. Like, woah. it was like being out at 4:30 in the morning on a Monday: except broad daylight. Verrry creepy. This was on our way to the beach, where we spent a wonderful day relaxing and dipping our feet in the Mediterranean. Oh, life. We also had a chance to watch another wonderful Israeli film this weekend, called Walk on Water. Really, really fabulous: again another one I would recommend.

The past few days I've been trying to be good and study for my LSATs, but days like today just creep in there and I say, you know what? I'm going to get in my friends car and go with them to hertzilya. I dont know why, but I shall. And it was glorious. I love how I'm amost always spot on with what I need at that moment. Almost. Tomorrow, for example. Having biiig reservations. We are going to Sderot, which is less than 1 mile from the Gaza strip. Aaaand Hamas shoots rockets into it, on a daily basis. As in, the last bombing was 2 days ago. Its a daily thing, really. So i'm a little skeeved about that, kind of feel like it may turn into a 'oops wrong place at the wrong time' kind of moment, but I'm staying positive and keeping an open mind and am going to go. Woop, field trips. Silly wabbit, these field trips are for grownups. gulp.

I know, right? what a great note to end this blog entry on. But, look at it this way. I am giving you a real glimpse of life in Israel. You have happiness and joy surrounding the holidays, with celebration in the air and vitality and love, and its immediately coupled with loss, and danger. It's always a theme here, and is inescapable. So yay, me, for being true to Israeli form.


Night kids, to bed we go.
AAND HWOTD: nachon. It means 'of course' or 'correct' and is rather appropriate given the title of this blog ;)



P.S. There are all of these Murakami-like flowers scattered as graffiti throughout Tel Aviv. I have decided that I am going to let the flowers lead me on a tour throughout the city: pictures to follow. For now, these are flowers i found on Hamelech George between Dizengoff and the Merkaz (less for you and more for me so I dont post the same graffiti twice!! ps, doesnt the word graffiti make you want to say Rafiki, and then start singing and quoting the Lion King? no? Just me? figures...)

murakamI?



flowerss

bloggity blog

Updates from the motherland....

Shalom Kulam! I hope everyone's doing well--I love getting little snippets of info about whats going on in the homeland, keep those comin'!

Updates, updates, updates. Let's see...First and foremost, I HAVE A NEW INTERNSHIP!!!!!!!! Hoorah!!! (that was fast, thanks to my insanelyawesomeamazing group leader Ricky). It is at Ichilov Hospital (I think, either that or Sourasky Medical Complex, lol...they might be the same thing but I haven't figured that out yet), and I am going to attempt fertility clinic #2. This one is more hands-on, so I am getting special medical coverage or something, but I am so happy! Ironically, I can't start work until Oct. 3rd, after Sukkot has started, since the High Holy Days are a big deal here (duh), but that is good for me since I am scheduled to take my LSATs here on September 29th! (GULP) Makes me keep in mind that it all works out in the end...:)

Some people in my group and I are also planning on renting a bus on October 7th and driving to J'lem to go see Matisyahu in concert!! Its going to be really amazing and I cannot wait. I love doing all of those little exploreybits: like tomorrow, not only am I doing a walking tour of Tel Aviv to go see a bunch of art exhibits that are open for Tel Aviv's 100 year anniversary, but I also get to go on a siyur (field trip) to Neve Tzedek, the cutest area EVER, to study Bahaus and learn more about Tel Aviv. I believe we are also exploring the Susan Dellal Center, which is like the big performance space here for dancers. I am STILL working on finding a dance class: I need to just bite the bullet and get it over with haha. I also took a tour of the gym here: its a bit small and pricey and male-dominated, but I think I am going to join. The rooftop views are unparalleled and they offer really fun-looking classes!!! (In Hebrew, thats going to be an adventure).


Speaking of adventures....

