The Best of Visitors

So... My special visitors have arrived....

MY MOM AND JENI ARE HERE!!!!!! She and Jeni (my mom's friend that actually put me in touch with the Morris family) flew across the Atlantic Ocean to spend my last week in Israel with me. I could not be more excited!!

They arrived yesterday for Shabbat, and I led them through all of the religious rituals. I'm a Jewish genius now.

*flips hair* "it's no big"

Orit immediately warmed herself up to jeni and my mother and wasted no time asking Jeni for some of her candy (classic Orit). We napped for a few hours, then spent half the night chatting and laughing with Esther and Nava. It was a wonderful night.

We woke up early to head into Tel Aviv for the day. I do have to say, it is very different travelling Israel with job-holding, salary-earning adults as opposed to poor college student peers. Like we rented a car and I don't have to deal with public transportation anymore. AT. ALL.

And we booked private tour guides for MONEY.

And we ordered BREAKFAST like for real instead of just COFFEE.

And we are staying in a hotel in a few nights!!! Not a hostel. Not an airport Starbucks. A hotel.

I can barely breathe.

We spent the day walking around the city together, which reminded my mom and Jeni of Downtown LA for many reasons--not least of all the lace.

We then headed over to Old Jaffa for a more "ancient" feeling city. Tel Aviv feels like it could be in any country anywhere in the world (that speaks Hebrew, that is), so I wanted my mom and Jeni to get a feel for the unique personality and beauty of Israel on the first day. And boy, did they!

Look at that blue ocean!

My excitement spilling over!

We looked over the Mediterranean Sea and Tel Aviv, prayed in St. Peter's Church, and explored numerous little art galleries, jewelry shops, and one-of-a-kind designer stores. We definitely got in the Israeli mood.

It's exciting to have two people here whom I love so much and share an Orange County, California background with me. I find that they have similar perspectives and observations to my own, and it's been so enjoyable for me to explain my own experiences to them knowing that they'll understand what I mean. Talking with them about the history of Israel and the cities we've explored also opens my own eyes to the fascinating information I've learned and retained since my arrival. I'm spouting dates and facts like--

Go me, man.

From Jaffa, we drove about an hour and a half (due to traffic) to the city of Caesarea, an old Roman port that has the most fantastic view of the Mediterranean at sunset and unbelievable ruins.

How *wow* is that!?

We had a delicious dinner on the shore, then drove home in utter exhaustion. We are crawling into bed as tired as can be, because we have a packed day tomorrow--maybe my busiest since I've come to Israel!! Couldn't be more thrilled to spend my final week in Israel with two of the most amazing women in the world!

With so much joy,

Aubs (and Jeni and Sabrina!)

The First of the Lasts

Just finished up my last Shabbat dinner in Israel, and yesterday was my last day of my internship--can you believe it?

Before beginning my last day, though, the Stark family (holla, at you Sarah, ily) and Atara were arriving at Ben Gurion International Airport, and, in addition to it being my last day, it was Sarah's birthday!! The Morris family woke up super early to decorate the Stark household and cook a delicious breakfast. I set my alarm for 6 AM... Then sat for an hour and a half due to the delayed plane. I basically fell asleep sitting up--

waiting like

After a lovely surprise (and an amazing gift of some trashy magazines from Sarah), I went in for my final day of Institute for Counter-Terrorism research on Thursday, slightly nostalgic. I put on a sad face, exhibiting my nostalgia and reluctance to leave....

But the sadness was a front.

To be honest, I was just so excited to wrap up this amazing experience, check off my accomplishment, and kick back to relax with the family (and two very special visitors arriving tomorrow!!!).

They're the best, you guys. I have so much fun with them. I honestly don't know what I'm gonna do without them once I leave.

I woke up this morning to a quiet house.

I honestly thought they might have abandoned me. I felt like Sid the sloth.

But it turns out everyone was just really jetlagged and sleeping in. So I wasn't left alone, thank God.

