Sunday, October 16, 2011

10/16/11: Israel Feels A Lot Less Far Away When You Are With People From Home

Terri And Me 3 Years Ago

Normally on Sundays I travel back to Jerusalem to settle myself into my little room before the start of the work week, however, not wanting to give up one more precious night of sleep in an actual bed, and because I needed one more day and night to recover from a tremendous amount of bug bites, I decided to remain at home in Tel Aviv. Lucky for me, my decision to stay meant I finally had time to meet up with one of my friends from berkeley who just moved to Israel as well.

After spending weeks in East Jerusalem covered from head to toe in long sleeves and long pants, I was ready for a day at the beach where I didn't have to think twice about "appropriate" clothing. I decided to meet Terri around 12:30 near the busy Tel Aviv Shuk Hacarmel (that is close to where she lives now), and we headed off towards Jerusalem Beach. This was a beach I had never been to so I was happy to do some more exploring around the greater Tel Aviv area.

Shuk HaCarmel

It can be lonely in a foreign country at times, especially since school hasn't started and so many young people are still gone on vacation, but when you can connect with friends from home it really makes being abroad profoundly more amazing. We caught up on each other's lives, talked about our mutual hunt for Tel Aviv apartments (which is a grueling process), and had a great day just relaxing on the beach. The weather in Tel Aviv is cooling down significantly which makes being outside quite a pleasure. After a few hours in the sun we walked around the Shuk a bit more, and then headed to Sheinkin street for a delicious lunch. It was a cafe I had been to before and the food was every bit as delicious as I remember.

Cafes On Sheinkin Street

After lunch it was time for us to say our goodbyes and for me to head back in to Ramat Aviv. Every time I am on the bus, or walking around, I am constantly on the look out for signs that indicate apartments available for renting. It is so crazy to think that my first apartment will be outside of the United States, but I am so excited to have my own place here, and know that it will only further make Israel feel like home. The only other obstacle is to decide whether I want to live in Tel Aviv or Ramat Aviv... Decisions, decisions... But as my dad would LOVE to say... "Welcome to being an adult" :-) Tomorrow it is back to Jerusalem for my last week of work in the office! I can't believe how this month has flown by, and I plan on taking full advantage of my last few days in East Jerusalem/West Bank. After this work week I come back to Tel Aviv for the semester, take my Arabic placement exam, go to Jordan for 3 days, and then start my master's program at University! So many exciting things to come, and I'm enjoying every minute of it. 

Stay tuned for a week of East Jerusalem/West Bank adventures! I'm going out with a bang on this one <3,
Jordana Simone


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