The Hebrew word for Strawberries is Tutim (pronounced too-teem)

***And just to let you know that strawberries are now in season and superrrrrrrr delicious.  10 shekels for a case at the shuk!***

Have you ever had one of those days where you just wake up on the wrong side of the bed?  Yesterday was that exact day for me.  These were probably some of the reasons:

1) It wasn't my bed (and for those of you who know my bed you know that there are very few that can compare) 

2) Louie wasn't snuggled up next to me in the freeeeeezing morning air.

3) I had like 4 text messages from people all the way on the other side of the ocean

4) I had nothing to do...

All 4 things are understandable.  

So what did I do?  Well... first I watched this past week's episode of the Bachelor.  Don't think that just because I am in Israel I can't follow my favorite tv shows. :) Life can't exist without watching Bachelor Ben narrow down his final three girls to two.  For those who watch, what is up with that Courtney chick?!  Weirdo.  

Anyway, I have taken up walking in Jerusalem- which is awesome!! Last week I walked home from the shuk which is 6.6 km (4.1 miles)  Now some of you may be unfamiliar with Jerusalem so I found a picture on google image to try to at least highlight how vast the city is.  See below.

Now I know that this photo focuses mostly on the Temple Mount, but just try to imagine how the city continues in all directions and that it sits amongst rolling hills.  This is the part that makes walking 6 km fun- its a GREAT workout!!

Monday, I went to visit my cousin at Hebrew U's Givat Ram campus by foot- 5.4 km

Yesterday I went to meet my friend Guy for dinner and walked 9.5 km
Today I walked all over Tel Aviv.

I guess I can say I'm in good shape. :)

Ok, so woke up on the wrong side of the bed and went for a loooooong walk.  I took my iPhone and listened to music the whole time.  Isn't it amazing how music can be so many things at one time.  

Its soothing.  Its entertaining.  It can make you dance.  It can take you back to a specific moment in just one second.  It can remind you of places and of people.  It can make you smile.  It can make you cry.

I'm literally 3 minutes into my walk and the second song that came up is "I Will Remember You" by Sarah McLachlan.  Wow.  A song with a lot of significance.  First of all, it came out in 1998 and I remember hearing it on re-peat my whole freshman year.  Probably drove Dina (my roomie) a little crazy. The song reappeared in my life post 9/11 at the Cantor Fitzgerald memorials in Central Park.  They used to bring in a professional singer who would sing it to all of the families during the service.  Clearly very meaningful.  Flash forward to a day where I wake up on the wrong side of the bed, am a bit sad, maybe a little lonely and walking in the hills of Jerusalem.  

"I will remember you, will you remember me? Don't let your life pass you by, weep not for the memories"

You get my drift.  Music is beautiful.  It inspires...

All the music got me thinking about two things.  The importance of Jewish education in my life and the concept of living the Zionist dream in Israel.  Last week I came across an article titled, "The top 14 facts they forget to tell you about Aliya"- its funny and worth checking out.  http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-15-top-facts-they-forget-to-tell-you-about-aliya/

Facts 1-13 are hilarious, but fact fourteen really resonated with me and when I first read it my eyes welled up with tears and it has stayed with me since.  It says:

"Despite all of the above, your children will be Jewish and will have a sense of pride. You will walk the roads where Jewish prophets and kings once walked. You will celebrate Jewish holidays and walk streets named after mega-Jews — not saints. You will become a part of Jewish history as it unfolds and, as an Israeli, you will be a Jew — not Jewish."

Wow.  There is something very powerful to be said about growing up in a place where you don't need to seek out religion or be an "odd man out" to celebrate your traditions because everyone around you is the same.  As soon as the new month of Adar came, there were kids in the street singing songs, signs all around wishing everyone a happy Adar, and the mood suddenly became focused on the upcoming holiday of Purim.  I hear conversations in the street about what people are doing and everyone is working on their Purim plans.  Well.  Its a very different atmosphere than BZAEDS :).  No penguin costume for me.  It appears that I will be going to a show to par-tay, but I'll tell you all about that next week.  

I think that being here and thriving amongst the Jewish nation has impacted me greatly on one hand and on the other it has also opened my eyes to the importance of Jewish education in the U.S.  Its funny, I wasn't always sure how I felt about teaching Hebrew and Jewish Studies.  There were times when I felt defeated. I guess when it comes down to it, I have learned that I really love my Jewish identity.  Being Jewish is a big part of who I am (even though I may have tried to run away from it at times).  I may not be sure how I feel about God and about prayer or have the best relationship with them, but I do believe in the history and traditions that have descended amongst the generations.  I take pride in the fact that my family survived both the evils of the Holocaust and the anti-Semitism of Syria/Egypt in order to bring me into the world and one day (hopefully!) continue the lineage.  