I spent the day preparing Shabbat food with Esther, watching Orit dance and perform for us, and preparing flower bouquets. Shabbat dinner was delicious and lovely; I even told some really hilarious jokes that people almost giggled at. I'm kinda almost part of the fam (:

Tomorrow is my last Israeli Shabbat, which about kills me inside. No more fresh hallah, which tbh is the best bread in the world.

No more Hebrew prayers--I mean, do I understand the words? Of course not, but I basically know the rhythms now.

No more benching and candles. SO SAD. 

But I'll probs end up going back to Harvard Hillel and celebrating Shabbat with everyone and I'll end up being a better Jew than all of them. I'll be like, "um excuse me did you wash? Then why are you speaking before we break hallah. Ignorant. Ugh."

The traditions have become so comfortable and homey to me, as has Israel. I plan on spending this last Shabbat really reflecting on the amazing times I've had in this beautiful country and the fulfilling relationships I've formed.

Shabbat Shalom, dear friends,

Aubrey

Fifty and Food

It's officially my fiftieth post! Wahoo!!

When I began this blog two and a half months ago (to the day, almost), I doubted my ability to keep up with it and maintain regular posts; I've been able to write something at least once every other day. I'm proud of myself!

I love Shabbat, guys. Not just for the holiness or for the reflection, but for the food. 

Oh my goodness, Shabbat food is heavenly, even when I'm eating like a queen when the family is here. But now that I'm on my own... It's a gift from God. See, this is the first time basically ever that I've actually had to make food for myself. At Harvard, I have full meal service, and at home and with my host family, I am spoiled with delicious homemade food/In N Out (miss ya, babe).

But now, I am responsible for my own meals. And yes, the market is right down the street and I could order meals from restaurants that are five minutes away, but I kind of like challenging myself to this game of, "how long can I survive on what is in the fridge?"

My dad always told my sisters and I those "back in my day" stories which usually evoked reactions like this:

and he reminisced on existing on cottage cheese and tuna and ketchup... in one dish...

But now... I'm following in my father's "food"steps. Cutting off the moldy parts of carrots, concocting sauces from balsamic vinaigrette, olive oil, and black pepper--I'm a master.

*Almost* what I look like in the kitchen

I eat my fill, then I wonder how much longer I have until my Shabbat dinner.

It was literally like 11 AM. Shoot

I sat by the clock, like

for hours, yelling at the TV when Army Wives tried to pull some ridiculous deaths on me (how dare you do that to Jeremy? How DARE you?) and finally headed to Goody and Eric's home for a delicious Shabbat with unbelievably hilarious and engaging company. I stuffed my face like

and enjoyed the friends that had gathered in the home. Seriously, I gazed upon the plates and gave a mental hallelujah.

How I looked on the outside:

Yeah, looks great!

How I felt on the inside:

*melts with joy*

Now, after such a delicious and filling meal, I'm laying on the couch with a full belly--

Almost positive that a thief/murderer has been hiding somewhere in the house for the past two days just waiting for me to let my guard down--but I will not, I refuse. Sometimes I hear a creak and think, "This is it. This is how I die." Or I walk into a room--especially the bathroom--and look for the best place to hide if the murderer comes in. I'm a high-functioning adult, I promise. 

Anyways, I'm peacefully enjoying my second-to-last Shabbat here in Israel. Hope you are all enjoying the beginning of your weekend wherever you are in this beautiful world. 

With so much love,

Aubs

The Beach Cures All

Okay, I have sufficiently recovered my peace of mind enough to record the events of yesterday and today. I'm just as sane as I normally am, which is to say, not very.

SO after work yesterday, Kajsa and I took the bus to Tel Aviv to eat some acai bowls and sit on the shore. If I squinted just a little and sort of held my breath and didn't listen to the incomprehensible conversations going on around me, I could pretend I was home in Laguna Hills chilling at Thousand Steps Beach! We'd only planned on staying a few hours, but time slipped away as we chatted and watched the sun set.

We had two interrupters.

