Today was yet another fantastic day spent with my sister here in Israel. In the morning Ida got up and decided to come to class with me to experience the academic part of my new life here in the Middle East. It was a very interesting class on Islamism and Democracy, and I think she really enjoyed the experience of going to her first graduate seminar. After the seminar we walked around campus for a bit and then decided to venture towards a more American place in Tel Aviv; The Coffee Bean! I think it was nice for Ida to have something that was familiar, and I had never been before so it was a new place for me to try out as well. In the states I stick to Starbucks but this was a nice alternative!
It was a bit chilly outside today but not cold enough to keep us from eating outside. I decided to order a nice, hot Chai Tea Latte to keep me warm, and Ida treated herself to a very sizable cappuccino. We both ordered a little something to eat and had a very lovely little brunch.
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| Enjoying my hot Chai |
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| Ida and her coffee in a bowl |
After our lovely brunch we headed back home to unload all of our bags and get ready to head out to meet an old friend in Herzliya. Luckily this trip was a lot more successful than our last attempt to see our friend Talya. It was a beautiful day (no rain thank God), and we had a lovely few hours in the neighboring town. When we arrived in Herzliya we met Talya at a new cafe that just opened right in the heart of the main shopping district. We had a lovely meal/ catch up session and then I asked her to show me a place where I could get my hair cut. It had been so long since my last cut I just needed to suck it up and put my faith in the hands of some Israeli hair dresser...
Fate was on my side yet again. Talya took me to a shop she had recently visited and it was one of my best hair experiences to date! The reason I was so reluctant to get my hair cut in Israel was because 99% of the time I get my hair cut in the states it does not turn out how I want it; people just don't seem to understand curly hair in the states. In Israel, however, a fairly large percentage of people have curly hair, so I merely had to state that I have "taltalim" (curls) and the man knew just what to do.
My hair was in pretty bad shape so we had to come up with some creative ways to keep the overall length while still taking off all of the dead hair. In the end we decided on choppy layers, and I must admit that I almost had a heart attack when he first started cutting. Some of the short layers are pretty short but it turned out brilliant. We also wanted to get the red out of my hair so we did a full color on top of the cut, blow dry, and style. I really can't describe how amazing the whole experience was. My hairdresser was so adorable, he decided to give me a 10 minute head massage when he was taking out my color (he literally made love to my scalp with his hands as awkward as that sounds... it was AMAZING), and he charged me less than I would have paid in the states for only highlights. He did my hair curly to show me how it would look, and then dried it straight and styled it. Now that I have found someone who is so good here I really have no reason left to go home ;-).
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| The wet, curly look |
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| The straight, styled look |
After 3 hours in the salon Ida and I were on our way back to Tel Aviv. While on the bus we happened to run into my roommate's sister (who I am completely in love with), and we all headed back to the apartment together. Morgan, Ida, and I had a goodbye party to go to for a friend who lives in our building so it was a really good thing I chose today to get my hair done up! We got to the bar around 10, met a bunch of great people, said our goodbyes to Jade (our friend), and headed back home. Unfortunately I am now completely sick with a cold and horrible cough so while I want to continue showing Ida a good time I need to take it a bit easier. We have a big weekend in Jerusalem this weekend, and then I plan on spending the next few weeks doing nothing but homework and sleep!
Tomorrow we will get to see our friend Maayan again, which will be amazing, and then we will see what happens in the next few days before we head off to the Holy City and the West Bank!
Tisba7 3ala kheir ya ashabi <3,
Jordana Simone
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