I Love Tel Aviv Weekends!

Weekend with Shiran!

For the past week, I've been up and down. I was sick. I was better. I was sick. I spent Shabbat in Tel Aviv. I even made my way to a meeting that was ALL in Hebrew (the English cheat-sheet and the preliminary meeting helped me follow along). It's been pretty exciting, and I've had some cultural exposure, in the form of mass amounts of TV watching.

This weekend, I experienced...

...The Shuk in Yaffo. Shiran and I went to Yaffo, to walk through the flea market, eat at a famous bakery, and walk along the sea shore. It was BEAUTIFUL out!

...Shabbat with a Yemenite family. Oh. My. Goodness. The food that I was fed at Shiran's was, as usual, fabulous. Except this time, it was a full two days of food food food food. And it was amazing. When they asked if I wanted rice, and I said yes, I loved being passed a green pepper, stuffed with a meat-and-rice combination. There were cakes. There was tea. There was ravioli. There was fried cauliflower, fish-shnitzel, and a million other things to eat. I love going to Shiran's...and the food is only a small part of the fun!

...Kiryat Ono and Bar Ilan University's campus. Shiran and I went for a walk for a little while. We crossed the highway and walked in Kiryat Ono (reminded me of Village Valley, CA), and then we crossed back over to walk on Bar Ilan's campus (which is in Ramat Gan). It was really nice.

...Sherut to Jerusalem. I took a Sherut back to Jerusalem, because I wanted to go to Ben Yehuda / Downtown, as it is still Birthright Season, and the sheruts go RIGHT to the bottom of Ben Yehuda. After getting on the sherut (easy) and paying the fare (approx. 75 cents more than a bus!), our driver took off, then informed us that they were closing down the entrance to Jerusalem. This meant that we switched to a highway that goes through the settlements, and that was really it. Funny how some security breach happens, and that sends us running for the Green Line. I got back with time to spare, and said hi to the latest Birthright Season installment of friends.

...The Painted Veil. Meital (Shiran's sister) and I went to rent a movie and came back with 2.

Meital has the BEST taste in movies!

We watched the Painted Veil before Shabbat dinner, and we watched the commentary afterwards. The short of it is that the author thinks that's how people view the places they visit and the world they live in. Eventually, the veil was lifted in the movie. Much like the Amichai poem "Tourists", I am trying to work against the "painted veils" or "heavy curtains" through which tourists and visitors view Israel. My painted veil fell off pretty soon after I arrived in Israel...and while it's been hard, it's been a learning experience. Just like in the movie.

...GREASE: I watched the latest Grease, a tryout reality show, installment with Shiran and her family. They sang (in Hebrew) and danced to Broadway show tunes. The translations were fabulous, and the dancing? Beautiful. The best translation was for the song "Heaven" by Sinatra:

English: Heaven, I'm in Heaven.
Hebrew: עדן ,זה גן עדן / Eden, this is the Garden of Eden.

We enjoyed watching the show, and I cracked up during תשעה עד חמש / Tesha Ad Chamesh / Working 9 to Five and השיר שלך / HaShir Shelach / Your Song. I was shocked at the outcome, when the family + Sara Beth vote for best dance was VOTED off of the show. Honestly, I am not big on reality tv, but this was great for me. I read the subtitles, and tried to understand the Hebrew. I sang along with the songs, I danced around the house, and I really wanted my favorite contestants to win.

One of the differences between reality tv in Israel and reality tv in the states is that being Jewish "ain't no thing" as my brother Alex would jokingly say. (Alex shout-out. Woo.) In the states, you see people on TV with cross necklaces, with clock necklaces, but it's kind of rare for somebody to wear a Jewish star necklace.

Alex and I audition for Israeli Grease...ORRRRRR, we do some karaoke. (2005)

But one of the competitors, Asaf, who was sick, and didn't dance at all in his performance with his beautiful partner, mesmerized me. It wasn't his eyebrows, which Shiran thinks are distracting. It wasn't his voice, although he has a great voice, and you couldn't tell he was sick (not like me currently, as I sound like a 30-year veteran chain smoker). It was his small, simple necklace. A small Jewish star, surrounded by his ample chest hair, above his one-too-few buttons left opened shirt. It's Israeli Grease. Of COURSE you can be Jewish! And it's not like you can't be Jewish in the States. But you don't usually see a Jewish star just chilling around someone's neck, when they're trying out for (ick) American Idol.