I am currently baking a 'magical honey cake' from my new "Book of Israeli Foods" cookbook that I just bought with Michal. It is a recipe for Rosh Hashanah and is the first cake that I have ever seen that needs to "rest" for 5-7 days...hmmm....this should be interesting. Did I mention that I am cooking from a recipe written entirely in GRAMS and I am baking this shindig in a TOASTER OVEN? Oh, I forgot that, did I? Oops. THIS is going to be hilarious. But, never fear, I have the fire extinguisher on hand.

I will keep you updated on how it went---for now, its nose to the grindstone for LSATs, law school app, personal statement, and, of course, learning Hebrew.


LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!!!!!!!



***2am UPDATE***

The cake. is. done.
Seriously people, if only you could be in my apartment right now. I don't know how my roommates aren't bouncing awake (maybe mine is just excitement-at-having-actually-cooked-something-edible-in-a-toaster-oven-induced), but this APARTMENT SMELLS SO FREAKING GOOD!! It smells like honey and goodness and warmth and Rosh Hashanah! I am just waiting up for the cake to finish cooling, so that I may "wrap it in tin foil and store it in a cool dark place for 6 days" haha. I have yet to decide what I am actually doing with this cake, since I was expecting for the recipe to make more than one (It talked like it did, but it was all talk), but something Rosh-Hashanah-y. I am joining Michal's family of South Africans for Rosh Hashanah and I am very much looking forward to it! Michal is a wonderful friend--on Sunday night we ended up watching an Israeli indie film called Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi, which was the most freakinfantastic movie I have seen in a loooong while (perhaps since VCB, gran?) I strongly suggest that if anyone in the states can get their hands on it, they do. It is WONDERFUL.

Finally, I couldn't let you all leave without your word of the day, could I? So here it is, H.W.O.T.D: sheket. It means shut up, and we get told this a lot in our ulpan since we are a bunch of A.D.D. twelve year olds. I think it might be slang, but nevertheless, there you go! I would also like to share with you a glimse of the "Who's on first" conundrum with Hebrew that I am working with, in the form of a little rhyme that my roommates taught me: "Ani is me, me is who, who is he, he is she, and dog is fish." Now say that as fast as you can and try not to say he when you really mean he which is really who which will leave yourheadspinningggg. LOVE!

yes, this is my oven. groan. buuuuut ittttt worrrksss!




ta-da!

my life right now:

in one word: sweaty.

haha, no, I'm kidding. (kind of.) It's shabbat, and I'm writing you from a cute little cafe about 4 store fronts down from my apartment. I swear, their to-go iced latte cups are so damned cute, I may actually take up cold coffee. Maybe.

In a word, I am, at peace. Everythings a little mishegas here, but that is to be expected. I have embraced it. As you will read, I am letting it roll off of my feathers. Yes, that's right, I have feathers.

Good news folks, our AC is FINALLY FIXED. No throw-back-to-summer-camp-anti-Cold-air here! Now our porch is sweltering because our inverter has decided to output air at about 145F, but that's a "duh, we're in Israel" moment. I am becoming SOOOO good at figuring out those moments: Today, Michal and I decided to totally rearrange our kitchen to attempt to give ourselves at least 1 square foot of counterspace. We dragged a hall entryway table into our GALLEY kitchen, and made it work. Tim Gunn would be so proud.

In other news, I am really settling into life here. Our parents should be so proud: we youngadults took it upon ourselves to organize another shabbat potluck, and although it was a little all-over-the-place, we did it right. Pats on our backs. Shabbat has also been a welcome day in my life: nothing is open except for the AM/PM (our downstairs convenience store) and the coffee shop, so we get to have a chillaxin day. Oh, and the Mediterranean is open, I forgot to mention that. Saturdays are un/official beach days, even though today I made an exception for my mental health (I needed a day of organizing/cleaning/getting my shit in order). Sometimes it's hard for me to chillax if I have pressing matters. Like my blog. Of COURSE you take precedence over my LSAT studying, of course!


