first day!

I will be doing a rundown of my first day at my internship:

8am Alarm goes off. I hit snooze.

8:10am Alarm goes off again. I get up because the alarm is kind of quiet and I am afraid I will miss it next time.

8:15am Breakfast! Special K and passion fruit/pear juice.

8:40am shower

9am I changed my shirt three times.

9:17am Wait for the bus

9:30 bus arrives

9:50 I arrive at the Central Bus Station

10:00am I arrive at the Jerusalem Post building, check in with the News Editor, and chill in the conference room with the other interns. There's a girl a year older than me from my high school, as well as a girl from the next town over.

Hanging out, waiting for a story, cursing my self because I forgot my adaptor. The girl from my high school offered to lend me an adaptor later.

11:15am I got a story! Now I need to work on it.

1:21pm The other interns are going to get ice coffees, which are basically coffe slushee-type things. I'm staying here to work on the story that is maybe 1/4 done. (They're getting me one...maybe I am slowly reforming my opinion on coffee? Eh. I doubt I'll make it myself next year, and I'm sure as hell not going to buy it all the time.) Also because one of the interns is waiting for a phone call and I said I'd take it while she's out. I have 7 weeks to do fun intern-bonding things, I'm not worried. We spend most of our time chilling and talking, while writing our stories. It's cool.

One of the reporters had me transcribe an interview with Jason Lezak. It took awhile, but...Jason Lezak! I was an avid Olympic watcher. So at least it was pretty interesting.

I'm about to go home. I haven't finished my article because I am waiting for response from people in Australia, and Sydney and Melbourne are 7 hours ahead of Israel.

Last of Egypt

I really need to finish writing about Egypt, so I can get on to writing about other stuff!

On Saturday, we boarded the bus and then the subway and went to the Egyptian National Museum. Hilary found a cafe to read in while I explored. There were lots of sacrophogii, ancient jewelry, and all sorts of cool stuff. There were mummified animals! Like a cow. They went into the description of how they mummified the cow/removed its organs. It was gross. And cool. But you would probably think it's gross (hint: it involves a massive enema), so I won't get into it. Sadly, cameras were not allowed, so there are no pictures. But it was insanely cool. Museums rock!

After, this guy helped me cross the street, and then I went into his perfume shop for tea (he insisted, and it's this thing...you can refuse, but it's rude). I ended up buying something, Hilary met me there, we drank tea and then left.

Afterwards, we went to Khan al-Khalili, the souq/shuk/outdoor market in Cairo. Well, sort of. I wanted to go to the Tentmaker's market, where they sell awesome tapestries and things. We were walking around where Hilary said the market was, and a guy asked us what we were looking for. He then offered to take us to the market. Which was fine by us. First, he took us to this place where they decorated boxes with designs made from mother of pearl, different woods, and camel bone. "These are real," our guide said. "The ones they sell in the Khan? Not only are they fake, but they cost twice as much!" However, we weren't interested in buying anything.

The guy found the man who ran the tapestry shop, Mohammed Sameh (or was it his son?), and he took us to the workshop. There were several winding corners, and then a flight of stairs, and we were in the most fantastic tapestry shop! All the walls were covered floot-to-ceiling with tapestries. We looked around, found tapestries we wanted, and commenced bargaining. Initially, we had our hearts set on some medium-sized pieces, but the price was too much. We picked out some small tapestries and were ready to start bargaining, when we were offered a fantastic price for the larger pieces. Well, it wasn't much higher than our pretty low bid. I'm sure they got a good deal.

I wanted to get a necklace, so we asked Mohammed where to go. He walked us back to the main street and we ran into our original "guide", who took us to a jewelry store and bargained for us. The store layout was actually pretty similar to the stores in Puerto Vallarta, and I'm assuming that the pieces this guy had were in pretty much every store. Anyways, Hilary and I were all shopped out, so we walked to the subway (it took a little while), then took the subway and then the bus back to here apartment. We ate dinner (her dad made Greek meatballs. And they were tasty.), did some more reading, and then Hilary's dad took me on the bus and then the subway to the bus station.

The bus ride to Eilat was kind of annoying. The seats were assigned, and the number of the seat was written on its back. My bad, I thought the number was written on the back of the seat in front of me. So I sat in the wrong seat. And by the time I figured it out, a pissy guy who wanted to sit next to his friend was parked in it. So I had to sit over one of the bus wheels/storage space, so I didn't have as much room. And the little girl in front of me had her seat leaning back so my knee got a crick in it from being in an awkward position. BUT the woman sititng next to me was Canadian AND spoke Arabic, so that was pretty good.

Going through security was a pain. I'm an American citizen who is living in Jerusalem for the summer, participating in an unpaid internship (this is important because if I was getting paid, I think I would need a worker's visa instead of a tourist visa) and renting an apartment for the summer. "But you are coming back to the country. Why?" I had to explain that I was in ulpan beforehand...I was afraid they weren't going to let me through. They asked if I knew anyone in Israel (I gave my roommate's name because I have no close family in Israel). The final test: they asked me for my apartment's address/the neighborhood in Jerusalem where I lived. Obviously I knew these, so I rattled them off. And so they let me back into the country.

One of the reasons I chose not to go to Petra this summer (at least, so far) is because I have no desire to deal with customs again. Blech.

So yeah.

NOW...on Thursday, I went to Ben Yehuda St., which is an outdoor pedestrian mall. I also went to the Old City. The Old City is a walled-in part of Jerusalem. It is divided up into four sections: The Armenian Quarter, the Christian Quarter, the Muslim Quarter, and the Jewish Quarter. I walked through the Jaffa Gate (because I entered the Old City from Jaffa St.), through the Armenian Quarter, through a shuk with an obnoxious salesman who tried to sell me jewelry even though I politely told him that I wasn't interested. "Why are you so angry?" he said in a really annoying voice. I have this thing about voices. For example, my 12th grade calc teacher had a really annoying voice. She was also really sarcastic and obnoxious. Once you got past all of that, she was a good teacher. Anyways, this guy had this really annoying voice. "Come look. I won't eat you, I'm a vegetarian." Oh honey, I thought, wrong thing to say. I humored him and looked at an unremarkable mezzuzah necklace, then left.

