The Beginning Weeks

        I can't believe I've been here for almost 2 weeks. It feels like I have seen so much and been on so many adventures, and yet I have barely even cracked the surface of this city. This was made clear to me the other night when I went on a 4 hour walking tour of downtown Jerusalem (around Jaffa Street and Ben Yehuda. We walked around different neighborhoods, new and old, and took sudden turns down thin alleys I never would have noticed, only to be surrounded by gourmet restaurants (even sushi!) I now know to always be looking for streets to turn down, even if they are not nearly large enough for a small car. It was a great way to be introduced to the area, and to learn to have a sense of where you are in relation to other parts of the city. For instance, we were walking down a street covered in bars and restaurants, but we soon found out we were just a few short blocks away from Mea Shearim, one of the most extreme ultra-orthodox jewish neighborhoods. 

         Last week my friend Rachel and I found out about a sort of celebration that happens Monday nights in the Shuk (the marketplace), so around 9 o'clock, seeking adventure, we went there. After walking many blocks with no success, we wondered if we were in the wrong place seeing as there were only a few market stands still open. We kept walking and eventually heard distant music. We followed it and eventually came across what sounded (and looked like) and Israeli death metal band, with about 30 or 40 young people dancing all around them. We felt slightly out of place, and decided to go home. The next day, we heard talk of a rave in the Shuk the night before. but I was happier with our adventure ;)

        My apartment is more than ideal. I live with 3 Israeli girls, and one Japanese girl (who speaks fluent turkish and hebrew, we mainly communicate in hebrew!) They are all very welcoming, and patient with my frequent hebrew grammar errors! Today, my Japanese roommate cooked an incredible 3 course japanese meal and some of her friends came over for lunch. We sat at the table and managed to communicate, thanks to Hebrew, Arabic, Japanese, English, and Chinese! It was very interesting, especially since one of the guests was a japanese journalist who travels all over the middle east reporting on daily life in different areas. 

 !Here are a few pictures

View from Hebrew University

                 
                                                       Tunnel to the Botanical Garden

(The Kfar (Where I live

                                                             
                                                               Jaffa Street at night

                                                 The view from outside my local supermarket                                         called "Mister Zol" which means "mister cheap"                                        l

                                                                      Damascus Gate

                                                   
                                                     Cool looking store in the market

                                                                        Spice Pyramid

                                                                   ....mmmmm olives

                                                                         !Friends

Thanks for reading!