Tel Aviv Tuesday (Yuletide Edition)

I sorely missed my friend Shiran and her amazing family, and I had just survived a pretty wretched midterms / finals / rewrites / thesis forming / stupid strike, so after writing the last midterm (!) paper and doing more work on my thesis (I think I may be getting somewhere. Thank goodness for my advisor!), I headed to Tel Aviv for the afternoon and evening.

I arrived at the Tel Aviv Central bus station and, to my amusement, my shock, and my delight, I found massive Christmas displays in the bus station's mall! The lights! The trees! The boxes of ornaments! I felt like I had wandered back into a South Florida mall -- just add the stench of cigarette smoke and ambiguously connected floors, nudge an inter-city bus terminal off of one corridor, and you've got Tel Aviv's Central Bus station on Christmas Day!

Coral Square Mall? No...Keep Guessing...

Aventura Mall? No...One more try...

Tel Aviv Central Bus Station?! BINGO! Yuletide glow is felt all 'round this secular city!

Na-nac-nachman meuman followed me to Tel Aviv. This graffiti is very popular and found ALL over the place in Israel.

I left the bus station and made my way down to Nachalat Benyamin, a crafty street fair that is open in Tel Aviv every Tuesday and Friday. I got a huge Diet Coke at Burger King (ordering in Hebrew) and wandered around the fair's pretty displays for a long while. I ran into a bunch of Florida kids on Birthright, and the new UF rabbi, ordained at JTS last spring. It was fun to see the FL kids, and to hear that Yoni's enjoying UF Hillel! (Also, Go GATORS! Wooo!)

A fine retail establishment, close to Shuk HaCarmel and Nachalat Benyamin. There didn't seem to be any books inside, so we can chalk this up to crazy Israeli translation skills (like when you order a "beagle with lox").

I also wandered through Shuk HaCarmel (FYI, Davidson Chevre: This is actually fun when it's not raining!), and up and down Sheinkin Street, which has funky shops. I FINALLY got new leggings (or, as they say in Hebrew, "tights"), as I discovered that Tel Aviv is the leggings capital of Israel. Jerusalem is not the capital of leggings...or Israel, for that matter, at least according to my home country. I'm just trying to raise the intellectual bar a little, seeing as how I'm just talking about shopping here. But really. Leggings are hard to find in Jerusalem. And so is the US Embassy, because it's in Tel Aviv.

Anyway, the leggings came in this fabulous bag: Sometimes, when Israelis put English on things, they just throw words together that they think look cool. I was half mortified, half elated, to be carrying such a disgusting and ridiculous bag, filled with, not sex, but two pairs of leggings and my fleece jacket.

When Shiran met me as the sun was setting on Allenby Street (Sheinkin, Nachalat Benyamin and the Shuk are all spokes off of an intersection at Allenby), we got her some backpacking pants (she's going to India!), and then I made her convince me that I needed not only a new necklace for my birthday, but a new wallet as well. Happy birthday to me!

"It's a fine neck-LACE," as they'd say on the State.

Look, I got a wallet for an adult! For the first time since high school, I will be using an adult wallet! I'm growing up, I guess:
Big Girl Wallet outside!

After all this, we amused ourselves with the finer things in life: גרבי חברות / Garbei Chaveroot / Friendship socks. See:

גרבי חברות / Friendship socks!

We also had a jeans-trying-on adventure in Castro (um, zippers at the ankles are just not OK), which is like Express in the States, and we got fruit shakes before our bus ride back to her hometown.

Dinner was great, and I feel like I can actually talk in Hebrew with Shiran and her family. I told them what it was like to prepare for a hurricane, and we conducted much of the conversation in Hebrew. It was awesome. With ulpan back and school (supposedly) operational, and my visits to my Israeli pseudo-families, I just may be able to converse with Israelis wherever we may meet!

After watching most of the Israeli Try-Out-For-Grease-Idol, I was tired and got on the bus back to Jerusalem. As the bus rolled back to Jerusalem, another successful Tel Aviv Tuesday spun to a close.

PS - I love Shiran and her family!

Mmmm, Ice Creame (sic)

Another Salute to Tel Aviv!

