Someone asked me the other day if I miss home, and that got me to thinking a lot about the time I have spent here in Israel so far. I love home so much, I love my friends, I love my family, but I really really really don't miss it at all. Perhaps it is because I have only been here a short amount of time, and have been doing so much to keep myself busy, but with the superb connectivity that the internet and skype brings, I really have not felt the pains of being so far away from everything familiar. My Hebrew is slowly but surely improving to the point where I can order at restaurants, take cab rides, and shop at stores using almost no English, and I find a great comfort in truly being on my own in a far away place. I am very lucky to have amazing friends here, and so many people who are connected to my immediate family, that I almost feel like a part of my family is here with me.
Yesterday afternoon I met up with family friends who I stayed with for a short while the last time I was in Israel. They are wonderful friends of my grandparents and I have kind of adopted them as my Israeli bubby and zayde. It is just so nice and comforting to know that I have people who are close enough to being family living only 10 minutes away from me. They are traveling quite a bit this month since it is holiday for many Israelis, but upon their return I expect to spend a great deal of time with them. It really is amazing the kind of connections you find here in Israel. Like my Bubby said "Once you are in with an Israeli they are yours for life." There are people who my grandparents haven't talked to in years, and people my parents haven't talked to in years, but with only one email all of those distant friends swarm back into your lives, and they are all so open and willing to meet me, invite me over for Shabbats, and really contribute to my adjustment to moving to a foreign country. It's impossible to feel alone here.
After dinner with Itzik and Orit (my family friends), I met Susanna for one last hurrah in Jaffa before she leaves to return to the states for vacation on Monday. We frequented one of our newly found favorite hookah spots, and had a great night just relaxing, smoking some hookah, and watching the Tel Aviv soccer game that was going on. I think I might have to compromise on my "I want to marry a professional football player", and change to "I want to marry a professional Israeli soccer player". At least then I get the best of everything; professional athlete and Jewish (O and of course gorgeous)! PERFECT :-) Tel Aviv won the match which contributed to the exciting atmosphere of the evening.
After the match we stayed until my lungs could take no more smoke, and my skin could take no more bug bites, and then we said our goodbyes and I headed back home. Loving the fact that this was the start of my 5 day weekend, I took a big sleeping pill and slept in until 11:30 this morning! It was much much needed. Much of the rest of today was spent cleaning, cooking, studying, and planning my two trips to Haifa and Akko this Sunday and Monday. It is going to be quite a weekend for me. Tomorrow Dana, Susanna, and I are going to the last night of a big arts festival in Jerusalem, then Sunday Dana and I are off to Akko to explore the gorgeous old city (and it is 90% Arab so naturally I am so excited), and then Monday we are off to Haifa to spend the day roaming around the port city, exploring the gorgeous Bahai gardens, and enjoying the beautiful northern half of Israel. I'm so excited to see parts of Israel I have never seen before and I have a feeling I am going to fall madly in love with the North.
Stay tuned for posts on the arts festival, Haifa, and Akko :-),
Jordana Simone
Yesterday afternoon I met up with family friends who I stayed with for a short while the last time I was in Israel. They are wonderful friends of my grandparents and I have kind of adopted them as my Israeli bubby and zayde. It is just so nice and comforting to know that I have people who are close enough to being family living only 10 minutes away from me. They are traveling quite a bit this month since it is holiday for many Israelis, but upon their return I expect to spend a great deal of time with them. It really is amazing the kind of connections you find here in Israel. Like my Bubby said "Once you are in with an Israeli they are yours for life." There are people who my grandparents haven't talked to in years, and people my parents haven't talked to in years, but with only one email all of those distant friends swarm back into your lives, and they are all so open and willing to meet me, invite me over for Shabbats, and really contribute to my adjustment to moving to a foreign country. It's impossible to feel alone here.
After dinner with Itzik and Orit (my family friends), I met Susanna for one last hurrah in Jaffa before she leaves to return to the states for vacation on Monday. We frequented one of our newly found favorite hookah spots, and had a great night just relaxing, smoking some hookah, and watching the Tel Aviv soccer game that was going on. I think I might have to compromise on my "I want to marry a professional football player", and change to "I want to marry a professional Israeli soccer player". At least then I get the best of everything; professional athlete and Jewish (O and of course gorgeous)! PERFECT :-) Tel Aviv won the match which contributed to the exciting atmosphere of the evening.
After the match we stayed until my lungs could take no more smoke, and my skin could take no more bug bites, and then we said our goodbyes and I headed back home. Loving the fact that this was the start of my 5 day weekend, I took a big sleeping pill and slept in until 11:30 this morning! It was much much needed. Much of the rest of today was spent cleaning, cooking, studying, and planning my two trips to Haifa and Akko this Sunday and Monday. It is going to be quite a weekend for me. Tomorrow Dana, Susanna, and I are going to the last night of a big arts festival in Jerusalem, then Sunday Dana and I are off to Akko to explore the gorgeous old city (and it is 90% Arab so naturally I am so excited), and then Monday we are off to Haifa to spend the day roaming around the port city, exploring the gorgeous Bahai gardens, and enjoying the beautiful northern half of Israel. I'm so excited to see parts of Israel I have never seen before and I have a feeling I am going to fall madly in love with the North.
Stay tuned for posts on the arts festival, Haifa, and Akko :-),
Jordana Simone
No comments:
Post a Comment