Ulpan has also been going well/interestingly. Although I may find it weird that we're learning to say "prince Charles is the prince of England" before the number nine, I'm sure it makes sense to Israelis. I can also now say "The chocolate is from Belgium" and "Madonna is from the United States." So useful, I know :)

I'm also still working on a dance class to take: trying to be e-to the-conomical, but still shake my groove thang. Yep, I got one of those. I found a studio that had some promising looking classes, but got a bit turned off when the secretary tried to sell me on the fact that irish dancing and tap were the same thing. The nerve!! haha.


Incidentally, this studio is right below my "work". Now, I use that word in quotation marks becuase I haven't actually DONE anything yet. The doctor who I am working for seems absolutely wonderful and brilliant and nice, but in his teeny office of one doctor and 5 secretaries, they literally seem too busy to have us help them. The language barrier is obviously a big issue, and will be a hurdle with anything that I try to do, but I am going to try to find something more productive to do than wait in a waiting room for 5 hours asking "is there anything I can do now?" at 15-minute-intervals. Don't worry, I'm ok. Keeping my mind and options open, and optimism is always the goal. The goal, I say.


I have also managed to find the equivalent of a "dollar" store in one of the main commercial centers here--I am fully planning on unleashing my artistic side on some canvasses and proudly nailing them to my wall. (well, maybe gumming them to my wall. Since they are concrete. And I dont have a hammer.) I also found the prettiest spools of ribbon in this one store and plan on throwing ribbon and superglue at my wall and seeing what happens. Just kidding. Maybe.

That's about all, folks! I would like to share one final revelation that I had this week: we were cooking our peasanty-shakshuka dish, which was unfreakingreal, and just throwing things in a pot to simmer, when it hit me: how spoiled I felt. Literally, not just lucky, or blessed, but honest-to-goodness spoiled. And that totally threw me: I can be here, with the bare minimum to my name, but be totally more-than-fine. And, to know that when I finally go home, I will feel spoiled also by all of the luxuries that I don't have here. Knowing that I can have such an amazing life when nothing is familiar and I have next-to-nothing just makes me very happy. Didn't really explain that too well, but the recap is that I feel spoiled here. And am ok on my own. And needed to know that. And now do.


p.p.s. Applying early to Georgetown Law. Gulp. Wish me luck, and DC-i-ans better get ready for this whirlwind.


hebrew word of the day: ramzor. It means stoplight! These are mostly disregaurded in Tel aviv, just so you know when you come here and drive and want to be a true tel avivian.

Oh, this port is 4,000 years old? ...is that all?

waterfall at Ein Gedi
Us tiny ants hiking the big mountains
navigating my way over rocks!


Wheofweshhh the amount of history here!! It is unreal, unreal, unreal. And although I have a sore spot when it comes to my memory and history, the tales of these places I am literally minutes from are amazing.

I am deeply sorry to my readers for not updating you sooner: life here is BUSY. There is so much to see and to do, I just cant fit it all in. Yet I am getting used to the lifestyle: everything happens tomorrow, hours aren't really hours, and EVERYTHING is casual. Helping me slow down: exactly what I was seeking.

So, here's a little play-by-play, mano-a-mano, from me to you. Mundane? ...maybe to you, but I will try to cram it all in with as many exciting details as possible (trust me, it's been exciting). Ready, go!

Thursday we did our hike to Ein Gedi. It was SWELTERINGLY hot but I made it--and it was MAJESTIC. I have never been on such a hard/long hike in such HEAT but it was truly worth it. At the end of the 2ish hour hike we got to see a hidden waterfall, which was so beautiful and we got to swim in the little pool which completely refreshed me for the way back. After that 5 hour hike we went to the Dead Sea where people got to float (I didn't go in because I had just shaved my legs--big no-no). It was still around 104 F there, at about 4 pm, so you can imagine. A few people got hurt/heatstroke etc, but it was an overall wonderful trip. We also go to meet up with the other wings of our group that are in Jerusalem and I got to meet some pretty interesting people, like this Asian Jew who wrote the SNUGGIE infomercial. Best moment of my life!! Haha.

