the last of the challahs

thats right. its time for the last of the challahs from tel aviv. the last few days have been spent mostly eating and hanging out in obsencely large groups of girls. when i say mostly eating i mean only eating and sometimes sleeping. most of this food i speak of has been fro yo or sushi. yes sushi. we've had lots of outdoor picnics since its pretty hard to fit 25 people into a restaurant but this morning we ventured to benedicts- the best breakfast place in tel aviv- and got a table for 16! lotsss of food! tonight a lot of my good friends are leaving which is going to be really sad and then a group of us who are still here are going to out for SUSHI. yup.
tomorrow (sunday) we'll get up, have some more food, turn in the last of our exams, and head to the airport. hard to believe.
thanks to everyone who has read my blog. its actually been pretty fun keeping this thing updated and i know im going to value having all my experiences written down. cant wait to see everyone at home and show off my tan!
xoxo
dana
pics below: leaving the beach for the last time. and the group of us at our goodbye picnic dinner.

Studying Abroad

Studying abroad..indeed i finally am. Classes finished up Thursday and we had an of the year banquet thrown by our program! We went to a place called "mini-israel" which is exactly what it sounds like- a miniature version of israel. the place has replicas of all the major sites in israel, but tiny, and you walk through and get to see/remember all of your favs! after our tour "through israel" we had a delicious buffet dinner and at our tables, we received tshirts, a cd, and letters from the madrichim (staff leaders of our program). the tshirts were unexpected and so great...except there is no hebrew on them! but still a nice thing! the madrichim prepared a slideshow for us that had tons of pics and videos from our time in israel- really cute! after the "ceremony" we had a party- dancing and free beer for the whole night.
now we move into finals period- i got a beach day in on saturday but sunday/monday have been spent working on take home finals and studying for exams. i have two exams on tuesday and will hopefully finish up my papers on wednesday and get to spend my last few days on the beach of course!
the fosters landed this morning and i cant wait to see them!!!
below is a pic of mini western wall, all of my friends at the banquet, and our tshirt!
xoxo

The Beginning of the End

Hard to believe but it really is the beginning of the end. Currently i have only 12 more days in israel. this past week was a pretty normal one- classes and enjoying the hothothot weather. wednesday i got to meet emma's grandmother who came to israel to visit the family which was really fun! thursday i decided to spend the day in jerusalem shopping around the city for gifts and things to take home with me. my cousin jay and i planned to have lunch and when he picked me up from the bus station, he had his motorcycle with him! so i spent the day riding around jerusalem on a motorcycle- first we had lunch, then drove up to the mount of olives for a view of the city, heading into the old city to do some shopping, and then to ben yehuda street where i continued to shop! it was a long day but i got some gorgeous things and it was really nice to spend a day with my cousin.
Saturday i had a great day! My environment class (israel and the environment) went on a jeep trek through the judean desert aka the west bank. i admit i first drawn to sign up for this trek because then i got to say i went to the west bank...not because the environment or "trekking" in a jeep interests me BUT it was an AMAZING experience. we began the morning at the mount of olives (o wait i had been there 48 hours before) and had brief history of Israel. we then ventured in our jeeps out to the desert- sand, benduoins, and goats made up most of the landscape but it was absolutely beautiful. we came across a few water springs as well which were gorgeous. eventually we came to the top of mountains which overlook the dead sea and there were the most beautiful views of the dead sea with the jordanian mountains reflecting the water. for dinner, we set up came in the desert and had boiled hot dogs and corn! delicious. we then started a fire and roasted marshmallows! so cute! we ended the day with a night safari searching for animals...fairly unsuccessful but still a good time. on our way back to jerusalem, our jeep broke down- woops. there wasnt enough room for all of us to go into the second jeep so halley and i had to hitchike across the jerusalem checkpoint so another car could pick us up...ok semi lie. we were told we were going to hitchike...sadly we arranged for a taxi to take us across the border which was disappointing to us as we envisioned an epic tale about our smuggling through the border but alas we got through. on the other side, i discovered a container for cheese which was none othe than brand name DANA!!!!! it was so great- turns out i am the name of a processed cheese from egypt! i should invest in stocks!
sunday, i spent the day "studying" with friends and then headed down to jerusalem for a final dinner with Ethan and Arielle...WHAT. crazycrazy but in fact arielle and ethan's time in israel is over shortly as well. they left for a three week trip to morocco today and when they return to israel, i will no longer be here! we hung out at arielle's apartment and then headed for dinner at cavalier. turns out netanyahu's father eats at the restaurant EVERY night and was at the table behind us! celeb sightingggg!!!! aside from that, the food was absolutely delicious and we had an amazing last night together in israel. Arielle's being in israel has enhanced my time here in a way i cant even explain - we have had so many great times together and having her with me has made my time in israel even more special than it was already.
back in tel aviv: monday i had my last hebrew class/final exam- thats right im done learning hebrew. its bittersweet of course but im really proud of how much my hebrew has improved and i hope i get to keep learning more and i also hope shir doesnt hate me next year when i try to speak to her in hebrew all the time!! today at sundown marks the beginning of shavuot (the holiday which recognizes when Gd gave the torah to the Israelite nation at mount sinai- thanks!) so we dont have classes today or tomorrow! today, i slept in and then went to the shuk with emma, halley, and her friend from school to shop around for gifts and fun things to take home. i got a lot of tel aviv university clothing and some other stuff! i think im pretty shopped out and have just enough great things to remind me of my time here!
So thats pretty much whats going on! thursday is the official last day of classes and next week we begin final exams. Jaclyn and the foster clan come to israel on Sunday which im SO excited about!!!! and then the packing and goodbye dinners must commence :( its going to be so hard to leave but good to say goodbye at an all time high!
Below are some pics from my jeep trek through the desert- the last is me and my cheese..that yes i picked up off the street :)
xo