I finally found the Jewish Quarter. I walked past the Cardo, which is a “Roman road”, showing what things would have looked like during the time of the Temple. Then, I got the Western Wall. Amazingly, I was able to get to the Wall pretty quickly (The women’s side is much smaller, so there’s usually a build-up of people). I completed my civic duty (evidence on Facebook), stroked the Wall a few times, and left.

Back on Ben Yehuda St., I got a passion fruit ice drink. It's like a slushee? Sort of? It tastes delicious, and some of the seeds are in it. They are crunchy and apparently a good source of fiber.

Today I got oriented for my internship, which starts tomorrow. It went well. Hopefully tomorrow will also go well. I need to read through some news sites and prepare for tomorrow...where I'll need to get up early (for me), make my lunch (crap, I forgot to buy fruit at the supermarket today), and...get there by 10am. 10am! I expected it to be 9. Lucky me! Maybe tomorrow after the internship I'll finally check out Machane Yehuda? (Large shuk in Jerusalem, not to be mistaken with Ben Yehuda St.) Maybe.

progress!

Today I woke up at 9:40am to try and get a hostel for a weekend in Haifa. Sadly, it's not in the card this weekend. I'm going to try and go from July 9th-11th. I emailed several hostels and got some price quotes. I still haven't heard back from my first choice place.

Anyways, I had been planning on going back to sleep, but that didn't happen. I had a bowl of cereal, got my act together.

Today I am going to go to the Old City. I'm going to go to the Western Wall, perform my CUMB Civic Duty. I'm going to take a bunch of pictures. I might walk to the shuk and get some groceries to get me through the weekend. (I have enough proteins, need some other things.) Tonight I'm going to the PresenTense meeting for the next issue of the magazine. Tomorrow I might actually make it to Tel Aviv and the beach. If I go, I'm also going to go to an artist market that is held every Tuesday and Friday.

I need to go and get appropriately sunscreened, change from shorts to capris, and pack a skirt and long shirt, in case I'm not considered tzniut (modest) enough for the Kotel (Western Wall).

Peace.

More of Egypt!

Read the first Cairo post first.

Friday morning, we woke up, ate breakfast, and caught a taxi to Giza, to see the pyramids! Hilary's dad is friends with the taxi driver. Once in the cab, he offered us apples (which we declined) and started to tell us riddles. Hilary got one of them, but after that, we were stumped. We drove across the Nile and saw...lots of dirty things. Cairo isn't a very clean city. Not only is there sand and dust, but the garbage clean-up is not like NYC. Again, Cairo is a sprawling city, it's just hard.

Anyways, we got to the pyramids and the Sphinx! We walked around, went into a mini temple. I took some pictures, made some faces. We also traced G(tb)^2 into the sand and took a picture, but I don't think it showed.

The pyramids were incredible, but...I don't know, I don't think there is much to say about them.

Afterwards, we went to the Turgomen bus station (there are 4 bus stations in Cairo) to get my ticket back to Taba. We then caught the subway and then the bus back to Hilary's apartment. We rode in one of the women only cars, which was actually a huge relief. The women generally ignored us.

We got home and read, chilled, cooled off. Hilary's dad made maccaroni and cheese for dinner! It was delicious.

There was more hanging out, more reading, and then we went to bed. Don't get me wrong, it was a full day, but I'm not one for raving and raving over natural wonders.

More later!

yeah yeah yeah

It's been a week since I boarded the Egged bus for Eilat. I should probably start with the recap.

Wednesday afternoon, I had a meeting at the Jerusalem PresenTense office to discuss the next issue of the magazine. I brought my (USY) duffel bag with, and headed straight to the Central Bus Station afterwards. Now, when I go to Tel Aviv, it's first come first served, and I can sit anywhere. Not so on this bus. I was assigned to a specific seat. I was lucky that there was room on the bus because the 5pm bus was the last bus to Eilat of the day. Not quite halfway through the trip (after we passed the Dead Sea), we stopped at a rest stop that had a gas station, bathrooms, burger restaurant, and a cafe/espresso bar. Around 9:30pm I arrived in Eilat and after wandering around and eventually getting a cab, I arrived at the youth hostel.

Now would be as good a time as any for a geography lesson. Here is a map of Israel:

(http://www.merriam-webster.com/maps/images/maps/israel_map.gif) Because this map clearly isn't mine.

Jerusalem is in the middle of Israel, where the star is. It's elevated, a little hilly. Green, parks. Buildings are made of stone. Jerusalem stone is a pretty common building material. It's light-colored and looks rosy when the sun hits it just right. It's pretty. The north is more mountainy and plays home to many kibbutzim (sort of an ode to communes of yore, and the first settlements in Israel) and forests.

In the south is the Judean Desert. I don't have fond memories of the desert. In the summer of 2007 when I was on USY Pilgrimage, we did an overnighter in the desert and I (as well as 2 other girls) woke up feeling really sick. We were driven to Beer Sheva and hospitalized there. The other two girls went to pediatrics but because I was 18, I went to the main area. After waiting around forever, they gave me an IV with fluids. I had initially been sweating, but the fluids were cold and I was soon freezing. To this day, that's the only time I've ever been hospitalized.

Anyways, there's not much going on in the south. There's Beer Sheva. There are some kibbutzim further south. There's Ben Gurion University. But mostly, there's desert. Sort of sandy, but mostly rocky desert. Then, at the very most southern tip of Israel is Eilat.

I stayed at the International Youth Hostel in Eilat. It was nice/clean. I got a bed, linens and towel, and breakfast for $25 (including the online reservation/booking fee). My only issue was that there was one key to the room and there were 5 girls. (My other issue is that I barely slept, but that was due to excitement.)

Sharing the room were me, a French girl named Sara(h), and three girls who met on Birthright and extended their trip. I've never really talked to anybody who has done Birthright, so I was very curious. My suspicions that the trip is loaded were confirmed. Granted, when you take a group of young adults with potentially little prior knowledge/interest in Israel and try to...change that over the course of 10 days, it's going to be intense. I don't mean this as a dig to Birthright. Frankly, I'm impressed with the job they do. I don't think any of the Israel trips I've been on have had the same intent/angle as Birthright.

Anyways, I went to a bar and grabbed dinner, went to bed and barely slept, then woke up on Thursday morning, ate breakfast, checked out of the hostel, and went on my way.

