Tel Aviv (if I could put this in song form I would haha)

Before you start, fair warning, this is much longer than I anticipated. So either buckle up or abandon ship haha, the choice is yours ;)

(but also there are LOTS of photos sooooo)

September 17th-26th ish

The last week was been filled with some of the best and most carefree moments I have experienced since coming to Israel, but also some of my lowest emotional moments. It always feels like an emotional rollercoaster here. I wish I could avoid all the deep lows, but I don’t know if the highs would be as sweet without them.

Yom Kippur was immediately followed by a Friday, which would lead into Shabbat. Lauren and I had been invited to Shabbat dinner with our 2nd year mentors. Our mission was to bring a cake and a fruit salad. We made our rounds to the local grocery stores before settling in to get a minimal amount of studying done. I made the fruit salad while Lauren created a spectacular flourless chocolate cake. It was a work of art (:

The dinner was truly delightful. They had homemade bourekas (a pastry filled with potatoes, yummm), and a taco salad/taco burrito spread. They even had vegan queso so Lauren was about to partake and enjoy (: We laughed and joked, and it almost felt normal in a wonderful way. We got home late, after 11:30, weary and ready for bed, but in the best way.

On Saturday I rode to church on my bike!!!! Wow, it is a complete game changer. I felt like anything was possible, simply because I could get to church in around 15 minutes rather than 40 haha. After Yom Kippur, then next holiday would begin Tuesday and last a little over a week. This is Sukkot, or the Feast of the Tabernacle. It’s a celebration of the Harvest and a beautiful reminder of God’s sovereignty.

Leviticus 23:39-43

“So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eight day also is a day of sabbath rest. On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees – from palms, willows, and other leafy trees – and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. Live in temporary shelters for seven days; All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”

I am going to talk more about exactly what Sukkot looks like in Israel and what I learned, but I think I’ll save it for my next post (: In the meantime, I would like you to ponder the above verses, there is much more there than I first realized.

To stay on track with my facebook marketplace purchases, I bought a hanging chair, a table for homework and studying, and 2 plants. The guys I bought everything from were coincidentally from Texas (: now I just need to find all the tools and materials to actually hang the chair haha.

Lauren and I made spring rolls for supper. Honestly, I think I’m learning more from Lauren than from class. She has been teaching me how to use different spices, cook new dishes, appreciate tea, take care of my skin, and so much more.

Our landlord had informed us all the doors in the apartment would be getting replaced on Sunday. It seemed a little random and odd, but who I am to know lol. These were very serious doors too. The guy had his saw and basically took over the whole living room. Thankfully Lauren and I had also planned to leave for Tel Aviv, so after everything was set up, we headed to the train. I was excited to go to Tel Aviv and experience a new place. But at the same time, I kind of just wanted to stay in the apartment. It just goes to show you how much of a homebody I can be haha.

We successfully took the train (: I have felt fairly comfortable in Israel with the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) who regularly walk around carrying their high-powered firearms. Sometimes they are in uniform and sometimes in plain clothes. But if feels normal and expected. On the train, Lauren and I got on in a car where there was a man in plain clothes with his rifle. Everything was completely fine, but I was unsettled by this guy’s constant facial expression of concern. Lauren and I shared a laugh and I’m sure he was just having a rough day, but we changed cars when the opportunity arose haha.

It was a short trip from the train station to the apartment we stayed in. And wow, Tel Aviv is a city, city. It was mid-afternoon when we arrived. If I recall properly, our first stop was a nearby bakery that was vegan and gluten free. Practically heaven for someone who is dairy-free and gluten-free (: The difference between Be’er Sheva and Tel Aviv was immediately evident. Not only by in the dramatical increase in options of food for Lauren, but also the people. Lauren began with our typical, “Do you speak English?”, and the owner’s response was, “Why wouldn’t I?” This is quite a shift from our experience in Be’er Sheva where if people do happen to know English, most prefer not to speak it. The streets were lined with shops for spices, baked goods, bars, coffee shops, restaurants, technology shops, produce stands, and so much more. In Be’er Sheva, I have been on the hunt for a lunch box. Currently my method has been to bring my lunch using a frozen water bottle wrapped in several plastic bags. But of course, everything still manages to get wet as my frozen bottle melts. I am excited to announce I not only have a real ice pack, but I found a lovely lunch box that first afternoon in Tel Aviv!! We ended our day at a really fun restaurant where we managed to get a seat at the bar. After sharing some delicious appetizers, Lauren got a seafood dish and I had something very similar to a gyro, only somehow better. By the time we made it back to the apartment, it was quite late, but we had all the essentials; ingredients to make cinnamon tea, pringles, popcorn, and chocolate.

Photo credits to my dear Lauren (:

Proof that some studying happened hahaha.