We Go To The Beach Everyday

The title says it all. So "Nile Flu" as it has been dubbed afflicted all 7 of us throughout last week. I wont share details since I try to keep this blog PG but its been a pretty rough week for all of us. Now, most have recovered and those who arent 100%, including myself, are on antibiotics to rid our bodies of Egypt! Early last week, when the "Nile Flu" was just emerging and quite ugly, I of course opted not to go to my classes. After two days of this, I started to get used to it- no waking up early, no walking in the heat, no being bored- the "good life" as Kanye would say. So wednesday, when all my friends went to the beach, i skipped my two afternoon classes and went also!!! The weather is absolutely perfect here - i mean its too hot for my liking but its perfect for obtaining a deeeep dark tan, my only goal in life. We spent the day hanging out, swimming in the Med, and enjoying yummy smoothies from my fav place on the beach. On Thursday, I was still under the influence of the "Nile Flu" and skipped class again! im such a disappointment! But on thursday i have more an excuse because one of my guy friends from Tufts came to visit Israel and we got to have lunch and hang at the beach for the day. I also got to see Arielle and her friend Nani for a while also! Thursday night marked the beginning of my friend Halley's 21st bday so we went out for a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant in Tel Aviv and then to a small bar for her first legal drink. The next day, I didnt go to the beach...believe it or not...in the morning, my art class went on a fieldtrip to a museum in petach tikvah which featured video art that focused on the holocaust. afterwards, we went for a bday brunch for Halleys bday and then rested and headed out for more 21st bday celebrations- my friend from tufts also came which was fun! Saturday we had another beach day, of course! The weather was hothothot and we were in the water constantly- no complaints. My friend joined us as well - loved showing off my beach/home! Saturday we had a low key night at home.
Sunday was mothers day but not in israel..still important!! In honor of my mommy, i got a manicure and pedicure! what a great daughter! Monday (today) marked the beginning of another week of classes, which I have decided I will attend. Today in my Islam/Terrorism/Politics class we began our discussion about the emergence of Hezbollah. We went quickly through the history of Hezbollah and spent most of the time speaking about the present situation between Israel, Lebanon, and Iran. Recently, this topic has been coming up more and more with Israelis and soldiers- and its clear that a serious war is going to break out. Our conversation in class was very direct, without fluff, and it was really the first time it hit me that I am living in a country in the midst of war- i know it sounds strange..i've been living in Israel this whole time (even my birthright trip was during the Gaza operation in 2009) but for the most part, my time here has been calm. now, tensions are rising and israelis, my professors, and friends are beginning to speak of the situation with a more serious tone and more uncertain perspective on the future. It will be hard to go home and watch the conflict unfold from a far -really knowing people in israel, knowing soldiers in the war, and knowing the places i will see on TV.
So there you have it - beach time and war? interesting combination but somehow it feels like home. :)
more updates to come!

EGYPT! :)

Ok so im feeling muchmuch better and ready to report about my amazing weekend in Egypt!
We left Israel on thursday morning and flew "air sinai" to cairo. upon arrival we got a really cool visa which definitely is the best thing in my passport and were met by a company representative named Islam. sidenote: i traveled with 6 girls from my program. Islam lead us to our bus which drove us through cairo to giza where are hotel AND THE PYRAMIDS were located. the pyramids were honestly located across the street from our hotel! unreal. we checked in and immediately got lunch poolside at our hotel. after lunch, we spent the day laying out by the pool, reading, and tanning until our next meal and then bed.
830 friday morning we met Islam in the lobby of the hotel and he introduced us to Amir, our tourguide, and our security guard!! hardcore. we started the day by driving to Memphis to see the famous Ramses statue which is ENORMOUS! there are lot of other sculptures and artifacts at memphis but the Ramses statue was unreal. next we drove to Sakkara to see the famous step pyramid. also in sakkara we got to go inside a pyramid and see the inscriptions and hyrogliphics which was really cool. after Sakkara, we visited the "oriental carpet school" in giza. for many families, school is too expensive so they send their children to carpet school where they learn to make carpets and get paid a little when things sell from the store. about 10 little boys around age 9 showed us how they hand make each carpet. it was really cool to see but also really sad to see how poor the children were and they kept begging us for money. after the carpet school, we went to a papyrus store and got a demonstration about how to make papyrus paper. after this we headed to the hotel for lunch and anxiously awaited our visit to the great pyramids!
after lunch, we drove into giza to visit the great pyramids! theres not too much to say they are just amazing and it was pretty surreal getting to see them - and you can sit on them, who knew! we drove a little to a spot thats great for panoramic shots and got to take some amazing pictures. next we went to the sphynx which i was really excited about. Amir talked to us the whole time and gave us lots of info and history! after the pyramids, we went to a perfume shop (something egypt is very famous for)- we got to smell lots of different perfumes and i bought one for myself to put in the perfume bottle arielle got for me on her trip to egypt. after a longlong day we headed back to the hotel for some relaxation, dinner, and hookah (very egyptian!)
830 on saturday we met amir again in the lobby of the hotel and our new security guard who was much more friendly- in fact it turned out his wife's name was Dina which he couldnt decipher from Dana and so he took a great interest in me and at the end of the day tried to adopt me as his child. nice. we began our day in the koptic area of cairo - meaning the christian area. we first visited a few churches and amir gave us the history of the christian people in egypt and about the different denominations found. next we to a SYNAGOGUE- direct quote from amir: then we will go to a synagogue...a jewish temple..you know what is?. the ben ezra synagogue is very small and not an active temple but has my illegally taken pictures show it is really beautiful. there is an active synagogue in egypt but we didnt get to go there. after this, we left the koptic area and went to the citadel, where the important mosques of cairo are located. the mosque was built after the famous blue mosque in istanbul so it was cool to see since we had visited that mosque when we were in turkey. next we went to the egyptian bazaar/market. our security guard helped us bargain our way through in arabic and everyone got some really nice stuff. im really sick of bargaining though its just a pain- i bought a scarf for 50 egyptian dollars and he first offered me 150 egyptian dollars...no fun bargaining him down to that price- im ready for fixed pricing again. after the bazaar we ate in a local restaurant and headed for the egyptian museum. how to explain this place? well there are over 160,000 pieces in the museum and apparently, the collectino stored in the basement puts the total at over 200,000. the museum is a mess- things are scattered everyone and info is legit handwritten on index cards but aside from this it is UNREAL. they have so much stuff that has stayed in unbelieveable conditions. and its all SOOOO OLD. the best part of the whole museum was the mummies! real bodies, bones, hair, teeth, nails- it was disgusting and amazing at the same time- and they have a good amount of personal info on each mummy that they have. it was too cool. they also had a mummy room for animals which was interesting but the people room was awesome! no pics allowed but i do have some on my phone of course! its too cool not to share! after our trip the museum we returned to the hotel for some rest and pool time.
saturday night however we skipped dinner at the hotel and went on a NILE CRUISE! Islam and my security guard father brought us 20 mins away from the hotel to the nile and to our boat which had pharoah on the front! we set sail and had a delicious buffet dinner followed by bellydancing shows and other random performances. it was so much and the city was much more nice looking in the dark. dont think i mentioned this before but Cairo is a veryvery poor city and it was scary and pretty unreal seeing the conditions that people lived in- such a contrast to the rich history that survives in the country.
after our nile cruise, we went back to the hotel, got some sleep, and woke up in the morning to return to tel aviv. it was a good feeling coming home but i really enjoyed my trip to egypt and hope to go back some day to explore other parts of the country like alexandria and luxor. also coming back made us realize that it was our last trip out of israel and the next time we leave, we wont return for a long time which is really sad. may 30th is approaching faster than i ever thought possible but i think the next four weeks will be some of the best!
below are some pics from egypt!! enjoy and let me know if you'd like the link to my entire album!
xoxoxo

