The "Real" Israel

I want to start this post by saying that I'm safe here in Tel Aviv. I know you have all probably watched the news, been on Facebook, and seen what is happening in Israel through many different media outlets. I just want to let you know that the media isn't always portrayed as it actually is here. Are there rockets being fired at Israel hourly? Yes. Is it a scary and unsettling feeling? Of course! But, we can't sit here and sulk in the negative... we must pick ourselves up and have confidence that everything is going to be okay. Let me start out by my experience with the sirens, rockets, and bomb shelters.

It all started yesterday after a day trip to what we thought was going to be the Golan Heights. Our program had originally planned to take us there to hike for the day, but last minute changed plans (tends to happen a lot here) and we did not end up going as far north. So, we end up in this random desert and they tell us we are going to hike. Now, we knew there would be some water included in this hike, but they told us maximum it would be up to our knees. Now, there's up to the knees for our 6'4 guy on our trip, and then there's knees for all 5'2 of me. Needless to say what it ended up being was water up to my neck! We had to "hike" our way through this river for about an hour and a half. Mind the fact that no one informed us to bring a bathing suit, change of clothes, or even a towel! It was probably one of the highlights of my trip because who doesn't love a little spontaneity to spice up a trip?!

While on the bus ride back, we found out that our madricha (group leader) Shira must be sent back to the reserves during this time of need for the country. So, we get back to the dorms at about 7:30pm on Tuesday night. I kid you not the second I put my key into the lock, I heard a noise. Now, this noise sounded like a combination between a tornado siren and when you turn the air conditioning on. I had assumed the negative of what this invasive noise may be, a code red siren. I immediately yelled to everyone on my floor. "What is that noise, hello is anyone here, help, what is going on!" Seconds later, frazzled Americans (myself included) ran into the bomb shelter on my floor of the dorm. Now, this bomb shelter is actually a dorm room for one of the people living here, so we had to pound on his door for him to open up. 10 minutes later it was all clear to leave and go back to our business.

I really cannot describe the thoughts rushing through my head as I entered a bomb shelter for the first time. Relief that we actually had a safe shelter to run to and fear of what could possibly happen. This is no Pitt bomb threat jokes anymore people, this is real Israeli life! Rockets from Gaza are being aimed at us and there really is no way to escape it. Israelis go on with their lives, they resume work, lunch, shopping, etc. I feel as if people here keep comparing ourselves to Israelis, but we really can't. This is our first experience with anything like this. It's okay to feel scared, nervous, anxious, or any type of emotion. Some people are internalizing this while others are more external with their feelings. How sad is it that Israelis are used to this? They don't flinch at a siren going off, but are prepared and know how to react since many of them have done this before.

For example, today I decided to go workout and go to the pool with a friend. This facility is walking distance from my dorm so we were close by if anything else happened. While at the pool, one of the lifeguards came and spoke to us. He showed us where the bomb shelter was without us even asking. He then said that if a siren went off, he would remain in the lifeguard chair. We asked why and if he was scared and his answer was basically that this is life for them and we just have to move on. He said he doesn't live his life in fear. So, my friends and I decided to do what we do best... get pampered! We went for pedicures and went on with our daily lives just as the Israelis do. And, it was honestly a great day.

I seriously cannot imagine life without the sirens, though. They are a warning signal and tell us to take cover. Israelis intelligence is literally insane and I cannot even wrap my mind around how this all works! We have exactly one minute to get to safety. Now, one minute is both long and short in my opinion. At least we aren't in the South of Israel where they have 15 seconds... just imagine. 15 seconds to find hiding. 15 seconds to grab your family and run. 15 seconds to duck and cover if that's all you have. So many people don't even have a bomb shelter or secure area to go to. We are lucky that we have bomb shelters on each floor of the dorm. When in doubt, I tell myself that I am safe in my dorm and that if anything were to happen, the safest place is here.

