As planned, I took a bus to Tel Aviv to meet up with my friend Nir, who lives in a suburb about 15 minutes drive from the center of the city. We took the 3+ hour bus-ride to Kiryat Shmoneh, arriving at around 11 PM, and Ronen met us there and drove us to his old stomping grounds, Kibbutz Dafna. There was a party for a girl's 26th birthday, and people were sitting around with guitars and food and some drinks and having a great time, at least as far as I could discern. I say this because they, completely understandably and expected, almost primarily spoke Hebrew. I'm certainly improving from the rigors of my Ulpan course, but I really couldn't understand what was being talked about, and I for sure couldn't contribute to the conversation, for by the time I figured out what to say, which didn't happen all too often, the topic had changed. It was frustrating, but I did have a nice night.

The next day, Ronen took Nir and I to an amazing area of the river which runs through and around Dafna where he had gone many times as a kid. From the river we could see the border between Israel and Lebanon. Ronen told us about the Lebanon War in 2006, how bombs were constantly dropped around the area, coupled with monstrous explosive sounds, although no one in his kibbutz was actually hurt. It was quite riveting and humbling, coming from Huntington Woods, where the biggest threat I ever remember is when some convict escaped from police custody with a pistol when I was in 3rd grade. He was subsequently found barefoot. It wasn't surprising, then, that bomb shelters were practically everywhere on the Kibbutz. (In fact, I recently learned that every apartment/house is required to have a bomb shelter. My room is the bomb shelter for our apartment. It's reinforced a bit stronger, has an extra door, and is a bit bigger. I'm the safest. Schwing!) The river's water comes from Mount Hermon, the tallest point in Israel, where for about 2 weeks of the year people flock to go skiing. Subsequently, the water was absolutely freezing, but really refreshing. We made some food afterward, and Ronen had to go back to Tel Aviv to work at his music bar, which he manages. Nir and I explored the rest of the day and the next. The kibbutz was essentially a town. There was a store, a library, a post office, etc. Ronen had earlier explained that the former lifestyle of the kibbutz - whereby no one spent nor earned money and everyone participated in the functioning of the microcosmic world - had dissipated around 15 years ago when the government limited their funding and people started getting jobs outside the kibbutz, rather than solely participating in the kibbutz's production (Dafna produes shoes). The layout of the place reminded me a lot of where The Others live in the show LOST. That evening, Nir and I made it back to Tel Aviv, and we went out with some friends of his to a couple bars.

The busses don't run past 5:30 on Friday evening and don't start up again until about the same time on Saturday, because of Shabbat. Taxis still run, but they're more expensive, so transportation is limited, on top of many stores and restaurants being closed. It's something that needs to be taken into consideration when making plans.

I went to a soccer game with a group of people the other night. It was the first game of the season, and the local team, Beitar Jerusalem, was playing their cross-country rival, HaPoel Tel Aviv. Beitar's fans are notorious for being rowdy, and they did not disappoint. The term I heard used most often by the fans by far was Ben Zona!, which was directed at either the referee, the opposing players, or just this cursed life in general which denies the soccer fan his true desires. The first word, Ben, means son. I'll let you guess the rest. Another cheer was quite simply, Ani Soneh Poel!, translating to "I hate Poel!" Definitely no sportsmanship points to be found here! The Poel fans were really loud too and represented well. Overall, it was a sick time, but unfortunately neither team scored, which really was the worst thing that could have happened, as I wasn't particularly supporting either side.

This past Wednesday and Thursday nights in downtown Jerusalem the Beer Festival was going on, with beers from all over the world and great concerts, all for relatively cheap. The first night I actually saw a band I was familiar with, Hadag Nachash, who I'd seen in Ann Arbor when they came to perform. Unlike concerts in the United States, it was rather easy to work my way to the front. The next night we arrived too late, and weren't allowed in since it was full, so, along with my friend Uri, we spent the night making some rounds at a couple bars.

Friday was an awesome day. A lot of people had gone to Tel Aviv to chill on the beaches for the weekend, but I'd decided to stay and hang out in Jerusalem. I went downtown mid-morning and explored the area around the bustling Ben-Yehuda street. There was a lot going on everywhere I turned, with tons of shops and restaurants and people everywhere. Naturally, there were cats, but I was fortunate enough to stumble upon a group that was exclusive. The park where the Beer Festival was at was now hosting a Reggae Festival, and it was amazing. The music was terrific and the vibe was fun and hilarious. It was funny listening to the performers throw in Reggae phrases in Israeli accents, like "Good Vibrations Rasta Ya," not to mention the wild people who were jamming out, or playing with the water guns that were supplied by the festival. I had to leave early to try to catch the last bus in order to make it back to my dorm, but I ended up missing it and had to take a cab.

