Shabbat Shalom!

I'm leaving for Jerusalem tomorrow!

Taking a bus (it's about 2 hours for the express bus, and 3 for the regular that makes stops...) and am staying in the heritage hostel in the Jewish Quarter in the old city.  I'm staying there for the nights of the 25th and the 26th.  I've heard GREAT things about this hostel, and cannot wait! 

There are not a lot of updates at the moment other than that I had a WONDERFUL Shabbat with my friends Josh, Ari and Gabi.  We all went to services, then to a family who hosted us (GREAT food!!!) and then we all came back to my dorm.  Pulled a couple matresses out into the living room, and we all crashed in my living room after hanging out all night. 

In the morning, I was the first one up and let the other three hang out in my dorm all day when I went and spent a nice quiet Shabbat at the beach by myself with my music, a good book, and the beautiful ocean.  Now that it's cooling down a little, the beach wasn't nearly as full today as it usually is on Shabbat, so that was nice!  I was there for over 6 hours, and I must say, I AM BAKED!!!  No need to lay out for quite a while...

I had some more fun with photography at the beach today, so here you go!  Also, not sure I'm going to be able to blog until after I get back from Jerusalem, so...
If you don't hear from me until then, rest assured that I am safe and enjoying myself :)

TTFN

There ALWAYS is one that doesn't want to upload correctly...

This is my favorite photo that I have taken so far!

Lame...

Not much to update on.
Well, NOTHING to update on.
Absolutely NOTHING has happened today, other than I did my laundry, talked to my mom and aunt, and took a couple more photos.
Just ate a container of grapes for dinner, and am going to now go for my nightly walk around campus.
Sorry for the lame daily post- maybe tomorrow will be more interesting.
TTFN

Windows (חלונות)

Dorms (מעונות)

פרח

(flower)

photography

I have had a great desire to return to art lately, but have little to no resources to make it (and art supplies are EXPENSIVE here...) so, I have decided to use my very nice little hot pink camera and take up simple photography.  It has become a bit of a habit for me, when I get bored, to go for a walk around campus and see what there is to photograph and play with it on the computer.  Today, I got the chance to go exploring in the Dru village and came away with some really neat photos. 

חיפה

View of Haifa from the village

Lime (סיד) tree (עץ) in my friends yard

Cactus (קקטוס)

Hope you enjoyed those!  I'm really enjoying playing with photography these days (there are some neat photos in the album I shared of the University of Haifa as well if you saw those...)

Also, yes, I DID get to go out to the loft the other night :)

Here are some of those photos!!!!

Loft 124

Love the shoes but... OUCH!

I am also hopping to get to Jerusalem not this week, but next.  So, if anyone reading this has a connection there that would be willing to put up a nice American girl (who is willing to do dishes and clean for board!!!) for a night or two that would be AWESOME.

Thanks :)

But yeah... what else have I been up to?

Not much, honestly.  Things, as I have said before, have been really quiet. 

I did hear some good news (at least for my part, being American...) that the dollar is about to go up again.  It might reach 4 Shekels to the dollar (right now it's about 3.56 or so... and it's gone up since I got here, for I believe it was at 3.34 in the begining of August...) so that's good news for me, I guess.

hmmm.

I keep trying to come up with anectdotes for you, my dear readers, but am coming up blank.  Maybe becuase it's 4am here?  and I've yet to fall asleep yet?

Maybe I'll be more interesting tomorrow.

Ttfn, ta ta for now (that is becoming my signature good bye, for I dearly miss winnie the pooh and tigger...  sad, sad, sad...)

PS- ONE THING I FORGOT- on the 17th, it was my big brothers BDAY!!! Happy birthday, Bobby!!!  I CANNOT BELIEVE you are 22 now.  I love you and miss you sooooo much :) 

One last day of shopping!

Ok, so I get to go out tonight!  (which I am very excited about...  things have been rather lonely, and I got an invite from some people to go with them so... yay!)

