Hello all,
All the Junior Fellows returned from the Eid break safely and now many of us are going home for the holidays! We had an incredible experience in Israel and have many details to share.
Early on the morning of November 26th the three of us hopped in a King's Academy van and began our journey. We prepared ourselves for the possibility (and likelihood) of a long and stressful shlep across the border. After waiting, getting passports stamped, and more waiting we finally arrived in Israel. We caught a bus to Jerusalem and then to Tel Aviv where we began our exploration. There we checked into HaYarkon 48, the hot spot for adventurous hippie-ish hostel-goers.
Tel Aviv is filled with cool things to do. Our hostel was only a two minute walk from the beach so we took a couple of strolls in the sand; Israel's is one of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen. Carmel Market, a road lined with clothing, produce, and craft vendors is always bustling and full of good buys. We also asked a couple of people to teach us useful Hebrew words but our vocabulary only grew minutely. "Thank you" in Hebrew is "todaa." Most of our time was spent exploring numerous areas like Neve Tzedik, walking the promenade, and surveying the coastline from Jaffa (where there is an abundance of galleries and old cobblestone pathways that lead down to the water). While in Jaffa we hopped on a boat ride along the coast and took photos from the deep blue.
Our second night at HaYarkon we switched to a dorm room shared by an Australian woman, Jez, and two Jewish women who were celebrating the Sabbath ("shabbat" in Hebrew). The women had begun cooking with a crock pot, filling the room with a powerful aroma. We exchanged stories with Jez about the Middle East - she is traveling for the year and had already been to Egypt and several other places. We simultaneously learned about Australia and shared some of our experiences so far in Jordan.
Overall, Tel Aviv was an awesome experience. It is incredibly diverse, funky, and the sidewalk sushi stands and smoothie places make it a wonderful place to sit back and relax!
-Kat
