So glad you asked…ICYMI: IT’S MY FUTURE APARTMENT!!!!!! That’s right…I have a place to live!!!! So let’s back up a little. I have joined approximately one million (okay more like 17 but…) Facebook groups in order to scout out a place to live in Tel Aviv. Now the Israeli people seem to have a VERY different rental system than we do. I had to get my apartment in Boston in the beginning of April for a July move in date and it was one of the only units left. In Israel, the entrance dates currently getting posted are either immediate or within a two week span. I’m finally starting to see June 1st but that’s about it. So I have been diligently reading every single post on all of these groups for the past month or so just in case something comes up (which it never does).
Then, I see a post asking for a roommate for July 1st (A miracle! Someone is planning ahead! I like her already). The apartment is adorable and in a fabulous highly sought after location. I immediately jump on the chance and message the girl who posted the room (my future roommate!!!). Her name is Dani and she is American, living in Tel Aviv for two years now. We messaged for a while and then Facetimed and she seems completely wonderful! She’s really friendly and super easy to talk to…what more could I want in a roommate and friend?! So, she told me I could live with her and I’m beyond excited!!!!
The apartment is in the Old North of Tel Aviv (see map). Just from a simple Google map one can see why the area is so popular; very close to the beach, close to parks, close to everything else you could ever need. It’s known for having good restaurants and good shopping (it’s walkable to one of my favorite brunch places, Benedict, so life can’t get much better). It’s also less than 2km away from my Ulpan (intensive Hebrew school), so it was really meant to be! I’m so happy to be able to get off the plane and have an apartment that’s mine (well…half of it)! I’m also so grateful to have a wonderful roommate who knows the ropes and can help me out, but is also American and can really understand what I’ll be going through when I first arrive because she made the exact same move not too long ago. Dani also speaks fluent Hebrew so we are going to be a Hebrew speaking apartment so I can be fluent (aka: be able to get by without being laughed at) too!
So, other than the above MOST EXCITING PIECE OF NEWS EVER (not an exaggeration), I also got my visa. The strike has ended and they sent back my passport with Israeli visa inside!
So, I’m officially allowed inside the country for Aliyah! WAHOO! Things are all coming together! So I’m really all set to go now. I have to send my boxes and continue to sell the stuff in my apartment but all the really important stuff is set!
With all this excitement, don’t think I forgot your Hebrew lesson (or highly anticipated Mizrahit song!!!!)
Useful words of the week: שלום (sha-lom) Hello! מה שלומך (mah shlom-cha) How are you? There are a bunch of ways to say this, but here is one! טוב (tov) Good. סליחה (sli-chah) Excuse me/sorry. So these may or may not be more useful than last time (but also some people won’t be able to do any of this without coffee, so I'm still behind that choice of first word.) I’ve also presented your first word with the lovely Hebrew CH sound. For those who are unfamiliar, it is not ch as in church. It is ch as in the sound you make when trying to clear your throat. Good luck with pronunciation of weird sounds, *may the odds be ever in your favor* (they are most certainly not in mine…my Israeli friend laughed when I tried to pronounce a word. I will spare you the dreaded ‘r’ sound for now).
And the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Your introduction to Israeli Mizrahit music!! (I know you’re all very excited). This is Eden Ben Zaken, who is very famous in Israel. She falls into the category of people I thought were pop artists until I was corrected many times. It has something to do with the shaking of her voice or something? Still sounds like pop to me (sorry Israelis). Anyway, without further ado: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwpLIXdrHS0 Also, don’t worry about what she’s saying…as I’ve started to learn Hebrew I’ve learned the songs are much better if you don’t understand the words…. ENJOY!
55 more days!!!