I also decided to go out ONE more time to find a couple more pieces of clothing in Hadar.  Obviously, I was sucessful!  However, before I bore the guys reading this to tears- look who I found in my dorm when I was cleaning!  (which, yes mom, I DO CLEAN- don't take this as evidence that I don't.  I usually leave the main door into the common area open when I'm there to help cool things down...)

 ok, so NOW for the clothes.  :)

Again, found some GREAT deals.  Oh, and btw- I need to correct something from a previous blog about shopping.  It actually wasn't my moms idea to go check out used clothing stores- she just passed it on!  It was actually Dani Shragos idea, so there's the correction in credit given ; )  It was SO SMART!  Never would have thought to go to places like that, and that helped me to branch out and find cheap places to get fun, CUTE stuff!  Thank you!!!  <3

Needed a pretty brooch for those new scarves :) 

-10 Shekels each ($2.69 each)

Found these on sale, and now that I'm actually able to walk in heals, couldn't resist!  Origionally 200 Shekels, they were the last ones because of their abnormally small size and were a steal for 30 shekels! ($8.08)

 (wouldn't upload correctly... I apologize)

Loved that other light weight tie dress sooo much, I went back to get one more. 

20 Shekels ($5.39)

So, even though I was told it was COMPLETELY obnoxious by my guy friend that I met up with later in the neighborhood for lunch, THIS IS MY FOVARITE THING I HAVE BOUGHT!!! Isn't it gorgeous?  (picture does no justice for the colors!)

My biggest splurge (which actually, was not very much!!!)

-50 Shekels ($13.46)

Ok.  So, that is the END of my shopping spree (for the next while, at least... hehe).  Thought you would enjoy the photos almost as much as I'm enjoying my new Israeli wardrobe!!! 

I will admit, I feel so much better to be wearing lighter made clothes- much more comfortable than the jeans and tees I brought with me.  The make of the clothes here, or at least the ones I've bought, are much better suited for this climate than anything I've bout back home (duh... right?). 

So, that's all for now.  Might have fun pics to post of my night out on the town tonight :)

TTFN, ta ta for now!!!!

אוניברסיטת חיפה

So today, after having a nice little snack at my favorite cafe and going for a walk to take photos of campus, I have uploaded 96 photos to my FB album "University of Haifa" (אוניברסיטת חיפה ).  However, to upload all of them on here would take FOREVER (here, you have to do them one.. by.. one..) so, here is the link to the album on FB which I have made public, so you should all be able to see it even if you aren't my friend on FB (which I invite you to become if you aren't!).

So, enjoy!!!! (it truly is a beautiful campus!)

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.288501531166078.91206.100000186991230&l=c3c5a6aa6f&type=1

 

 

If for some reason the link doesn't work, just copy and paste it into your browser.

shopping!!!

I thought it would be fun to have an entry about shopping and prices, so here it is!

So, my adventures in the last few days have not summed up to much.  Mostly, just sleep, beach, read, and... SHOPPING! (To the men who might be reading this, you might not want to bother with this entry.  You will probably find it boring.  You've been warned...) 

However, things here are EXTREMELY expensive, so shopping had turned into window shopping.

Until, that is, mother had a wonderful idea- how about used clothing stores? 

She even found a couple online (both just happen to be direct buses from the university...  meant to be!) and off I went!

The first I explored was only 15 minutes away from the University, over in Mercaz Karmel (Karmel Center).  Hopped on the 37 bus and easily found my way into a little store out of the way of the main area of shops and restaurants. 

At first, when you walk in there, it's like... bummer.  But once I started looking, I found some hidden treasures!  (Also, with the help of the really nice pregnant lady who owned the store... she liked dressing me in things... it was fun)  The best find was a great leather bag, which I grabbed for 50 shekels (about $13.50!).  Later, I looked up the brand- it was a very expensive one out of Tel Aviv, and their bags ranged from anywhere between 350 shekels to 1000 (about $110-$270!!!)  Who would have thought?  I left the store 150 shekels down (just about $40...) with some great stuff! (Not in the pics below was just a Tee that I didn't find a need to document it's purchase... just an FYI...)

The leather bag I told you about - 50 Shekels ($13.47)

Earrings -20 Shekels ($5.39)

REAL SILK SCARF!!! - 15 Shekels ($5.39)

Castro blouse - 30 Shekels ($8.08)

Summer/Fall dress - 30 Shekels ($8.08)

So, with my hopes up, today I went in search of the other used clothing store.  It is in an Arab neighborhood (at least I believe it is an Arab neighborhood...) called Hadar.  I wasn't able to find it because as I headed in its direction, I started going around some totally sketchy streets.  So, I backtracked and enjoyed the plentiful, CHEAP stores that line Hertzle Street.  I had figured I wouldn't be buying anything, since stores are so expensive, but stuff there was really cheap!  (and yes, much of the clothing itself was cheap and tacky, but again- had to find the buried treasure!  makes it even more fun!!!)  One of the funnest things that are around that neighborhood are the jewelry stores.  TONS AND TONS of necklaces, charms, rings, hair accessories, bracelets, sunglasses, you name it, AND SO INEXPENSIVE! It was almost difficult to shop in those stores because there was SO MUCH!  Here are the things I came away with from today :) 

You WISH you could pull these off.  ; )  - 20 Shekels ($5.39)

 It was so difficult to chose necklaces!  These ones just stood out the most. 

