Friday, January 19, 2018
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Too Long Since Reflecting
So this time last year, I was starting my summer job in Boston. In the meantime, I have driven halfway across the country and started grad school in Missouri. This is my updated map:
It's appropriate now to sit and think about my year... My birthday was last week and I guess it's been a little bit crazy of a year. The number of times I get asked why I am where I am is kind of astounding. The story really isn't that exciting. But it will have to wait a short time because I'm late now for a meeting. Just wanted to update my map. =]
It's appropriate now to sit and think about my year... My birthday was last week and I guess it's been a little bit crazy of a year. The number of times I get asked why I am where I am is kind of astounding. The story really isn't that exciting. But it will have to wait a short time because I'm late now for a meeting. Just wanted to update my map. =]
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Friday, February 14, 2014
Wandering Jews: Neveh Tzedek Photos
Michele and I went to Neveh Tzedek today. We took lots of photos, which you can see on Facebook, but here are some of my favorites. You can click to embiggen and make a slide show.
Carrots and eggplants. They must be tags since they're EVERYWHERE! I must document them all!
I'm not sure what these are, but they're also pretty common.
I love these squared off cartoon people!!
.JPG) |
| What a wonderful quote! |
.JPG)
.JPG)
Neveh Tzedek might just be one of the prettiest places I've been! I love shooting there!
.JPG)
.JPG) |
| I was overwhelmed by this particular graffiti. It's so brutally honest and speaks volumes to the population. It's in a touristy part of town, but brings such focus to the fact that you don't think about the current events since you feel so safe here in Israel. |
.JPG) |
| Simple, sweet, and understated. |
 |
| Quite possibly the best funny graffiti I've seen. I love it! |
 |
| A mantra for all. Be awesome! |
.JPG)
.JPG)
Of course, a trip to Neveh Tzedek requires pictures of the iconic old homes and the sculptures they're covered with...
.JPG) |
| They include art in all the places they can in Neveh Tzedek. This is also the only cat Michele likes. |
Even when there isn't art, Neveh Tzedek is artful. The colors of the street pop out at you and make the neighborhood a photographer's dream.
 |
| Using existing structures is one of the best things about Neveh Tzedek's artwork. Don't forget to look for the mice! |
.JPG) |
| Some things need no caption. |
.JPG) |
| Love can be found in many places. |
.JPG)
This "Stolen artwork" stencil is all over. I love the simplicity, but also the implication that everything is art.
.JPG)
Israel has lots of cats. Neveh Tzedek has lots of friendly cats.
.JPG) |
| I want this planter. there's nothing else to say. |
.JPG) |
| Even on cloudy days, the colors pop, the weather's nice, and Israel is where I want to be. Where do I sign to live here forever? |
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Ulpan is Over!
Well, today was fun. My brigadeiro seemed to be a hit, even if it was a little chewier than I planned... The test wasn't bad, but I misspelled "achav" (meaning now) for the fourth time (out of four tests...).
After class, Michele and I planned to walk to Neveh Tsedek, but we ended up being a little sidetracked and only made it about halfway there. We walked down Diezengoff, which is one of the main shopping streets. There are SO MANY wedding dress shops, it's kind of ridiculous.
One of the stores had some really nice sweaters, so we stopped in and we ended up each getting one, but the real benefit was that we started talking to the shopgirl, and she's a promoter for a club and a bar. We asked her about a chill bar, and she recommended one with live music that's relaxed and not clubby. It's called Muddy Waters, and I think we'll be going back. But I'll talk about that more in a minute.
Walking down Diezengoff is really interesting since it's half touristy, half local. We were hungry, so we started looking at menus, but we didn't really see anything we liked. Then there was a cafe with no name, nothing in English, and it looked incredible. They let us try their soups, and then we also got some of the best hummus in all of Israel.
I had an interview, so we headed back after wandering some more. My interview went well; it's for the internship class I'm taking. When I get back to the States, I'll also have a job!
After my interview, we headed down to Muddy Waters and had a chill night to celebrate the end of Ulpan. Michele did my makeup and Nessa joined us. It was a nice night.
Lilah tov!
After class, Michele and I planned to walk to Neveh Tsedek, but we ended up being a little sidetracked and only made it about halfway there. We walked down Diezengoff, which is one of the main shopping streets. There are SO MANY wedding dress shops, it's kind of ridiculous.
One of the stores had some really nice sweaters, so we stopped in and we ended up each getting one, but the real benefit was that we started talking to the shopgirl, and she's a promoter for a club and a bar. We asked her about a chill bar, and she recommended one with live music that's relaxed and not clubby. It's called Muddy Waters, and I think we'll be going back. But I'll talk about that more in a minute.