This past shabbat, Rafi quasi-surprised me with a Shabbat at the beach! I say quasi because he decided on like Wednesday that he wanted to do this. He thought it would be a nice present, and he was totally right, but I didn't think he'd pull it off so last-minute.

Pull it off, he did! We got to Tel Aviv, watched the sun set over the Mediterranean, ate serious Yotvata (famous kibbutz by Eilat, used to produce all of Israel's dairy) Ba-Ir (in the city) for dinner, and we even had some sushi!

After one of those Israeli hotel breakfasts, we spent Shabbat day at ChoFrishman (Chof = shore, Frishman = the name of the street. I figured out the clever name in Hebrew!).

It was the perfect beach day. It wasn't too hot, but wasn't too cold to go swimming (he did, I didn't). It wasn't too crowded, and we had plenty to eat and drink.

Things we enjoyed about the beach:
1. The incredibly fine sand. It was like flour. I didn't even mind lying on it. Which I did. For hours.

2. An assortment of Israeli salads and deli for lunch.

3. Plenty of SPF 50 (neither of us got burned AT ALL!).

4. So many dogs on the beach! So fun!

5. The family sitting right in front of us was hilarious. The daughter changed into her bathing suit (under her skirt and top, camp-style), which made me giggle. Then her father stripped down to his underroos, and then, nonchalantly, tugged them down (moooon!), sat in his chair, and pulled on his grape-smuggling banana-hammock (don't click of this if you haven't seen Borat, it's terrifying.), the bathing suit of choice at ChoFrishman.

6. Really, what's the deal with the bathing suit choices? I don't feel self-conscious, or a little chubby, or whatever, when I'm at the beach with people who look all bloated, except for the contents of their microscopic bikini bottoms, but really...why don't you just get a pair of bike shorts? We'll still get the idea, I promise.

7. Ladies, too...say no to bathing suits up the crack, whether or not that means thong or paying attention to your tush-covering bathingsuit. There was a woman in a full-on one-piece that included pants (kind of like the unitards I used to wear in dance class). I loved her.

8. The lifeguards got on the RamKol (microphone) at 2PM and said "Shabbat Shalom, Shavuah Tov [and some more hebrew, hebrew, hebrew]," as they closed down the lifeguard posts at 2PM, saying "have a peaceful Shabbat and a good week". On a Saturday. Who stops lifeguarding in the middle of the day? Good thing I'm a lifeguard, and under my hat, shirt, pants and long-sleeved shirt I was wearing a bathing suit, ready to save a life!

Finally, I would like to salute the guys working on the beach. It's not a bad life when your beach-centered job doesn't end when fall comes (I went to the beach on the 17th of November, while it was apparently 40 degrees Farenheit in Boston), but it's weird for me to encounter working Israelis on Shabbat. How much for the bathroom? A sheqel. (I HATE paying for the potty!). How much for a beach chair? Three bucks! (Good thing I brought a sheet and a towel for each of us!) How much for the snacks? I didn't find out...but I do know this...

Rafi loved the man with his "Ice Cream, Shoko Shoko!" chant. He never gave up, and was still peddling his wares after the sun set on Saturday afternoon. He was like one of those guys at the ballpark, with the box hangin from around his neck...with this one declaring, loud and clear, in English, its contents:

ICE CREAME.

Thanks, Rafi!

Tel Aviv Tuesdays

There is no Hebrew class on Tuesdays, so I made it my business to make Tuesday my free day (since I have school on Sunday). Since school started, Tuesdays have been for very important matters: exploring Hadassah, doing work for JTS, and, my personal favorite, going to Tel Aviv!

Anyway, Tuesday is the perfect day to do work in the morning, and then a trip to Tel Aviv in the afternoon and evening (it's only about an hour on the bus one way). I love Tel Aviv Tuesdays!

Going to Tel Aviv is similar to going to Connecticut/Westchester/Rockland County (hereafter referred to as Connecticut for simplicity's sake) for the afternoon from Manhattan. Here's why:

1. Lovely friends / adopted family-types in Connecticut and Tel Aviv make the visit a happy, homey experience.
2. Train ticket (one way) = $11-18. Bus ticket = $ 4-5.
3. Dining in CT = free refills. Food in Tel Aviv = Ethiopian and KOSHER or provided by my adopted family (Shiran's family loves to feed me!).
4. Connecticut has malls. Tel Aviv has malls AND a shuk (sort of outdoor market)!
5. More people have dogs in Connecticut / Tel Aviv. I haven't had any pug-spottings in Jerusalem!

