I'm in Israel

A quick - or maybe not - post from Tel Aviv...

I've arrived safely, and must say that the non-stop flight from LA to Tel Aviv is great. The flight itself is longer (obviously) however, it is much more exciting than having to stop in Toronto and hanging out in that holding cell for a few hours. There were also lots of well behaved, cute little ones on the flight. Turns out that the one sitting across from me is the niece of a classmate at USC. Small world, no? I successfully managed to get the train from the airport to Tel Aviv and a cab to Elisabeth's apartment... Not that I'm surprised by my ability to navigate transportation in Israel (although it was my first time on the train), but happy that I was able to do so in the fog of having just come off the flight.

I spent most of the afternoon hanging out in Elisabeth's apartment while shes been at work - I watched a lot of TV and read magazines. I made a trip down the street to the grocery store, which was great - I miss Israeli grocery stores. And this one was much calmer than Elat Market at home... Althougth I did not buy much, it was exciting to see the familiar products, and it was hard to resist buying my favorite goat cheese, but I really have no use for it...

As I walked to Elisabeth's office (where I am abusing the computer now) I was taken aback by Tel Aviv. I have never spent much time here, so its exciting to see everything. All of the store look so nice and fancy adn boutique-y. Not really my scene, but thrilling at the same time. Tel Aviv is so different - more modern than Jerusalem, more inhabited than Arad. In some ways I feel that I should have gotten out more, but I needed to relax and adjust.

Tomorrow will be more adventurous - we're going out for breakfast and maybe a craft fair in the morning, and in the evening we'll be celebrating Tanya's birthday! I'm so excited to see her, too!

I know its sounds slow, but this is a great way for me to come back here - I can't imagine getting off the plane and jumping right into the seminar on Wednesday night like so many of my classmates are. However, I am so excited for them to come and for us to have the next few weeks together.

If you're in Israel contact me - I can't wait to see everyone!