I took the Egged bus from the Central Bus Station to Taba, the checkpoint between Israel and Egypt. Except I got off the bus too soon and had a lovely 40 minute walk in the hot sun. Yeah, even at 9am, it was bloody hot.

Getting through security was a breeze...I just had to show my passport about a million times and get people to sign things. I paid the border fee to get into Egypt, changed my money from (New Israeli) shekels (NIS) to Egyptian Pounds (EGP) and went on my merry way...it took about 15 minutes total.

At this point it was 10:15 and the bus to Cairo was scheduled to leave at 10:30. I knew it would probably be late...and even though it was only 1km from the border to the East Delta Bus Station, I took a cab, to make sure I'd get there in time to get a ticket.

Which I did. I bought my ticket and a girl who looked about my age introduced herself. Her name was Sheerin, she said she was going back to Alexandria where she lives and studies in the university. Her English was pretty good and she was a godsend, not only because we could talk but because it's sort of unusual for a woman to travel alone in Egypt. Yeah.

While on the bus I had to pay another border fee, in order to leave the Sinai Penninsula and enter Egypt proper. I also had to show my passport several times. The bus was a coach bus and there was an Egyptian movie peing played loudly over the speakers. I sort of slept. Outside, there was a lot of...desert. Not much else.

All of a sudden, a city appeared. At first it looked small...but this was just the outskirts of Cairo. Cairo is HUGE and sprawling, and constantly expanding outwards. Sheerin lent me her cell phone (my Israel phone didn't get reception) and I called Hilary's mom to let her know that I was arriving at the bus station. We'd gotten in sooner than I had expected, so I waited around an hour and then saw Hilary's mom! Hilary had mentioned that she had pictures of her family on Facebook, so I knew what she looked like...but she was also easy to recognize because she was a white woman in Cairo.

We took a taxi to the bus station and then took a bus to El-Rehab, the suburb where Hilary's family lives. It took awhile, and it was REALLY hot outside. We arrived at their apartment, which had AIR CONDITIONING! Also, I slept on the first regular-height bed I've slept in in awhile. (At school the beds are lofted a bit, I sleep in a bunkbed at home, and my bed in Jerusalem is lower than the average bed.

Anyways, I saw Hilary! We hung around and caught up. Later, we went to the mall across the street from her apartment (Mall 2) and got food from the Lebanese restaurant there. I got shwarma, because shwarma is awesome. It's meat. Yeah. It had essentially the same things as an Israeli shwarma pita, though the meat was prepared a bit differently (grilled, maybe?) and was in what was essentially a tortilla. Anyways, it was delicious. We hung out some more, and then eventually collapsed in bed.

Story to be continued, because it's now 12:10am here...

Awesomesauce

Hi, everyone! I just got home from my weekend away in Cairo. Of course I feel terribly guilty that I went without telling my parents - and now I'm writing about it in public, no less! - but I'm sure it will be fine. Perhaps they will find it in their hearts to forgive me. I can only pray that they will refrain from disowning me, though I can only imagine how badly my actions have disappointed them...

Pfft. As if. I mean, I’m a victim of the Jewish guilt complex, but if I felt bad about going to Cairo, I wouldn’t fucking do it. So obviously I’m not authoring this blog post myself. With me is Hilary, my gracious host!

My friend Sarah is here for a far-too-brief (yet way-too-hot) weekend in Cairo, taking a short break from her awesome summer in Israel.

And right now, I felt the need to add that me + Hilary can never be hot enough. ;) Because that’s just the kind of girl I am. Hopefully you chuckled/snorted/rolled your eyes at that comment. That’s what you’re supposed to do.

So there I was, with my…head buried in two books at once in January, when I got an awesome email from AUC/ALI saying “Congrats, you’ve been accepted! Way to go!”

And there I was, covered in blood I’m fairly certain was not my own, when, being my anal-retentive self, I secured a supremely kick-ass internship at the Jerusalem Post, in January. The Jerusalem Post’s office is in Jerusalem…and Hilary was going to be in Cairo…

Being the super-smart Columbia kids that we are, we put two and two together and came up with an awesome idea. Obviously, I should visit her in Jerusalem! But my class schedule was way too crazy and I knew my parents wouldn’t be too hot on the idea – a problem, as I would be living at home.

As luck would have it, my schedule was pretty flexible—both in June when I was scheduled to take Hebrew classes and in July-August, during my internship. To top it off, I was going to be living away from home, so I could do whatever the hell I want! (Except leave food in my room, because my roommate and I had a cockroach. My bad.) ANYWAYS, my parents weren’t too crazy about me going to Cairo. In fact, they said I couldn’t go. But in a bout of teenage rebellion (shut up, I’m a late bloomer), I decided that I was going to go anyways, and I was going to do it in the least expensive, sketchiest way possible—by bus!

(That’s a lie, the sketchiest way would have been by cab.)

Ugh, yeah. Cabs in general here are mad sketchy as it is. Would that even have been possible? (Do I want to know?)

Anyway, for your amusement (hopefully) and edification (absolutely), we present a list of do’s and don’ts for traveling and living in Cairo! Please place your trays and seatbacks in the upright position and bribe your flight attendant to make sure you get a strong enough drink. Aaaaand….enjoy!

1. Cairo is HOT. It’s in the desert. So bring sunscreen with an appropriate SPF label (I’m an SPF 55 girl myself), a hat (dorkiness is always in style, if it keeps you from fainting), and drink plenty of water.

2. Cairo is not technically an Islamic state, but it is a Muslim society. Unless you don’t mind getting offered large numbers of camels in exchange for your hand in marriage (you think I’m kidding, don’t you), I strongly suggest shrinking three inches, tanning until your skin is leathery, dying your hair black, wearing tinted contact lenses to hide your blue eyes, and when all else fails, borrowing a burkah from your next-door neighbor. Bodyguards are also handy.

3. But seriously, don’t dress like a ho. Even if you think you don’t, trust me, you do. Basically, I’ve been going around in t-shirts, jeans, and sneakers in 90-degree weather. It’s a bit hot, but not only do I now sport a sexy farmer’s tan (well, I always do, but that’s besides the point), but it’s being respectful of another person’s culture.

But you’ve still gotten a couple of marriage offers. Oh, well…

There is being a tourist and being a Tourist. Capital letters are unacceptable in the middle of sentences (unless they are proper nouns or you are speaking German).