I guess you can say that this adventure thus far has given me a lot of time to think.  Good thoughts, though.  Unlike the ones I had at my 'amazing' last job.  Oh boy.  There can be lots more to write here, but I think I will move on to a better topic.

I forgot to mention earlier.  There has been GREAT excitement for a new store opening up at the Ramat Aviv mall.  There are advertisements on literally every corner.  You will just never believe what is coming ...(*note sarcasm)

Here are a few photos from my walk in Jerusalem the other day:

You can see the rolling hills in the distance.

Here you see the Hebrew University, Givat Ram campus

You can see the new bridge that was built here for the train.  Its a unique thing.
Very modern bridge in a very ancient Jerualem.

This sculpture which you can't really see in this photo is by the same guy who designed the 'bean' in Chicago

One of my faves at the Israel Museum Sculpture Garden.  It says 'Love' in Hebrew

My absolutely favorite place on earth.  This is called 'The Space that Sees' by James Turrell and its a room made of marble or stone with seating along the entire side.  It has a big square opening at the top as pictured above.

I always feel at complete peace when I am inside of this sculpture.  I recommend anyone who visits Jerusalem to check it out!  You will not be disappointed.

This picture is dedicated to Tamar Rubin.  T, I couldn't help but smile when I saw this street sign, its the coffin guy :)

Well, that is all for today.  There will be lots more to update soon as today was very busy.

Dedicated to Baron Edmund James de Rothschild and Whitney Houston

Last week I was in Tel Aviv almost all week.  I came to spend time in Herzliya with my *pseudo* grandma and we had a ball together.  First of all, the weather was stunning.  Nice enough to even motivate me to go for a run one afternoon.  I have no idea how far I actually ran, but I paid for it the next two days when I could hardly move my legs... :)  In regards to the metric system though, its really sad that we who grow up in America cannot really converse with anyone else in the world when it comes to measurements.  I have gotten stuck a few times with this.  Once was with the insurance guy when he asked me my height and weight... uhm... height... 1 meter something?  weight I told him in lbs and just told him to divide by 2 and then subtract a little.  oops.  Then the next time I ran into this issue was after I went to the bank in Ramat Hasharon and I wanted to go and visit my grandparents graves.  I was given directions and the woman said walk about 400 meters.  After 10 minutes walking I wasn't sure what that meant... I thought it was a close distance?!  Anyway, clearly WE as Americans are deficient.  This is solely our issue and not the rest of the worlds.

So one of the days with Eva we went to the Eretz Israel Museum.  A beautiful place.  I have only been there once and it was for a wedding so I had not ever seen the actual museum.  I was most impressed with a special wing dedicated to Rothschild.  For those of you who do not know who Baron Rothschild was (or are unfamiliar with Israeli history) then I thoroughly encourage you to look him up and learn a little.  In a nutshell, he was a very wealthy Jew who lived in France and wanted to financially support the Jewish settlers in Palestine in the late 1800's/early 1900's.  He believed that creating a Jewish land for eastern European Jewry would solve the issues of the pogroms and anti-Semitism.  He made it to Palestine 5 times in his life and he really went above and beyond to donate all he could (tons of money, supplies, industry, professionals to teach the Jews how to work, etc...) and its partially because of him that the land I am dwelling in today exists.  There is a beautiful street in Tel Aviv that is named for him.  In 1913 this is what it looked like this (*note that Tel Aviv was created in 1909):

Today it is an amazing area to live, dine, sit in the middle boulevard and people watch, etc... This is the area that I would love to live in but its hard to find apartments since its so popular.  This is what it looks like today:

Most of last week was spent in Tel Aviv. I walked a lot and continued to get to know the city.  I met up with some friends and continued on the job search.  

Last Friday I witnessed something really cool.  A girl named Joyce who neither Sima or I knew directly, but we both knew people that she knew had a 32nd birthday.  Instead of having some big rager she decided that because 32 in gematria (** gematria is the idea that each Hebrew letter has a numerical value and therefore words can add up to different numbers)  adds up to לב or Lev (heart), she would have a "bloody birthday" where everyone she knew would come to Magen David Adom and donate blood.  Cool idea, huh?  She had tons of food there in the shape of hearts and lots of people came.  It was amazing.  A journalist from Ma'ariv even came and there was an article about it in the paper!  Here is a link to the article, but it is in Hebrew!  http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/338/776.html

Friday I also got a chance to see Tali, Ari, and the whole Goldblatt clan again.  We spent time in Nachalat Binyamin (the arts & crafts fair) and at the shuk (market).  It was really fun and I was really sad to say goodbye.  There were definitely some tears involved, but we got a good picture out of it (if you're reading this Tal, I love you and miss you so much!):

Shabbat was back in Jerusalem and it was really fun and relaxing.  On Saturday we pulled out the collage materials and had so much fun collaging!  I haven't made art in so long and it was really fun- it took me back to the good old Camp Ramah in Wisconsin days.  The days of Mod Podge!!