I woke up this morning to what I thought was a siren in my dream. When the pounding on my door intermixed with the dream, I knew it was real life. Time to head to shelter again! 8:30am this was just the greatest wakeup call. For the rest of the day, anytime I heard a police car, the wind, a horn, anything, it made me jittery. It was like the Pitt bomb threats except real. Any noise, I flinched. Any screaming I thought something was wrong.

But, in the end, we are all safe here. The media doesn't always portray what it is like here. Life does go on. And it will. Am I a little scared? Of course I am! Who isn't?! But, stuff can happen anywhere. You just have to pick yourself up and move on. I'm trying as hard as I can to go back to my normal life here. My routine and what I know. You have to make the best of situations and stay positive. This is what I've learned not only from being in Israel, but about life in general recently. You can't focus on the negative and things you can't change. But, you can stay in tune with what you do have control over.

Honestly, I never thought that me, a privileged girl from Highland Park would be seeking asylum in a bomb shelter. But you know what? These are the experiences that make you grow as a person. These are the stories you tell your family and friends. It's times like these where we all have to stick together and just keep thinking that everything is going to be okay. Because it will be. Just stay optimistic.

Eye-opening Shabbaton!

Without a doubt, I can proudly say that this weekend was one of the most eye-opening experiences I have ever had. Yes, I have had many great weekends in my life of mouth-watering food, exceptional drinks, great company, etc., but this one was unlike anything I have ever experienced. I don't really see myself as a religious person but more culturally Jewish, but this weekend really opened my eyes to how other's live their lives. Now, I'm going to give you an abridged version because I don't want to bore you with all the details about my weekend.

We started off in Jerusalem for the day on Thursday. We as in Onward Pittsburgh and 5 other groups that we didn't know. They were more religious groups than us, usually studying Torah in the morning and interning in the afternoons. We broke up into groups and went to the Israel Museum

where each group would be learning about a different topic. Now, my topic was supposed to be "Between me and my People" where we learned about what separates and connects the Jewish people. My tour had absolutely nothing to do with this topic besides the fact that we looked at artwork of actual people... Thursday night we headed to Yerucham for a relaxing night. A few friends and I spent our night just meeting people in other groups and listening to this one guy play guitar which we all know I love!

Friday a bunch of us (mostly from our trip) woke up at 6:30am to go to a Crater that was about a 10 minute drive from our hostel in Yerucham. I wouldn't necessarily say the crater was "pretty" or "beautiful" but it definitely was incredible since this isn't a man-made type thing here. We are talking this crater formed by itself! This is just completely mind-blowing to me, as were many parts of this weekend. We took a few pictures and then each person sat in their own space for about 30 minutes and just soaked in where we were. There was complete silence for once in my life and it was honestly perfect. I have never been more peaceful than that moment where I was starring into the crater, just letting my mind wander wherever it wanted to.

Crater

After the crater, we split into groups again, each group being a different category. Mine was entrepreneurship and youth which is kind of random if you ask me but whatever. My new motto here is always "yes" and any opportunity I'm given no matter what, I take advantage of it. So, even though I have no knowledge on entrepreneurship, I just went with it. It turned out to really not have anything to do with either topic, but it was still very interesting. The most memorable parts were going to a man named Jojo's house in Yerucham and hearing him speak (which was translated into English for us) about how passionate he is about Israel in general, but more specifically, Yerucham. The city is very small (about 10,000 people) and is a pretty poor area. Jojo said that he came here when he was a young child and they told his family that they would be moving to Jerusalem. Little did he know that when he got to his new "home" it would be in this random city. Although I couldn't understand Jojo, I could tell through his facial expressions how dedicated he is to this country and his city. His wife does cooking classes in the home and sells a cook book to help raise money for the underprivileged children living in Yerucham. Our next stop was to a robotics center where we learned about after school robotics club for teenagers. This was very similar to an after school program in an underprivileged area anywhere, but it was interesting to hear the teens talk about how life changing this was for them. My last and final stop was literally the most random thing ever but I loved it! We went to this music studio that an Indian-Israeli owns. All we did was literally play drums and musical instruments for about 30 minutes but I was just so happy and it was just very therapeutic.

