Israel Experience #314

I just got back from my weekend off in Jerusalem. After spending the past month in Tsfat, I forgot how normal Israel can actually be.

Ok that was just a side note, here's what I really wanted to write about...

Incase you didn't know, Israeli's push. When standing in line at the grocery story, that split second you space out and forget where you are, someone will cut in front of you.
Getting onto buses is a whole other story..I'm teaching myself how to push back, I mean.. It's basic survival instincts here. If you don't push, you don't get anywhere.

Sunday morning I was in the Western Wall Tunnel. I wandered through the tunnels alone and at one point encountered a group of American tourists. The group was big and the tunnel is narrow so I had to move slowly with them... When suddenly a man notices me trying to pass and he shouts to the rest of the group "MAKE WAY FOR THE YOUNG LADY TO PASS! MOVE TO THE SIDE! LET HER PASS"...I honestly did not expect that.. Its definitely not an Israeli thing to do, I would of had to either push or wait... But with Americans?

Completely different society.

Sleepy Time in Tsfat

Shake N' Bake

This past week we experienced two earthquakes in Tsfat ranging on the richter scale from 4.5 - 5.0.



I grew up in California where it happens all the time, so its not something new to me. Yet every time I do experience one, it freaks me out. It's the unexpectedness that gets to me the most.. Not knowing when it will happen again.... That really drives me nuts.


So, we had this earthquake on friday, 12:30 in the afternoon. I was standing in my room talking to a few other girls there when the ground moves beneath, I trip and manage to fall onto my bed immediately grabbing our floppy bookshelf so it wouldn't fall over. I understand that not everybody grew up with the idea of "earthquake safety" like I have and the whole "drop under a table and take cover" idea isn't their second nature.... But everyone should have a sense of logic, something you would NOT do...

For example, you should definitely not start jumping up and down excitedly and then run to the window to see the cars swaying all while the earth is shaking.

3 Simple Rules

Israeli Bash

I visited two weddings this week.

The first one, in Haifa, we [Machon Altie girls] were invited to...



The second, in Tsfat, I casually walked in to. [We were only there for maybe 30 minutes though..no biggy]

The Old Man

I've been thinking on what my next post should be for a while now and this is what finally hit me.

On the midrachov [the main street] in Tsfat stands this one old man, every day, selling cheap jewelery. Every time a person passes him he throws out his offer, holding up one of his items "chamesh shekel, chamesh shekel..." [5 shekel, 5 shekel]. That also includes me. I've been here for almost 4 months now, and every time I pass him he asks me to buy something...

At first I was thinking "honestly, doesn't he ever get tired of asking people? Doesn't he see me ignore him, every day? Why does he bother trying?"
Ok, maybe because he's so old his memory is going a little..understandable..

But the conclusion I took out of it for myself, is that this guy doesn't give up. Every day he stands out there selling junk, asking mostly the same people...every time they turn him down..And yet he just keeps at it... Thats really something we should all do, to learn not to give up when you want something...to keep trying..stay strong..

Huh?

There's nothing else in the world like Israeli fashion..... and I think it should stay that way.

Continuation of Israeli Snow Fest