Friends

It's the same old story.
Israelis who live around the world very often complain about the same thing: the difficulty making good friends abroad.

I have friends here. I actually managed to meet and make good friends everywhere I was in the world.
Some stuck till now, and we see each other whenever there's a chance, but obviously if they live in another country or another continent, it's not very often.

I also made very good friends here in Munich. I see them whenever I can. Some have kids, and that's how we met, and some don't. Having kids makes it much harder to plan something with friends.

Thing is, that here in Germany (and maybe anywhere else but Israel), it's really hard to make plans with someone spontaneously. I think that it also has something to do with the size of the city. When the distances are so big between my house and my friends's houses, it makes it more complicated to meet. But I'm not sure that people who live in a smaller town here, meet more spontaneously. Fact is, that even the friends I have who live rather close, I don't meet that often.

In Israel it's very common that you call a friend and ask if they'd like to meet now. Or this afternoon. you almost don't make such plans for the future. Only parties are planned ahead, and also them are only planned a week or two or three in advance. Here in Germany people announce a birthday party about a month or two before the date.

All this makes it very difficult to maintain a social life, when you're used to the other way. I find it sometimes impossible to plan things ahead, especially since I have kids. I find myself without any social plans for a week Rob's gone for a business trip for example.

All this also makes me think about who are my best friends nowadays.
So I have some friends here. Some are close, I would talk to them about anything.
Some I see way to rarely. They're always busy. Or we just can't make it to find a good time for both of us.
Some of the mothers I'm in close touch with went back to work, which makes it even harder to find the time to meet. One friend moved to a town outside of the city. We are still in touch, but much less.

When we go to Israel, although I don't live there for almost 7 years, it's so quick to just meet up with my friends there. And when we meet, it's as if I never left. True, I'm not really up to date with everything in their lives, but with most of it I am. And somehow, these are, until today, still my best friends.
Last time it was really sad for me to leave.
I felt like if we had lived there, my social life would have been much richer.
And again, I do have friends here and Rob does to, and we do meet people often.

Sometimes when I feel like I need to just talk to someone, all these thoughts come up.
I have a group of friends that I met on a forum online. I've met most of them also in real life. I usually chat to them about the daily things and thoughts. But when something happens and I feel less comfortable to chat to them, I suddenly realize, that if I want to meet a friend, right now, and have a real open and relaxed conversation, I don't have that here.

Happy holidays!

Tonight is Passover eve- one of the most important holidays for us. Usually ppl gather together, family and sometimes also friends and have a big dinner. The thing about this holiday is that you're not allowed to eat bread and anything else that has regular flour in it. If you're interested in more details here is the Wiki for Passover.
So... you're asking what I'm doing tonight? Well- that's a good question- coz I'm working!
Since I don't really have who to celebrate with here- and I really believe in celebrating with ppl you love, not just with anyone to say that you're celebrating, then I didn't change my shift. And so this is just another day...

This weekend Rob's Erasmus friends from all over Europe are coming for the Easter holiday. I hope we'll have lots of fun- I guess we'll basically wonder with them around town a bit, maybe go to the mountains for a day and enjoy some Bavarian food. Oh and of course- drink a lot- coz that's especially what they like doing (especially the Irish and Swedish...) Cross your fingers for me that this weekend will pass with no alcohol poisoning... LOL

I wish you all very happy holidays!!!

Some impressions from Bavaria

As I promised, here are some stories about my travels with Yifat around Munich and Bavaria.

Lets start with a picture from our apartment, from the day Yifat came,
a day in which you could see the Alps (it was such a clear day):



On Sunday when Yifat landed, we went home for a bit and then wanted to take advantage of the beautiful day it was outside. The temperature was really high (relatively of course) and the sun shone in the blue blue sky. We went to the Olympia tower which is right in the Olympia park (where the notorious Olympics in 1972 took place), watched the views all the way up to the Alps, and looked at the whole city.




After that we went straight to the last day of Oktoberfest, which was really great, and we really understood why ppl from all over the world go there. Well... I guess once or twice is enough though...

In the next days we walked around Munich a lot, and saw quite a lot of it, which was really good for me, coz I wouldn't have learnd the streets so fast after moving unless Yifat came. Since she took most of the pictures in Munich, I'm not going to put any here, but I guess I'm going to put pictures from here in the future, concidering the fact that I'm going to live here in the next few years.