At night, I decided to venture out to a Moroccan Orthodox synagogue, something that I have never done before. Orthodox services were new to me to begin with, but throwing in a Moroccan twist was something fresh. The service ended up being a bust and I only stayed for about 20 minutes since there was a divided men and women's section and I could barely hear or understand anything. A few of us went back to the hostel where we ended up sitting on a women's discussion with two of the rabbi's wives. They both told their stories about growing up, and one of them was actually raised reform. They also took a question and answer session which was so informative and very interesting. We also heard from a girl our age who grew up reform and recently decided to become modern Orthodox. Her story was incredibly moving and it actually brought tears to my eyes. I have met many Orthodox Jews before but have never really taken the time to ask them deeper and more meaningful questions about their practices and beliefs.

My favorite part of the entire trip, though, was the panel of rabbis and their wives on Saturday morning. The four of them decided to run a panel where we could ask as many questions as we wanted and no topic was off limits. Many questions were asked that I could relate to and some were more religious based questions, mostly asked by the more religious people in the groups. Questions such as, why do bad things happen to good people, do Jews believe in reincarnation, specifics about the Torah, etc. were all asked and answered. This breakout session really got me thinking about my own beliefs and what being Jewish actually means to me. Most of my friends and I were raised in a "culturally Jewish" society, and when asked, I usually say that I'm just culturally Jewish. This means that I follow all of the values of what it means to be a Jew and was raised in a "Jewish" home. But, what does that even mean exactly? Just because I was bat mitzvahed, go to services on the holidays, and eat kugel and challah... does that really make me Jewish? Many questions poured through my head and although I don't have an answer to anything yet, I'm now on a journey to find my own Jewish identity.

I can't really explain it or put it into words but being in Israel just brings everything back home. Everything that happened with the three boys, now the kidnapping of a Palestinian boy, rockets being fired, all of that stuff is scary and sad, yes, but in my opinion, it is very thought-provoking as well. I am the first to admit that I don't read the news, am not caught up on current events, and before being here, I can confidently say that I really didn't care. How could something going on in Israel or the Middle East actually affect me when living a life of carefreeness in the US? Even if I did read up on current events, what would that even do? Would I do it just so I could have an intellectual conversation with someone? Because in my opinion prior to being here, one person can't make a difference when it comes to this stuff. How can one person change a nation of suffering when the Jewish people themselves can't even agree on beliefs?! But, after being in Israel for almost a month now, I can confidently say that I am now up to date on current events, I read the news (online of course!) and I actually CARE. I never thought those words would come out of my mouth but I do genuinely care about what is happening and it is DIRECTLY affecting me now. After all, I am living in Israel for two months in the height of a huge conflict.

There were many debates conducted during my three days in Jerusalem/Yerucham. Words were said, disagreements were made, and no one agreed to disagree. People could not find it in them to see the other side. It was their way or the highway, which made me very frustrated. How can we expect to have peace between nations, religions, groups of people, etc. when we cannot even come to an agreement within our own people?! Of course, there shouldn't be a "cookie cutter" type person, but we should all be able to see two-sides to every story and find it in ourselves to understand others' perspectives. Multiple perspectives people.... we've learned this in school our whole lives so why can we not apply it?

Anyway, done with my rant now. There are so many more things I can say about this weekend and the impact it had on me, but I won't bore you with all the details. If you are interested just ask me, I would love to talk more about it! Just ask Mom... we discussed this for hours last night! I'm not saying that I'm not more religious, observant, or anything of that nature after this Shabbaton, but what I am telling you is that I am more open-minded. I think the most important thing in life is to just be open. Don't judge a book by its cover, be open to meeting all different types of people, and just listen. Listen to people's stories, to their history and obstacles. You can learn a lot just by listening and observing... that's what I did this weekend and it turned out to be amazing and honestly life changing!