Two nights ago I walked with my roommate, Hannah, with the goal of making it to the downtown area where I'd been on Friday. After about a half hour, we missed our target and entered the Old City, in which we got lost multiple times among the narrow alleys and complicated infrastructure. It was cool, though. We were primarily in the Arab (or perhaps Muslim, I've heard the name may have changed) quarter, which tours and such don't generally go to. It was a bit uncomfortable being out of our element, but we met some really nice people and had some good food and hookah for cheap, and it was really interesting. At one point, seemingly thousands of people flocked together to go pray, presumably at the Dome of the Rock. We tried following, but were stopped by the Israeli police since we (apparently blatantly obviously) weren't Muslim. Throughout the alleys there were tons of children running around. For the most part it was cute and refreshing, but there were some kids who would clearly and deliberately do their best to get a look up Hannah's dress. She also got lots of looks from men and the frequent comment, which was also rather uncomfortable. Hannah suggested that the fact that hers were likely the first pair of uncovered shoulders most men had seen in public in a while had a lot to do with it. Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera, so I was only able to get one snapshot with my phone of a random cardboard box filled with baby chicks, but suffice it to say that it was a very interesting cultural experience.

Not In Kansas Anymore

So I made it. Hard to believe that it's only been two weeks. Certainly overdue for a blog update...

My man Ronen met me at the airport early in the morning and we took a bus back to his place in Tel Aviv. Despite being a little hopped up from not sleeping the previous night, Ronen made the awesome suggestion that the first thing I do upon my arrival is swim in the Mediterranean Sea, only about two blocks from his apartment. And so we did, at about 8 in the morning. Threw the frisbee around on the beautiful beach before embarking to Jerusalem to register for my program.

It was a bit of a trek, carrying all my luggage and whatnot, but eventually we made it. I quickly came to the realization, which would come to be reinforced time and again, that things work differently in Israel. The registration process was rather disorganized. I ended up waiting for a good four hours and wasn't able to get my pre-ordered cell phone until later in the week. Not to be a downer, however. Life is different here, not necessarily worse. People are warm, but not particularly receptive. For instance, cars will stop for you at a crosswalk to allow you to pass, but they'll come awfully close to you to show that they're not completely pleased about it. Also, cats are everywhere. And people, I suppose understandably, aren't too thrilled about it. But I love it! Kitties! Another thing is the security. Almost anywhere you go, guards check your bags. And before we enter any university building we have to show our student IDs.

I live in a dormitory on the Mount Scopus (named as such for it's view of the city) campus of Hebrew University in what's called the Students-Village, or Kfar HaStudentim. I'm in a five-bedroom apartment, and I've got 3 roommates. I had 4, but the last, an Israeli graduate student, Tzachy, who showed me and another roommate and good friend, Hannah, around the old city and to his favorite hummus joint (a highly debated issue), recently left to India. I've got my own room which is pretty nicely sized, and there's a kitchen and a bathroom. To save water, there are two flush buttons!

The weekend here is on Friday and Saturday, but from Sunday-Thursday I am in the Ulpan, an intensive language immersion program. It starts at 8:15 AM and goes until 1:15 PM, with 45 minutes of break-time, whence we go outside and lay around the grass under the hot sun in the middle of the nice campus. It's learning Hebrew the whole time. The material is fine, and the teachers do their best to mix the lessons up to keep it from getting tedious, but the fact of the matter is that we're learning one subject continuously, so it gets boring. Waking up early and constantly being in class reminds me a lot of high school. Bleh. It's cool, though, that I'm greatly improving in Hebrew, albeit a rather specified skill. In a more general sense, I suppose learning a language offers a special type of learning, which is good for my brain. Ish? It's also rather fascinating how many different types of people come to Israel to learn Hebrew (the Ulpan is required by the International Program that I'm on, but not exclusively associated with it). In my class alone there are Jews from France and a Far East country (disclaimer: not to say that they're all the same and lack individuality. I just don't know the dude too well), non-Jews from Spain and the U.K., and Arabs from Jerusalem.