After wondering in Munich, we took two days to travel in Bavaria a bit, on the one day we went south to the famous castle Neuschwanstein, which was the inspiration to the Disney caslte:

The caslte in very nice Autumn colors

View from one of the windows in the caslte (yes, WOW!!!)

We actually drove there through the town Garmisch, a very posh ski area, and the views there were really breath-taking:

The middle of town: Garmisch

In the evening after the castle we drove back to Munich, stopping in lake Starnberg. On the way there we took these really nice country roads Bavaria has to offer, and got stuck in traffic. Not normal traffic, but this kind of traffic:


You see, there was a whole heard of cows walking back to their stable, after a day of eating and walking in the sun. We had to drive really slowly behind them, until they reached their goal. Was really funny!!!

We only got to the lake in the evening, to have a drink on the shore, in a nice Beer-Garten, but it was still very nice:



The next day we got up early and went east to Chiemsee. It has two islands in it (well two big ones, it actually has a few other smaller ones), on which there's a lot to see. Here are some pictures from the way (it was a very misty morning, which reminds me of the song with the same name, by Bob Marley), and I got some really nice pictures from a rest area on the way:

Driving to the lake we realized that our day is going to be very hazy and cloudy and grey. Nevertheless, we had a nice day (even if it was cold) on the islands:


On the next weekend we drove to Rob's parents to walk in the old town there, and on Sunday we drove home through Regensburg, which is a really nice town.

I hope you enjoyed our little travels in Bavaria, lets hope that there are going to be a lot more!

Hot Hot Hot

It's 30°c outside. Just thought I should share this piece of information.

Last weekend we were at Rob's parents. His best friend from high-school got married.
His girlfriend (now wife) came from China- and it was really nice to see her again after more than a year.

It was a traditional Polterabend- that's the party the evening before the wedding, and it's called that because 'poltern' means to rumble, to make a lot of noise.

It was a surprise for the couple, and you guys should have seen their faces as they came to the driveway and saw us all there throwing ceramic plates all over the place.

We weren't crazy or anything- it's just the tradition- to break ceramic dishes and make noise. It's suppose to bring good luck. The couple is suppose to clean it all up until the morning of the wedding.

The party was great, lots of nice people, lots of broken dishes, lots of beer and Bavarian food. It was really fun.

The next morning we surprised the couple again- this time Rob's dad came to their house with his old Mercedes, that we decorated before. He was their Chauffeur, and took them to and from city hall. The ceremony itself was normal- but even though it looked exactly like what we imagined it to be- it was very moving.

So now we lost another couple of friends to married life, it seems like it never ends...

This week at school past normally, nothing special. The sun is shining here now, I'm just making a quiche to Rob's request (he's coming home soon) and I hope that I'll be able to take advantage of the hot weather outside.

I'll tell you one thing- when it gets warm in Germany- it gets warm!!!

Busy busy busy

I only found time to write now, after so long that I haven't written, and still I don't have much time now- coz I'd like to go to bed early...

Last week I started my new course at the uni. I must say that I'm not loving it... But I'll still try to give it a chance. One of the things that are hard is the fact that I run around all day everyday almost, and that really makes me tired. As I said before, I have classes every morning and three times in the afternoon.

I got my visa prolonged last week too, it took 5 min, 35€, and one bitch who yelled at me saying: "do I need to speak Chinese to you so you'd understand???" only coz she had my passport in her hands and the power to decide what to do with me I didn't answer her: "well just try speaking Chinese to me- coz I would actually understand what you're saying- if you just dare!!!"

On the weekend we drove west to Rob's grandma's bday weekend. "On the way" we visited Kevin in Trier, and had a nice trip next to the Mosel river, and also met Liya in Düsseldorf. Meeting Liya was great- but was so short... I wish we could have stayed there for a few days... Anyway- she knows (hint hint) that she's more than invited to visit me here in Dresden!!!

Burg Eltz

One of the most beautiful castles I've ever seen

I calculated it and we drove around 1600 km in one weekend! That's crazy. I can't wait to have a weekend where I stay at home and sleep in every day... Coming soon!

Anyway, I'd like to go to sleep now coz I have to get up in 7 hours (I need my beauty sleep),

Will try to write here again soon!

