Living the dream...

A devoted reader wrote to me today: DevotedReader: omg jen your blog is pathetic... update it! :) its been 45 days DevotedReader : what if someone only keeps track of you on your blog and they think you got eaten by a camel or something... In fact, I have not been eaten by a camel. I am alive and well, though I do wonder - has anyone ever been eaten by a camel or has anyone ever eaten camel? If so, please let me know what it tastes like. In recent days - I've had a few Hebrew mishaps I'd like to share with you. First - every day, I feel the dire need to quench my thirst for God's gift to the earth - coffee. However, if it is past 6pm - I need to drink decaffeinated coffee. Now we've been over this before in a previous post (which was refined and more enjoyable in an actual Israeli " publication ") - but its impossible to get American style coffee in Israel. So the only option is really a Hafuch (meaning flipped) - which is basically a Latte. Anyways, ...

After a long hiatus on my blog, I'm happy to report that all is well in the holiest of lands. First semester is a distant memory. I spent winter break traveling to Istanbul and Petra with great friends. The highlights of Turkey was visiting Starbucks four times and of course, searching for Constantinople . (Pictures and a video are included in those links.) Being let back into the Israel, which was a concern given an expired visa, was also a relief. Surprisingly, I didn't see much lunch meat in Istanbul. My Hebrew is improving and second semester classes are off and running - and my return to the states at the end of May is rapidly approaching. Life in Israel would not be complete without another season of holidays - next on the docket are Purim and Passover . Of particular interest, I will be traveling to Ukraine during Passover to lead the traditional Passover Seder. I have to raise $2000 USD - to contribute to the overall costs of an $80,000 project. Every donation...

I'm on vacation and there is a lot to report: Image of a car being towed on our street: Police officer sits in car and makes the announcement on a bullhorn loud speaker: "If this car is yours, you better come and move it or we will tow it." waits 5 seconds. "If this car is yours, you better come and move it or we will tow it." waits five more seconds. "If this car is yours, you better come and move it or we will tow it." "If this car is yours, you better come and move it or we will tow it." "If this car is yours, you better come and move it or we will tow it." Said person who owns car - fails to hear the announcement (note: we do not often stay within shouting distance of our cars when we park them) and car is towed away. We consider claiming the car - as it would make grocery shopping much easier. Alas, car is now towed and we will continue our shopping pursuits with a " Shuk Cart " that we are told every...

I learned yesterday that a close childhood friend passed away unexpectedly. We were raised together in Fort Wayne at our Temple among about 10 kids in our age group, running the halls of our synagogue during the Torah service our parents kicked us out of because we could not keep quiet, attending Camp Joe Levine Jewish Day Camp together, Hebrew high school, and youth group events. While our mom's played Mah Jong, I remember doing arts and crafts and playing other quiet games, David was always so nice to me - a far cry at the time from the other crazy boys our age. I remember nagging my parents regularly to make plans with his family so we could hang out. David and I even went to prom together - though attending different high schools, the proms were held down the hall from each other and we ran back and forth all night long. I just found some of the pictures while cleaning out my room before my parents moved to Knoxville. It could be argued that we were quite a spiffy looking ...

May its memory be for a blessing... From death comes life... Please take a few moments to reflect on the short life of my sneaker... In other news, Papa Bush is in town and I live in the security triangle. Surprisingly, I don't feel any safer than I did yesterday. In Bush's honor, they closed my school because it is located next to his hotel and cars are not allowed to drive on that street. As a result, our last final was a take-home test. I made it a "take-Cafe" test and have been sitting in a chic cafe on Ben Yehuda street from where I write at the moment. At one point, I needed to take a trip to the bathroom and asked a woman next to me to watch my stuff. However, I realized that the wireless internet might reach to the bathroom, so I took my mac with me. It was a delightful time. Other musings: I believe in equality and that woman should be able to do the same things as men if they want. When I was little, I wanted to walk around with my shirt off and pee s...

"Things sound like they are really heating up in Israel. Glad no one was hurt in the great inferno of 2007." -- a loyal fan. All my life I've been terrified of disaster. Earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes, fires, storms and floods - if it made national news, I feared it would happen to me. It should be known that I also feared more rational things such as what was inside my closet or under my bed. There was a time as a child that I was even afraid of the shower. (My sorority sisters will tell you that this also occurred during sophomore year of college.) Watching psycho too many times will do that to you or the fact that in our sorority house showers - it was common to have cold water thrown into your shower. (OK, so it is possible I was the one who carried out such shenanigans...) While being terrified of natural disasters may not be a healthiest way to live, it did cause me to lead a cautious life - a safe life. I refrained from using matches because I feared ...

While picking and brining Olives at Kibbutz Gezer with a group of jailed convicts going through a rehabilitation program - the following exchange occurred: Shalom Yen v'Evan! Immediately, one climbed into a tree to shake down the olives, a few more lounged eating fruit from a nearby tree, we were all hanging out until our supervisor came over and told us to get our asses into gear. "Jane, Evan - want a cigarra?" asks the man in Nike sneakers and a little bit of bling. I respond - לא תודה- No, thanks. So, uh, how many do you smoke a day anyways? "Jean, שנימ בארוכת בוקר. שנימ בארוכת ערב 2 packs for breakfast. 2 for dinner." It seems that Jen is a difficult name to say in Hebrew. 4 Packs a Day. A balanced meal for an Israeli inmate, I suppose. *** Yusef sat back and took a deep breath - נשמה עמוקה. Yusef the master olive picker - "He's the best, you know" - said the others. Yusef, when did you learn to do this? "When I was young boy - six ...