- 10 Shekels each (one even included matching earrings!) ($2.69)

15 Shekels - ($4.04)

Don't judge a dress by the way it looks crumpled on a tacky lame green bed sheet.

It's really quite something :)

- 20 Shekels ($5.39)

20 Shekels ($5.39)

I'm now getting into a better schedule with my time, so my blog entries will increase (I promise!).  Tomorrow I plan to walk all around campus and get pictures so you can see where I'm living going to classes (or will be...), where I like to hang out, where I have spent countless hours waiting for buses on campus, etc.  So, there's something to look forward to :)

Nighty night.  (It's 2:07 am here.  Figures.)

Sorry it's been so long...

Here is the blog to end all blogs, the one to summarize the almost month that I haven't blogged anything!

Ulpan ended with a bang about 2 weeks ago (wow, already been that long!!!) and almost everyone has gone home.  It's a bit depressing here, actually.  Before, for the first month, I never got the chance to be homesick because I would wake up in the morning, go to class from 8 until 1, then meet a tutor for at least an hour, then usually the beach, and then depending on the day I would go out for the night with friends and not come back until (gasp) around 3am...  if we didn't have class the next morning?  hehe...  5 or 6 am??? 

But now almost everyone is gone (including most of my closest friends...) all back to their homes in countries like Norway and Italy.  It went from studying, partying, beaching, to... nothing.  nada.

Been to the beach by myself quite a bit, but the problem is is that when you are alone you are much more likely to be harassed by guys and old men if you aren't with someone, so haven't been in a few days.  Which, considering the drastic change in my skin color in the last month or so, might be a good thing...  never been so tan in my life!  (and loving it...)
 
Anyways, back to a bit about the Ulpan.  By the last week, I was able to write and read and give a spoken presentation that lasted 8 minutes in Hebrew!!!  I found that to be incredibly NOT akin to my previous experiences in forgein languages.  It was the coolest feeling ever to be able to show pictures of home sweet home (NE), our crazy football fans (sea of red) and of the awesome downtown area (which I miss A LOT).  I also got to show off my horse, which was cool :)

Speaking of horses.  I didn't think I would miss the riding thing too terribly, considering that I hardly got the chance to ride at all in the last year anyways, but I really do.  Maybe it's more of just my life at home that I'm missing in general?  I think the reason I'm not sleeping so well at night (besides the board they call a mattress...) is because I'm not being suffocated by a fat, purring white cat every night.  *sigh*

So, I have been asked to provide entertaining stories of the past month or so that I haven't blogged.  I will try. (sorry, this is all over the place...)

Well, there is Josh who stranded himself at the Mifratz bus station after all the buses were done running for the night and didn't want to pay for a taxi, so he decided to climb up the mountain to get back to school (and by climb, I mean CLIMB- the road is very winding, so he decided to take short cuts up the mountain... was lectured by both myself, Camilla, Guy, Avichai, and I'm sure a slew of people back home...).  Funny thing is, is that the same thing managed to happen to us last night when I went with him to his friends for a BBQ (high quality meat- I seriously think I'm lacking in protein here!!!  yum...)  and everyone assured me that if we left late we would be able to catch a bus.  Nope.  Didn't happen.  After trying to figure out what to do for about an hour, and me protesting VIBRANTLY that I was not about to scale the mountain in flip flops and a dress,we finally forked over the 80 shekels for a cab (which a nice Israeli woman helped get us for very cheap - should have been over 100 shekels for the distance we were going...)

There are plenty of creeper stories, most at the beach, some on the bus, but I think my mother would prefer NOT to hear about them?

oh well.  Here you go (mother, go a few paragraphs down and look for the red words that tell you that you can read again...)
One day, my friend Giulia from Italy and I headed to the beach for lunch and then to lay out.  After enjoying a wonderful meal of Pesto (Giulia) and spaghetti (me) we found a nice sunny place in the grass (no sand getting everywhere!) and plugged into out ipods and zoned out.  After a while, we both woke back up and sat up, started talking.  But at some point when we were napping a group of about 20 or so guys with an over load of testosterone and a serious Arabic bro-mance going on started harassing us.  They wouldn't leave us alone, so we had to get up and leave.  The thing is, people back in the US?  At least the ones in NE?  They just don't talk to girls and harass them the same way...  so when it happens to me (which has become a regular occurrence) it's a total culture shock and I don't know what to do.

