HHHHHHump Dayyyyy

It's Wednesday, which means we only have one real day left of this week and then we get a weird three day weekend, but with a class in between...school Sunday but not Monday, whatever, I can roll with it. On Sunday night the OSP (OverSeas Program) here at TAU organized a trip for all the students to the Nalagaat Center in Jaffa, about a 20 minute drive from Ramat Aviv, which is where I live. The Nalagaat Center is a theater filled with a deaf-blind acting ensemble that puts on shows for audiences and lucky enough, I was able to sit in on the performance. To say that it was anything but extraordinary would be lying, it was a little strange and somewhat different, but interesting as well. I don't know much about being blind or deaf, but I found it really stimulating that deaf people in Israel, when they speak, Hebrew comes out. Because obviously in America it's English. I know that's a weird thought but it really hit me deep and it was moving. We learned some phrases in Hebrew sign language, like "Thankyou" and how to give "applause"....we clapped. We took some cute pictures outside the theater in the center of wings -

I'm starting to figure out my spring break plans: EUROTRIP 2014. We hope to start in Amsterdam and work our way through Europe: eating, praying and loving. Maybe skipping out on the praying for some more eating (and/or substitute it for clubbing), but either way, I'm beyond excited and can't wait to start booking flights! We are headed to Jerusalem this coming Monday for a tour of the city. The last time I was in Jeru was in 10th grade abroad on TRY, I miss this city and cannot wait to go back. Our day starts at 7 AM, but don't worry, I will still be celebrating the Superbowl the night before. You know what they say, YOAO (you only abroad once...I hope I can live up to that motto :b). My plan for this weekend is to make some homemade chicken soup using the little hot-plate in my dorm room, or possibly go to Arad, a small city near Jerusalem with some friends for Shabbat. I've been learning to relax with making plans and not care about timing, whatever happens happens, when it will happen and there's no need to worry. Btw, I'm rocking it in Ulpan...שׁלֹוֹם for now!

This Is(not)rea(ae)l Life.

I can't believe I'm already writing my third post. It's crazy, I feel like I've already been here a month, but it's only been a little over week, just about under two weeks. I guess it's true as the saying goes, time flies when you're having fun. This past week has been the true start of my study abroad experience because we began Ulpan (Hebrew) this past Sunday, yes, in Israel they have school on Sunday...it's a weird adjustment but I will get used to it. Another adjustment has been the waking up at 7:45 for Ulpan at 8:30 AM until 1 PM every day - it's hard, it's intensive, but I find that it will be worth it. Surprisingly or maybe not, I am enjoying Ulpan and it's definitely making me a more confident Hebrew speaker. So much so that I've been trying to communicate with the locals רק בעברית (only in Hebrew); it's working somewhat.
So updates for this week. Number 1...after a tiring 45 minute process of going back and forth and up and down, I finally was able to join the gym with my small towel (which they require at "all gyms in Israel") in hand - and have been going every day after class, which has been great. At home, gym time was "me" time and it's nice to have it in Israel, my new home, as well.
This past week came and went pretty quickly, I'm off on my days because of class on Sunday, so even though today is Saturday I'm in the mindset that it's Friday...Anyway, on Thursday night a bunch of us went to Tel Aviv's Hottest Club: Wonderland (anyone catch that Stefan SNL reference?), but I call it Wondaland in a British accent because it's much more fun. This club was trippy...it's an Alice in Wonderland themed place with funhouse mirrors and a bar in the center of the room. It was funky to say the least but I do not see myself going back there that soon, it's a hotspot for creepy Americans, so naturally, we will stay away.
Yesterday around 11 AM, myself and three other friends decided to venture the 5 mile walk (hike) to the Shuk HaCarmel in Tel Aviv. It was about 65 degrees here - sorry to all my friends and family stuck back home, I don't miss the snow at all. We stopped midway for Brunch at Cafe DVD on Dizengoff Street; I ordered the Chicken salad with strips of Grilled chicken, chunks of sweet potato, cherry tomatoes and a lemon vinaigrette on the side. The Cafe was retro with old album covers covering the wall and the food was delish. After we finally arrived at the Shuk, we were exhausted, but it was time to do some Shabbat food shopping for the Potluck dinner we were having later that night. About an hour later we returned back home to campus and began to prepare - the finished product was a room full of 9 girls, two Israeli salads, a quinoa dish, grilled vegetables, Guacomole, Challah, White Wine and homemade Pita chips. This meal was so totally delicious and it was all in good company. To end this night on a positive note, when asked what I did last night, my answer was Valium. (Me on Valium = !*@#&!) But I don't mean the drug, I mean the club! Valium has been the best club so far with an amazing venue and the best music. We danced all night to the best songs ever (thanks for the quote 1D).