all of us sitting on the great pyramid

me in front of the great pyramid! cant even get the whole thing in!

me in front of the sphynx and another pyramid

all of us in our modest robes supplied by the mosque at the citadel

a woman wearing a full burka outside the egyptian museum

EGYPTTTTTTTT :)

so currently i am dealing with illness :( egyptian food did not agree with me.
in this state i cant do a blog entry about egypt justice but i didnt want you all to think i forgot about you or had given up on my blogging! i will be back for a detailed blog about my trip once im feeling better but i will say it was an AMAZING trip - met expectations and exceeded them veryvery much!
xo

Tiyul LiHaSafone (trip to the north!)

This weekend, my program took us on a trip to the north of Israel. I had been to the golan heights during birthright and done some hiking and stuff there but since being in Israel this time, I havent made it north of Akko- which is a shame because the north of israel is SO beautiful! so we left early friday morning and drove up the coast to the northern galilee. we spent the day in the mountain doing random activities like blind folded trust walks and some ropes work -pretty day-campy but alot of fun. after a day of driving and playing, we went to our hotel which was a kibbutz in nahariya. the kibbutz was right on the beach and we got to hang out there for a little (and nap) before dinner and bedtime at the kibbutz...other people went to the pub at the kibbutz but i was too tired :(
the next morning we woke up early and headed to see the caves at rosh hanikra. rosh hanikra is located right at the border of lebanon (like u can see lebanon) right at the north western tip of the country. we took "the worlds steepest cable car" down to the caves which were soo beautiful. there was some mystical spiritualness happening there but i just thought it was pretty. after we went up to the israel/lebanon border control which is the only place where people can pass through the border..but not even people just UN personel and soldiers (the only other way to get back and forth is to fly) here our tourguide spoke to us about 2 soldiers that were kidnapped many years ago and after much negotiation their bodies were brought back through that border. this transitioned into a discussion about Gilad Shalit who was kidnapped 4 years ago by hamas and has captivated the country and been the subject of many failed peace discussions. after our time at rosh hanikra, we went to a hike in the valley of kizev- a gorgeous valley the top of which is the village where gilad shalit is from. once down in the valley, there was a stream that continuously got in our way and most of the hike was us perfecting the art of not falling into the stream as we jumped from rock to rock to get across the stream. i was one of few people who did not fall into the water. success. the hike was so gorgeous and along the way we stopped for discussion with our tourguide about the history in the north of israel and also about gilad shalit. after the hike, we returned to the kibbutz for some rest and dinner. that night we were supposed to go to the town of rosh pina but we couldnt :( so we went into nahariya instead and got fro yo...yofi.
on sunday, we awoke and drove an hour or so east towards the golan. we did another hike through the amud stream/valley which was beautiful as well- we were a "bit" sore from our hike the previous day so it wasnt as joyous a hike but it was still beautiful. after this hike, we drove to the yarden river to go rafting!! it wasnt the most intense rafting but it was alot of fun and i was lucky to not fall in or die while hitting a tree/rock which was what my boat did the majority of time. after some rafting we changed clothes and started our three hour bus ride back to tel aviv..of course with a quick stop for some FALAFEL! yumyum
the trip was quite exhausting but it was so much fun! my bus was basically a largeeee group of my girlfriends and we got to have lots of bonding time while sweating and getting to see some beautiful parts of Israel. next up, is another 3 days of school before jetting of to EGYPT! this is the big trip i've been waiting for allll semester and i am sososoo excited its finally here! its getting more and more evident how little time we have left in israel which is really sad but also making us concentrate on making the best out of the 5 or so weeks infront of us! i know it has sounded like im never leaving but just so everyone knows i do have a flight home and i will return to the states on may 30th!
thats all for now! xoxoxo

Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut

Shalom! What a weekend of ceremonies and celebrations!
So i just had a veryyy long weekend: a thursday-wednesday weekend! only in israel :) after weeks away from our sunny home of tel aviv, we took this weekend as a time to do one thing and one thing only: go to the beach and tan. sadly i must report most of us have developed what is called "tanorexia"- a disease in which one craves the need TO BE TAN. once you get a little color, the fading of tan lines and the changing of skin tone makes you depressed! its a problem. or is it? a weekend of napping on sad, splashing in the med. sea, and eating fro yo sounds pretty damn good to me! Other highlights of thursday-sunday included having a big girls dinner at our favorite 24/7 breakfast place benedicts and having a sushi dinner with arielle and ethan at my fav sushi place moooon (followed by fro yo)
sunday night at sundown marked the beginning of yom haZikaron- the day of rememberance for fallen IDF soldiers. unlike memorial or veterans day at home which are marked by long weekends and BBQs, yom hazikaron is one of the most somber days in israel. on sunday we went to a ceremony at noon on campus. the minister of defense spoke and a few stories and songs were shared. a list of names was read of graduates of tlv university who have died in war as well. at night, emma and i went with our friend Jonathan to his high school's ceremony in tel aviv. at 8pm the siren sounded all across israel (like on holocaust rememberance day) which began the ceremony. jonathans school is the high school in israel with the most alumni killed in war and they put on a beautiful ceremony including monologues and songs and a slideshow of all fallen soldiers from the school. after the ceremony, emma and i went down to jerusalem and stayed the night with arielle and ethan. in the morning we woke up early and went to har herzel - the military cemetery in jerusalem. har herzel is a beautiful ceremony (for lack of a better word)- there tons of trees and flowers and it is moving just to be there any day; however, on yom hazikaron it was especially moving to see all of the families of fallen soldiers out by the graves as well as tons of soldiers standing standing arond telling stories and remembering their friends.
after walking around har herzel a bit, we went into the ceremony at the top of the hill. for the most part i did not understand what was going on at the ceremony but of course it is the sentiment that is the most important. another siren sounded throughout the country at 11am which commenced the ceremony and prime minister nentanyahu gave a speech as well- he told a story from his own army service in which two of his friends died during war, one right in his own hands. after the ceremony, i met arielle in jerusalem for lunch and some hanging out before going back to tel aviv to begin the yom ha'atzmaut celebrations.
celebrations? yes a quick of mood between sunday and monday because monday night marked israeli independence day- 62 years ! the big thing to go to on yom haatzmaut is the street party in florentine (an area of tel aviv)- ive heard alot about this street party from a lot of different people ever since i arrived. first we went to jonathans apartment and hung out with his friends on his roof (drinking and eating). one magical thing that happened here was for the first time in three wholeeeee months we made ISRAELI GIRLFRIENDS - big news since all the other israeli girls ive encountered have been scary but jonathans friends were really ncie and inclusive. around 12:30ish we headed from jonathans roof to the florentine street partyy. it was absolutely insane!! soooo many people just running around ,dancing and drinking in the streets, and celebrating! we stayed out until 4ish whcih turned into 5ish because lack of cabs forced to walk for a longlong time before returning home. however it was a REALLLY fun night!!!
so thats a holiday weekend for ya! we didnt have classes on tuesday and now its finally back to school....for a 2 day week! this weekend my program is heading up to the north of israel for a trip of hiking and rafting which im really excited about - the north is such a gorgeous piece of israel and i am happy to be getting there again. AND one week from tomorrow i will be flying to EGYPT!!!
thats it for me! xoxoxo enjoy some pics from the weekend!

beach- sums up my weekend

prime minister netanyahu speaking at har herzel ceremony
yael, me, halley, and emma on yom haatzmaut (notice blue/white dress)
florentine street party :)

BiBaiyit Sheli :)

Back in action!! Back in Tel Aviv!!
sunday night after returning from Greece, we all ventured out to have dinner at our fav 24/7 breakfast place- benedicts. it was closed. and sooo was everything else. lamah?
Monday was Yom Hashoah - holocaust remembrance day. there are three "secular" holidays for which the entire country shut downs-literally there is a law that all businesses must close 7pm the night before the holiday-and yom hashoah is one of them. alot of ceremonies took place on sunday night including one at yad vashem (the holocaust museum) that arielle went to and the prime minister of israel gave a speech at the kotel (in hebrew). there is also the traditional siren at 10am on yom hashoah. my hebrew teacher, Eti (love her), took us out of class early so we could be outside on the street for the siren. at 10am the siren blew and everyone stopped moving and talking. cars and busses stopped in their places and all drivers and passengers got out into the street and stood for the moment of silence. it was very moving scene to be a part of. another interesting part of the siren was watching the arab students - many were respectful of the siren and stayed silent but many also kept walking and talking loudly which my teacher had warned us would happen. it was hard to watch and understand the message they were trying to send by ignoring the siren.
most of my professors acknowledged yom hashoah and dedicated a good portion of classtime to speaking about it and discussing the future of the day.
aside from yom hashoah, not too much has been going on aside from getting back into the normal swing of things. on wednesday i had to register for classes for fall semester at tufts for my SENIOR year! ahh! and thats about as close to real life as im getting!
in great news there are two more holidays right around the corner and i have very little school in my near future- today is thursday and i wont have class again until wednesday! first on sunday is yom hazikaron - the day of rememberance for fallen IDF soldiers- and then on monday is a much happier day, yom haatzmaut -israeli independence day! there are going to be lots of celebrations and fun parties! very excited to get to be here for all of this!!
coming down to about 6 more weeks in israel which is so sad (i officially have a flight home on may 30th) but excited for all the great times ahead! xoxoxo

Yamas!!

Well hello hello! its been a longlong time! and lots of travel for me! so the journey begins in tel aviv per usual where i packed up after mom left and then woke up at 330am to get to the airport for our 7am flight. before i could do this i fell down a flight of stairs while carrying my suitcase (mom i didnt tell you that..but im ok)..it was a bad start to my trip but actually at 330am it was like it didnt even happen. so we got in our cab- backtrack: i travelled to greece with three other girls from my program: Dana, Halley, and Yael (yes another Dana). all three girls go to michigan and are also in ChiO (my sorority) there. so we got in our cab headed to ben gurion and set off to Athens! (newsflash: this is going to be a long post so get some coffee now)

We arrived in athens reallllly early, got to our hostel, and hit the road for FOOD..and by food i mean FETA. we had lunch at an adorable taverna and got a bunch of greek dishes- my fav part of eating in greece was how much sharing we did. every meal we ordered a bunch of small appetizer dishes like eggplant salad, stuffed grape leafs, greek salad, etc and then shared them all! so much fun! during lunch, i ran into a few people from tufts who were studying abroad in spain and also on spring break in greece and made plans to meet up with my girlfriends who were also there later. after lunch, we went to the ACROPOLIS! it was very crowded there as it was the day before easter but it was a very amazing site! the view of athens from the top was so gorgeous. after the acropolis we went to the acropolis museum to see all of the things that have been excavated from the site and it was really unbelievable. after the museum we walked around and explored the neighborhood of plaka where out hotel was located then we took a very needed nap. after waking up we went to dinner at an adorable restaurant with lots of feta and food and then met up with three of my girlfriends from tufts at a bar. it was so fun to see them and stroll down memory and talk about next year/senior year ahh! we left the bar before midnight so we could walk to find the easter midnight ceremonies. we stumbled into a huge square with a gorgeous church that was overflowing with people and candles. the flame of the candle is actually flown over from JERUSALEM from the church of the holy sepulcre where Jesus died and resurrected and then is passed to people throughout the streets and at churches. it was a very interesting ceremony part emotional and part celebratory.