Friday was the first day that we had "off" to prep for shabbat. The rooms and I went to the shuk (Ha'Carmel Market: shuk means market) and went shopping to make guacamole and these traditional Israeli chocolate balls for dessert. Shopping in a market is SO CHEAP and SO FUN, and having Michal with us (my personal angel) with her hebrew skizzils was amazing. However, all of us are still learning how to buy fruits and veggies so the avacados that we bought, which are different here anyways and look kind of akin to zucchini, weren't ripe (we tried so hard). So, guac was out, but we ended up making a DELICIOUS israeli salad with all of the veggies. I am going to be damn good at making those when I come hope. But: about food later. Shabbat was a great experience: everyone looked nice and we all had a potluck dinner at one of the apartments and it was really loving and sharing and wonderful.
Saturday was our first shabbat here. It was really interesting to see what people do for Shabbat in a country of Jews: none of the public transportation works, most of the stores/restaurants/shops are closed, so what do people do? Go to the beach!! Our whole group trekked down to the beach, finding a farther-away beach this time but walking through a really cool little neighborhood called Neve Tzedek which is veryyy bohemian and artsy and quaint and European. It is SO awesome to explore and take pictures and walk around in wonder. The beach was, as usual, wonderful. The Mediterranean is a bit saltier, so my lips get all krinkly and weird, but other than that it was just a beautiful day. That night we came home and all got in our PJs and a group of us sat down to watch some Israeli plays that Becky, my roommate's, boss had given her to watch. The first thing we watched was called the Velcro Show: It was like mime-slapstick mixed with uber-inventiveness and was very cool. The next piece was called Eshet (Wife of) and was one of the most evocative and beautiful plays I have ever seen. The lead female was a dancer and it involves puppetry but was SO interesting. Imagine a serious Avenue Q but much more beautiful. It is apparently a BIG hit in Israel and is touring and is also based off of a story in the bible but I am not sure which one. Finally, we stuck in a little promo reel for an arts festival that Becky is helping put together here in Israel. For some reason, and I am not sure why for me, but Becky, Jaks and I all started bawling. We just literally lost it--it is really hard for me to explain my emotional connection to Israel and the struggle and defiance and bravery and passion and sacrifice of the people here, but it is there. Even though I can't define it doesn't mean that something doesn't draw me to this place--enough for me to move here and try to figure it out. If I can get my hands on a copy of that promo reel--just the beginning part--to show everyone, I would love to. It somehow sums it all up (especially for Jaks and Becky who work in theater and the connection to theater and emotions here is so strong).

Sunday began for me with my first encounter with a bus scare. Jaks and I decided to go back to the Shuk for some more veggies and we went to our normal bus stop, but we were stopped by police who had barricaded a section of the road and had a bus trapped in the middle of it. Traffic was at a STANDSTILL and it was very scary: probably just a suspicious package, but it makes you much more aware of little bags you see that could just be laying around unattended. It's also eerie to know that the reason there are no public trashcans in this country is because of bombs...it makes everyday life a lot more deliberate and wary at first. Sunday was also my first day of work, since the workweek here is Sunday-Thursday instead of Monday-Friday. I got to meet the doctor, which was very cool, and we talked a bit about what I would be doing. I think that I am starting out with editing for the English on their website, which I am happy to do, but I am also very interested in getting my hands dirty (haha what an off-color joke) and working in the sperm lab. I also want a chance to interact directly with some of the patients so I might shadow the doctor for a few days with his procedures in the hospital. I am really excited for the possibilities there, and even though it is a small dingy office with no space for me and no time to tell me what to do I honestly have evaluated it and couldn't be happier with my placement. That night, we also had our first meeting with Sheldon Shulman, an ex-Canadian who worked in intelligence for years in the states and then in Israel and is apparently very well-known and consulted. He is going to have sessions with us on the Jewish-Palestinian conflict which I am very grateful for, and I think he is trying to teach us with as many primary sources as he can so that we can draw our own conclusions. Even though we only spoke for an hour or so, I have already learned so much about the Palestinian mentality and how difficult finding peace is going to be. He also sent us documents like the Hamas charter, which was very very interesting to see. Also, there is a search engine that translates all of the middle-eastern media into english so that we can read Jordanian and Syrian press, etc, called www.memori.com I believe. VERY interesting to see their take on current events. I also have failed to mention that every time we meet, we are meeting in the Gay and lesbian center, which makes me feel proud that something like that can exist in the middle east but also a bit wary since it is the place that was shot up a few weeks ago. Then again, what place in Israel hasn't been shot up at one time or another.