Some of you may know, I’m not a big fan of yoga. But on Monday, Lauren and I started our day with just that. To my surprise, I think it was exactly what I needed, it felt great. We then we set out for the pancake house who claimed they had gluten free pancakes. To our surprise, they didn’t have an English menu. I am constantly humbled by just how much I take for granted in the United States. It would take ages to translate everything on the menu, and even when we did try using google translate, sometimes the translation made absolutely no sense haha. After a period of frustration and hunger, I settled with asking the waiter for his options with eggs. I ended up with a very Israeli breakfast that included an omelet, a baguette type of bread with many optional toppings, and a greek salad haha. Lauren decided on an eggs benedict with pancakes. I think the consensus was the pancakes tasted like they were from a box, but overall, a good meal. Since we didn’t know our plan when we left in the morning, we had our backpack with all our study material. We decided to check out a giant river park and after walking for a while, we found a shady spot and set up shop. It was beautiful. There were birds and people, and much bigger trees than we see in Be’er Sheva.

We stayed a few hours before setting out to find a very specific street shop with gluten free pita. Unfortunately, we forgot to factor in the Sukkot Eve effect, meaning many places closed early in the afternoon in preparation for the holiday. We incorrectly assumed most everything would be open based on what we had heard about Tel Aviv, but alas, this was not the case. Thankfully all was not lost. We were very close to the beach, so we continued with hopes of catching the sunset and finding a place to eat. To my delight, we were successful in both regards. Shawarma was our best supper option, and I think they stuffed enough meat into my pita to last for two meals haha, it was extremely impressive. Then we settled in to watch the sunset. The beach wasn’t originally a site of much importance to me, but after feeling the breeze and watching the sun slowly sink, Lauren and I agreed we would definitely come back. After walking home, we were both tired. Note to self; don't wear chacos if you are going to be walking alll day haha.

Lauren does it once again with her artistic eye and ability to make me laugh haha.

Tuesday was officially the first day of Sukkot. You might think we learned from our mistakes the night before, but once again, we underestimated its importance in Tel Aviv. We walked to a very specific Indian restaurant only to find it was closed. Upon further investigation we stumbled upon a Mexican restaurant !! (you don’t find many, if any, in Be’er Sheva) I didn’t know I wanted Mexican until we were inside. I can describe my experience in one word. YUMMM. Okay maybe two words, because it is only fair to include it in Hebrew, טעים!! Although its harder to emphasize in Hebrew since there are no capital letters haha. It was a quesadilla with plenty of meat for me ;) We did learn complimentary chips and salsa are not included here. A bit of a bummer, but I felt quite satisfied with my meal.

On ward to the Tel Aviv Art Museum. The holiday meant less buses, but free buses. This was at least two steps up from Be’er Sheva, where there simply are no buses on holidays. I knew I was in for a bit more than I bargained for when Lauren said, “We should get there around 1 and it closes at 6, so five hours should be a decent amount of time.” When I laughed good naturedly, she looked me, dead in the eyes and said, “I’m serious”. But actually, I will admit it was a lot of fun. It’s the first time I have been to an art museum with someone knowledgable about the artists and different styles and eras. I mean, she already had favorites and knew about their styles and even about who they were as humans. I am happy to say I learned more than I expected and it was quite lovely. But she was absolutely right, we were there the full 5 hours haha, walking out at exactly 6pm.

For supper, we found a place with gluten-free crepes and vegan cheese. I honestly think it was better than the Mexican food we had for lunch. On our way to the bus stop, we passed an ice cream shop and of course we had to go inside and at least check it out. Which led to taste testing and ended in us racing against all odds to eat our ice cream before it melted at the bus stop. The ice cream was successfully consumed but unfortunately, my public transportation intel was off and after waiting 20ish minutes, we realized we would have to walk the 30 minutes home. We had been standing most of the day, so my feet were tired, but it was fun to see all the people and more of Tel Aviv. We could pick up snippets of English conversation around us (I know right, WHAT?!?!) Lauren and I agreed, jokingly, it was almost overwhelming to be able to understand what people around us were saying. I can’t focus on that many conversations at once anymore lol.

After we got back, we popped some popcorn, snuggled up, and started watching a series on Netflix called the Umbrella academy. So far, it’s very intriguing. I’m glad Lauren suggested it (:

I managed to get some studying in on Wednesday morning which felt good. Lauren and I headed out to find Shuk HaCaramel, supposedly the best Shuk in Tel Aviv. On our way, we stumbled upon a craft/art fair with many cute booths. They had jewelry, artwork, leather work, trinkets, glass work, and just about everything you could imagine. It was beautiful. When we finally reached the Shuk, we were only there long enough to see it was indeed a lovely shuk before we headed off to meet Sammy for lunch. It was really nice to hang out and catch up over some hummus and pita. It reminded me how thankful I am for the MSIH community.

