Chaval al Hazman

Let me first start off by saying I can't believe it's already April! In just two months, I will have been living the Tel Aviv life for almost a year! As most Israelis will tell you, time flies so quickly here, it's unimaginable. Lots has changed…where to start.

Our balcony

I live with my boyfriend, Oren (whose name means pine tree in English btw) for a couple months already. He's a sabra Israeli, meaning he was born and raised here. Thankfully his English is great, and so is he :).
My life is a lot more routined now than it was before. Every Friday night we go to his older brother's house for Shabbat dinner in Kfar Saba (about 20 minutes from Tel Aviv), and every Saturday we go to his parents for Shabbat lunch.
When I found out his mom didn't speak a word of English, I worried a bit! But as the Israelis say… hakol yheye biseder (everything will be okay), and it was. His family is very sweet, and his mom even called me the other week when I wasn't feeling well to check in. She also changed her cooking since I've been around.. to a more... American style cuisine? I'll explain. The first time I ate lunch there, there the was chicken liver. Okay, understandable. The second time there were chicken hearts on a stick. That I had never seen. And no, I did not try them. Usually when I come there is a buffet of food on the table, so I can always manage to eat something. This next time though… there was one pot on the table. Right in the middle. I was eager to see what it was… chicken? Well.. kind of. It was called "Jersualem mix".. which contains all the insides of a chicken. Since then, let's just say there haven't been any livers, hearts, or insides at lunch.

Now for some Israeli food I do like #falafel

People always ask me… so are you fluent now in Hebrew? The quick answer. No.
My understanding has drastically improved, but it takes many years to master a language fully. Hebrew has A LOT of slang, which takes time to learn. "Chaval al hazman" technically meaning "shame about the time" apparently means "awesome." I found out recently that I passed into the highest level of Ulpan, which was great to hear.

The more time I spend in Israel, the more challenges that face me. The hardest two adjustments for me are the language, and the fact that punctuality and customer service do not exist. (Of course being away from my family and friends has by far been the hardest, but that goes unsaid).
The standard of living is the next hardest part. Nobody moves to Israel hoping they'll be a millionaire.They move here because it's a different quality of life that revolves around friends, family, and living in the moment and knowing everything will be okay.
I am an American though, so it's hard for me not to think about money and the long term. I barely have a salary here (at least compared to the US), and the price of living in mind-blowing.

Me and Kim

Me and my cousin Michelle

On a more positive note, I have plenty to look forward to this summer. For starters, my BFF Kim is coming on Birthright this summer, and so is my cousin Michelle who I haven't seen in years! (maybe since I was 19.) And last but not least, my parents are coming!! I cannot wait to see them again, and for them to finally meet Oren.


In other important news, I was a cat for purim, like last year, and maybe the year before. My mom sent me an awesome care package with new clothes, jewelry, coffee, etc. thanks mom.

Peace out for now :)


J.