Walking down Diezengoff is really interesting since it's half touristy, half local. We were hungry, so we started looking at menus, but we didn't really see anything we liked. Then there was a cafe with no name, nothing in English, and it looked incredible. They let us try their soups, and then we also got some of the best hummus in all of Israel.
 |
| Sweet potato, lentil, vegetable, bean, split pea All delicious! |
I had an interview, so we headed back after wandering some more. My interview went well; it's for the internship class I'm taking. When I get back to the States, I'll also have a job!
After my interview, we headed down to Muddy Waters and had a chill night to celebrate the end of Ulpan. Michele did my makeup and Nessa joined us. It was a nice night.
Lilah tov!
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Study, Study!
Tomorrow is our final exam in Ulpan. I've decided to continue my Hebrew classes, so my schedule now looks like this:
I'm super excited for my classes!
So Michele and I studied all afternoon, with various breaks, but we feel pretty confident in our test tomorrow. First, she came over while I made lunch (mmm homemade hamburgers!) and then brigadeiro for our "party" tomorrow.
Tomorrow's party will consist of reviewing our videos that we had to record of us ordering in Hebrew, final review, and food. I'm sure the video will be amusing, but I don't think any of us want to see it, much less letting the rest of the class see it.
We then checked out the Kakao Cafe on campus, which was good, before we gave up and went to bed. We're tired of studying.
Lilah tov!
I'm super excited for my classes!
So Michele and I studied all afternoon, with various breaks, but we feel pretty confident in our test tomorrow. First, she came over while I made lunch (mmm homemade hamburgers!) and then brigadeiro for our "party" tomorrow.
 |
| Mmmm, brigadeiro! It's hard to make on an electric stove, though! |
Tomorrow's party will consist of reviewing our videos that we had to record of us ordering in Hebrew, final review, and food. I'm sure the video will be amusing, but I don't think any of us want to see it, much less letting the rest of the class see it.
We then checked out the Kakao Cafe on campus, which was good, before we gave up and went to bed. We're tired of studying.
Lilah tov!
Tuesday... Booze day?
Ulpan is winding down, as evidenced by our class's inability to focus or learn much of anything anymore. We've started on the past tense and it's super easy... once you figure out what the stem is.
So Hebrew's a really interesting language. Every word has a root/stem (the two words are interchangeable) that has to do with a particular concept. So SDR goes to "seder" and "siddur", and KDSH (SH being one letter in Hebrew) goes to "kiddush", "kaddish", "kadosh", "kidusha". The former has to do with order, and the latter with holiness.
This is all a side note.
Present tense Hebrew has four conjugations: boy singular, boy plural, girl singular, girl plural.
Past tense Hebrew has ten conjugations: me, we, you boy, yall boys, you girl, yall girls, he, them boys, she, them girls.
Also, Hebrew is utterly confusing when it comes to masculine and feminine. Masculine "you" ends in "ah", but nouns that end in "ah" are feminine. Verbs and adjectives also end in "ah" when you're talking about something feminine, but the past tense masculine you says "ah". So basically you can't actually tell.
Last bit of Hebrew ranting: you don't possess anything. You say "There is/isn't (whatever) to (whomever)."
So "I have a brother" is literally translated as, "There is a brother of me." Because THAT'S not complicated. Or, the most popular comment between Michele and me: "Ain li kesef." - "There is no money to me." I.e. I'm broke.
Anyways.
After class, Michele and I headed down to the beach to study. We sat and order nachos while reviewed....
Nachos in Israel are not what we expected... First of all, we couldn't identify the flavor of the chips until we had eaten nearly all of them. They're BBQ Doritos. The sauces were pureed avocado with no seasoning, straight hot sauce, and cream cheese. It was very interesting...
When we got cold, we headed towards campus and stopped at a little cafe for coffee and tea. I haven't spoken to the coffee here in Israel. They don't have American coffee. They have "American" coffee - which is an Americano. Which is still not right. What I end up getting is called a cappuccino, which is what I would call a latte in the States - espresso coffee with steamed milk. Actually, this chart is a better representation:
Point is, they don't have drip coffee. Which is a pain because the coffee here never tastes right. But I have become somewhat addicted...
The absolute best thing is Iced Cafe - or iced coffee with lots of milk and sugar that has been blended into a slushy sort of thing. I like to compare it to Starbucks' frappuccino, but it's much better. It's like a coffee slushy. And I'm sure absolutely terrible for you, haha. =]
Halley had some friends over and a bunch of us went out to dinner together. It was six girls and one guy. Some of them went to a club, but Michele, Yasmin, Tal and I headed back to campus. Tal and I ended up talking for a long time. He's a history major, studying modern Jewish history (i.e. Tel Aviv, since it's only 100 years old) and how the writings of history have influenced the community. It seems like a really interesting way to study history.