After making plans to meet and study together in the morning, Lauren and I began the walk back to the apartment. We took quite a few detours into electronic stores because I decided I needed a wireless charger. My phone had been struggling to charge for the past month, and it had finally stopped working with the charging chord. There were electronic stores everywhere, so it didn’t seem like it would be a big deal. However, I was very wrong. The first problem was apparently no one working in an electronic store speaks English. With my limited vocabulary, I didn’t even try to explain in Hebrew. Instead, I used gestures and English and hoped for the best. The second problem was very few stores had wireless charges. Even if they did have a wireless charger, all of them insisted it didn’t work with iPhones. Which didn’t make a lot of sense to me, but I don’t know much about technology anyway haha. I lost track of how many stores we went into when finally, we found someone who spoke English and claimed they had a wireless charger that worked with Apple products. Unfortunately, it cost 180 shekels, aka $60. This is much cheaper than a new phone, so I bought it. When we got back and I unboxed it, I was so bummed to discover it had the wrong port. It had a C port so I could only charge by plugging it into my laptop. I thought about returning it, but then how was I going to charge my phone? So I kept it and later bought an additionally adapter for $40, 120 shekels, so I could plug it into the wall… It was a pretty depressing way to spend $100 haha. But at least my phone can charge.

I ended up taking way to long of a nap that afternoon and somehow managed to get a little bit of studying in. Lauren had her eye on a breakfast joint for supper and boy did she choose well. I got banana pancakes and hot chocolate, while Lauren got gluten free bread and shakshuka (a very Israel dish, look it up ;)). If I'm in Tel Aviv again, I would definitely return.

We started out the day on Thursday studying at a very adorable café/coffee shop with Sammy. I was able to be somewhat productive (: We left a little after 2, and I can’t say with certainty what happened after that. I know we found food somewhere and eventually made our way back to the apartment. We took some time and did our own thing, before setting out again that evening to meet with our classmates Esti and Talia for some ice cream (: The place we went to had incredible vegan and nonvegan flavors. We meandered around until we eventually made it to the sea. And it was incredible. It was stormy and dark. The waves were crashing against the shore full of power. The breeze was delightfully cool and charged. Lauren tried in vain to get wet as the waves stuck again and again. That evening on the beach may have been one of my favorite moments in Tel Aviv. I felt alive and free. I almost forgot I was in a big city in Israel for a while (:

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/48f20f_f935f0532a7843fa98fdd3da8ae56101/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

On Friday morning, the sea was still raging in a beautiful yet tantalizingly dangerous way. Lauren and I met Simon at the beach and decided to take our chances with the waves. We were blissfully ignorant of any warnings that may have been announce from the shore, we couldn’t understand a word they said. Being amidst the waves was astounding. I could feel the power and unpredictability as each wave crashed into me. I watched as Lauren would dive into the waves right as they reached her and come up again laughing. Being curious, I decided to try it. While Lauren repeated the experience again and again, one time was too many for me. It was brutal inside the wave, begin whipped around and spun. I didn’t know what was up and what was down. I came up sputtering, not quite the same as laughter (:

We continued to wave surf for quite a while before deciding we had our fill. Afterwards, I was reflecting on this experience. It was kind of like willingly putting yourself through something hard that could go terribly wrong again and again. I truly couldn’t predict how angry a wave would be until it hit me, even though I watched it come in just like all the rest. This is just like life. We can’t predict what life will give us, even if we convince ourselves we have some idea. All we can do is try to survive and prepare for the next wave. We all have different coping mechanisms and responses. Even though we may be in the midst of the same exact wave or trial, we won’t have the same experience as the person next to us. Just like Lauren and I in the waves haha. Even more important is we don’t have to take on the challenges life throws at us alone. And whenever I try to do it alone, I am quickly reminded of just how ill equipped and powerless I am. Praise the Lord for his strong tower and the community He provides. Otherwise I would be doomed and quite trapped beneath the waves.

After the waves, we went to breakfast together. One of Simon’s closest friends who lives in Tel Aviv joined us. We chatted, laughed, tried to tell Lauren’s future based on her coffee grounds, oh and we also ate food haha. By the time we left, Simon’s friend Ilan was inviting Lauren and I over for Shabbat lunch the next day. We were delighted to accept and picked up a kosher dessert and wine on our way home. I also stopped at a cookie shop and bought three of the most beautiful cookies I have ever seen in my life. Other than butterscotch oaties of course ;) - if you know, you know. And if you don’t know, I’m sure my mom would be all too happy to remedy that :) The remainder of the day was spent studying and resting. Lauren made a delicious supper of eggplant and potatoes. Maybe it’s just me, but after eating out constantly, a home cooked meal hits hard and never disappoints.