As those of you on FB know I had a job interview on Sunday.  I really enjoyed the place I interviewed at and the person I interviewed with, I will keep you posted.  In the meantime, there have been some other job opportunities as well.  I am sure the stars will align and the perfect thing will fall into place.

Anyway, now I am in Tel Aviv again, hoping to see some apartments today to start getting a sense of what is out there. I'm also going to meet up with my friend Jamie who I haven't seen in years!?

I know last week was a big week with the death of Whitney Houston.  I am sure that there was a lot of media surrounding that.  Here I didn't hear so much about it (because I havent really seen any news) but in some of the cafes that I was working in I heard her music more than I normally do.  When I was talking to my friend Phillip this past weekend he said to me, "Leehe, I was listening to Greatest Love of All and the lyrics made me think of you and your adventure."

I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I'll live as I believe

So on that note, cheers to you Phillip and cheers to Whitney Houston who brought beautiful and meaningful music to this world.  As for me, I agree that if I fail or if I succeed this journey so far has been freeing.  Even in those hard moments, the times where I am so lonely, when I miss my home and my stable surroundings, I keep thinking about how at least I am doing something I have always wondered about.  That takes guts, right??  I have to tell myself that it does, otherwise.......

Yom Rishon = Sunday or First Day

Sunday marks the beginning of a new week... something I am still getting used to.  Although last week by Thursday I was extremely ready for weekend so I guess that mentally I have already adjusted to this.  I guess they are working to try and make Sunday a non work day (I'm not exactly sure who "they" is) but it sounds like this change might take a few years.  There is something nice about having Thursday evening come around and knowing that you are done for the week.

On Friday the weather was quite bad (and let me clarify by bad I mean rainy, not like this super cold weather my iPhone keeps showing me of Chicago...) but Sima and I went into the center of Jerusalem anyway and spent some hours shopping (or in my case, window shopping).  A few things to note.

1) On Wednesday and Thursday there was a strike in the country over employment conditions for subcontracted workers so all government offices were closed.  No mail, no bank, etc...  (*note, this is bad for me because I still haven't been able to pick up my bank card/credit card/checks!)  Also, bad because the country wasn't being taken care of.  There is garbage EVERYWHERE.  This is what I saw on Friday in Jerusalem.  (Although by the time I got to Tel Aviv on Saturday it was much much worse there)

2) On Friday afternoons the entire country shuts down.  Shops close early and the whole country gets ready for Shabbat.  Shabbat is clearly observed in many different ways, but there is something nice about everyone preparing to spend some quality time with their family.  At 3:30, Sima and I basically got kicked out of the GAP in Mamilla mall.  (*note about the GAP.  A pair of pants that I bought two weeks ago in Chicago for $11 are being sold here for 150 Shekels.  Thats like $39.50- yikes!!)  By the time we got home, the sky had cleared up and the sun had even come out for a little show.

3) Unless you are in charge of cooking dinner, Friday afternoon is the perfect time to catch up on TV shows.  :)  We started watching Homeland two weeks ago and we've now seen 3 episodes.  This is a show that aired its first season this past semester at home.  If you haven't seen it, its worth checking out.  Seriously.  And for me to recommend something with Claire Danes in it is tragic (Omer, I know... I just broke your heart a little.  Sorry.)

I had the chance this past weekend to catch up with some good family friends who were having a picnic in the Jerusalem area (in Ein Kerem).  For non observant families, the best thing to do on Saturdays in Israel is spend time outdoors (weather permitting).  (*note, pretty much the entire country is closed down until Saturday night).  Anyway, I haven't seen these family friends in a LONG time and their family doubled (maybe even tripled in size!)  All the kids now have kids and it was quite fun spending time in the outdoors and eating delicious food.  I will admit, though, it made me a bit homesick for my own family.  Afterwards, I caught a ride down to Tel Aviv and when I arrived I decided to explore the city a little.  Tel Aviv is still kind of a mystery to me... I dont know her well at all.  I went on a long walk and it was so enjoyable!