Tomorrow is review for our final exam in Ulpan, which is Thursday.
Lilah tov!
So Hebrew's a really interesting language. Every word has a root/stem (the two words are interchangeable) that has to do with a particular concept. So SDR goes to "seder" and "siddur", and KDSH (SH being one letter in Hebrew) goes to "kiddush", "kaddish", "kadosh", "kidusha". The former has to do with order, and the latter with holiness.
This is all a side note.
Present tense Hebrew has four conjugations: boy singular, boy plural, girl singular, girl plural.
Past tense Hebrew has ten conjugations: me, we, you boy, yall boys, you girl, yall girls, he, them boys, she, them girls.
Also, Hebrew is utterly confusing when it comes to masculine and feminine. Masculine "you" ends in "ah", but nouns that end in "ah" are feminine. Verbs and adjectives also end in "ah" when you're talking about something feminine, but the past tense masculine you says "ah". So basically you can't actually tell.
Last bit of Hebrew ranting: you don't possess anything. You say "There is/isn't (whatever) to (whomever)."
So "I have a brother" is literally translated as, "There is a brother of me." Because THAT'S not complicated. Or, the most popular comment between Michele and me: "Ain li kesef." - "There is no money to me." I.e. I'm broke.
Anyways.
After class, Michele and I headed down to the beach to study. We sat and order nachos while reviewed....
Nachos in Israel are not what we expected... First of all, we couldn't identify the flavor of the chips until we had eaten nearly all of them. They're BBQ Doritos. The sauces were pureed avocado with no seasoning, straight hot sauce, and cream cheese. It was very interesting...
When we got cold, we headed towards campus and stopped at a little cafe for coffee and tea. I haven't spoken to the coffee here in Israel. They don't have American coffee. They have "American" coffee - which is an Americano. Which is still not right. What I end up getting is called a cappuccino, which is what I would call a latte in the States - espresso coffee with steamed milk. Actually, this chart is a better representation:
Point is, they don't have drip coffee. Which is a pain because the coffee here never tastes right. But I have become somewhat addicted...
The absolute best thing is Iced Cafe - or iced coffee with lots of milk and sugar that has been blended into a slushy sort of thing. I like to compare it to Starbucks' frappuccino, but it's much better. It's like a coffee slushy. And I'm sure absolutely terrible for you, haha. =]
Halley had some friends over and a bunch of us went out to dinner together. It was six girls and one guy. Some of them went to a club, but Michele, Yasmin, Tal and I headed back to campus. Tal and I ended up talking for a long time. He's a history major, studying modern Jewish history (i.e. Tel Aviv, since it's only 100 years old) and how the writings of history have influenced the community. It seems like a really interesting way to study history.
Tomorrow is review for our final exam in Ulpan, which is Thursday.
Lilah tov!
Monday, February 10, 2014
Back to School Sunday and Mellow Monday
There are two days in this post because not that much happened. I know I'm being awful about keeping up with things, but I'm working on it!
Sunday was chill. I am having a hard time with missing home and my friends. So many people have snow days and birthdays and parties and stuff that I wish I was home to spend time with them.
Anyways, class, blogging, a phone call home, and then I went to a comedy show. The guy was really good and really funny. He made aliyah and knew exactly how to speak to his audience of American college students in Israel. I was having a bad day, so I went running, and I came across a little shopping plaza about 10 minutes walking from campus. They have a Dominos, Burger Bar, Israeli pizza, sushi, some grocery stores, a pharmacy and some liquor stores. It looked interesting, but was too late to stop.
Today was not much of anything, either. Just class and a really long nap. I then went over to the plaza I found and got an amazing burger from Burgers Bar. It was really good!
Lilah tov!
Sunday was chill. I am having a hard time with missing home and my friends. So many people have snow days and birthdays and parties and stuff that I wish I was home to spend time with them.
Anyways, class, blogging, a phone call home, and then I went to a comedy show. The guy was really good and really funny. He made aliyah and knew exactly how to speak to his audience of American college students in Israel. I was having a bad day, so I went running, and I came across a little shopping plaza about 10 minutes walking from campus. They have a Dominos, Burger Bar, Israeli pizza, sushi, some grocery stores, a pharmacy and some liquor stores. It looked interesting, but was too late to stop.
Today was not much of anything, either. Just class and a really long nap. I then went over to the plaza I found and got an amazing burger from Burgers Bar. It was really good!
Lilah tov!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)