First, some crazy dude literally slid on the sand in between me and Kajsa like this--

And Kajsa and I were like--

This random guy was trying to make weird conversation, so I kindly asked if he'd throw away my empty acai bowl for me. His attitude completely darkened, and he started cussing me and Kajsa out, calling us "douchebags" (what?) and telling us to shut up.

So of course I'd just say random words so he wouldn't think I was obeying his order. It was like fighting with a 2-year-old with an excessively colorful vocabulary.

But our next visitor was way more fun. Davit, the middle-aged Israeli man, basically loved me.

Real quotes from Davit:

"You have a lovely skin color. Very dark."

"You just have to make sure you smile when it's dark out, it could be hard to see you."

"Do you play volleyball? I can tell your hands handle balls well."

"Boys are stupid. You need to wait for the right boy. Not an Israeli boy."

"You have a lot of spice. Boys can't handle your spice."

And I was like:

To Kajsa:

"You are so white. How long have you been here?"

"You need to go to the doctor. Something is wrong with you."

"Start drinking some carrot juice. You need some veetameens."

"You can't leave her!! (Referring to me) She will go after stupid boys without your help!"

Kajsa response was:

So honestly, it was hysterical. I was about dying of laughter.

Today, I wanted to head into Tel Aviv to hang out with Kajsa and Kara for one of their last days here in Israel. But for some reason, the 347 bus (my usual) wasn't running today.

Why?

Oh, just because. Who knows? So I had to jump on the only bus going into Tel Aviv from Raanana, the 501. It was slow. And long. And loud. And ridiculous.

After twoooOOOOOO HOUUUUURSSSS ON THE BUS, I got to the destination... But not the one I wanted. I had no idea how to get to King George Street, where I was supposed to meet Kajsa and Kara, and since it was already 3 and the last buses would stop running around 5, I literally had to turn right back around and get on another bus to go home.

Me to public transportation:

I ended up getting off at an early stop to stroll to the beachside in Herzliya, near my house. I walked for about an hour through tall city buildings down a busy highway. There's nothing like the sudden tapering-off of buildings as you look to the west towards the waterfront. I love how you walk towards a beach, and you can tell you're getting close when the skyline empties. It's one of my favorite forms of anticipation. 

The walk was a liiiittle longer than I thought (I was planning on a half hour, it took an hour), but stepping into the Mediterranean made the fiascos of the entire day worthwhile. Like I've stated--give me some sand, and some saltwater, and the crashing of some waves, and I am home. 

I finished up my walk on the beach (such a cliche, by the way) and walked to the closest bus stop. But, I mean, it was already 5:30 PM on Shabbat, so I was positive no buses were running. I sat at the bench more to mourn my sore feet and ponder whether I should walk the 7 miles home or shell out the $25 for a taxi.

*thinking about spending money*

But then--on the horizon--could it be? A big shiny... BUS??!!

YES. IT WAS MY BUS. COMING TO RESCUE ME.

leaping up from the bench, hallelujah

The bus driver probs thought I was way too excited for a bus ride. But I finally finished the ride back and practically skipped home. I showered and dressed for a Shabbat dinner with some family friends down the street. It was a beautiful and delicious meal, and it was the first time in two weeks I'd had a meal that consisted of vegetables and not just carbs. I'm a terrible adult.

Thank God for the beach, and for friends, and for prepared food, and for life in general. I'm blessed!

Much love,

Aubs

Checking In

This will be a relatively short post, as not a ton has happened in the past two days. Yesterday was my last Shabbat with the fam before their trip to America. I was worried this would mean a hallah-less three weeks, but it turns out that like a dozen families in the area have volunteered to take me in under their wings and keep me full and plump until the Morrises return.

For the record: this is hallah.

Usually, two to three loaves are served at each Shabbat meal to be divided among ten to fifteen people, and I kid you not, I end up consuming at least one loaf all by myself.