day 2 in athens was EASTER! we slept in knowing lots of things were going to be closed and took the day to stroll around and explore the neighborhoods of monstariki and excharcia. we went to the national gardens near parliament and hung out in the sun for a while as well. then we went to the tomb of the unknown soldier which is a memorial for unidentified remains of soldiers. the tomb is guarded 24/7 by guards in funny and every hour on the hour they do a "changing of the guards" ceremony with lots of fancy footwork. theres only 2 guards so its not exactly buckingham palace but it was pretty cool. for dinner, we went to a restaurant about 25 mins away from our hostel and we got to see the university of athens and the public library which were gorgeous. already on feta and meat overload we opted for a pasta dinner with lots of eggplant included!

day 3: we got up before the sun and took a flight to Crete. we landed in heraklion, crete only to realize our final destination of Chania, Crete was a three hour bus ride west..o well the bus ride was gorgeous! our hotel in Chania was an adorable studio apartment, family run style. this is a very common thing in greece - we had a patio overlooking a beautiful little alleyway and a huge jacuzzi bathtub! our first stop in Chania was food (theme) and then we walked around to find the beach! forgot to mention this but the weather in athens was gorgeous! not hot like tel aviv but low 70s high 60s and perfect weather for sightseeing and walking around. Chania was a bit warmer and we were very happy to have some down time on the beach. unfortunately in the process of this beach day, my blackberry got stolen :( which caused a bit of stress and many calls/emails with mom and verizon but no worries all is well! no use crying over spilt milk, we went back to the apartment and took a nap (theme). then we went out for what turned into the best dinner of our lives. earlier in the day we had been propositioned by a tan greek man to eat at his restaurant later that night- he offered free wine and free dessert (sold). we returned and were greeted with a bottle of wine and nice albanian waiter named christian who took an interest in "presenting us" (giving us presents/alcohol for free). this culminated in ouzo - licorice nastiness that people like to take shots of. gross. but when in greece. we went back to our apartment and we were greeted by three boys from Chania- their bff is the son of the hotel owner and they come to play with her and watch her tv cause hes in the army. we said hi and had a brief engleek convo (english/greek) and went to our room. next thing we know the phone rings and the three boys invite themselves up to hang. we chatted for a few hours and had a lot of fun swapping stories and just getting to know each others cultures..and trying to explain why we are studying in israel. we then went to bed but made plans to go out with them the next night.

day 4: HIKING. Crete is a great place to hike so we wanted to make sure we took advantage of this. in the morning our "guide" valerie picked us up and we drove an hour or so to the agia irni gorge. the hike was beautifu and the weather was perfect. Valerie was a bit of a failure at being a "guide" but we still had a great time. our hike ended at the med. sea and we had "lunch" and relaxed before heading back to Chania for a nap. we went out for dinner and were propositioned again by the same restaurant but we decided we needed to try a new place- big mistake as the place we went to had NO EGGPLANT and tried to charge us for wine (trust me, they failed at that). we headed back to the hotel and met up with our greek friends from the night before. they took us for coffee- a pre going out greek ritual. i thought they were lying until we came to streets that were lined with only coffee shops and filled with young people drinking coffee. we sat at coffee for a few hours before heading out to a club - we were pretty exhausted from hiking with Val so we didnt stay out late but it was really fun getting to meet some locals
day 5: we arose early and bussed back to Heraklion. our hotel was in the suburbs of heraklion in Chernoissos but unfortunately it was realllllly not in season to be there so there was not too much to do. then we did the best thing ever: went to the aquarium. aquaworld is the first aquarium in crete started by some rando scottish man. they had lots of turtles and fish and snakes. the girls held the snakes.. i pretended to for the sake of pictures. after the aquarium we headed to dinner at a place called new york bar and got burgers. sometimes you just gotta go home!
day 6: already halfway through we awoke early and took a ferry from Crete to the island of Santorini. we were picked up at the port by papa stelios and brought to our apartm
ent place in perissa beach. we had some lunch and then wanted to lay out on the beach but the weather was cooperating so we decided to adventure around the island. in great news, one the of popular ways to do this in santorini is to rent ATVs! so we rented two ATVs and ventured to the red beach -a beach with gorgeous red sand and rocks (due to lavaaaaa). after the red beach we went to the lighthouse of santorini which has gorgeous panaramic views of the sea that seem to go on forever. we returned to the hotel to shower then hopped on the ATVs for a 30 min ride into the city of Thira where we had the most delicious meal at "mama's house" - the food was traditional greek food but "mama" made the night she was the most adorable woman and told us we were pretty..i like. we ATVed back (a little cold) and went to bed
day 7: we went back to the port via bus. little did we know after the bus it was a 30 min walk down to the port (down a mountain). not only was the path down a montain but in the course of this walk we encountered 100s of DONKEYS and their poop. grossss. we all were moving soo quickly holding our noses and dying the whole way down. we made it! Santorni was formed/ruined by a volcanic erruption and the volcano is a popular site to visit. from the port we went on a boat to the volcanos. we did a short hike there and saw active and non-active craters. after the volcano we took the boat to the "hot springs". the boat was "not able" to pull up very close (miles) to the hot springs so we had to jump in the med sea and swim to the "hot springs". med sea was FREEEEZING! but we toughed it out for the sake of experience and made it to the "hot springs" which by my quotation marks im sure you can figure out were merely warm..awkward cause we swam in an ice bath to get there. o well still was awesome! we boated back and headed for lunch at mama's house. mama wasnt there though so we were sad cause papa didnt remember us :( after lunch, we showered and napped at the hotel and then headed to the airport with papa stelios. we had a 9pm flight to athens and returned to our original hostel for a nights sleep
day 8: we woke up early and athens and went on a tour of ancient delphi/the temple of apollo. the day started with a three hour bus ride to delphi with a group of 20 and a very chatty tour guide. we went to the museum of delphi first and saw all the amazing statues and things that have been excavated from the site it was amazing. next we walked around the ruins of delphi and learned more about the history and the excavation. our company then took us for lunch at a cute greek restaurant and then for a tour of a little village which was really a ploy to make people buy carpets at some shop. we werent fooled. the tour description mentioned wine and cheese which was a real motivation for us to join but that did not end up being a part of the tour and that was sad but nonetheless it was an amazing day and such a cool place to end our time in greece! after delphi we headed back to athens, took a long hangout break in a coffee shop and had our last round of feta at a greek taverna in plaka. we then headed to the airport and flew back to tel aviv landed at 5 am this morning!

