arrival

Hi there friends! I was literally on my way to the beach when it started raining, not quite Cleveland rain but harder than Seattle rain, and definitely too much rain for the beach so I immediately retreated back to my apartment. It is still warm outside which is lovely and I’m one of the lucky few who have a balcony so I am sitting outside as I write this, watching people up and down the street run for cover and hide in doorways as they wait for the rain to pass. After the gorgeous 80 degree weather of the past few days I don’t think anyone was expecting this but with how dry the land is it is a blessing.

So far I have been here just over 48 hours, and it already feels like a lifetime. Since I woke up in Cleveland at 7am EST on Sunday I think I have slept a total of nine hours; it’s been that much of a whirlwind here. I struggled to sleep on the plane ride from nerves or excitement or all of the coffee I accidentally drank, but the flight was good. I watched Game of Thrones and Night at the Roxbury and Louis C.K. and played with the adorable baby sitting across the aisle. After arrival in Tel Aviv at 8:30am TV time (2:30amEST) all I wanted was to go to sleep immediately but in the interest of fighting jet lag and starting off strong I decided to push through and stay awake through the evening.

 While waiting for my bag I immediately met someone from my trip, a guy from California named Jason. We had both signed up for “Smile” Service, which was someone picking us up at the airport and taking us to our final destination. Because of this, neither of us knew or had paid attention to where we had to go – we assumed it was dealt with. We DID find a gentlemen who had a sign with our names on it, and we met him at the door after we got our bags. He walked us out to the cab line, put us in a cab and told us good-bye. The cab drives about 30 feet and asks us where we’re going. Uh…Tel Aviv???? Yeah, we’re useless, sorry. After a little back-and-forth, and a few phone calls we determined where we needed to go and also that Smile service was completely useless and it should be called “we’ll walk you outside if you want.”

 We got to our apartments and were assigned our rooms. They are SMALL. Imagine the smallest hotel room you have ever been in. Now cut that in half. That’s the size of my room, but maybe a little smaller. It has a tiny desk, two single beds, one wardrobe and a counter with a minifridge, some cupboards and a hot plate. There is also a small bathroom. No floor space. Definitely the tightest living quarters I have ever had, but I’m not too concerned about it. Some people have bigger rooms, but I have a balcony!!! It’s nice to sit outside and have the fresh hair and the view is right over Dizengoff street.

 Though the apartments are small, it is not without reason. We are dead set in the center of Tel Aviv; there is not a better place we could live. Leaving our building within a five minutes walk I can be at a huge mall, at a number of different bars and restaurants, in a supermarket, in a hair salon, in a boutique, at the gym or on the beach. It.is.amazing.

 Once we settled in Jason and I decided to spend the rest of the day exploring as neither of our roommates had arrived yet. We walked about a mile in ever direction, first to the mall to get him a phone (it is huge…the mall, not the phone), then down the beach, then to find food. We returned in the early evening and though I intended to sleep immediately it still did not happen…many more people had arrived and it was time to get to know them! Turns out my roommate does not arrive until November 14th, so I have a single until then. Her name is Yohanna and she is from Denmark and I can’t wait to meet her, we have been emailing and she seems very sweet.

 I’m going to post this in the attempt to stay on top of things, but I will write more later! I think it’s time for a nap. ☺