Before I came to Israel I had no idea what to expect.
Duh.
Is going to be a city like Providence? Will it be clean? Will we be safe from missiles sent by Hamas? Will I need to be very conservative in how I dress? Will my cross tattoo cause a scene at the beach? The USD is worth 3 times that of the NIS, does that mean everything here will be inexpensive? How many people here speak English? CAN I LIVE WITHOUT PORK?!
I had a lot of questions. Many had answered that I didn't expect.
No and yes. Tel Aviv is not like Providence-in every sense. It is a very big city and there are places where it is dirty and rude, but there are also places where it is clean and beautiful too! Our neighborhood if you will, is a quaint place which seems to be located in the art district of Tel Aviv. Our streets are skinny and cobblestone, cats roam freely, restaurants and wine bars with chairs and tables on the sidewalks, art stores and not to mention the best gelato shop I've ever been (which we also happen to live above)! We are a 5 min walk to small grocery stores, less than 10 from the beach, 10 from the Carmel Market, and about 15 minutes from old Jaffa! It's such a perfect location!
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| Most buildings in Israel are old, original architecture and are only renovated on the inside. |
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| Surprisingly, there is a massive amount of street art in Tel Aviv! I love it! |
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| This is a little Italian place down the street from our apartment. |
Yes. We are safe from the rockets that were being shot from Gaza by Hamas. Before we arrived, only one siren had gone off in our neighborhood since the fighting began in July and none since the cease fire in late August. We have a safe room on our floor of the apartment building and there are public safety shelters just in case the fighting starts again.
Eh. I do not dress in a provocative manner to begin with but I was warned many times to monitor the clothing I wear because some people may take offense. Of course some people may take offense to the way I dress where ever I go, though there is no need to be extra cautious here. Tel Aviv is just like a regular city, very modern. Women wear short dresses and high heels, shorts, crop tops, sheer shirts, and nearly-nothing bikinis. Men dress mostly as one would expect: shirt, shorts, jeans, tennis shoes, flip-flops, suites, etc. The beaches are not conservative at all. Young women wear thong bikinis, older women wear NO bikinis (if you catch my drift), naked babies everywhere, heck, most men wear their UNDERWEAR to the beach!!!
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| Classic picture of my feet in the AMAZING water. |
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| The sun setting over the Mediterranean. |
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| View of the cost from a walk to Jaffa I took yesterday morning. |
Nonononononoooo. It's expensive AF here! When I go back to the States, I will never complain about prices again.
Yes. Many people speak English here, if they aren't fluent then they know enough to find someone that does. I am currently trying to learn Hebrew and I think it's so fun! The accents aren't too difficult for me and I love to listen to others talk and see if I can find just one word that I know. Hopefully I will be able to speak enough to hold a conversation or ask questions at the market by the time I leave! Thanks, Mr.Crouse, for the tapes and books to help me learn!!
No. I cannot live without pork. Good thing there is a Russian supermarket here that sells it! Woot woot!! ...now to find the bacon...
My next post will next week sometime about our trip to Turkey!! :} Love y'all!
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