My first weekend here!

I apologize for the long pause in an update about what I’m doing here in Israel. I arrived in Jerusalem last Thursday afternoon where my cousin, Judy, picked me up from the airport. -She sends her love to everyone here- By the time we got back to her house it was dark and pretty late. There is a popular street a block from her house called the German colony and this is where I had my first falafel and later some homemade ice cream. We counted 49 different restaurants and café’s on this one street.

The next day, Friday, Judy and I took the bus to the Jerusalem shuk. A shuk is a market where fresh produce, fresh fruit, cheeses, pots and pans, anything that relates to cooking is sold there - we even saw someone’s art gallery. (The artist took pictures of the shuk and other wonders throughout Israel.) In the shuk Judy needed to buy cheese and the cheese place that we went to had over 800 different types of cheeses. We spent over half an hour there, tasting different cheeses, talking with the owners and others waiting in line. One would have thought that Judy and I had known these “cheese people” for years the way we were laughing and joking with each other while the owners continuously filled our hands and stomachs with more cheese. He explained to us that if we didn’t like this type of cheese we should try it instead at 12 months instead of 6 or vise versa. Who knew there was such an art for cheese? Going to the shuk is always an exciting experience and one should be well rested before going, however, since we went Friday afternoon the shuk was doubly packed. It seems that every Jewish person living in, or around Jerusalem was crammed into this shuk trying desperately to find all the necessities for the upcoming Shabbat. Along with the “Cheese place” we also went to the best bakery in Israel and bought roog’ala. (I’m sure that is not how it is spelled but it sounds like that) Roog’ala is a type of pastry- rolled like a croissant with chocolate between each layer. Usually roog’ala bought in the states is dry and crumbly but this was moist, and melts in ones mouth. After the shuk we went back to Judy’s house, took a nap and went across the street to her parents’ house for Shabbat dinner. It was a very enjoyable dinner over all- yet her father does not speak any English and my Hebrew is very limited, especially after only hearing it for one day. After returning to Judy’s house we turned on the TV and of course the first thing we see is Barak Obama’s inauguration- which we both eagerly watched again.

The next day we woke up early to make the half hour walk to a synagogue called The Great Synagogue. I was a little confused by the name at first but after setting eyes on it I can see where the name comes from. Most synagogues in Israel- or at least the ones I have seen are run down gyms or decrepit factory buildings. The Great Synagogue however was huge both in size and in grandeur. On the outside of the synagogue the perfectly white Jerusalem stones encompassed a great circular room. One wall was completely filled with stain glass pictures, spelling out inspirational sayings from the Torah. It was a beautiful synagogue all in all. After services Judy and I were invited to her cousins (other side of the family) for lunch. We walked back to their house which was about half way between Judy’s house and the synagogue. On the way back though, Judy and I stopped at the Islamic Museum. (Steph you would have loved it) the Museum had everything from the history of Muhammed, the founding of the religion, artifacts from different Muslim countries and a new exhibit containing contemporary Palestinian art work. Lunch was nice- tons of food as is typical for such a meal. The meal was a little overwhelming since there were many rapid conversations going on at once all in Hebrew Although I didn’t catch a lot of what was being said I was invited over by one of the guest the next time I am in Jerusalem. With Shabbat coming to an end I had to start making plans for Saturday night. In the end my friend Ofer picked me up and we walked to one of the many café’s near Judy’s house. Afterward we drove to the middle of Jerusalem and met two of his friends. Walking up and down Ben’Yehuda street brought back so many memories of running into other Americans in Israel and I was so sure that I was going to see someone I knew there. And of course as prediction goes I saw a girl I went on Seminar with in a café later that evening. I didn’t want to stay out late because I had to wake up early and travel from Jerusalem to Haifa the next morning.

Sunday morning came way too soon for me. I woke up early, crammed the majority of my belongings into my giant duffle bag, convincing myself that it wasn’t too heavy. Judy dropped me off near the central bus station to begin my three hour trip to Haifa. I must have looked a little helpless walking into the bus station because right after I entered someone took my duffle and asked me where I needed to go. Thankfully he carried my bag helping me get a ticket and find where my bus was leaving from. The bus station was like a train station in New York, there were shops, news stands, and food lining ever wall and people were rushing off in every direction. After finding my bus track I thanked the nice man- he wished me good luck and I sat down waiting for the bus to come. While waiting, an old woman sat down next to me and a few minutes later asked me (in Hebrew) if I could open her pack of cigarettes for her, nodding I tried to peal the clear plastic away from the cardboard box but after a few tries she grabbed it back and tried again herself- we played keep away like this for a few minutes until I was finally able to break the plastic. The next thing I knew she was asking if I could watch her bag and her spot so she could get something to eat- oh Israeli’s so trusting in some ways. A bus switch and three hours later I finally stepped foot onto campus. The campus is huge- well at least compared to what I’m used to- but I guess that isn’t saying much. Avi, since the university is stationed on a mountain, the dorms are at the bottom while everything else is at the top- meaning tons of stairs to climb. I think there are 7 or 8 sets of stairs, not including the floors in each building.