Anyways, bottom line, I maintain my roundness that comes from scarfing down a thousand carbs worth of bread three times a week. I should come back to Harvard looking like

Minus the purple

Right after the end of Shabbat at sundown on Saturday, the fasting day Tish'a B'Av began. It is a day of mourning meant to recognize the destruction of the Jewish temples in Jerusalem thousands of years ago as well as the numerous tragedies that have befallen Jews in the time since then. That means all religious Jews over the age of thirteen abstained from eating and drinking all day. And I was over in the corner like--

No, but actually, I'd spent the day attempting to eat surreptitiously in order to prevent any food envy, so I spent most of my afternoon esconced in my room nibbling on a random bag of nuts I'd found in my backpack. Nomnomnom. Dinner was awesome though; it was kind of excited to not feel guilty about eating for the first time in 24 hours!

Finally, I booked one of my last few trips today. This weekend, I'm heading south to Eilat, Israel, and then east to Jordan, home to Petra, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World!

As I said, this is a pretty short post. But I'm really enjoying myself, and I love this country more every day.

xox,

Aubs

Bomb Coworkers and Beach Bumming

These past two days have deepened my appreciation for the place I'm living this summer and the work I'm lucky enough to dedicate my months to.

Yesterday, one of my fellow coworkers spent her final day at the internship. Luckily, she's a fellow Harvardian AND country music lover (which we discovered due our mutual depression and agony over Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert's divorce, RIP to love), so we bought tickets to attend a Little Big Town Concert together in September! This was the first event of a day that reminded me how awesome my fellow interns are.

All of the interns headed out to a small, very Israeli cafe for lunch... and instead of our usual one hour break, we took two. Oops. We tried to slyly slip back into work without our absence being noticed...

Oh so quiet

And we thought we were super successful until our boss came in and remarked, "yeah I was getting worried, where were all you guys?" Maybe if I'd had practice sneaking out in high school, I would have been better at this. (Translation: parents, I was such a good kid, appreciate me more.)

But the lunch was so fun and hysterical and awesome.

Then, later that night, one of the fellow Californians at the internship (throwin' in that qualifier because #solidarity) threw a get-together at his apartment that was, of course, America-themed, which meant all the red, white, and blue that could be amassed in Tel Aviv. 

We had the funnest time--

And all the Harvard gals gathered for a pic as well--

This internship does remind me of Harvard in a way--I'm surrounded by intellectual, intelligent, and intriguing twenty-somethings that share some of my interests and beliefs but challenge me to think differently and entertain new ideas. Plus, they're just fun!!! It makes me excited to get back to school and to get into the workplace in a few years; to be surrounded by individuals that inspire me and challenge me.

Today was all about recovery from the 3 AM bedtime and long work-week. Nava, Michal, and I spent a few hours on Herzliya Beach, roasting in the sun and relaxing. 

Nava and Michal!

The water was just as warm as the 90 degree air; floating in the sea felt like flying in a way--there was no difference between the air and water. I felt totally in my element. 

My final Shabbat with the family until their departure to America began tonight. I love them so much. Should be a wonderful weekend. 

With love,

Right-at-Home Aubs

From the Hills to the Office

Just realized that my title is actually composed of the titles of two (amazing) shows--probably because I'm writing this as I watch The OC. Classic.

Saturday was my last day in Haifa and in the Carmel National Park... Hilarious and confoundingly frustrating. We woke up and took a taxi to the hiking trail. We asked the (non-English-speaking) taxi driver to take us to Beit Oren Junction, which is where our trail began. Kajsa and I showed him a map with "Beit Oren Junction" stamped in bold letters right in the center. He was unbelievably confused, until we conceded that he could just drive us to the University, which was probably a two and a half hour walk from Beit Oren Junction.

"University???" He inquired with confusion.

"University," we insisted.

Our driver:

Finally--after minutes of conversing--our driver exclaimed, "OHHHHH. University!!"

Us:

Yeah. Sure. Not like we just said that.