Outside of the Ulpan, life is great. I'm meeting tons of people from all over the world, although primarily from the U.S. and Canada. The program I'm on offers activities to make our stay here more enjoyable, like a hike in the Golan that I went on last weekend, or tours of the city. There's a really nice gym that I joined right across the street (Name that quote: "I've been keeping busy... I joined a gym." Answer.) with great exercise equipment and a lot of nice tennis courts that I've been playing on with some people I met from the program. We're a bit isolated from downtown Jerusalem, so it's been a bit more difficult than I would have hoped to mingle with Israelis, but it helps that I've got friends here, who I've met up with a couple times and have met some of their friends too. It's about a 15 minute bus-ride to the center of the city. There is a bangin' falafel joint right down the street which, hard as it is to say, is even better than my beloved Pita Kabob in Ann Arbor. They fry up the falafel right in front of you and it is delicious.

So the Ulpan goes until the 24th of September. The day after, I'm flying to Athens and then going on a 9-day Greek Islands tour, then 3 nights in Istanbul. It will be a nice present for finishing. I have an advising appointment in about 10 days to sign up for classes, which start October 16.

I've been wondering a lot what I'm doing here. I spent so much time awaiting and preparing for this, and now it's finally here, and I'm thinking, "So I'm here... but why, again?" This is, I suppose, part of the whole experience, growing and whatnot. I am indeed meeting lots of people, learning about the world, and myself, and even branching out and dancing with Arabs at a Hostel in the North. So I'm okay with the wondering. I'm not worried about it, and not seeking any sort of conclusion. But it's what's been on my mind occasionally so I thought I'd share.

Oh. And I think I've decided to come home in January and February, and then go to study in Tel Aviv, rather than my initial plan of traveling around Europe during the break. It'll be fun to go to sporting events and hang out with my friends who won't be abroad and whatnot. And my family, too. What up.

Meeting up with my great friend Nir tomorrow and together going to the North to Ronen's Kibbutz, apparently within walking distance of Lebanon, for a girl's birthday party. It's located on a river. I'm really excited to meet people and see a new lifestyle.

לילה טוב חברים = Laila Tov Chaverim = Good Night Friends

Good Start

Well, I'm off. Or I've been off. Arrived to New York one week ago and it's been a great trip since. Spent some time with my lovely sisters and saw some great friends as well. It was a good place to spend my last days in America – a nice comparison point for my oncoming travels. And I was fortunate to have a really nice meal on the last night before embarking on my attempted frugal lifestyle (No, I don't mean the one my sisters and I cooked!). Left early Thursday morning and was pleased to hear the pleasant English accents on my British Airways flight.

And so I made it to England, where crossing the street and turning on a light-switch is a whole new ballgame. My great friend Chris picked me up from the airport and took me to his home in West London. It was just as I remembered it from when I visited winter break of my freshman year.

The next day, before meeting up with Jon and restoring the tripod, we went to Hyde Park, where we ate ice cream and played frisbee (yes, a very exotic experience). Jon came down from Sheffield and we wandered about London for a while. Before seeing the sites, we had a pint and met an interesting Polish fellow who was proclaiming it was his birthday. In retrospect, he most likely told us it was his birthday for a free drink. His intentions were quite clear when, after making our exit and shouting back, "Happy Birthday," he likewise replied, "Happy Birthday."

I recently read someone's declaration that if there is one word to describe American people it is "inquisitive." I wasn't sure what his intended connotation was, but apparently he is on the right track, as, after asking him what he does for a living, Pav alerted me that I ask too many questions. I'll keep it in mind, bud.

So we saw the London sites, which were terrific, and saw a lot of London one night in bussing/tubing/walking from place to place with no particular destination in mind. I then decided that we should go to Stonehenge. We weren't too sure of what to expect; after all, it is just a pile of rocks. But we pushed on through our apprehension and were very pleased with the result.

It was a really peaceful experience. The weather was nice, with a cool breeze, and we walked around barefoot on the grass which seemed able to serve as a putting green at the British Open. Just sitting around on the tranquil day, with an incredibly ancient peace of mysterious history to ponder over was a fulfilling experience. Perhaps we were teetering too far off the edge of spirituality, so we brought it over a notch with a bit of fun. All in all, certainly worth the just-under-two-hour-drive.

One more day in London today on my own. Went to a park and read some Freud. Dude's really intelligent and a great writer, but a bit predictable. Sex again, Siggy? My favorite segment of his Analysis of a Case of Hysteria, in analyzing the patient's dream: "'Where is the key?' seems to me to be the masculine counterpart to the question, 'Where is the box?' They are therefore questions referring to – the genitals." I love the use of the dash. Like a royal entrance: Dun dun dundun! – the same thing as last time!

Flight tonight and making it to Jerusalem tomorrow afternoon. Excited and eager!

Until I figure out a good, repeatable concluding statement,

Sam