Now off to a week filled of food, touring, writing, etc. We are going to the Golan Heights on Tuesday for a hike so that should be a great way to walk off all the massive amounts of food I'm ingesting into my body!

Have a good day everyone and Boker Tov (Good Morning) to those in the US! :)

Food Tours Galore... and more!

As the new Delicious Israel intern, I have many responsibilities. One being going on food tours. This past Sunday, I embarked on the infamous "Levinsky Market" tour led by my boss, Inbal. Now, Levinsky Market isn't what you may think it is... I originally thought it would be like the Shuk (Carmel Market), but to my surprise it was just a bunch of streets with food stores on them. On our tour was a family from Toronto and a couple from New York and me. Everyone was so friendly, especially since we were after all bonding over food.

Abu Hassan Hummus

The tour featured many shops along Levinsky Street as well as some side streets. We sampled spices, olives, cheese, hummus, meats, the list can go on and on. The most interesting part to me was a place called Cafe Levinsky 41 (aka the address... so original I know.) We met the store owner who explained what he did. Basically, he preserves various fruits, vegetables, spices, you name it, he does it. His entire shop is covered with jars with preservatives in them. His idea was to make various drinks with homemade syrups and seltzer water. So he makes a concoction of a mixture of syrups and then adds water from a soda stream type gadget. It honestly was mind-blowing because it is such a unique concept and the drinks were out of this world!

Cafe Levinsky 41 

The next day, I went on a similar food tour except in addition we went to Jaffa which is my actual happy place. I am obsessed with Jaffa and no one can sway me otherwise. Jaffa is South of Tel Aviv and the architecture is inspired by the Middle East, Morocco, etc. There is a Jaffa Flea Market which has lots of goodies as well as beautiful restaurants with outdoor patios, amazing shops, and did I mention AMAZING shops?!? We went to a famous hummus place during the tour called Abu Hassan which I have been DYING to go to and I finally went... for free I might add! :)

It's funny to me how people sit at a desk 9-5 here for internships and then there's mine which entitles me to go explore Tel Aviv and all it has to offer. I can proudly say though that those two days taught me more about Tel Aviv, Israeli culture, food, and myself then my past 2 weeks in Israel.

So funny experience that my friend and I had the other day. Tali (my friend) and I recently joined the gym to kick our tushies since all we've been doing here is eating and drinking. They also have an outdoor pool which isn't too shabby. So, we decided to enroll for a kickboxing class at the gym. We walked over and at first we were completely lost because of course every sign is in Hebrew. We tried finding Studio 1 except literally every building and room was labeled 1 so that just messed with our heads. We finally found the class, with about 30 people in line before us. When the clock stroke 7pm, it was a literal mad rush with the class before letting out about 30 people and then 30 of us shoving our way into the crowded studio. Israel has many things that don't make sense here and that is just one of the many confusing and unorganized things in this country. So, Tali and I started the class literally hysterically laughing because the people were just too damn funny. The teacher was an adrenaline junkie and was screaming and shouting the ENTIRE class. Oh, did I mention the class was instructed in Hebrew? Jokes on us I guess. It was a great workout though and I definitely got some worthwhile laughs.

Another funny story here. Four of my friends and I decided to go out for sushi the other night. At the end of the meal, our waitress brought us free shots of some fruity Japanese liquor. I first took a sip to see if I would like it or not and it was so fruity so obviously I had to have it. We all took the shot in unison and while Dani, Tali, and my facial expressions read that we liked the shot, Cydnie looked utterly disgusted. We were trying to figure out what was wrong because the shot was delicious and very refreshing after a sushi dinner. A few minutes later, the waitress came over and said that by mistake she poured one of us a shot of whiskey... we honestly could not stop laughing for about 5 minutes!

Also random side note- we were trying to explain to my madricha (RA), Shira what a "typical American Jewish Girl" looks like. We were explaining that they are usually short, dark brown hair, brown eyes, etc. As we were explaining my entire group was literally like, "What Alexis looks like." It was very funny and so true.