4. You must, must MUST know four words of Arabic: la’a, shukran, ma’assalema, and akhwa. They mean, respectively, “no,” “thank you,” “goodbye,” and “coffee.”

5. Bring good walking shoes that can get sandy (no, not in THAT way). Even though Cairo is a huge city (largest in Africa), it’s doing constant battle with the desert. Also, as a tourist, you’re going to do lots of walking. Also, note to the ladies: don’t bring heels, that makes you a ho fo’ sho. (Seriously. Nobody wears them. Be cool and follow the herd.)

I actually have worn heels here once or twice. But the one time I wore them at night, I was walking with my dad and some guy on the street thought I was his concubine.

Yeah, I’m not kidding. Leave the heels at home.

The thought of Hilary as anybody’s concubine is…well, I can’t picture it. She’s too proper.

Anyway.

6. Hone your haggling skills. Be prepared to overpay anyway.

7. The biggest souq, or market in Cairo is the Khan al-Khalili (kh = ch in Hebrew, it’s a hard h. Practice your guttural noises. Oh yeah baby, JUST like that.) Anyways, it’s symbolic of Cairo, but it’s a tourist trap and rife with pickpockets. Go anyways. However, make sure to ask the locals for directions. We did this and got led to a tapestry factory where we got awesome…tapestries for a bargain (more than 50% less than what we would have paid if we had been to an outdoor stall by ourselves), and then to a jewelry store, with similar(ish) success. I’ve read books about outdoor market culture, and I can tell you this: asking a local for help is good because he might be willing to show you the best places, AND he might even help you haggle. I’m pretty sure he then gets a commission of what the shop-keepers earn.

I think we still probably overpaid a bit. But I’m ok with that. It was mad fun. Also, because we promised to tell our friends: check out Omar’s perfume shop, Mohammed Sameh’s tapestry workshop, and Mohamed’s friend’s backgammon and chess-board store. They’re all really nice guys. Tell them we say hi.

8. When a merchant offers you tea, say yes. Otherwise, they get really sad.

A lot of the merchants are descendants of the Bedouins. Tea is part of their culture. So is hospitality. So is trying to sell you stuff (well, that’s merchants in general). Don’t worry, they are nice people!

They won’t poison you with the tea, really.

9. The pyramids. Don’t accept camel/horseback rides. It’s not a long walk. You will be repeatedly offered. Say “la’a, shukran” and keep walking. Don’t look them in the eye. That encourages them.

10. Make sure you know where you’re going. I was really lucky that I was with Hilary the whole time. Otherwise, I would have had to take taxis everywhere. But with her, we generally took the bus or subway, saving lots of money. Also, just in case, it helps if your cell phone gets reception in Egypt…that way you can call for help, if necessary. My Israel phone doesn’t work here and I neglected to bring my US phone…luckily, I was able to borrow Hilary’s Egypt cell phone. I didn’t trust myself with the iPhone.

Staying with someone who lives there already is a good choice. You know you’re welcome here whenever. I love visitors! So do my parents! (Dad will cook you out of house and home!)

Good lord. Now I have to get used to cooking for myself again. Alas. But if you don’t know anybody in the area (in Cairo or wherever), stay in a hostel. They are cheaper and the staff are used to travelers. They will have good advice. Look online to find the best deals, both cost-wise and quality-wise. Remember, safety is important!

And sleeping on the street is ALWAYS a bad idea. The metro stations are much safer.

But if you do, you’ll have a great sob story to tell when you are running for president…

Sadly, Sarah has to leave now to go downtown and catch her bus home. Boo! So everyone, say good-bye nicely and thank her for being our awesome guest contributor…

I’ll take nice goodbyes in many forms. I’m not propositioning myself, I’m just an avid appreciator of creativity.

And now, I depart for an hour-ish trip to the bus station, where I will (eventually) board a 5+ hour bus ride to the border and later a 4 hour bus ride to Jerusalem. But it was worth it, because I saved SO MUCH money…that I ended up spending elsewhere…on souvenirs, not sketchy/possibly illegal things.

Shameless plug time! If you want to hear more about my totally awesome adventures in Cairo (and elsewhere in Egypt…), check out my super-duper blog: http://www.repeatinginshallah.wordpress.com.

interesting

My plans for the Cairo trip are underway! I am officially going this weekend! I will take the 5pm bus on Wednesday afternoon from the Jerusalem Central Bus Station to Eilat. It takes around 4 hours and yes, the buses between cities actually leave when they are supposed to! I booked a bed in a hostel in Eilat for the night. I'm not going to have much time in the city, but that's okay. Eilat has a big beach and there are casinos and clubs. I don't feel like gambling or clubbing, and the Tel Aviv beach is way closer. At any rate, I think I might be going to Petra at the end of the month. Petra tours start in Eilat, so I'll have more time to explore the city if I so desire. Anyways, back to my plan. I'll check into my hostel sometime between 9 and 10pm and then find a restaurant/bar and grab dinner. I might do some exploring, but nothing extreme. I'll check out of the hostel by 9am at the latest, stock up on water and food for the rest of my trip (it's a 7 hour bus ride) and catch a taxi to the border between Eilat, Israel and Taba, Egypt. Hopefully all the border crossing things will go smoothly! I'll have my duffel bag searched, show them my passport, pay the border fees, and officially be in Egypt! I will then walk the short distance to the bus station and buy a 10:30am bus ticket to Cairo. I want to get there early to make sure I have a seat...even though the bus apparently runs late. But seeing as how the bus ticket costs around $12.50, that's fine. I'll hopefully get in before 6pm, buy my return ticket and then catch a taxi to Hilary's house. And that's how I'm getting to Cairo.

Ulpan was good. We got a packet photocopied from the ulpan book about direction-related words. These will be very useful, as even with a map, I don't always know where to go.

After ulpan, I went in search of a bookstore, because I need reading material for my trip and I wanted to find an Arabic phrasebook. I bought 2 books and a guidebook to Israel, but there were no phrasebooks. The best thing I could find was a Hebrew-Arabic dictionary...and not only was it too big, but my Hebrew isn't good enough to make it remotely useful. I was proud though, because I conducted this search entirely in Hebrew. Simple Hebrew, but Hebrew nonetheless! I might go to the Malcha mall (maybe the biggest mall in Jerusalem?) and find a larger bookstore there. If I don't, it's not the end of the world. I'm only going to be there from Thursday evening through Saturday evening, and I'm going to the most touristy places ever...and I'm sure Hilary can teach me a few words of Arabic, or lend me a dictionary...or I can buy one there!