Monday, Jaks and I cleaned our apartment (they don't have swiffers in this country, oof, so it was this cool Israeli mopping technique that was pretty effective) and tidied up a bit. Then, we decided to go with a few friends to explore the old city of Yafo, or Jaffa in English. It. Was. So. Freakin. Cool!!!! I love old places like that: winding stairways and cobblestones and narrow alleys and overall quaint-ness. I have such a reverence for places so steeped in history--It's mindblowing to think about how many years that place has been standing. American senses of time are irrelevant-its is so interesting to think about all of the BIBLICAL stories about this place. Monday night we also had our first ulpan, or hebrew immersion class. It was pretty hard since it is a legit immersion class so there were maybe 3 words of english spoken the whole time, but I think I learned a lot and it is going to help me a lot. Michal is also helping us label everything around our apartment so that we will be able to learn everyday things that way too.


Today we had our first siyur, or 'field trip' I guess, to Har Adar and Latrun (technically in the west bank), which are both historically strategic wartime vantage points for whoever holds them. We talked again with sheldon about the history of these places and more about what a two-state solution would mean for Israel if the Palestinians took control of these vantage points. Although Sheldon may be a bit crass and cavalier about death and obviously a bit biased, I think that he is incredibly knowledgeable and will be able to open our eyes to stop thinking in such a westernized manner and understand how politics and negotiations in the middle east occur. There was also a BEAUTIFUL monastery at Latrun but, of course, they closed just as we got there so we couldn't go inside.


WHOOF that was a pretty exhaustive "days-in-the-life-of-Chelsea", or HHHHHelsea as I am starting to be referred to as here, lol (there's no ch- sound in Hebrew). Last but not least, I wanted to mention to everyone the FREAKING AWESOME FOODS THAT WE ARE HAVING because of Michal here. Michal and I both share a love for the culinary arts and because of such we have been having the best and most authentic Israeli meals you can't even imagine. Just a short list, but so far we have had:
chatsilim up the wazoo (anything eggplant-y or mixed with eggplant)
those chocolate balls made from crushed cookie/biscuits and cocoa powder and oil H20
challah french toast (YUM shabbat breakfast)
chavita (these egg fritata-like things that you put israeli salad and pita and hummus on)
Hummus like WOAH (SOOOO GOOD HERE)
Borekas (kind of puff-pastry things with eggplant or mushrooms or potatoes inside)
TONS of Zatar, my new favorite spice that I am bringing tons of home
aaaand, tonight we are having Shakshuka!!! Which I am told is like the ratatouille/peasant dish of Israel but is a staple: it is (I think) poached eggs in this homemade sauce/mixture of eggplants and peppers and tomatoes and cucumber and everything! It is apparently an army staple and EVERY soldier thinks that they make the best shakshuka ever. I am SO excited that Michal is introducing me to an absolutelynecessary Israeli cookbook in english so that I will be able to take some of the things that I learn here home with me.


LOVING life and MISSING you all--my love from the holy land


Sign in Old Yafo


From atop Har Adar, where you can see all of Israel

The Port at Yafo


P.S. Hebrew word of the Day: ananas. It means pineapple!! And, is apparently the same in French. :)