Yesterday, with my day off of work, my friends and I decided to go back to Jaffa because of my #obsession. I showed them around, playing tour guide for the day. We were famished and needed to find a place to eat ASAP and we came across this cute cafe. Turns out, it was the restaurant that I've been searching for, called Cafe Puaa. This restaurant was so cutely decorated and I want my first house to look like that. It was out of an antique store/Anthropologie combo. Needless to say I was mesmerized and couldn't stop looking around and taking photos. We spent the rest of our day shopping because we were in desperate need for some retail therapy. You know, my days in Tel Aviv are really rough. I bought myself a pair of earrings and am definitely going back for more sometime soon.

Cafe Puaa 

Last night, we celebrated Tali's 21st birthday at a restaurant called Night Kitchen. Thankfully my friends here like to eat like me so three of us split a bunch of appetizers and I felt like I was at home with Mom because we always do the same. After dinner, we headed to Rabin Square to participate in a memorial for the three boys who were kidnapped and were recently found dead. I can't describe the thoughts and feelings I felt being there because I had many emotions running through my head. When we arrived, the people were gathered singing "Shalom Alenu" which was so moving I had goosebumps. In this heart-wrenching and horrific occasion though, it is amazing to me how our people stick together. As sad as this tragedy is, I think it makes this Jewish community even closer. I can't really describe what it is like to be in Israel during all of this, but it just makes me thankful for all I have, both near and far. I was standing at the memorial thinking about the family and friends of these boys and their pain right now, and thinking to myself that I'm so thankful for all of my friends and family. I guess it's times like these where you just have to make the most out of a really shitty situation and just try to stay positive.

Night Out with Friends

Beautiful sunset

Outside of Puaa 

Jaffa Market

Marissa, Tali, Dani, Me, Hannah

Memorial for the boys 

On a brighter note, I am headed to my first Hebrew class in a few hours! Should be an interesting sight to see, especially since I've been jumbling my Hebrew with my English. For example, the word "to move" is Zuzi. We were at the beach and these boys were playing paddle board literally RIGHT in front of us so I decided to use my Hebrew and say, "Do you mind zuzing on over there?" My friends were hysterically laughing because Hebrew and I just don't really mix.

Off to Jerusalem for a Shabbaton weekend with other Onward Israel groups. Should be interesting.....

Delicious Israel

As some of you know, I have decided to change internships from the non-profit I was working at to an amazing company called Delicious Israel. The company was founded in 2011 by an American woman who lives in Israel named Inbal. She specializes in walking food tours, cooking classes, wine tasting, etc. I am going to be helping her to compose a "top 5" list that will contain top 5 recommendations based on location, cuisine, price, etc. So, yesterday I met with her past intern, Paloma, who was leaving to go back to the United States. 

Paloma and I met at an outdoor coffee shop on King George Street (one of the main streets in Tel Aviv.) We sat outside and discussed food, traveling, and Israeli culture while I sipped on my delicious iced coffee. In Israel, iced coffee is basically a coffee smoothie/milkshake and is one of the greatest things I have ever tasted. I digress... anyway, Paloma and I discussed some business plans and ideas for how I can make the most out of the 6.5 weeks I have left here. She also gave me restaurant, bar, and club recommendations in Tel Aviv and I cannot wait to start experiencing these places! Paloma then told me about an interactive map her American friend made and that she would send it to me. We started walking down King George Street and who did we run into but her friend she was just talking about! Talk about small world... but it gets smaller! Turns out he is from Highland Park, but is 29 so we didn't know anyone in common. Jewish geography fail at it's finest. But literally how funny that 1. we run into the guy and 2. he is from HP?! Small world, small world. 