Today I did laundry! It was an exciting occasion. Also exciting was figuring out how to open mymirpeset (balcony) door, because it sticks. Even though I'm in a ground-level apartment, I have a mirpeset. It looks out onto trees and bushes and stuff. It's not facing the street. This is good because this is where my clotheslines are. My roommate has a washing machine, but no dryer. Luckily for me, the weather in Jerusalem is hot and (relatively) dry, so hopefully my clothes will be dry tomorrow morning (I put them up as the sun was setting).

Plans for tomorrow:

1. Put away my laundry

2. Go to Tel Aviv and chill on the beach. It turns out that the bus route I took on Thursday when I was going to the hostel that had no rooms runs parallel to the beach! I'll bum around, finish Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (which you all should read) so I can lend it to Hilary, play in the Mediterranean Sea (but not too much or my eczema will probably flair up...ugh), and eat overpriced beach food. Maybe I'll get freckles/sunburnt! I think that this is an excellent way to spend the day. I haven't done it yet because getting motivated to take a 1.5 hour trip someplace requires...motivation.

3. Yoga class! It runs from 8:15pm to 9:45pm. Hopefully it won't be too hard. It's beginner's yoga, but my yoga skills are basically nonexistent.

Plans for Tuesday:

1. Ulpan

2. Possible trip to Malcha Mall to get a phrasebook!

Plans for Wednesday:

1. packpackpackpack

2. meeting at PresenTense at 3pm

3. make sure I have food/water for the ride to Eilat

4. 5pm bus ride to Eilat!

hm

Regarding London: I talked to my mom the other day, and she said I can extend my trip, though she said it with a "you've gotta do what you've gotta do" kind of vibe. "After spending the summer in Israel, I'm sure you'll be able to keep yourself safe," she said.

As for keeping myself safe, I will say this: despite the fact that I occasionally walk around late at night alone (and when I'm in NYC, sometimes less than sober), I have only ever gotten trouble twice: Once, during freshman year, Camille and I were walking on campus, near Butler, when some guys who (I think) didn't go to Columbia came up and started giving us trouble. It was weird, because there were so many people around. Anyway, we turned and headed for the safety of John Jay, where I hung out with her and her floormates (oh, freshman dorm culture at Columbia...). The other time I got trouble, I was coming home from a band party at 2:30am, drunk, wearing a fancy dress and very high heels. I've since learned my lesson: don't dress like a hoface: long coat to hide the fanciness and a pair of flats for a speedier getaway. A sensible person might be saying now, "Sarah, you dumbass, call the Columbia Shuttle service or get someone to walk you home!" My response, after acknowledging that one of my least favorite things to do is walk around alone at night when there are clear alternatives is this: 1) By the time the shuttle arrives, I'll already be home and 2) who is going to want to walk me home? I'm in the opposite direction of everybody. So that's that. (Sidenote: I do thank my mom for signing me up for karate lessons when I was little and I thank myself for sticking around for 6 years. Don't piss me off, I can make your entire arm go numb with a single forceful poke. I've done it before.)

That being said, while I understand that there is safety in numbers, I do alright for myself. I think it's because I...blend well? I'm not considered interesting/a threat to random passersby? I think this same thing is what gets me through airport security so quickly, so I'm very content.

Plans for the week:

~Do laundry. Seriously. I really need to do laundry.

~Clean my room. It's not very messy. I mean, I don't have that much stuff. But someone is coming over this week to check out the apartment...a new roommate for Kate for when I leave, and therefore the room should be presentable.

~Read the Jerusalem Post more. Because I should.

~Keep up with the jogging. For the same reason as above.

~Go to yoga on Monday. My mom has always been saying that yoga might destress me/make me happier. I'm open to anything that isn't medication. (Hell, I think I might even try going to JTS counseling services this year...)

~Catch an early bus to Tel Aviv Monday morning and spend several hours bumming around on the beach. Maybe I'll get an (almost) all-over burn? My legs, upper arms, and the part of my chest that is acceptable to show in decent company (with the exception of a small sunburn) is way to pale/unfreckly. Srsly.

~Watch more Dr. Who! I have the new 4 seasons on TV, and they are super fab. I've watched all of season 1, as well as season 2 episode 0.

~Make concrete plans to go to Haifa, Tiberias, and Petra (maybe?), possibly some extended chillaxing time in Eilat.

Cairo update: there are 2 weekends that work for Hilary, this upcoming weekend(!!) and the end of July. She's checking with her parents, to see if they have a preference. If not, I'm going to go this weekend! I'll leave Wednesday afternoon for Eilat and then cross the border on Thursday morning and catch a 10:30am bus to Cairo. I'll probably buy my return ticket asap (I need to buy it at least one day in advance) and then head to Hilary's house. I am seriously excited for this, I have been planning this adventure since January! (Well, the idea spawned in January and I've periodically been reviewing my travel plans and sights to see.)

Okay, it's 3am here and I should be going to bed. So yeah.

Woo!

My sister graduated high school today. This is not only very awesome, but also a huge accomplishment. So I guess that means that she rocks. She's going to UIC (University of Illinois--Chicago. The main U of I campus is "downstate" (in the middle of IL), but there is also a campus in Chicago. Whereas I have forsaken my roots (Josh is disappointed) and am in the middle of a hot, messy love affair with NYC, my sister is definitely a Chicago Girl. Anyways, she's going to UIC and as of now, wants to major in biology and minor in chemistry. Perhaps she will do what my dad once wanted to do (and repeatedly tried to foist off onto me) and go to med school. (She wants to be a plastic surgeon and make lots of monies. Whereas I either want to be a lawyer and maybe make lots of monies or be an academic type and make almost no monies.)

So in short, congratulations, Rachel! You probably won't read this, but I'm proud of you.

BITCHES I'M GOING TO LONDON

That all caps title says it all. At least, I hope so. My return flight from Tel Aviv to London was cancelled. They rescheduled me, but this flight conflicts with my connecting flight back to Chicago. At first, I was royally pissed. Now however, I think that this could be the perfect opportunity to explore London! I'm going to talk this over with my parents tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm looking up hostels. My requirements are minimal--I need a place to store the majority of my luggage if I'm sharing a room, I want to be near public transportation, and I want to be near bars/clubs. Woot!