Saturday's main feature was lunch at Ilan’s apartment. I don’t know how many people were there, but it seemed like every time I turned my back, more showed up haha. They had a spacious balcony perfect for hosting. Ilan was a wonderful host, and he was so kind to explain any and all the Jewish customs/rituals they completed during the afternoon. There was plenty of food, and to my delight there was also plenty of meat, mmmmm (: Lauren and I had several very interesting conversations, but we were socialed out way before anyone else there. I guess we have a ways to go before we can be considered truly Israeli haha. The second highlight was the arrival of Hannah, who spent the night and next day with us (: Sam and Taeer also stopped by and we spent the evening in conversation while admiring the night. Definitely my kind of vibe (:

Funny side note: this is the McDonald's of Israel. What is even funnier is their spelling. Many of the words are transliterated into Hebrew, so they aren't using the real Hebrew words haha.

Sam, Hannah, Lauren and I got brunch Sunday before heading to Shuk Hacarmael. Incredibly, our classmates Talia, Esti, and Sammy spotted us on the street when we walked by. This was a great fortune on our part, because after breakfast, Talia and Esti joined us for the remainder of our morning adventure. I bought some INCREDIBLE pants at the shuk (although they don’t compare to the pair Kat gave me haha) and Lauren found some magnificent earrings. We also got smoothies and wandered around a plant shop for far too long haha. From here, we went to the old city, Jaffa. The port in Jaffa is where Jonah began his journey before getting swallowed by the whale. CRAZY right? Jaffa was beautiful. We visited its famous flea market. Wow, it was delightful. I hope to return and make some purchases once I know Hebrew well enough to negotiate prices. If you don’t haggle in Israel, it is almost certain you will dramatically overpay. By mid-afternoon, everyone was ready to head back and enjoy some air conditioning. We also had the intention of studying, but I was minimally successful on that count.

That evening we went on a futile mission to find Lauren a SIM card for her phone. But we were able to get sabich for supper. Sabich is basically pita stuffed with eggplant, hard-boiled egg, potatoes, chopped salad, tahini sauce, and other veggies/seasoning. This was our second time to this stand because they have gluten free pita, but this time it was a very confusing situation. They told us they were running out of pita and we got in line just in time because we were the cut off. I didn’t expect to like sabich, but it is delicious. I would definitely recommend it as a must eat when in Israel. After standing in line for 20ish minutes (they are notorious for their lack of speed haha), we found out they didn’t have any gluten free pita. Lauren insisted I still get one and after Hannah and I both had our sabich, we discovered they could put all the filling into a box for Lauren!! Victory! We stopped and malabi for dessert (Hannah had been saving a coupon for over a year haha) and there was even a dairy free option for Lauren! I shamelessly fell asleep during the Netflix choice of the evening haha, something I am quite excellent at, knowing I would be heading back to Be’er Sheva in the morning, while Lauren would stay in Tel Aviv a few more days.

Sometime midweek, I’m not sure exactly when it began, I started feeling incredible defeated and downcast in my soul. I was enjoying my time, going on mini-adventures every day, but my soul was so heavy. Breaks and holidays always make me miss my family more. But it was more than that. I think one of the hardest parts of this burden was I couldn’t pinpoint its origins. I had no desire or motivation to study, I wasn’t sleeping well, and I felt terribly off-kilter with no structure in my days. I searched for purpose and something to hold on to. I tried to see the big picture of growth and being able to help people. Instead, I continued to internally spiral and believe more lies about myself. Those lies we know deep in our being aren’t true, but then something whispers, “but what if they are..”, and so we wonder and we can’t find an escape. I prayed, I talked to friends who listened so patiently, and I cried. But the darkness clung to me nevertheless and as I convinced myself more and more of their truth, I clung to the lies without even realizing it. Sometimes we want a happy ending, quick resolutions, but while I still experienced moments of joy and laughter and hope, the shadow remained.

But life around me, as it should. One of my classmates got married during the Sukkot break while another experienced the birth of his second son. There are others in my class who are married and have children as well. Sometimes if really blows my mind. We are all in such different stages of life while simultaneously being in the thick of it together in our own individual way. Many of my childhood friends are married and some have children as well. My college friends have been quickly following suit (: And I couldn’t be happier and prouder for each one of them. In a way, it feels like they are entering a land which is completely unreachable to me in the present. Singleness can be hard, relationships can be hard, life can be hard. But in the midst of it all, there is still beauty and hope.

Psalms 42:1-11

1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.

2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One[d] with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.

5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

6 My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.

7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.

8 By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life.

9 I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?”

10 My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

11 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God

Thankful for this gal right here ;) AND SO MANY OTHER HUMANS. ptL times a billion.