basically the trip was amazing! i hope to go back to greece very shortly- it is a beautiful place and the people were so friendly and hospitable and the food was GREAT! there are so many places to see and so much history that it would be impossible to get it all done at once! it was a really successful trip and i felt way too adult to have planned an entire weeks vacation in there different locations! now my adult self is back in tel aviv for some good ol relaxation in the sun and o yea, a return to classes!
here are some pictures from greece!! i have sooo many more that id be happy to send to any of you! more updates to come! xo

street of tavernas where we ate the first night in athens

parthenon

first greek salad!

the four of us with the view of athens from the acropolis

hiking in the gorge
renting ATVs in santorini
red beach in santorini

the four of us at the ruins of delphi

Hag Pesach Sameach and Happy Easter!

Shalom Shalom- hag pesach sameach! hope everyones passover is going well- having trouble staying away from bread and curbing those cravings for pasta? come to israel! why? because EVERYTHING here is kosher for passover! a few days before passover the country died and when it came to life again there was no chamatz (evil non kosher for passover foods) to be found! you think im exaggerating???? nono. i have had everything from rolls, ravioli, and wine that are all kosher for passover. even the huge coffee chain here (aroma) shut down and came back in full passover force. and everything actually tastes good to which is a nice change of pace from what i usually eat around this time.
So for passover we went to seder at my cousins house in Jerusalem- 4 out of 5 cousins were there and we had lots of yummyyummy good and a lot of fun. i definitely missed being at home for the holiday but since my mom was there, it felt like being at home anyway. moms last couple of days in israel were spent lounging around the pool of the hotel and strolling through the old city culminating in a glorious visit to the biblical zoo of jerusalem. ma ze? the zoo has one of each animal mentioned in the bible! its awesome. ANDDDDd noahs ark is there. legit.
Now mommy is back home :( and I have been taking advantage of some gorgeous weather spending endless hours at the beach and the pool. i am finalllllly about to start packing for greece because we leave veryvery early in the morning! aka our cab comes at 4am!!! eek.
i'm sosososo excited for greece! the weather is looking really nice there and we have a lot of fun hikes and excursions planned for while we are there.

cant wait to share pictures and stories from greece!
xoxoxox

Mommy Rides a Camel!!!

Helloooooooo- I'm back in tel aviv just for the night and want to give everyone an update about what mommy lane has been doing here in israel. first things first, we are eating ALOT - as i have said before israelis love salads and so does ellen lane so this has worked out veryvery well. aside from salads we are having lots of hummus and falafel! so what have we done:
friday-shabbat at arielles. delicious food and good people. saturday we had brunch at the hotel with our cousins in jerusalem and we saw invanka trump and her husband!!! and we talked to them! very pleasing. sunday we drove down to masada and the dead sea! mom floated and we got all covered in mud (and salt!). on the way back mom rode a camel on the side of the road!! unlike in petra, this camel was veryy friendly and we had a lot of fun and as you can see, mom was fearless!

monday we toured the old city which included a tunnel tour, falafel in the muslim quarter, and lots of walking throughout the city. tuesday i returned to school (i do actually have classes haha what) and mommy and arielle went to the south for the day. wednesday we were in jerusalem at the shuk and also visited mea shearim. this is a veryy ultra orthodox community that is very isolated, very conservtive, and they dont have tvs!! there is a history of violence in the area actually from the orthodox throwing rocks/harassing non-orthodox people that come to the area to see it...like tourists..like us...so its best to dress very conservatively. see my very frum mother and sister below (i wore pants...):
thursday mom and i went to the temple mount and i finally got to see the dome of the rock (see below). it is absolultey beautiful. the colors and the size are really unbelievable to conceptualize except for when standing right there. it is really amazing looking. after, we drove to yad vashem, the holocaust museum in jerusalem. i had been to yad vashem on birthright but i dont think one can go too many times. it is such an extensive museum that is a real indepth look at the history of the holocaust with real personal and individual focus. the museum has done an unbelievable job identifying the names of people lost in the holocaust and continues to work to piece together the history of all people lost. definitely one of my highest recommendations to all- you cant visit israel without going.

friday we woke up and drove up the coast to akko- the old port city of haifa. it is a mostly arab village and still very genuine in its representation of the old city despite being built up. the day was so gorgeous and you could see right across the water to haifa. of course we had yummmmy falafel and hung out at the port.

after akko, we drove to haifa to have shabbat dinner at the mellers. again, we had a feast that im still having stomach pains over! we spent the night at the mellers and then today we drove up to the druze village in haifa to visit with arielles friend from seeds and her husband. the druze religion is so interesing and raya took us around the village, to the shuk, and to her parents home. we had a delicious/huge meal at raya's and then we drove back to the mellers for more food. so much food!!! heres haifa from the bahai gardens!

now im in tel aviv for the night and tomorrow ill be back in jerusalem for some more relaxing days with mommy and then seder with our cousins.

more updates to come!

xoxoxo

ima sheli biyisrael :)

Thats right! The eagle has landed- and this is the view from her hotel room so i dont think shes ever leaving!

Mom arrived tuesday night and we had a nice dinner with arielle and ethan. yesterday (weds) we toured around the city and jaffa with my cousin Jay and then mom took me and a few friends out to dinner. today, i showed mom all the cool spots i always talk about like the nemal and the popular roads of the city as well as my shuk. we had lunch right at the port and then hung out on her balcony overlooking the water. tonight we are off to dinner with arielle and ethan again and then tomorrow we will head to jerusalem for the weekend. there, we will have shabbat at arielles, lunch with cousins, and on sunday go to the dead sea and masada. we'll tour jerusalem on monday and have dindin with emma's fam. next week mom's doing lots of things around the country and thursday we had up north to stay with the mellers in haifa. after the weekend we return to jerusalem for pesach with our cousins. its going to be an amazing two weeks!
heres a pic of me and mommy!