Last night, a bunch of friends decided we would go to this "culinary experience" thing in Southern Tel Aviv. We really didn't know what to expect but it involved 1. exploring and 2. food so obviously that is an automatic YES in my book. So, we all hopped aboard the 25 bus towards the city center to go explore. As we departed, out of the corner of our eyes we saw a guy from our trip sprinting to make the bus, and he failed miserably. Later on about 5 stops later, we see him literally hauling ass to make the bus! He had ran probably at least a mile following the bus step by step until he finally made it on, with sweat dripping down his face. We were all dying of laughter because he could've just taken the next bus but instead he decided to sprint down the streets of Tel Aviv in order to catch ours. 

So about this food thing...it basically was a food market/festival where there were samples of food (spreads, cheese, bread, hummus) and then you could purchase anything you liked. We spent most of our time at the cheese and beer station, sampling everything in sight. Of course this wasn't enough food to hold us over so we decided to go out to dinner at a place nearby called Greg. They didn't have a table big enough for the 8 of us (since we aren't in America and people don't go out in herds here) so we split up 4 and 4. I had the sweet potato ravioli in a cream sauce which was delicious and way too creamy for me to handle. After dinner, which we finished around 10:30pm, we decided to head back to our dorms. We walked down the cutest street in order to get to the bus, and I literally stopped at every store to window shop. Needless to say I know where I'll be spending my weekend! 

Tonight is "White Night" or Laila Lavan in Hebrew. I experienced the same celebration in Florence but it was called Notte Bianca, in Italian. Basically, shops, restaurants, and vendors stay open all night long and it is one outrageous party! There are also activities going on in different areas and squares around Tel Aviv. For instance, in Rabin Square there is a headphone party, where everyone tunes their smartphones to a certain station, put in headphones and everyone is dancing yet if you take off the headphones it is silent. So basically we look like a bunch of idiots dancing in the square because no one knows what we are listening to. Another activity is yoga on the beach at 5:30am... don't think I'll be attending that one. 

Anyway, I will definitely have pictures and stories to share from Laila Lavan so stay posted.... 

Day trip to Jerusalem!

So yesterday (Tuesday) my program had a day trip to Jerusalem. I imagined it being a touristy view of Jerusalem, just like it was on Birthright. I was very surprised to find out that it was completely different.

It was definitely #strugglecity to get up in the morning. Our bus was leaving at 8:15am and most of my group went out the night before to celebrate our friend's birthday. We got home at around 3am and needless to say we barely slept. It was a legit mess the next morning but it made for a very entertaining bus ride.

We arrived in Jerusalem and immediately went to an area which bordered Jerusalem and the West Bank. We had a tour guide with us who explained more about the fence that divided the two areas. This is something that I'm not very educated about and I actually learned a lot about this division and the whole controversy over it. One thing I found very interesting was that if someone touches the fence, security is notified immediately. The fence is being monitored 24/7 by Israeli Intelligence. The most amazing part to me was that they have a sand-like substance right over the fence on the Jerusalem side. If someone tries to jump over, they can tell: the weight of the person, age, male or female, etc. It truly shocked me that they can tell all of this just by someone's footprints. The guide was explaining that many times animals jump over and they can tell the sex of the animal, and if female, if the animal is pregnant or not. I was completely mind-blown to say the least.

Next, we headed to Rachel's Tomb. This originally wasn't on our agenda because it is in Bethlehem which isn't the safest place to go. But, our tour guide got the okay from some high up person to go. Because we weren't notified ahead of time, no one was dressed appropriately for a holy site. Shoulders and knees must be covered when entering a holy place, meanwhile us dumb Americans were sporting shorts and tank tops. Every Orthodox Jew was starring at us and we all just felt very embarrassed. When entering the tomb, a woman gave us shawls to cover our shoulders. As in all holy sites in Jerusalem, the men and women are separated so we said bye to the boys on our group and headed into the building. Women were touching Rachel's Tomb and lots of crying, praying, and touching were happening. And, of course our group walked in, saw the tomb and left.

Our last stop was to the Israel Experience (the umbrella organization for my program) headquarters. Here we heard from two different speakers on Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The first speaker was a Palestinian-Israeli. It was honestly so difficult to listen to him speak because he made the lecture very dry. He also was very controversial, coming from a Palestinian perspective. The one thing that stood out to me was that he said that Jews live in fear while the Palestinians live in anger. This comment stirred up lots of talk within the group, especially since he was after all speaking to a group of 23 Jews.

