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

Where Jesus Lived

Today held some incredible adventures. I explored Nazareth, Capernaum, and the villages surrounding the Sea of Galilee to learn about Jesus' life and witness where he lived and grew up.

Two other interns, one of the intern's mothers, and I met up in Tel Aviv around 7 this morning to begin the long drive up to Nazareth. Right from the beginning, we could tell that this was going to be a rather "tourist-y" tour. Our guide spouted off some basic facts about Israel and Judaism, and I was like, 

"Yeah yeah yeah. I know all of this already."

And that's when I realized that I am not really a tourist anymore. Israel has become my home--how lucky am I? So many people are lucky to have a single home, one place they feel loved and comfortable and joyful. I now have three-- home home (Anaheim), school home (Boston), and my spiritual, immersive home away from home Israel. 

Anyways, after a little catnap and a whole cup of coffee, we arrived in Nazareth, the city in which Jesus grew up. We first visited the Church of Annunciation.

That's me!

I adored this church. First of all, quite a bit of Latin was engraved on the walls of the church, so I had the amazing opportunity to actually utilize this past year of learning a dead language. I felt pretty itchicated (translated to educated, if you're not privy to my family's pronunciation).

Anyways!

Broad view of the top floor to the left and bottom floor to the right

This church is built on Mother Mary's home, which was actually a cave and the site of the Angel Gabriel's appearance.

Mary's home!

The second floor of the church holds a chapel. My absolute favorite part of this church was the contribution by almost every country in the world that holds Christian congregations. Each country was asked to donate its own interpretation of the Madonna and Child. You might be able to see some of the stunning mosaics on the left wall; some countries even sent in statues and paintings. I loved how the different cultures of each country shined through each piece of artwork.

The chapel

The top of the church was a lighthouse, due to the beautiful verse in the Bible about Jesus being the light of the world. Makes me want to put a lighthouse on top of my mansion. That will be filled with 35 dogs. But I digress.

The Church of Annunciation

We made the quick walk to the Church of St. Joseph (more Latin, more vindicated Aubs). This church held Joseph, Mary, and Jesus' home that he grew up in.

The home!

 It gave an awe-inspiring sense of wonder, and fulfillment, and joy. And it also helped me to realize an elusive concept that I've only begun to learn in Israel. I first stumbled across this epiphany in Jerusalem, when I encountered the Via Dolorosa, or the walk that Jesus took through Jerusalem with the cross. "This," signs would proudly proclaim, "is the exact spot at which Jesus stumbled."

"And here," another sign would carry on about five minutes down the path, "is the exact spot where he took a sip of water."

Those are the agreed-upon sites. Then, there are points of contention, especially between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Where exactly was Christ held before his execution, and where exactly was this or that miracle performed?

And now I realize--it doesn't matter in the slightest. The historian in me shrieks, shudders, and cowers from this spiritual conclusion; part of me needs to know the exact second, position, and tone in which every action took place. But now I realize, that when it comes to matters of religion and spirituality and the heart, perception is just as, if not more, important than reality. Is this the exact village in which Jesus lived?

Maybe. Maybe not. But does it evoke feelings of gratitude and wonder and adoration for the man that died for the sins of humanity? Absolutely. And I truly believe that is what matters. It is not whether or not I am truly walking in the footsteps of Christ. It is more that being near the spot and watching other faithful believers fall on their knees in praise and knowing that God is happy I'm at least trying to see where He lived and learned and grew up is more than enough.

But, like, it'd still be nice to know...From a historical perspective, of course.

Onto the Church of Multiplication!

Me!

This was where Jesus performed the miracle of multiplying the bread and fish to feed the multitudes. Supah cool!

Burned.

Only a month ago, some extremists attempted to burn down this church and graffiti the walls. Luckily, they were able to stop the fire! But the damage still shows.

The exact site!

This was a very humble but beautiful church. It sat right on the banks of the Sea of Galilee. We then drove on to Capernaum, the city in which Jesus performed his ministry.

St. Peter's House

This was St. Peter's House, where Jesus lived for the last years of His life. 

The ruins

You can honestly still tell that it was a stunning city in its day.

yooo.

The beautiful, partially-restored synagogue sits in the middle of the the city. I had to teach all these tourists about Judaism. Ugh, clueless Gentiles. Geez.

Columnssss

I got to sit on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus walked on water (one of my favorite biblical stories, by the way).

Artsy

The Sea of Galilee is filled with black volcanic rock and ash. It was such warm water. I wanted to soak in it literally forever!

The tour moved on to its last stop: the Jordan River.

So clean and clear!

This is where Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist. One of my friends got baptised in the water, and a few people tried to convince me to join. I don't know--this experience has definitely deepened my faith, but not in the most traditional way. I didn't feel comfortable consenting to a baptism when I still don't quite know where I stand on religion or what my spirituality really is. So I watched the touching ceremony take place. 

Also, how hilarious is this picture?

Smartest kitty in the land

I got home a few hours later and sat down for dinner with the fam. We had an impromptu Hebrew lesson, and I realized I basically know the entire alphabet. Wahoo! I tried to spell a few words, and my attempts spurred some chuckles and compliments of how "cute" my spellings were. I tried hehe. 

Anyways, wonderful day. Learned so much and loved my experiences. 

Walking in the (possibly metaphorical, possibly physical) footsteps of Jesus,

Aubs-a-lot

Is This Really My Life?

Honestly, there are so many days I wake up, I live through, I savor, and I wonder... "Is this really my life? Could this be possible?"

For example, today. I woke up early to do sun salutations for yoga, which is about the most relaxing way to begin a day and such a loving treat for your body and soul.

I got dressed and stepped out into the 90-degree heat, welcoming the warmth on my skin. I made a promise to myself that after this atrocious winter (I'm still having flashbacks--I'll shiver and chatter my teeth when I think about the horrors of a New England February) that I would never--EVER--claim it was "too hot." Ever. So while everyone else is like--

I'm like--

But to me, the heat and humidity are quite heavenly. After an ordinary attempted kidnapping (two middle-aged men insisted I get in their car, even after I'd refused over ten times--normal), I hopped on the bus to get to work. 

At work, I accomplished my goal for the summer--I finished my paper!!! Well, the first draft at least.

210 footnotes. 10,500 words. 40 pages double-spaced. Over 75 sources. Blood, sweat,, and tears. It's done! At least until I turn it in proudly to my internship director, she glances at it, then goes--

Then, as I walk away dejectedly, I'll hear her mutter--

Classic. But actually, typing out the conclusion felt like such an achievement. I'm proud of myself!

A few hours after getting back home, Michal and I headed to Herzliya Beach to read and watch the sunset.

I mean... it's only my paradise.

Look at this view.

WOW.

We set up our chairs right on the shore where the waves broke. The water was the temperature of a jacuzzi, offsetting the slight chill of a breeze. Then--as if my life couldn't get more perfect--a tiny, few-months-old puppy frolicked past me.

OH

MY

LANTA.

Petting random animals is apparently kind of my thing...

After the puppy romped across the beach, I continued to read and the sun's orange bled into the water.

Heaven. Came back to the house for a lovely meal with the family--Akiva is back from camp!--and then into bed for some relaxation. 

Honestly, life is so good. I'm absolutely blessed. Fulfilling work, stunning beach views, an incredible family, adorable dogs. It's like I'm living in a dream. Is this really my life?

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