...move to Tel Aviv.
Ha... I kid. But really.
Last night we had our "Welcome Party," which was an event at a bar for my group, the group before us (who arrived in August) and all of the staff. The bar ran a special deal for us which was that for every drink you buy you can get a shot for 10 shekels ($2.50).
Yeah... I don't know WHO thought that was a good idea, but so it goes. This morning I walked over to Dizengoff Center (the most massive chaotic gorgeous mall ever which happens to be two blocks from my apartment) to run an errand. It is CRAZY there, you could spend hours just walking around, moving with the crowds and never make a single decision about where to go or what to do. I was feeling pretty exhausted after last night and completely starving, and as it's Friday the selection of places open to eat was way smaller than usual, and then I saw the glowing lights of McDonalds!
There was literally a trail of large "M's" leading up to the top floor of the mall where the Mcdonalds was located. After fighting with myself for all of 10 seconds, I decided that yes I was going to just do it... instant hangover cure, right?!
Well, this particular McDonald's was quite busy, with a constant stream of people going up to several different registers in a pattern I could not figure out. The entire menu was in Hebrew with NO English, and there were not pictures. Normally I might just try to order, but I remembered that Israel uses a different measurement system than the US and a quarter pounder wouldn't even be a thing. I sat there and stared for about ten minutes and was so overhwhelmed with the prospect of ordering that I gave up and left.
So, no McDonald's!
Otherwise, things are going well over here! Hebrew lessons are difficult yet fun and tapping into a weird part of my brain. One activity we do is learn different questions (what is your name, where are you from, where is your house, etc.) and ask them to different people across the room, but we do one at a time and everyone listens. The other day, and I have no idea how this happened, I accidentally started speaking Spanish which is bizarre because I haven't taken a Spanish class since the 8th grade. Everyone laughed and thought I was joking, but I totally wasn't! Though it is crazy how much the Spanish sneaks up on me, I know it a lot better than I thought I did.
While I don't know too many Hebrew words, the reading and writing of the letters is very easy for me which is good. I feel really bad for the kids who came in not knowing the letters at all because this is 100x more difficult for them. I just have to learn the words/grammatical structure but I don't have to worry about memorizing a weird variety of letters in both print and cursive that looks strangely like hieroglyphics.
I went to visit the Newshound office the other day and I can't wait to work there! It's about a 25 minute walk from here which is perfect for me, and right at the cusp of being walkable. While the busses here are great, I hate depending on busses, and by walking to/from work I'll be able to get some exercise in every day whether or not I have time to hit the gym. I find busses undependable and the bus ride takes about 15 minutes, but when you add in the time spend waiting for it it's not too different! So I will be able to walk to work, at least temporarily. They are moving offices in two months and I may not be able to walk then, but the move is good news because it means they are expanding, and expansion is good because it means there might be a job for me later. Just sayin'.
My boss is very nice and very cool, and I think working at Newshound will be a lot of fun. Additionally, both my direct superior and the CEO do not speak Hebrew, so I will be in good company! I am still going to focus on learning it, but it's nice to know I won't be out of place in the office without it.
Other highlights of my first two weeks include dogs and cats everywhere, gorgeous sunny weather, delicious coffee every morning, crying into my wallet at how expensive everything is and considering hummus and pita an actual food group.
Shabbat Shalom everyone!
No comments:
Post a Comment