Lastly, we heard from the most inspirational man named Itzik Yarkoni. He is a huge Israel advocate and goes to various universities in the United States and speaks about Israel. He wasn't there to lecture us on Israel and all it has to offer though. Basically, his main point was how we can use social media to portray Israel in a good light. He showed us articles, videos, etc. on how badly Israel is portrayed in the media. He started out the lecture by having all of us take out our smartphones and googling "Israel is..." The results were incredible. Almost everything that came up on people's phones were negative. Some examples are: Israel is apartheid, Israel is war... you get the picture. So, his whole schpiel (sp?) was about how our generation can show Israel in a positive way. He then told us to all create statuses on Facebook about our experience in Israel. He said that immediately he guaranteed we would all get at least 10 likes. He said instead of posting negative articles about Israel, Jews, or life in general, to post positive things. People want to read and hear about positive aspects of our society, not the negative. He really did inspire me not only to post and learn more about Israel, but also other things that interest me. As you all know, I'm a huge advocate for children with disabilities. I need to start reading and posting more articles so that I can educate all of my Facebook friends about it. All it takes is one person to post, one friend to share that post, and another friend to share their post... think about how many people would be reading this information!

Blogging soon about my amazing and inspiring day today... check back tomorrow! xoxo

Weekend in Karmiel

These past few days have been crazy busy to say the least...  Will explain later. They started off with me trying to switch my internship because it isn't exactly what I signed up for or expected. I'm looking at a few different companies to work for now. One of them is a food/travel service for tourists where they do cooking classes, food tours, wine tours, etc. I would help them with social media, pr, and would meet with local restaurants.... Literally my heaven! Another organization deals with philanthropic businesses and I would be doing grant writing, fundraising, etc. for them.

Anyway, I'm going to make this short and sweet because typing on my iPad is rather difficult. I am currently in Karmiel, a city about 2 hours north of Tel Aviv. This is Pittsburgh's "partner city" so we are staying in home stays here for the weekend. I am currently watching Friends in Israel on the most comfortable couch... Life couldn't get better. We are having a literal feast tonight for Shabbat and our host mom keeps feeding me every hour which I obviously don't mind one bit.

Today, we had a lecture about the Israeli/Arab conflict and learned more about what actually takes place here. The PowerPoint was a tad too boring for me, but after we went to an Arab school where we met with one of the teachers. She is 26, the mother of two, and one of 17 siblings!!! I couldn't even imagine... One was enough for my parents how could some people handle 17?!?! She explained to us her feelings about being an Arab living in Israel and the struggles she faces daily. It was interesting because she didn't identify as "Israeli" but stated she is an "Arab living in Israel." She also said this identity helps when visiting family in places such as Gaza and the West Bank. If she labeled herself as "Israeli" she may be shunned by her family. She also informed us about jobs in Israel. If an Arab woman and Jewish woman were applying for the same job, she said the Jew would automatically get it, no matter what credentials. I'm not sure if I 100% agree with this, but then again I don't live here and don't know what goes on daily. Also, Arabs don't have to serve in the army but still have all the benefits that Israelis that serve their country have. She talked about "National Service" where Arabs, as well as religious Jews, can do community service instead of serving. After this, religious Jews can go to University at age 19, but Arabs must wait until they are 21.

It is so interesting because I don't know much about the state of Israel, its history, etc. and I am trying to learn. Yet, every person you ask they tell you a different story. Everyone is biased, has their own opinions and beliefs so it is difficult to figure out what exactly to know and who exactly to trust.