I apologize for the length of this post, I just have a lot to say! Overall, I'm loving it here and I'm really happy...I can't wait for the new adventures ahead this week.

Beach Babe

For the past two days, or really, the entire week (because I've only been here for 5 days as of today), it's been about 65-70 degrees every day. This is definitely a temperature I can deal with; as my mom says, the climate is really working for me, like in her words: "I'm glowing", so I'm gonna go with that's a good sign. I was determined to wake up before 12 PM yesterday and to my surprise I woke around 10:30, got up, got dressed in sneaks and some workout gear and walked downstairs to go for a run. I walked into a group of girls from my program, some leaving to walk to the port of Tel Aviv and one other who was also going for a run, we decided to run together around the outside of campus which loops into a circle. It was a good run, but it was hot! Anyway, after the run, my roommate and I went grocery shopping at this grocery store that is attached to the dorms we live in at TAU. We picked up some necessities and I went to the deli, where I tried to order an American quarter-pound of turkey breast until the workers there started laughing, jokes on me! Israeli's don't order in pounds because they use the metric system, so I opted for 200 kilos of turkey breast, still don't completely understand...but the turkey was yummy!

Last night was the first Shabbat in the holy land and I went to celebrate with my camp friend in Herzliya, about 25 minutes from Tel Aviv. We had a potluck dinner at her Conservative shul (synagogue) and I was familiar with all the tunes, so I felt right at home! This morning I came back to Ramat Aviv and met her grandparents - ironically enough, they made Aliyah to Israel many years ago, but before hand they lived about 15 minutes from where I live now!
Around 1 o'clock, myself and a couple other girls from my program ventured on a 2 mile walk to the beach, where we sat at a cute outdoor cafe on the beach with our toes in the sand; I had eaten some food before, so I wasn't that hungry, but I ordered a small cappuccino, it was foamy and delicious. The best accomplishment today is when I asked the waiter for the check in Hebrew, my friends clapped for me, lolz!!! We decided to walk the 2 miles back to campus as well and it was great exercise, but I'm exhausted now.

We start our first Ulpan class tomorrow, I made it into beginner-intermediate and although I'm not super excited for class, I am excited to get adjusted into a routine and schedule. 

Yom Rishon

Hay hay haaaaayy it's your favorite blogger girl reporting from Tel Aviv, Israel. After what seemed like an endless flight and day of traveling, I have finally made it to Tel Aviv! We landed mid-day on Tuesday and headed to Ramat Aviv to check out campus. It's funny, I go to Tel Aviv University, but I'm not really sure if it's in Tel Aviv...because it's about a 20-30 minute מונית (taxi) ride to the center of the city (they definitely left that out of the program description). Any-who, on Tuesday night a couple friends and I wanted a casual night out, so we headed to Rotcha, a bar in center Tel Aviv on Rehov (street) Allenby. I was so exhausted I almost fell asleep on the table.....needless to say we came back around 1 AM Israel time, and I passed out until the next morning when my alarm went off at 8:30 AM. I figured 7 and a half hours for the first night wasn't bad, plus it sort of helped me get rid of my jetlag hangover. Yesterday, Wednesday, was the first real day of everything at Tel Aviv University. We started with a tour of the campus where I met some new people, and then we got our official TAU I.D. cards and took our Ulpan test. I opted for the choice of "has taken one semester of Hebrew in college", because even though I've taken four...I'm a bit rusty and decided a lower level was better than a higher. To my surprise, I understood everything the teacher was saying during the directions, hey mom and dad, my hebrew isn't so bad after all! Later in the day we hung out for a bit, finally got our wi-fi working and I had my first Israeli meal at this small little joint behind the mall - hummus-shuka which was hummus and shakshuka mixed together, it was delish!! After dinner, we came back, got ready to go out and went to this club called SOLO, almost every person from my program was there, it was crazy crowded, but a ton of fun. We stayed out until about 3:30 AM (for all of you who know me, I do not stay out late, so that was a new adventure for me), I came back and fell asleep until 11:30 this morning and then went to the Tel Aviv Shuk! It was fun, and gorgeous out, we also took a walk on the beach. And that's all for now, Laila Tov!