Last week, I went to Tel Aviv to spend a little more time with Ari and we happened upon a kosher Ethiopian restaurant. Delightful! I am sad that Ari is back in the states, but I'm glad we got to hang out that one last time...until I'm back in NY.

This past Tuesday, I went to Tel Aviv to spend some time with my friend Shiran (from CRD) and her sister. We ate some amazing food (they LOVE feeding me. really.) before going to Nachalat Benyamin (an outdoor crafts kind of market that's open two days a week), and, when that didn't work out (they close early!), the Dizengoff Centre (a mall with a really weird layout). I even got to see my friend Neta-li from Interlaken. I am a big fan of the Jewish Agency's summer shlichim, as you can see.

Long Live Tel Aviv Tuesdays!

Ouch! That Hertzaliya!

Rachel and I finally (after 2 weeks in Israel, it seems like forever) made it to Tel Aviv to visit Shiran and her family! We met her after work in Givat Shmuel (just outside of TA, close to Bnei Brak and across the street from Bar Ilan Univeristy) to hang out, watch the incredible (Israelis are funny) American show "Jack V'Jill" (Jack and Jill), and eat an incredible Israeli dinner, courtesy of Shiran's mom. Her sister is just out of high school and working in a bakery, and it's fun to talk about American TV with her. Her dad is from South America, and we butcher English, Hebrew, Spanish and a little American Sign Language (ok, that was just me) together. He's a happy, communicating man, and a rocking good time. Shiran's mom doesn't like to speak English, but she gets everything I say in Hebrew and English.

They're like my Israeli host family. I feel at home with Shiran and her mishpacha.

After dinner, we went to Hertzeliya, a port city close to Tel Aviv, to walk on the boardwalk and just hang out. There was an incredible art show on display -- big, painted flowers (like the Chicago cows) that were all done by high school students at an area high school. We had fun taking pictures of the flowers. It was a lovely night!

Rach and I (after a hilarious mad car chase) caught the bus from Bnei Brak back to Jerusalem. The bus was GROSS -- it was dirty and smelly and the AC didn't work. Rach and I were also 2 of very few people not dressed "modestly" on the bus. I wonder if, sociologically, the buses that run from poorer neighborhood (BB) are not kept up as well? The bus from Jerusalem Central Bus Station to the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station is always very nice, with a mix of dati (religious) and chiloni (secular), and it's clean. Maybe it was because it was 9:45 at night. Maybe I should be doing my thesis on the sociology of inter-city buses in Israel.

Gotta go -- we're buying Lulav and Etrog today for Sukkot (I'll explain on the next post) and then RAFI will be here! Wheeee!




I love my Shiran!



We make a great team! Rachel, Shiran and I enjoy Hertzeliya!




For a girl with wanderlust, the greatest fixture on the boardwalk -- where to go next?!




Political messages from high schoolers -- very cool.




Wishes for all of the fine things in life in Chamsas, hand charms that are meant to protect the wearer or bearer from the evil eye.

I Wanna Tel You Something...

Today, the girls and I went to Tel Aviv. We didn't take a lot of pictures (any), but we had a great time. I introduced them to the store that my friend Shiran showed me in January, we visited the craft fair at Nachalat Binyamin, and delighted in the Palmach museum. The museum was intense and fabulous, a wonderful experiential education experience. If you're in Tel Aviv, make the call and reserve a spot on the guided experience! You'll love it!

Other highlights of Tel Aviv: shoe shopping (And not buying anything! I know my parents don't believe me, but it's true.), feeling comfortable in a tube top (I ditched the bikini idea for something MORE revealing!), getting fisherman pants (and figuring their name because I deciphered the Hebrew tag on their shelf.) and having dinner with my Sackler School of Medicine friends in Ramat Aviv!

Tomorrow I go back into the land of red tape -- except this time, I'm taking my figurative, ceremonial, ribbon-cutting shears. I say figurative, of course, because I have to get checked by no fewer than 3 Bitachon (security) people, walk through a metal detector, flash my student visa and passport, and, of course, announce once again that "No, I am not carrying a gun."

In other news: This link makes me slightly homesick for my old apartment.