week numero dos

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My second week here in Israel has been just as fun and crazy as the first. New hebrew word of the week: "balagan" which means chaos/craziness/insanity. I've moved up another level in my Intensive Hebrew class, which is great, but I still don't feel confident using my Hebrew on the streets. I keep reminding myself I've only been here two weeks, and the longer I'm here the more comfortable I'll feel. Also, I am so relieved to have a social life here! I feel like I've done more and seen more people in the past two weeks than I did in the two years in Minneapolis... feels good to be busy again!!

Last Thursday, I went to Tel Aviv to see my friend Julie... we had a blast and did so much in the 24 hours I was there. We had dinner and drinks in Florentine, which is a really young and hip(ster) part of town - and lots of Americans! The next morning, we went out for Israeli breakfast - SHAKSHUKA!! This is easily one of my favorite foods. It's a spicy tomato-pepper-garlic "sauce"with eggs. SO GOOD! Breakfast in Israel is usually accompanied by veggies, cheeses, olives, dips/spreads, and bread. YUM! After breakfast, we walked around Nachlaot Benyamin, a craft fair, but it was hot so then we walked around Dizengoff Center (giant mall) for the rest of the day.

Friday night, my roommate and I hosted Shabbat dinner for two of the girls in our program... it was delicious and fun. Saturday morning, I went to my family's synagogue... it was a nice walk, and most of the small side roads were deserted (observant Jews don't drive from Friday night-Saturday night). Services were nice, and I went back to my family's house for lunch. I also got to meet my cousin, Tami - she's been here this past year, and just went back to the states - but we overlapped for a week and I really enjoyed getting to know her. 

Saturday afternoon, I went to see a few of my MN kids here on a summer program, it was great to see them and hear about their trip. After Shabbat, I went out for Sushi Rehavia (delicious sushi chain) with my friend Scott and some of his friends. We then went out for a drink, but Sunday is a work/school day so we weren't out too late. 

Sunday night, cousin Tami and I met up with some of our mutual friends (such a small Jewish world!) for the Balabasta Festival at the shuk (outdoor market). It was really neat to see so much performance art - there were musicians, people actively making art on balconies, dancers, and lots of people - this is where the word "balagan" is useful to describe the scene at the shuk. Wednesday night was Tami's going away party, and I met a few more people who will be in Israel for the year - more friends to hang out with, yay!

Last night, I had a delicious dinner with my friend Evelyn, who recently made Aliyah (moved permanently to Israel). It was great to catch up and see her. 

Tonight, I'm going to a potluck dinner, and who knows whats in store for the rest of the week! :-) Missing my friends and family so much, but I'm having a wonderful time here.