Rewind to 2 days ago.....
Fun night gone wrong. Like so wrong. To make a long story short, my friends and I went out to a bar and then headed to the beach. We took our shoes and purses off to take a photo and put our feet into the water. I turned around to grab something out of my purse and they were gone.... Someone stole our bags!!! 3 of us had our bags stolen and 1 thankfully was smart and kept her purse with her. Thankfully we were with our Israeli friends and they took us to the police office to file a report of all our missing belongings. Everything is working out though and I am sooooo thankful to have the BEST parents in the world! Sorry again for my hysterical phone call at 1am my time and thanks mom for being tech savvy and canceling all my technology for me!

Off to go bask in the sun at my home stay! They have the most beautiful view..... Will add pictures when I get home tomorrow!

Xo,
Alexis

Finally Settling In...

After almost a week in Israel, I am starting to finally get used to this city. Let's not jump the gun now I'm still HORRIBLE with directions, but I'm learning my way around slowly but surely usually through trial and error. I have a lot to write about, but I'm going to try and keep this short and concise. Here it goes....

Internship: 
I have officially worked two days at my internship WOOHOO! The work week is Sunday-Thursday so I worked two days last week and am headed off to work today in an hour. The first day was a mess, to say the least. Israelis run on their own time, so my boss was an hour late to our apparent "start time." All of these children were being wheeled out of the building (all are wheelchair bound) and we literally had no idea what we were supposed to do! Finally our boss arrived and she explained that we should just observe for the day. We sat it on their dance class, which consisted of the dance teacher rolling these children around for about an hour while music was playing. We left in a sense of confusion that day, as to what our job would consist of. The next day was a little better, but that's pushing it. We started the day by feeding the children. I got yelled at since I did not put the hummus on the bread correctly. Apparently you put the hummus on and THEN cut the bread, but the dumb American (me) cut the bread and THEN put hummus on! Mistakes, mistakes! Many of the children have cerebral palsy, which is a movement disorder. This is why many of them are in wheelchairs as well as most of them are non-verbal. This makes it very difficult to communicate with them, especially since the few words they do know are in Hebrew. After we fed the children, we played ball for I kid you not, one hour. None of them can catch the ball so I literally sat there bouncing a ball on their laps while they laughed and smiled for about an hour straight.

My internship is definitely rewarding, but it wasn't exactly what i originally signed up for. I'm meeting with my internship coordinator to see if I can do that a few days a week and then something else the other days.

Food:
The food here is AMAZING... there really is no other way to put it. Any meal you have is just incredible. The dumpiest restaurant which you would never walk into in the United States is a gourmet meal here. Today, my friend Tali and I woke up early (10am) and went to the Shuk, which is their big outdoor market here. It's actually called the Carmel Market, but Shuk just stands for Market. Anyway, it was definitely an experience. You could buy everything from cigarettes, flip flops, underwear, to fresh fruit, vegetables, and bread. Quite the combination!

Nightlife: 
I have gone out 4 days in a row here... count it, 4. Yesterday served as my "Shabbat for my liver" because it really did need a break! The nightlife here is amazing and there are so many fun bars and clubs to go explore. We have mostly been going to bars, but two nights ago we went to a club called Dreams. It was in a mall... like an actual shopping mall. I have never seen anything so bizarre in my life, but it was a lot of fun! If you ask my friends they'll tell you that I HATE being crammed in a confined space and HATE people touching me when I'm out. Like, when you are all squished like sardines in a club.. so not my thing! But, I actually enjoyed myself at Dreams, minus the 118 shekel shots we had for 4 people. While out, we have met some very interesting people to say the least. Israeli boys are notorious for preying on American girls, but at least all these interactions count for good stories to tell!

Tonight we are having a "mixer" with all of the Onward groups here. It'll be nice to get to know other people on the program besides the Pittsburgh people. Oh, speaking of, I've made a bunch of friends! Mom, Dad, you'll be happy about that! :) Haha. But seriously, everyone is so nice and I couldn't have asked for a better group of people!

Time to go get ready for Day #3 of my internship.... Boker tov (Good Morning) to all of you in the US...
Xo,
Alexis

Friends on a motorcycle... Don't worry, it wasn't on!

Gay Pride Parade

Sam and I 

Dreams