Life in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv is an amazing, vibrant city that I haven't even made a dent in exploring. For the month of September, during the day, we all attend Ulpan (Hebrew class) from 9:30 until 2:30, and then we either have lectures/ seminars, trips, or free time. We've learned a lot of Hebrew so far, but I need to work on pronouncing the words better (Israeli's respond to my Hebrew in English-- they know from Shalom that I don't speak Hebrew well!) Since it's holiday season, we've missed a lot of Ulpan time, but I've gotten to visit a lot of friends and hang out by the beach in Tel Aviv. One of my favorite nights so far was when a group of us bought a few bottles of wine, chocolate, and pretzels, and headed to the beach. We sat by the water, drank our wine, ate our chocolate, and told stories. The beach area is really lit up at night, so we were able to go night swimming! It was great! It doesn't get cold at night, the water was really warm, and there was a warm breeze from the sea. We enjoyed a lot of laughs when locals came up and tried to talk to us- their lack of English and our lack of Hebrew did not make for an easy conversation.

view of the city from the beach

One afternoon, we went on a trip to hi-tech park where we visited a company called Given Imaging that produces a pill with a camera in it for non-invasive GI endoscopies. They're working on using it for colonoscopies, which would save patients a lot of trouble. Pretty cool stuff.
Basically, life in Tel Aviv is the same as life in any other city. We have lots of places to choose from when going out for a meal or to a bar, the shook for buying fresh fruits and vegetables, a huge and confusing mall, lots of cute shops, and a beach. In my apartment, my two roommates and I share a bathroom, a large bedroom that includes small kitchen area (no oven or toaster!), and a small balcony with a view of the park behind our building. A lot of our building is occupied by people on our program, with a few others from around the world. On a good day, we have internet for a few hours, and if not, there's a great cafe across the street with really good hot chocolate and free wifi. I try to limit my falafel intake to only a few times a week, but it's just too good. Walking around Tel Aviv can be a little overwhelming- Israelis tend to follow no rules, including driving laws. Cars will drive anywhere they can fit, motorcycles dodge in and out of lanes, between lanes, onto sidewalks, and wherever they can squeeze through traffic. Crossing the street is an experience. You have to step out slowly and the cars are supposed to stop- they usually do. All in all, this crazy city is starting to feel like home!