We got to the University and by chance happened to run into some of the park rangers. We told them we were trying to get to Beit Oren Junction. 

"Where???" the rangers inquired.

"Beit. Oren. Junction."

Rangers:

Nope. Doesn't exist.

IT. WAS ON. OUR MAP.

Finally--after minutes of trying to convince them it existed--the ranger had an epiphany. "OHHH. BEIT OREN JUNCTION."

AHHH.

He directed us on our 1-hour walk to Beit Oren Junction. 

Walk walk walk walk walk walk walk.

We came upon this crazy fortress in the middle of nowhere with tons of wire and scary looking towers. I read a posted sign, and found out it was a prison. Obv took out my phone to take a cool picture. As soon as I snapped my camera, a bolted door to the fortress swung open. Three men in Kevlar rushed out and commanded that I delete the picture immediately. I've never felt more like a stupid American tourist.

I apologized profusely, turned away completely humiliated, then twisted back around and asked, "by the way... Do you know where Beit Oren Junction is?"

Worth a shot.

It had been hours since we'd set off to start our hike, and we still hadn't found the trail. We ended up at the same horse stable we'd passed the day before and asked for directions to Beit Oren Junction. They told us we'd pass some cows up the road then find it.

You may have guessed it.

No cows. Turned back around.

#done

We finally gave up on finding the actual trail and just made our way to Ein Hod, an incredible artist colony carved into the hill.

Ein Hod Artist Colony

Looking at life through rose-colored glasses

Cafe Ein Hod, where we had lunch

A beautiful mural

We spent about two hours in the beautiful town then made our way back to Haifa. We celebrated our successful trip then all but skipped to the train station excited to get home.

Lol, yeah right.

No lights. Shuttered up. Completely empty. Sabbath.

I inquired of a bus driver passing by when the first train would arrive at Haifa Station.

"Eight. Six." He shrugged. "I don't really know."

So done with this.

Another random Israeli person came over to give us more information. "Six and half. Eight. Four. Don't know." It seemed like a lost cause until the guy found out we were American.

"AMERICA!!??" He exclaimed. "I love America!!"

He started to list his favorite American things.

"New York! Pennsylvania! Michigan! NBA!"

It was like a scene out of Anchorman.

He followed us as we wandered to a bus station attempting to locate running transportation.

"California! Canada!

(That last one wasn't American but we decided to let it go.)

He finally left us alone as we jumped on a tram.

But then Ahmoudi (another Israeli friend) latched on. "America!!!!? I love America!!!!"

Me and Kajsa:

Our lack of interest prompted Ahmoudi to ask if we were lesbian (no, we aren't) and if we had Facebook (ohhh no, so sorry).

As a tram official hopped on the train to make sure riders had paid, our delinquent friend Ahmoudi slipped off. Thank God. The official checked my card to make sure I had paid the $2 fare (which, duh, I had) when he looked at me with a suspicious glance. "You didn't pay."

I swear, I went ballistic.

"I PAID. THE MACHINE BEEPED. I PUT IN MY CARD. I PUT IN FIVE SHEKELS THEN TWO SHEKELS."

"You mean seven shekels," the official smirked.

"I GO TO HARVARD. I KNOW WHAT FIVE PLUS TWO IS."

(K didn't say that last part, but I was thinking it)

I literally had tears in my eyes. 

"I CAN SHOW YOU THE TEN CENTS TO SHOW YOU I PAID. I SWEAR TO GOD. THE MACHINE BEEPED."

I don't think the official was very familiar with hysterical teenage girls so he kind of just sidled away and left me and Kajsa alone with our frustration and exhaustion. 

From the tram, we got to a running bus, and I finally-FINALLY-got home!!! Thank you, Lord!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After ten and a half hours of sleep, I woke up to get to work. It was productive, and I'm about three day away from finishing my entire paper (!!!) 

This is my last full week with the family (so sad), and I can't wait to enjoy it with them. I'm over halfway through my summer... Crazy!!!

With love,

Happy-to-be-Home Aubs