XOXOXO

well right now i'm in israel but i just spent the day in jordan

shalom! so eilat and petra. thursday after class the 6 of us "scampered" over to the bus station- scampered? lies. actually what happened is the bus took forever to get to our bus stop, we hit TONS of traffic, and all desperately looked at our watches as we arrived to the central bus station with 5 minutes to retrieve our tickets and find and board our bus. 5 minutes wasnt enough...2 girls missed the bus. Thankfully there was a 2nd bus going at the same time and they managed to stowe away on that bus until we met up at the first rest stop. adventures already.
we stayed at the eilat youth hostel and guest house..my first first hostel and it was a success. once we arrived (around 830pmish) we strolled the boardwalk for a place to eat- boardwalk was sooooo jersey shore. we had dinner at a kinda shanty place but it was good and then we all passed out and went to bed! we woke up promptly at 830am and headed to the beach for a full day of mid 90s weather on the beach! it was amazingggg but sososo hot. instead of lounge chairs we went to the beach that has mattresses its like being in bed on the beach they were amazing and the only reason we moved all day was to cool off in the RED SEA and reluctantly to get food. then we went banana boating around 430- large mistake. the guys running the "ship" were young beach bum israelis who spent the entire time trying to make us fall into the water- thankfully they failed- but my arms and legs are still sore from fighting to stay on. then we returned to our hostel and got ready for emma's bday dinner! we went to this amazing tapas restaurant where we ate an insane amount and variety of food and i got a delicious passion fruit margarita. after, we got emma her first legal shot at midnight and went to a club for a little bit- sounds lame but were quite exhausted from the heat and also anticipating our 630am wake up the next morning for petra!

petra: we arose at 630. hurts. we got our boxed lunches and were picked up in a van by our tour company. our group was only 20 and consisted of a american/japanese fam with little girls and grandparents, travelling alone man with camera, three ppl in israel for a conference, and two kibbutzy type girls that left the group half way into jordan...and never came back...20 in total very nice. we got to the border of jordan at 7am...it opens at 8am. but it was all in the name of being the first at the border and the first to cross. and first we were! once inside the border (seems not make sense but there is an inside) we made friends with the jordanian shop ppl and one specifically who made the sand in the bottle stuff (ya know what i mean? designs made by colored sand in bottles?) i got one that says my name in arabic and has camels. once the company processed our passports and stuff we crossed the border into jordan. here is a picture of the 6 of us at the border:

next we drove for 2 hours through "jordan" aka mountains and desert. it was absoutely beautiful. there were tiny villages perched so high into the mountains with the most beautiful views and random "flocks" of sheep and goats everywhere. eventually we made it to the center of petra and began our tour. our walk was three hours through the silica quarries. essentially it is a bunch of rocks but a longlong time ago used to be a booming civilization. there are lots of tombs and distorted rocks that were clearly columns or houses. everything is HUGE and minerals in the rocks have brought out some gorgeous colors. naturally things have changed over time and some of the rocks have even taken on new shapes like this elephant below:

this big site of petra is at the very end and is called the treasury. it is the most well preserved piece in petra, is enormous, and gorgeous. when looking at pictures u must notice the size of people compared to the treasury but its really impossible to see. heres another pic of the 6 of us hanging during the walk

at the end of the tour there were two camels chillin. obvs we needed pictures. unfortunately this fly started attacking my camel and the camel got really angry and tried to eat the fly/me. this is the picture that was captured during my near death experience with the camel:

after our three hour tour we had a few options of how to return to the beginning and opted to go on a donkey ride through a benduoin "village". lies we went up lots of hills and mountains but didnt see a village. but thats ok. our donkeys were sweeeet and their cushions were made from kids blankets so they had spiderman and barbie on them. loved it. our guides were two young benduoin boys who were hilarious and everytime they got tired they awkwardly jumped on our donkeys and rode along with one of us. heres me on my donkey :

*note spiderman blanket on the nose

after the donkey ride we went to back to the bus and got lunch with the group. i also bought a tapestry- its gorgeous and a good jordanian souvenir! then we started our 2 hour drive back to the border, went through again and said bybye to the sand man, and returned to eilat. in sum: petra was amazing. its really hard to explain but the whole place is sooo beautiful and such a surreal site. i guess its why its one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. being in jordan was a cool experience as well- theres arabic all over israel but theres also hebrew with it and there was certainly no hebrew in jordan but it was a different feeling than being in turkey. i would definitely be curious to travel further into jordan to amman and other cities but i dont think i'll be doing that anytime soon.

back to eilat: we returned to eilat and went to dinner at this chic japanese place. then we passed out. we once again arose early in the am put our packed bags away in the storage room of the hostel and headed to the beach. thankfully there was a breeze on sunday so less getting up. we even had lunch on the beach to maximize our time. wanting no more adventures we left the beach early, got fro yo, and headed to the bus station with plenty of time to spare. we boarded our bus and finally arrived back in tel aviv around 1030pm. it was exhausting!

so thats about it! it was such an amazing weekend- i loved travelling to a new place in israel and getting to soak up the sun in 90 degree weather. travelling in and out of a different country in one day was a cool thing as well and getting to be at an ancient wonder of the world was a really cool experience. it was so relaxing just to travel with us 6 girls and i really couldnt have asked for a better weekend!

next up on the agenda: mommy comes to israel!!! tomorrow!!!! i cant wait! i'm so excited to show mom around her first time in israel (probs not her last since im never leaving...oops did i say that out loud!) and after mommy i will be "going to greece" as long the whole country isnt on strike- dont they know i booked my flights already! rude!

p.s. if you want to see all my pictures from petra (gorgeous) email me and i can send you the link

xoxo

off to eilat!!

shalom! we are off to eilat for the weekend - finally! i feel like i have been looking forward to this trip for so long! it is just 6 of us girls which will be lots of fun and relaxing. this week has been soso hot so i think im prepared for the weekend of low 90s temperatures before me. the beaches in eilat are gorgeous and there are lots of snorkeling places and also a place to swim with dolphins! of course, it wont be all beaches since on saturday we will be sweating the day out in petra but that will be amazing too! never thought i'd go to jordan!! also emma's birthday is saturday so we will get be celebrating all weekend in the beautiful weather!

back on sunday and my mommy comes tuesday! the greece trip is shaping up well and i went to the travel agent this week to get more details on egypt...officially happening the last weekend of april/first week of may. fingers crossed. below is a picture of me, emma, and amit with two friends from tufts who are studying in florence for the semester. they are visiting for the weekend but since emma and i are going to eilat, we hung out and grabbed dinner with them last night- love tufts reunions!
have a good weekend! xoxo

Fam, Friends, and Food!

