Wednesday – Day 15

August 3, 2012

I have recently realized  that one should pack more than three tshirts, two pairs of pants, sandals and a camera, when one is unsure for how long they will be away.

As a result, much of the morning was spent finding and arranging washing. The solution ended up being a trip to Adi’s apartment with mine and Sarah’s joint washing. After a few hours of waiting around our washing came out dripping, we decided to watch some of an (unnamed) movie in order to pass the time before collecting it.

The evening I spent with Ma’ayan Dekel, an old friend from Israel. Over sushi we discussed a great deal many things including the place of psychology in science and a number of philosophical concepts.

Though today was quieter, it was much appreciated amongst the hustle and bustle of a busy trip to Israel!

Shabbat – Day 11

August 2, 2012

A late wake up followed by a simple lunch in house made the perfect start to this Shabbat.

At about 1:30 my phone rang, indicating that Colin Bulka of machon fame (director of part of my gap year program) was waiting downstairs for a walk. I came downstairs to find him and his bike in top shape, rearing to go for a walk down the hot and humid streets of Tel Aviv. After a good chat, my skin almost felt seared off by the unforgiving rays of the sun.

Walking to Sarah’s place for a quiet afternoon seemed like a good plan, however, with the fast of Tisha B’Av (jewish fast day of mourning) quickly approaching we instead set off to the boys’ apartment for the pre-fast Seudah (feast).

After the departure of Shabbat, Sarah and I went to Frishman beach, where the synagogue was reading Megillat Eicha, the book of lamentations. The Rabbi described the relevance of reading it at the beach as stemming from the deportation of the Jews from Israel from the ancient ports and their return via nearby Yafo (Jaffa). The reading was mostly pleasant, though I did miss the sound of practiced singer lifting up in mournful cries as with the trope of Eicha.

We then returned to the apartment to pack and await a lift from Gali Birenbaum, a mutual friend of ours from ISSI, who would be hosting us over the next few days and helping us manage the fast. She picked us up and subsequently another friend, Ariel Kliger and we chilled at her place till the late hours of the morning.

Switzerland to Israel – Day 6

July 27, 2012

Today I unfortunately had to say goodbye to Switzerland and the Empting family, to whom I give my greatest thanks.

I truly had a wonderful time. I arrived at the airport far two early, and so with two hours to kill, bought an unnamed magazine, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Once I boarded the plane and found my seat, 29G I realized what I good choice I had made at check in. I had the emergency seat with no passenger next to me and so could stretch out my legs the full way! As everyone else boarded, the flight attendant stood next to me in the extra space and we had a most enjoyable conversation. He was a french national working for swiss airlines and could speak a whopping seven languages fluently. Thus, each time he passed to offer food or drink we attempted to play out our interactions in a different language. On another note the plane food was actually delicious, though no photos this time.

Landing in Israel I immediately felt at home. Walking through the terminals and even going through passport control felt entirely natural. I soon caught a sherut (large public taxi) to Jerusalem from the airport, on which I helped an American ex-birthright girl find her way around.

Once I dropped my belongings off at my cousins, I took off to Beit Yehuda, where my brother and, close friend Sarah Silverberg, were staying. Unfortunately though I had not informed him when I would be arriving, my brother Adi was hardly surprised to see me. With an exam the following day on medical words in hebrew, I left them relatively early only to have to wait for forty minutes for the bus back home to arrive. A late night, soon to be followed by a reasonably early morning.

Switzerland

Favorite Food: Raclette & Chocolate Gipfle
Favorite Language: French
Best Attraction: Luzerne
Best New Friend: Lena & Joi
Best Feature: Natural Beauty

Ranking: ☆☆☆☆☆