It's Saturday night in Tel Aviv, and you know what that means! Work tomorrow! (You're suprised, right?) Here the work week is Sunday through Thursday. Kind of hard to get used to.. I keep thinking I can sleep in tomorrow and go to the beach again! But nope, 7:45 am it is!
So, last time I left off I was getting ready to go to the water park with the kids the next day. It was a fabulous day, but SO long! I had to be at camp at 7:30 am and didn't get home till close to 6:30 PM! Needless to say I was exhausted, but was I about to rest? Heck no! It was Thursday night, aka party night! And Ashley's co-worker got us free tickets to see Hadag Nachash, a really famous Israeli band. If you've heard the Sticker Song then you'll know that this is that band! I was so excited when I realized I actually knew one of their songs :)
By the time I got into bed that night it was close to 4 (sorry parents) and the next day was (what else?) a beach day! So I headed to the beach with a bunch of the other girls from the program that live in the building with us. We had a great time.. I mean how could we not on a beach like that? The sand is like silk and the water is the perfect temperature... essentially we are living in paradise. So beautiful.
Later that night Emily (one of the girls we live with) and I went for another run along the tayelet. After we got dinner and showered a group of us decided that even though we were too tired to go out to the bars, it might be fun to grab a bottle of wine and head down to the beach to hang out. The beach at night is still full of people.. people eating at cafes, people taking romantic walks barefoot, and of course groups of creepy guys trying to pick up American girls. Unfortunately American girls have made quite a name for themselves here in the 'rael. All of those Taglit Birthright trips where the American girls "intermingle" with Israeli soldiers have really taken their toll on the reputation of the Yankee chicks..
So we had quite the time fending off groups of guys who thought it would be perfectly acceptable to come right up to us, sit down with us, interrupt our conversation, and just be obnoxious in general. Now, let me be totally honest. If any of these guys had interested us in any way I'm sure we would have been MUCH more receptive.. I mean hello we're 20 year old girls, not Mother Teresa. However, on this particular occasion we were more irritated by the constant interruption and lack of respect to our wishes for them to leave than flattered or excited by the prospect of talking to locals. But, (and this is for my parents and grandparents and relatives who I know will have something to say to me about sitting alone in a group of girls on a dark beach) we knew we were in a safe place, close to a restaurant and lots of people, so it was nothing scary, just ANNOYING.
Anyhoo, we managed to have a great time bonding over storytelling and L'Chaiming, all the while lounging comfortably on the slightly damp, silky soft, and of course romantic beach looking out over the calm denim of the Mediterranean.
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Today was another beach day, and I somehow managed to escape without getting stung by a jellyfish. (Knock on wood). I don't know how long my luck will last... everyone else pretty much has gotten little stings here and there, and come on, it's me, queen of the accident prone!
Tonight the seven of us girls ventured to Yafo for dinner, and indulged in delectable pita with hummus (duh), white wine, and one of the most beautiful views of the sea and the city I've ever seen.
Yafo reminds me of the Old City in Jerusalem. It is full of old secrets and history, and a something new (but actually old) is whispering and beckoning to you around every stone corner. Of course, just like every other tourist infested place in Israel it is full of locals peddling their goods for quadruple their worth, ice cream stops, and postcard stands, but once inside the walls of the Old City you forget about the world around you and lose yourself in the beauty and age of the walls around you.
We went to the wishing bridge, where you find your horoscope and legend says that if you hold it in your hand and make a wish while looking out at the sea, your wish will come true.
And now here I am, back at my regular cafe, still waiting for some sign of the internet making its way into my apartment and debating on whether or not I feel like ordering a coffee.
I hope all is well at home. I miss you all, and of course love you all very very very much. :)
Shavua Tov L'Culam!
אני שמחה מאד לקרוא את הבלוג שלך! אני כמעט מרגישה שאני שם איתך. באהבה xoxoxox
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