Israel goes crazy for Football, the Pats are off to the Superbowl

Last night I went out with some Boston friends to this American sports bar called Mike's Place. The bar was packed with both Baltimore and Boston fans. To be honest Mike's Place is pretty crowded and is a nesting ground for weird people, so at halftime we went to this Israeli bar called Nadin's, which has a tiny room in the basement with couches and T.V.'s. VIP room and half liters of Goldstar for pretty cheap=ideal. The best part of the night was when I went up stairs to get some pop corn, and a guy at a table thought I was a waiter. I took his order. Anyway, the B-More kicker Shanked the field goal! Pats win!!!!!! And the greatest sports city in America advances to the Super Bowl once again. How ya doing Mush?

   It's all over Cundiff, you missed it...and the biggest rivalry in sports continues. Here we come Giants.

Urgent: If you are in Israel right now go to Hummus Hakarmel immedietly

In the middle of Shuk Hacarmel in Tel Aviv, there once stood a Synagogue. In order to praise god in the tastiest way possible, that Synagogue has been converted into a Hummus restaurant. If hummus was served at every temple I would be there three times a day! Jacob Gilbert and I went in to check it out, and found an old Torah on the wall, as well as two friendly shop owners. Not only was the Hummus fresh and amazing, but they gave us this amazing chickpea soup, with beans and an egg. It was literally a hot hummus soup=party in our mouths. We barely even touched our pita, and ate the incredible dish with our hands, getting hummus all over our faces and clothes. Okay, we did use forks, but the point is the dish was so good we didn’t need bread it. It was literally a gift from the Hummus gods!

   My prayers have been answered

     

So much Hummus...

 About one minute later...

Bat Yam Is A "Five Star City" (According to the ads at bus stops)

 Walou (wow in Hebrew), Bat Yam is so much fun! Upon arriving one week from Tuesday, I quickly realized that our apartment is everything that people had made it out to be and more. There is one main living room with two couches, tons of space, and a giant window with a beautiful view of Rishon Litzion and Holon. I am living with four other roommates, one of which is an Israeli scout, who is taking a year before the army to volunteer and live with Year Coursers. It is great having our own space in a regular Israeli apartment building, and I really enjoy the independence.

  So far I have spent a few days of my vacation in Bat Yam, which has actually been a nice opportunity to get used to the city. Bat Yam is a lower class heavily populated city next to Tel-Aviv-Yafo, with a lot of character. It is home to many immigrants (Olim), especially Russians. The city has the diversity of the Bronx or Brooklyn, with a coastal city feel.

Here are some interactions I’ve had with the city over the past few days:

The Neighbors: I was leaving my house for a run, when I heard a knock on the door. I opened the door to find a dark skinned boy and his mother staring up at me. The boy gave me some laundry from last semesters Year coursers, and explained to me that they had been getting tutored in English by the boys whose laundry I was holding. The boy spoke English well, but spoke to his mother in a language I could not identify. The mother then told me in Hebrew, that she wanted me to tutor her and both her in English once a week, and if I new grammar well. When I said yes they seemed very excited, and the boy put my number in his iphone.

Note:  This could be a great way to directly help some new Israeli citizens, and will improve my Hebrew.

 Surfing on Hannukah: Surfing is definitely part of the Bat Yam culture, except I don’t really have a surfboard. I found a tiny surf shop with Hanukah candles glowing in the window, and went in to have a look. I explained to the owner that I wanted to rent a board, even though I didn’t have a wetsuit, and didn’t need one because I am used to surfing in very cold weather. After the second day of renting from this religious surf shop owner, he gave me his owner personal wetsuit top, and gave me ten shekels off. I guess not many people are renting surfboards in BY right now, but what a nice guy!

Skateboarding in the Super Deush parking lot: I was walking back from doing some shopping at The Super Duesh with my skateboard in hand, when an Israeli guy hailed me down and asked to ride my board. I tentatively gave him my board, and watched anxiously as he zipped around the parking lot. To be honest I was a little scared he was just gonna take off with it. He gave me back the board and started talking excitedly and quickly in Hebrew, which means there is no way I could understand him. He then stopped talking and kindly asked “do you speak Hebrew well?” I told him that I’m learning. He then spoke much slower, and told me that his friend was buying a Sector 9 skateboard in France for him, and that mine is really nice.

 Bat Yam is a cool place, with a lot of interesting people. The stereotype that Israelis are often rude and impatient can sometimes be true, but when it comes down to it they are a kind and caring people. Especially in such a diverse place like Bat Yam, get along with all types of people is important. 

Our makeshift clothesline aka the posterline

Great Beach!...And because it's winter it's just the Russians and I out there everyday sipping vodka and swimming.