I know i've been a little quiet lately-dont worry i'm not losing steam on my blogging. the truth is i'm finally settled into a normal routine where life isnt so crazy and unpredictable. i wake up and go to hebrew, go to the gym, make lunch, go to class, have dinner, and do some reading. dont get me wrong i'm not bored- i just have a life, a real life. and i love it. the suns getting warmer and my hebrews getting better- i couldnt really ask for more :)

This week I celerbated Arielle's 25th birthday. I went down to jerusalem after class and Arielle, Ethan, and I went out for dinner with Josh and Nani (Josh is a rabbinical student as well and Nani is his fiance). I gave Arielle a turkish tea set that i bought for her at the grand bazaar and then scampered back to tel aviv. amazing how quick and easy it is to go back and forth between our two homes.

On wednesday, Emma's friend Alex arrived from Paris to visit for the weekend. We decided sushi would be a fun dinner and we went to MOON! I must challah at Shir because once i decided to go abroad to tel aviv, Shir always told me i had to go for sushi at moon because it is AMAZING and she is soooo right. The food- fish and veggies- were soo fresh and the menu was so extensive. Alex is really fun and it was great getting to talk to someone about israel- i really found myself feeling like i had a place here and i had things to say about the arab-israeli conflict and the future of the country. i feel so genuinely attached and a part of the country.


friday i took the train up to haifa to stay with the mellers for shabbat. (when arielle did seeds of peace she got very close to this israeli Hilla and the mellers are Hilla's family). The train was less than 40 minutes and i got picked up at the train in Atlit, the town where they live outside haifa. When i arrived i was greeted with freshly made kooogel. then we a nap and then came down for shabbat dinner. when i came down, the table was covered with different israeli salads- fresh beets, avocados, three kinds of babaganoush- it was amazing! Anna (the mom) comes from a moroccan family and we had delicious moroccan fish with israeli couscous. Anna also had meatballs and rice and i was force fed that as well. AND for dessert we had homemade chocolate cake- amazing!
In the morning, Anna made eggs and toast- with HOMEMADE CREAM CHEESE WITH OLIVES AND HOMEMADE ORANGE MARMALADE- she is amazing! Then Anna and I went out to the Druze village up in the mountains of Haifa. we met up with a friend of Arielle and Hilla's from seeds named Raia. Raia took us through the village and to the Druze market. I didnt know much about the druze but it was really interesting talking to Raia and seeing the druze people in their traditional clothing.

after, Anna and I went for a walk on the beach (see bel0w) and then anna took me for "the best falafel in haifa" and let me know tell you, it might be the best falafel in israel. it was called falafel michel and it was deliciousssss. yumyumyum. then i took the sheirut back from haifa to tel aviv and took a shower and met up with the girls to go out.

so ya, as you see life has been pretty normal. today we went to the beach all day and just relaxed! this week- real life continues with classes and such. weather is supposed to get summerly hot so much of my week will be spent laying out at the pool (did i mention my gym has an outdoor pool with lounge chairs???). on wednesday, three boys from tufts who are abroad in florence are coming for the weekend so we will get to see them. and on thursday we (6 of us) head off to eilat for a weekend of sun and relaxation! and a daytrip to petra!

about to head out for more sushi at Moon!!! xoxoxoxo

Hapoel Hapoel / Purim Sameach / Jumbos!

Just started Week 2 of classes today- its definitely strange to be doing classes here because the past month has been so casual and free- just hebrew in the mornings and exploration all afternoon and all night. but nonetheless, i guess thats what i came here to do. this weekend was SOOOO rainy! every israeli keeps saying the winter (aka rain) is done and then more and more rain...hopefully its done now.

thursday night we went to a hapoel soccer game- hapoel played russia in the POURING RAIN and we were there and we were POURED ON! despite the rain it was really exciting to see a soccer game in israel- its a big sport here- and we loved some sweet hapoel cheers/songs

Friday night began the purim celebrations! Purim is a hugeee holiday here because its essentially their halloween. its a mitzvah to get extremely drunk on purim (for real) and everyone dresses up and has huge parties and parades in the streets. of course, the rain was a bit of a downer and many celebrations were cancelled :( but i still managed to dress up twice (once as a devil and once as a cat) and we had alot of fun. apparently its "tradition" that it rain alllll purim weekend and that it did. it was certainly my most relaxed weekend here, involving alot of indoor/bed time, but cant complain about relaxation! i think my father became concerned with he skyped with me at 4:30pm my time and i was still in bed in my PJs.

sunday night we organized an ADORABLE/AMAZING tufts dindin. while all of us have made our own friends, we are all saps for being tufts jumbos and cant resist getting together and strolling down memory/professors row lane. its so much fun! there are 6 of us studying in tel aviv and we also had a visit from another Jumbo who is studying in be'er sheva at ben gurion university. we went out for turkish food (which i half missed half wasnt ready for) and it was delicious! Highlights for this upcoming week include: my sisters 25th bday tomorrow!!! (challah to my mommy's whos bday was this past week!) i'll be going down to jerusalem after class to hang/go out to dinner with arielle and ethan. also this week a friend of emma's who is studying in paris is coming to stay with us from wednesday to sunday which will be really fun to play tourguide and hopefully go to the beach assuming the weather clears up. also this shabbat i will be going to haifa to stay with our family friends for the night and also hopefully get to the beach! (i think you see a theme here).

mommy gets here in two weeks! and my trip to eilat/petra is the week before! so much happening and i'm so excited!!

xoxo and hag sameach