Arg!

I am in desperate need of an adventure. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving the leisurely pace of things here. It's absolutely fantastic. Really and truly. However, I don't go out at night! A problem is the buses. The buses in Jerusalem don't run nearly as often as the NYC buses...and the subway. Sure, there are taxis, but I bought the monthly bus pass! Unless I have no clue how to get someplace within the city, I'm using the bus pass, thanks.

Getting around using Egged would be impossible without Wikipedia. I can find the coordinates of the bus stops to find the route closest to my destination. Basically, if I want to do some sightseeing outside of Jerusalem and don't want to bring my laptop (I'd probably be staying in a hostel, and would most likely be sharing a room...), I'm going to need to plan my trips out in advance. Right now, I think I want to do trips to Tiberias (lake! ostrich farm!), Haifa (wine tour!), and go back to Tel Aviv and spend some time bumming around at the beach (I figure catch an early morning bus, spend the day, catch an afternoon bus back). This means that I might do a trip this weekend! I shall begin planning tomorrow.

I haven't really been eating out. I've been cooking all my meals (except that time when I was really lost). This ought to balance out the times when I need to buy all of my food because I am traveling. (Though what will I do on Shabbat?! Pre-buy nonperishables, worst comes to worst.) Also, I enjoy cooking, as long as I am not rushed. It's relaxing. (Tomorrow evening, for example, I have all the ingredients to make honey mustard salmon and edamama. And I can guarantee that it will be delicious. For those who would care, the dijon mustard I bought isn't Grey Poupon, but it is a similar brand.) Also, if I plan in advance, I can cook enough food to last a few days (definitely over Shabbat, when the supermarket is closed). At some point, I am going to go to Burgers Bar, a burger chain in Israel. There is one not far from my apartment! It is in a group of a few stores a few minutes walk from my apartment that I haven't yet checked out...but eventually will.

Tomorrow, as a reward for getting up early (for me, anyways) and going on a slightly extended run, I am going to make a reservation for myself at a sushi bar that is within walking distance of my apartment! And then I will go home, do my laundry, and make plans for the weekend. *crosses fingers*

bohemian

It's time for a lesson in Israeli culture/society! I know you are excited! If not, you've probably stopped reading. Or are just really bored. I bet it's the later. That's okay.

So after high school, most Israeli teenagers serve in the army. It's a cultural thing. Also, unfortuantely, it's pretty necessary. Girls serve for around 2 years and guys serve for around 3 years. Women are rearely in combat positions. Female friends who have served in the army have done things like teach photography, teach how to drive jeeps. Anyways, after service, some Israelis immediately enter university or the work force. Others take time off to travel.

Popular places to travel are India, Australia...places like that. And I'm not joking, this is a common trend. Taking time to find themselves, etc. The kind of thing they didn't have time to do while they were in the army.

Now, I have friends that took gap years. They all did programs in Israel. But all of these programs were rooted in education in some way. They didn't just go and backpack/wander.

I know that my parents would be seriously pissed if I said that I wanted to take some time off and wander around another country. (I do know some people who took jobs while doing this, when they spent significant amounts of time in a specific area. However, it's not too easy to do. Ant then, you're not exactly saving money. You're working as a waitress/equivalent, for rent money.) Granted, I'm going to an expensive school, so I understand that my parents want me to do something productive. However, even if I wasn't, I can't see them getting behind me taking time off to travel. And I agree.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm missing out on anything.

no pictures

I haven't taken any pictures because if I do, then my cover is blown. I am officially a tourist.

Don't get me wrong, I have no problem being a tourist. I walk around with a fucking map, embracing this status. The thing is, despite my pale skin and ever-increasing freckles (compliments of the Russian side of my family, giving me half of my affinity for alcohol (I'm genetically gifted) and the likelihood that I will one day get skin cancer), I don't necessarily stick out that much. Here is why:

Reasons Why Sarah Doesn't Look Like the Israeli Equivalent of "Super Gringo" (family joke):

Firstly, I need to clarify. In Spanish, gringo means American/Dirty Foreigner. When we would go to Mexico to visit my uncles, my dad used to say that he was Super Gringo because he speaks almost no Spanish and basically sticks out (he and I have the same/similar complexion). However, while my dad was joking, I do not think that he is Super Gringo. While my dad might not speak a lot of Spanish, he speaks what he knows and asks questions. He is respectful. He is a foreigner, yes, and a tourist, but not a loud and obnoxious one. He takes an interest in the culture.

Even though I am living in Jerusalem for the summer, I definitely consider myself a tourist. The minute I stop becoming a tourist is the minute I take up permanent or semi-permanent residence in Israel. Being fluent in Hebrew would be a plus. So, here are characteristics which separate the respectful tourist/very temporary resident from a Super Gringo:

1. Don't be loud. As a person who talks very loudly (my voice carries/I come from a loud family/random excuse), I go out of my way to follow this rule. I think people talk louder in the US.

2. Take the time to learn the area. Even if you're in a place for less than a week, you are probably revisiting at least some of the places. Walking around looking like you are insanely lost is fine, as long as it is only the first or second time.

3. Avoid tacky tourist wear. Those shirts you see people selling? They are called souvineers for a reason. Their purpose is to remind you of your vacation...after the fact. There are other nitty gritty dressing details, but they vary based on location. I will say this: as long as it doesn't have a logo of some sort that gives it away (or isn't a Hawaiian-style shirt), you're probably safe. Personally, I'm not sure where I stand on hats. I know, they protect you from the sun, but I don't normally see locals wearing hats. When I wear a hat, I go for a baseball cap. I have a white Addidas cap (the only one in the store that fit my large head) that will hopefully be less...crisply white by the end of the trip. I also wear Asics most days. This is because one of the tendons on the top part of my right foot is being weird and I think my sandals caused that. Plus, if I'm doing lots of walking/any running, sandals suck. Plus, they are no longer glaringly white like the hat I almost never wear. That helps. Basically, I try and minimize the number of times I leave the apartment dressed like I'm at summer camp (except when I go jogging).