This is the tayelet (the beach front path in Tel Aviv)

The beach at sunset

I hit the beach, saw some new neighborhoods and people watched the whole way.  I even played two of my favorite games.  The first one was recently introduced to me by my friend Barb and we will call it "Jew".  It goes like this... As you're walking down the street you look over and see a man standing a sweeping the courtyard to his apartment building.  Jew.  You see a woman up ahead with her child carrying three grocery bags.  Jew.  I think you get the point... :)

The second game is "How much Israeli history do I know?"  You see, streets are usually named after important people in history or events.  Therefore, being the dork that I am, I make sure that I know who is being honored in the street sign.  I must admit, there were a few that I need to look up.  Clearly, not important enough names to have been taught in my Zionism class.

After my walk, I felt like my feet were going to fall off, but I continued on to see my good friends Tali and Ari who are here visiting now.  I feel like their arrival was perfect because it came at a time when I really needed a good hug.  With them was the entire Goldblatt family who was so warm and welcoming and I spent the evening with them and enjoyed my first falafel as well.  I think that's all for today.  Next time I'll tell you all about my experience moving to Herzliya to spend the next few days.  I hope this week brings some luck in the job hunting department- keep your fingers crossed for me!

Its been almost a week!

So the last few days have gone by so quickly!  I feel like I've accomplished a lot since I arrived.  First of all, I need to edit my last post when I mentioned that I made it through Frankfurt security without getting groped.  This was a lie.  After I posted that message I had to go through an additional security to get to my gate and not only did the extremely butch woman give me a full pat down, it included her hands IN MY PANTS.  Why is that necessary?!?!  Geez, its like the Friends episode where Joey gets groped by the tailor.  The only difference is, I actually knew that the groping was bad.

Anyway, I arrived in Israel completely exhausted and zombie like.  I made it through passport clearance quickly and my bags were out almost immediately because of my priority status.  When I walked out to the waiting area I saw both Sima and my cousin Yanki and his daughter Avigail waiting for me!  It was a nice, warm welcome.

The first few days were nice and restful and fun!  On Friday, Sima and I went to the mall.  We had ourselves some fun.  Now for those of you who don't know, Sima and I have a tradition of taking pictures in leopard print attire in every city which we travel to together.  We've never taken one in Jerusalem, so of-course we needed to do that.  We walked into H&M (which of-course would carry a nice selection of leopard print attire!?) and put together what I would say is hands down the ugliest outfits we've ever worn!!  See below:

On Shabbat I went to a bat mitzvah of the daughter of a good camp friend.  It was nice connecting with friends of past and receiving such a warm welcome from everyone.  And of-course, it was wonderful celebrating this monumental life cycle moment with the family!

This week has been busy.  I've spent many hours in numerous cafes drinking coffee and working.  I am applying for a fellowship and have been diligently working on my essays.  I'm also applying for jobs-- lots of them!  If you know of anything in Israel that could be a fit, send me an email! :)  I have had lots of firsts this week- managing myself on public transportation, reusing my Hebrew in all situations, setting up a bank account, getting health insurance...

What can I say, its been exciting yet challenging.  There are moments that are extremely overwhelming and I have to fight back my tears and there are other moments that I feel like I can finally breathe and smile again.  I guess that's all part of the journey.  I'm excited to see where it takes me.  Until next time...

Guten Morgen from Frankfurt, Germany!

Its 7:23 in the morning here and still pitch black outside... makes no sense?  My flight from Chicago was great, who can complain when traveling in business class?   I had my own bed, down blanket, flat screen tv, slippers, unlimited drinks of all kinds, snacks and tons of food.  I have to say that I felt quite ill when I got off the plane because I didn't sleep a wink.

The Frankfurt airport is HUGE although I managed to make it through to the right area and go through security and I am very happy to say that I was not chosen for the strip search, so this mission through Germany has been a success!

Well, as promised from my last entry I am uploading pictures of my packed up (and rather empty) apartment.  The last week was quite sad putting the finishing touches and cleaning everything up.  I will definitely miss my home-- she is a beauty!

This past week has been filled with so many different emotions.  I had the opportunity to connect and reconnect with some important people in my life.  Thanks to my amazing friends, CJ and Joey, I had a memorable going away bash on Saturday night.  I think it was only then that the realization of me leaving finally dawned on me.  And even though I shed some tears (some being an understatement) and had some moments of anxiety and nerves, I know that what I am doing is right because I am CHALLENGING myself beyond my wildest dreams.  I have NO IDEA what tomorrow brings and even though that is extremely scary right now it is also AWESOME (or in the words of Barney Stinson, legen..dary).  I just hope all my loved ones know that I wouldn't have the strength to chase my dreams without them supporting me.

Anyway, I will be departing for Tel Aviv in a few hours and when I arrive it will be interesting to see how I am able to put all of my luggage in Sima's car!  Here is a picture my mom took of me with all my stuff before I left:

Well... I hope to hear from everyone soon and I'll be back in touch as soon as I get a chance!