However, at this point, it's just PISSING me off and I tell them off.  Then, I get called *nasty* words in Hebrew (thank you, tutor, for teaching me the most important words to know in the Hebrew language...)
What's even worse then the young guys harassing you?  The OLD ones.  That's definitely different than in the states...
I was out with Camilla the other day, laying out on the beach, and a group of older guys came and sat in the shade by us and were calling out to us, but we ignored them, pretending to be asleep.  But then, I was forced to get up when my friend Josh called (from DC) who was trying to find us.  That was old mans (maybe 50 or older?) cue to come over and ask me to go for a swim with him.  I told him "Lo, toda." (no thanks) but he was insistent. Keep in mind, I'm trying to talk on the phone at the same time.  He wouldn't stop talking to me, even after I said into the phone "Sorry, I'm being distracted by someone with no sense of personal boundaries" (and yes, the old guy understood English).  He got frustrated and then took my wrist!  (Which was fascinating to him, considering the tat and the piercing) and I yelled at him to LEAVE ME ALONE.  Then, he called me a #$%^&* (Don't want to put in the Hebrew word, just in case people who know Hebrew read this...), but then STILL wouldn't go away.  Best part is, at this point, Josh found us and was walking over.  He came over and did NOTHING!!!  (Guys here, young and old, have only one respect when it comes to girls- if she's with another guy, they don't go NEAR).  Camilla and I just grabbed our stuff and got up and left.  I asked Josh why he didn't say anything, then he sincerely said "I wasn't sure if you were enjoying the attention or not- it's not like I know your type."  REALLY?!  Did I seem like I was enjoying myself?  

haha he is NEVER living that down (he's one of the few people left behind after the Ulpan, so we see each other a lot.

There are so many other stories along the lines of the above to tell... too many to write down!!!!

Mother can start reading HERE

 What else have I been up to?

Well, Josh wanted a kosher kitchen, and was having problem with his roommates, so I agreed to let him move into my kitchen since I have none.  He gutted it out, cleaned it, and is keeping it as kosher as possible in a college dorm.  Eventually, he is moving in with Avichai (one of the Madrachim we have befriended) but for now we cook every night (yes, I am learning to COOK!!!) and have many adventures (no, Josh, you do NOT fry frozen ravioli...).  Even had make-shift Shabbat dinner and said prayers and everything (he's a good influence, mother...)

Hmmm...

Oh yes, when we went to the Shuk a couple days ago to get food (it's a marketplace where you can get the best, freshest fruits veggies and meats (too expensive for us...) really cheap (obviously, excluding the meat, which is just expensive here anyways) we decided to split up to save some time to make a certain bus back to the university.  So, off I went.  And two people tried to marry me off to their sons and one guy around my age was convinced I could not carry the food I was buying all on my own (I was perfectly capable, thanks...).  I will say, if there is one phrase here I have used a lot, it's lo toda... (no thanks)

At some point, I'll write Hebrew in here, but I don't have to drive to do that at the moment.

So it's something to look forward to.

Oh, just pre-registered for classes.  Can't wait for the semester to start- The courses I'm taking look so interesting!  Besides more Hebrew and a Psych course, I'm also taking Arab-Israeli Relations and Terrorism and Responses.  Going to be sooo interesting and relevant! 

I am sitting outside writing this, and don't have a lot of battery left, so I'm gonna cut it off here and blog again soon (I promise!) and provide more pics for your entertainment.
Enjoy!

The Beach

חוף ה'ם

(Hof-HI-am)

ח'פה

Haifa

Josh (DC) and Tobin (Toronto, Canada)

Sleeping on my floor...  Miss her!!!

 Mai (Norway) - Only water?  Well, the night is still young!!! (it was free...)

Our first cooked meal (they have gotten better after this!)

Loft 124 with my friend Sean (Melville, NY)

Josh and I looking a little lost...  story of our lives.

Vladimir (Moscow, Russia) in the Ocean (interesting character... but we love and miss him!)

"Girls are boring at the beach."

"You Americans.  I hate your fake smiles.  I hate your accents."

"You have a wierd face.  You have a wierd body."