Such a pretty building, amirite?
Beautiful lawn with vine- and flower-covered bungalows. Herzliya is stunning!
I was shown around the quaint but comfortable office then immediately given a book on counter-terrorism measures to read. My internship director warned me that this was the only copy in the entire office, so I had to be sure not to write in it. Don't worry, I didn't write in it... I just spilled all my coffee on the pages.
My exact expression.
Furtively, I glanced side to side to ascertain whether anyone else had noticed my transgression. Nope, I was in the clear. Then, I flipped through the entire book, desperate to reassure myself that another careless intern had spilled some spaghetti sauce or drool or something--nope. Just me. Ah well. *flips pages*
Around 12:30, all fourteen interns got together to head down to the eating area two minutes away. It was absolutely adorable. Outdoor tables were clustered around glass, greenhouse-like cafes that served sandwiches, pastas, and other delicacies.
The eating area--kinda reminds me of a sleepaway camp!
Interesting Kosher fact--you cannot eat meat and dairy together ever. It has to do with the forbiddance of mixing the "milk of the mother" and the "meat of the child"--or something like that. AKA no roast beef/provolone sandwiches for me for a while. Joey would basically die.
Nevertheless, I decided to get into the Middle Eastern spirit, and I ordered some hummus and pita bread for lunch.
yuuuuum
After a few more hours on the clock, it was time to take the bus home. A few things: 1) I do not have any data in Israel; I can only get on the internet when I'm around WiFi. Therefore, if I get lost on my way back using public transportation... I'm screwed. 2) All signs for transportation are in Hebrew, which is not only a different language but also uses a completely different alphabet, much like Chinese. 3) I'm living in Raanana, a suburb north of Herzliya, while the rest of the interns are living in Tel Aviv, which is south of our internship. That means it was time for me to navigate the foreign public transportation system completely alone and devoid of technological aid. Sure, I'd screenshotted the directions of certain buses, but that was about it.
So I waited by this random bus stop until finally a bus came. I poked my head in and timidly inquired which bus would take me to Raanana. "Ah, Raanana," the bus driver brusquely muttered, "Yes, yes, *mumble mumble* here."
I paused for a second, as I had zero directions for this bus, but then shrugged and decided it was all part of the adventure. I climbed on, pushed all of my money in the driver's hand, trusting him to make change, and sat down clutching my belongings.
Here's a picture of me when I realized I was actually definitely going in the right direction.
Makin' my way downtown.
Every street that comes perpendicular to the main road in Raanana (Ahuza Street) is numbered so that drivers and public transporters can tell how close they are to the street they seek. I got off at Street Number 4, which I vaguely remembered from the morning drive with my host mom. Then... I started walkin'. I recognized nothing. I encountered only briskly moving, Hebrew-speaking natives. So.. I just kept walking and crossing streets using my admittedly decent internal sense of direction. Then... I SAW A STREET NAME I RECOGNIZED. HELLO, AKIVA STREET.
I had to make a split second decision. Right or left? Hmmm.... turning left seemed a lot prettier--more trees, less uphill. Left it is.
After a few minutes, I came upon Tsipman Street--I was on the right track, and I was absolutely stoked about it.
Walkin' fast, faces pass, and I'm homebound.
Turning left would've taken me uphill, and that absolutely was not about to happen. Right it was! And a few minutes later... I WAS ON MY STREET. I'D DONE IT. I'D TREKKED ACROSS ISRAEL TO FIND MY WAY HOME. I wandered. I conquered. I celebrated with an hour-long conversation with my mother. Who says I'm not Jewish?
KIDDING. Obviously...
I was honestly so impressed with my directional prowess, I couldn't believe it. Now, I'm not only a Hebrew master, I'm also a master of Israeli transportation. And it's only been, like, five days. Imagine what I'll do in three months!
Signed,
Mental Compass Aubs
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