5. Speak their language. Unless I have no clue what is going on, I try to speak Hebrew to people. If I have major questions, I ask them in English, because I want to make sure I understand. Sure, it's obvious I'm foreign, even when I speak Hebrew. But I'm making an effort.

So yeah. Also, I don't take pictures because I feel weird, being the only person taking pictures. I have yet to run into a Birthright group. I might be a tourist, but I'm a tourist who is flying solo. I like that.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, which makese sense I guess, since I've been spending most of my time alone. Aside from the Tel Aviv thing, I haven't done any major exploring. On one hand: bad me! I'm in Israel with a relatively open schedule and I'm not taking advantage of it! On the other hand: screw you, I can do what I want. So there.

I'm realizing that some of the decisions that I make in the next two years--between now and when I decide what my post graduation plans are--will have an insanely huge impact on my life. Academically speaking, I want to get everything over with as soon as possible. That doesn't mean choosing a graduate degree that takes a short amount of time to complete. It means that I don't want to take a break between undergrad and graduate school. I think. I've been thinking, and I want to try one of those 5 hours a day 5 days a week language programs. Like what Hilary is doing, but as ulpan, for conversational Hebrew. When will I do this? Next summer? Or will I defer for a year and take it then? Of course, the other answer is to do it when I make aliyah...if I make aliyah.

There's a hitch with the Cairo plans. Firstly, the program Hilary is in had a weekend trip scheduled for the time I am available. I say "had" because things have changed. There was a breakout of swine flu at the university, and they are closed down for 3 days. The program will have to make up for lost time, which means that some of the trips might be cancelled, with classes held instead. Basically, I have to wait until Hilary hears back form the program about the new schedule.

Ideally, I will still go to Cairo that weekend. If a different weekend opens up for Hilary, I will start my internship earlier and then take a Thursday and a Sunday off. Since I would be working the same number of days, it will hopefully be okay. Even if Hilary is busy during the days with classes, I can do the touristy stuff on my own and then hang out with her in the evenings. I mean, the places I want to go--the pyramids, sphynx, museum, boat museum, souk--these are all really touristy places. If there is no good alternate weekend or it looks like it will just be too complicated, I'll go the weekend I originally planned and find a hotel or hostel. But Hilary should hear about any changes on Sunday when her classes start up again, so I'll wait until then to make any alternate plans.

Oops.

I haven't posted in a few days. But to make up for this, I will make a longer post, bringing all of my nonexistent readership up-to-date on my life. Woot!

So Tuesday, my ulpan started. I woke up at 1:30pm, swore a lot, took a quick shower, and headed to the bus stop. The night before, Kate told me how to get to Pardes. I got on the 32 near my apartment and took the bus a few stops (which I don't feel bad about, since I have the monthly pass), to where the Agron guest house/Native & Pilgrimage headquarters is, to transfer to the 21. Except I missed my stop and had to go back...and saw the 21 pass me. I waited at the bus stop for awhile...and watched as I became progressively more late for my 2:30 ulpan. Eventually the bus came. Now, some of the bus routes, including 32 and 21, have "aleph" routes, so there are also 32 aleph and 21 aleph (aleph = "a"--the letter, not the word). Kate told me that as far as I was concerned, there wasn't much of a difference. I had gotten on 21 aleph and was convinced that the bus was taking me someplace other than where I wanted to go and that I was dreadfully lost. I got off the bus and talked to a cab driver and then realized that I had only taken the bus 1 or 2 stops beyond where I needed to go.

I arrived at Pardes pretty late, but it was okay! They were still interviewing people to determine their placement. I registered and had my interview. I was placed in bet (level 2). The available levels were aleph, apleh +, bet, and gimmel (1, advanced 1, 2, and 3). They combined aleph/aleph + and bet/gimmel, because there were only 2 teachers. This was actually okay because there weren't a whole lot of people registered for the ulpan. It turns out that June is Pardes' quietest summer month--July and August are much busier. I guess this is because some people don't get out of school in time, or can't get away from work until mid-June or July.

There were a total of 6 people in my group. 3 (2 girls and a slightly older guy) were in gimmel. with me in bet were a middle-aged woman and a guy who looked like he was my age, maybe a few years older. We had an abridged lesson, since most of the time had been spent in registration and placement. The bet people went to another room to complete a list of 100 fill-in-the-blank Hebrew questions in about 40 minutes. I was the only person to finish. It's because I'm awesome. We then went back into the classroom to go over things with the teacher. It became clear that me and the guy were doing fine, but the woman was in over her hear. However, she had taken level aleph so many times that the teachers had decided to place her in bet. You'll see eventually that this might not have been the best idea...

I left ulpan not sure about my placement. I felt comfortable...was I too comfortable?

I decided to walk home from ulpan. This is a pretty long walk, but not too strenuous. Plus, I hadn't had the opportunity to walk down Emek Refaim, which is a street in Israel with lots of restaurants. I stopped in an ice cream store called Milk and got tiramisu ice cream. It was good, but a bit too runny. Next time, I'm totally going to try either the pistachio or the kiwi ice cream. I was on the lookout for the PresenTense building (PresenTense is a Zionist initiative...and pretty damn cool. I help out with their magazine.), but I missed it. Anyways, I got home, chilled, etc. Later on, I went back to Emek Refaim and hung out at a cafe with someone from CHUSY.

Wednesday was pretty uneventful...except that I conducted a phone interview with Sandy Cardin, president of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. That was insanely cool. Later, I discovered the TV show True Blood and watched most of the episodes. I know, I'm kind of lame.

Thursday, I caught yet another early morning bus to Tel Aviv. However, this time I took a bus to a big terminal in northern Tel Aviv, which was only a 20-25 minute walk from the embassy! I went in, picked up my passport, and then went back to Jerusalem. I took a shower and chilled, then went to ulpan.

Ulpan was...interesting. Bet started with the teacher, and we went over more of the questions we completed on Tuesday. The woman in the class kind of had a breakdown because she didn't understand a lot. It was awful. I don't think she has the Hebrw background for this level. She needs to take some regular Hebrew classes.

