Welcome to Israel ברוכים הבאים לישראל

Israel. 

My first week here has been great.  

Getting here was an ordeal, though I shouldn't complain because we had good weather and nothing got lost but it was a long day. 

We left at 10:30 am to catch the 4 hour (slow but cheap) train ride from Florence to Rome. we caught another train to the airport, and a shuttle to the terminal, and that’s where it got interesting. Before boarding the airplane to Israel we went though two sets of security screening. At the first screening Raz and I were tagged as an somewhat of an anomaly because of our international relationship. they decided to be extra thorough with us. they asked basic questions about our luggage we would be checking, who packed it and if we were carrying anything from a stranger, basic safety things like that. We were also asked a lot of questions about how long we had been dating if i knew anyone else in the middle east, what I was doing in Italy, if it was my first time to Israel etc. after they realized we had no ill intentions they did a luggage search with these little wands that picked up particles, i think they were looking for explosives or something, but aside from my phone charger and my diffuser for my hair dryer there wasn’t much for our security guard to fret over.  this whole process took us 45 minutes and I thanked my lucky starts we got to Rome early. 

After getting the OK from our guard we checked our bags and continued on to the second security check which is just like the ones i’ve been through in the states. I forgot to empty my Nalgene  water bottle before going though security so they asked Raz to drink it before they’d let me take the bottle with me... so being the dear that he is, he chugged almost a liter of water on the spot so i could keep my nalgene.  we had a bit of a rough time getting Raz’s painting through all the security. Raz has a beautiful self portrait framed that he didn’t want to ship through the mail (and after seeing the state of the other boxes of clothes he sent home i understand why) so he wrapped it as best he could and took it as his carry on. we got some guards who wanted to play tough but in the end Raz was able to bring the painting on the plane. the rest of the trip was fairly uneventful, we had a lovely sandwich on the plane which just hit the spot. we arrived in Israel after 1 am and went through passport check which was a breeze, got our bags and caught a taxi to Raz’s parents house. We got in a little after 2 am and Raz’s parents were waiting up for us, they’re so kind and welcoming and were offering me something to eat or drink as soon as i was inside. they’re really kind people and i feel so lucky to have the opportunity of staying with them. 

Friday was a day of unpacking, meeting Raz’s family, and divine food. 

Oh the food.... 

Raz told me his mom was a good cook, but there’s no way to convey just how wonderful she is without tasting her food. Her parents immigrated to Israel from Yemen during World War II so her cooking has lots of Yemenite influences, lots of spices, garlic, oil, and deliciousness. My first dinner in the home happened to be the Shabbat (שַׁבָּת) dinner to welcome the Sabbath. around 5 Raz’s father and brother went to synagogue and a short while after their return an hour or so later the family gathered for the blessing of the wine, where Raz’s father said a prayer over the wine and everyone took a sip. an hour later dinner was ready and what a dinner it was! there were lots of small dishes filled with humus, tahini, beets, roasted eggplant, and fried cauliflower. the first main dish was Salmon cooked to perfection, the second dish was chicken and potatoes, i was so stuffed! there was also this delicious bread called Challah (חלה it’s pronounced hallah) that we dipped in everything... I’ve come to terms with the fact i’m probably going to gain some weight during my stay, but i think it’ll be completely worth it for these culinary experiences. there’s so many spices and ingredients that i’ve never used before i’m hoping to learn some tricks from Raz’s mom before I come home. 

The family is wonderful. everyone is so kind to me and so welcoming and tapping into their english to converse with me. they’re all trying to help me with my Hebrew, which is coming slowly, although i can usually spell a word once i hear it, and i can usually sound out words on signs... it’s just remembering/ learning what the different words mean that’s tripping me up.  Raz has two brothers, one older and one younger than him, and one younger sister. they’re all really nice and i’m really enjoying interacting with them. 

Raz’s mom, Ziona, is really a sweet person. she loves to cook and cooks all day long. she hasn’t studied english since high school but she’s pretty darn good if you ask me. she’s trying to learn more english and she’s trying to tech me more Hebrew, I like her a lot.  Raz’s Father, Girshon, is also very kind, I don’t see him much because he works a lot, but i’ve had a few chats with him and really enjoy his company. 

this past week Raz has been trying to show me around his home and Tel Aviv(תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ). first we walked to the beach by his house. he lives in a town south of Tel Aviv called Rishon Lezion (תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ), and the sea is about a 30-45 min walk from his home. it’s really lovely with soft white sand and gentle waves, it’s so exciting for me to be so close to the sea! 

we’ve been to the old city of Jaffa, which was the original city that Tel Aviv stemmed from. while wandering the narrow streets we stumbled upon a jewelry shop that makes silver jewelry in the Yemenite tradition, it was really great! we also saw Andromeda’s rock where they mythological lady was supposedly chained to await the sea monster who would have made her his dinner had Perseus not arrived.  Jaffa was really great, i’m excited to go back and see more of the city.

we’ve also been to the Carmel Market (שוק הכרמל) in Tel Aviv which was wonderfully over stimulating. I’ve never seen a market quite like it and i’m excited to go back and try some of the candies and pastries there. We also wandered around different areas in Tel Aviv, but we saw so many places i’m not even sure where they all were. 

Yesterday we drove up to the north port of Tel Aviv and walked along the boardwalk. it was so wonderful watching the sun set over the sea... it’s amazing to see such overwhelming natural beauty right next to the bustle and busy of such a big city. this is a truly unique place that i’m so excited to keep exploring.