So this past Wed and Thurs was an OLTIP (Oranim Long Term Israel Program) overnight trip that I decided not to attend. I know, I know… I should take full advantage of all the opportunities I am given while I am here, but I really felt the need to take these two days to re-center myself a bit. I’ve been feeling a bit out of sorts lately for a variety of reasons. A little rundown, a little sick and a little preoccupied with stuff that in the big scheme of things aren’t even all that important. I felt myself slipping a little bit in terms of remembering the reasons why I came here and the promise I made to myself to maintain a positive and enthusiastic attitude. So I decided to take some time away from the group, re-focus on what’s important and think about what it is exactly that I want to get out of my experience here.
While everyone else ventured up North to the Golan Heights, I spent the day at the beach with my friend Yoni (who I like to call Yonifer). It was a beautiful day at the beach… I had a lot of fun making videos of the beach scene (to see all of my videos click here) and getting to hang out with Yoni before he goes into the army next Wednesday (May 13th).
Yoni is from South FL and decided to make aliya after participating in Oranim’s Community Involvement program in Ramla two years ago and then became a member of the Oranim staff. As an oleh chadash (new immigrant), Yoni is dedicated to fully immersing himself into Israeli society by joining the IDF (the Israel Defense Force) for a minimum of 6 months. At age 25, he’s considered a little to old to do combat (thank goodness)… Nonetheless, I admire him immensely for what he is doing and the commitment he has made to this incredible country. Good luck Yonifer!
After the beach I took a very long nap, did some sewing (shortened some dress straps and reinforced Guy’s shirt button) and realized that I really missed working with my hands and began to miss making jewelry…
Last night I watched the Barcelona vs. Chelsea soccer semi-final at Cafe Noga with Yoni (which was so exciting… yeay Barcelona!), fed the stray cats on my street, met an old friend of Yoni’s who was really cool and stayed up into the wee hours of the morning watching 40 Year Old Virgin for the millionth time.
Today, I am ashamed to say, I woke up at 3pm (I KNOW…I KNOW…). I took a stroll to my favorite cafe on Sheinkin, got the yummiest ice coffee to-go and decided to wonder the streets and explore. It’s really crazy to think that I have been here for several weeks, and I still haven’t dedicated any time to explore the city solo and truly embrace my surroundings. I roamed the charming cobblestone street, Nachalat Binyamin. The Tel Aviv neighborhood is located behind Shuk Hacarmel (a few blocks from where I’m living) and is lined with fabric stores, cafes, stores, fascinating architecture, people, etc. I captured some of my favorite street scenes that you can see below.
Overall, I loved today. I loved roaming the streets, snapping pictures and taking in the artistic environment of the neighborhood. I actually found a beautiful jewelry store that I fell in love with immediately upon entering. The owner, an attractive Israeli woman, was sitting behind the counter making the exquisite jewelry that filled the store. I introduced myself, told her that I made jewelry as well and that I loved her store. I was luckily wearing a necklace I had made that somewhat reflected a similar design aesthetic. I showed it to her, told her that I was living here and to give me a call if she ever needed any help. I doubt I will hear from her but the very prospect excited me.
Walking through the lively streets, I got to thinking about how much I loved being in this city… so rich in history and saturated with so much talent, beauty and artistic expression (and inspiration). It is definitely no St. Louis or Atlanta… and it’s definitely not New York (in a good way, a much more relaxed way)… Having never lived anywhere else… Tel Aviv is incredibly refreshing. At a time when I was feeling a little lost, I was able to find myself again. Although I might of risked isolating myself from the group a bit by not going on the trip, I am glad that I had these past two days on my own to gain some perspective. It’s easy to forget about what’s important when it’s so easy to get distracted by stupid, insignificant nonsense.