When bet was done and the gimmel people came in, I asked if I could sit in on the lesson. In bet, we had gone over some things I learned in high school which were reinforced at JTS, and I was the only person who knew both of them. This confirmed that the level was too easy. The teacher let me participate in the lesson, and it went really well. The class was all in Hebrew. Even though I didn't understand every single word (I asked a fair amount of questions), I think that I did very well, and I will now be in gimmel! I feel like I'm going to get my money's worth. Afterwards, I went to Bourekas Ima (Bourekas Mama/mother), a nearby bakery, where I picked up some bourekas and cookies. I then started walking home, but a 21 bus was nearby, so I hopped on that and continued the rest of my journey home by bus. When I was near home, I stopped at a small market/store and bought a melon. Because melons are awesome. I managed to stay awake until 9pm, after which I PASSED OUT because I've had the most fucked up sleep schedule this week.

Friday: I woke up at 3pm! I then goofed around for an hour and a half. I also received an email from the Jerusalem Post people! I have an internship! I mean, I knew I did, but I was afraid that something happened and their slots were all full, or something. Then, I decided I needed groceries, but the grocery store was closed for Shabbat. Sad. I decided that I needed to do something Jewish, so I asked around for places to go for Shabbat services (fun fact: my favorite services are the Friday night ones because I love the singing). I ended up at an Orthodox shul. It was nice. There was a time when I would never have chosen to go to an Orthodox shul, but that time has passed.

Today I have basically done nothing...EXCEPT I FINALLY UNPACKED! I also need to finish uploading content from PresenTense's magazine onto its website. I'll get to that, eventually. I think I'll also go for a jog, as part of my campaign to live a healthier lifestyle. This has actually been going reasonably well. I haven't been doing too much snacking. I have also decided to limit the amount of ice cream and schwarma I eat, because I could legit live off of ice cream and schwarma here. In the future, I also will only order a shwarma laffa (laffa = giant pita, but you don't put the stuff inside it, you put it on the laffa and roll it like a burrito) if I am able to eat only half and save the rest for later/dinner/whatever.

I also have to do my ulpan homework. It's not that much/not too hard.

My perfect shwarma pita/laffa: shwarma, salad, onions, harif (harif = sharp/spicy...it's an awesome hot sauce), eggplant, and chips (french fries). A little hummus and tachina (sauce made from sesame seeds, I think) is also acceptable. Now you know what you can bribe me with. Zomg, those things are so delicious! So far, I have only had a shwarma laffa. It's okay though, that was on Sunday, when I got seriously lost. I needed a major pick-me-up, and drinking didn't seem like an option.

And this ends my first full week in Israel. 1 down, 10 to go!

Stuff to do tomorrow:

1) Go to the supermarket and stop up on food for the week: dinner food (chicken?), lots of fruit (lychee! melon!), vegetables other than Israeli salad, rice, and a little ice cream/ice cream bars.

2) Do laundry. I've worn almost all of my t-shirts...also, the laundry machine isn't too large, and my things need to air dry, as there is no dryer.

3) Ulpan. Duh.

Stuff for the week:

1) Go to the Machane Yehuda market. Because it's awesome.

2) Go to Ben Yehuda Street? Maybe. I bought an awesome "sketchy bag" there during Pilgrimage. I named it the sketchy bag because it can hold an insane amount of things, and you can't really tell what's in it. This bag cost me like $3, and it's falling apart.

3) Hang out with Nitzan! (Hopefully!) Amital met Nitzan once during a program in Israel. She stayed with us for a few days at the beginning of freshman year. She is going to show me around Tel Aviv!

4) Go to ulpan. Since it's the only scheduled thing I have.

5) Plan a trip? To Tiberias? Haifa? Someplace?

...sleep...

I need to stop staying up so late. Yeah.

Today I set my alarm for 9:30am and called the Egyptian Embassy to find out when I can pick up my passport. The guy said any weekday between 9am and 11am. That happens to not include 2pm, which the guy told me on Monday. Hm.

I then went back to bed and slept through the 11am national security drill. Oops. I don't even know where the nearest bomb shelter is, so I guess it would've been pointless.

I set my alarm for noon and woke up at 1:30, quickly showered and ate, and left for Pardes, the school I'm taking my ulpan at. I got there 30 minutes late (due to the damn buses), but it was okay because they were still interviewing people to determine their placement. I'm in level bet, which is the third level they're offering. (They're offering aleph, aleph +, bet, and gimmel.) Bet and gimmel combine (we take turns doing exercises on our own and working with the teacher), and there are 3 people in each group. I like that it's small. Everyone seems really nice. However, they're all taking other classes at Pardes, so they'll get to know each other better. This is unfortunate for me, but I'm glad that I'm living on my own and won't be spending all of my time in class. Afterall, this is summer!

I walked home along Emek Refaim, which is a street with lots of restaurants. I got tiramisu flavored ice cream! It was good but a little too runny, even after the girl scooped it into the cone. Anyways, the walk was long, but there was lots of interesting stuff to look at.

yesterday and today

This post can be summed up thusly: Yesterday sucked. Today rocked. But that's vague and not very interesting.

I did not make it to Tel Aviv yesterday. Why? Because I did battle with the Egged buses and lost. I was supposed to catch the 32 bus from my street to the Central Bus Station and then take the 405 bus from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the 32 drops you off one street over. So I took the bus to a neighborhood outside of Jerusalem. An Orthodox neighborhood. It was painfully uncomfortable. I had to retrace my steps and find another bus going back to Jerusalem. It was really hot and I had no food or water. It took several hours of riding buses, but I finally arrived back at my apartment--over 6 hours later.

My day had started at 6:45am so about an hour after I got home, I took a nap...but not before I have one of the best cold showers ever.

This morning I caught a 7:17am bus to the Central Bus Station. On the bus, I bought a katrisiya, the monthly bus pass. For $56-$58, I have unlimited rides on the Jerusalem buses for this month. At the Central Bus Station, I bought a round-trip ticket to Tel Aviv. I submitted the visa application and then went to shuk hacarmel. On the way, I stopped in some stores and picked up more work-appropriate clothes. And a red dress. It was totally necessary. And by that, I mean that it cost $20. Then I went to the shuk and explored. I didn't buy much, it was just fun to walk around.

Tomorrow I have my first ulpan class. Wednesday, I can pick up my passport (complete with visa!)...technically it'll be ready tomorrow at 2pm, but my ulpan starts at 2:30...and it takes at least 1.5 hours to get from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

My goal for tonight is to FINALLY unpack. Tomorrow I might hit up the supermarket. Woo!