Oh, and Happy Pessach (Passover) to whoever celebrates it!!!

Arts & Crafts

Hello you all!
Last Friday I got the results to my exam. As I expected, I passed, I even got a "2" which is like the American "B" (well, kind of). I'm happy with it, and now I started the second course (with the same teachers and except for 3 ppl- the same students). My Chilean friend passed as well- and now she's in my class, and I'm really happy for her, coz she used to be in my old class, and as you already know- it sucked. Not surprisingly, most of the ppl who didn't pass the exam were from that class. I really feel bad for them coz I know it's mainly the fault of their pathetic bad teachers... Oh well, being a real Israeli (who fights for her rights) did pay off!

I finally finished the baby blanket I made for Adi's baby
(who looks so cute in the pictures she sends me),
it took me a few months to knit it, and here are the results:

Baby blanket - over view


Baby blanket - closeup 1


Baby blanket - closeup2

Baby blanket - closeup 3

I'm going to send it to her tomorrow via post, and since she doesn't have any time to read my blog nowadays (having a baby might do that to you...) I feel free to put the pictures here before she even gets it.

P.S Liya! you see? I made it bigger, babies, as you mentioned, do grow fast!!!

Till next time!

New friends

I have so much to tell that I don't even know where to start.
Last week started like all the other weeks... Nothing special... I had my Hebrew class on Sunday, and then on Tuesday we went to a Hanuka celebration only for Israelis and their partners. I met some ppl I already know, and also a nice Israeli guy, who lives here with his German girlfriend. It was nice to meet new ppl, and make friends. On Thursday he called and we met for a coffee, and it was so weird for me to talk in Hebrew in a public place! (first time for me here to do that). While we talked I got an SMS from my Tandem partner. I'm not sure I wrote about it here, but I was looking for a Tandem partner in the last few weeks, someone local I can practice my German with, someone that is interested in learning and practicing Hebrew. I was surprised to even get an e-mail back from this girl (girl? she's not a girl anymore... how would you call a young woman of 30? woman sounds so old to me...). Anyway to get to the point: she SMSed me on Thursday, asking if I can meet her the same evening, I obviously said yes, what else do I have to do??? I met her in a really nice cafe and it was so great! She's a really interesting and nice person. She just finished her med studies and now she's specializing in psychiatry. She spent 2 years of her life volunteering in Israel as a nurse, and learned Hebrew. We talked the whole time only in German, which was really really nice, and I was so proud of myself... The thing that was funny was that even though usually I speak better German when I'm drunk, this time this wasn't the case... As I drank more I made more mistakes... And that helped me feel more relaxed about talking with mistakes. It was the first time I realized, or better say: felt, that I can make mistakes in German and the world will not fall apart. It was not just an exercise for my language skills, but also a lesson in perfectionism, or rather- against it.
So that was Thursday, and then came Friday, as usual I went to school and at night we went to a party at the dorms. Was a boring party, and in the end we found ourselves in the dorms' club, which as usual was way too loud and way too smelly from cigarettes... After an hour or two I was dying to go home and breath some normal air...
On Saturday we went to Königstein which is a castle not far from here, in Sächsische Schweiz (swiss Saxony in German). There's a mid-evil x-mas market on top of the hill in the castle, and it was a nice experience, even though we already attended the mid-evil x-mas market here in Dresden. Of course we mostly ate there all kinds of "mid-evil" food, and drank some nice Glühwein (hot wine with fruit and spices). In the evening we went to the mall, not to shop but to watch the Hanuka candle lightning of the Jewish community, met some more ppl, and went with A the Israeli, his German girlfriend J and a couple of new guys (E the Israeli and M the Italian) to a cool Italian chain restaurant. The concept of this restaurant is that you get a plastic card, on which you charge everything you order, you serve yourself, and in the end you pay at the cashier at the exit. The food there is really good, especially the Pizzas, only the drinks are a bit too expensive...
That's it for now, I really need to study, but have no Lust (passion in German, they use to say that they feel or don't feel like doing something, I have Lust for... or I have no Lust for...). I ate 3 Sufganiyot (the Jewish donuts for Hanuka) already, I never eat more than one a year, and 3- that's really too much! oh well, it's not like I eat these things on a regular basis.
Still don't know what to buy for Rob's brothers and dad for x-mas (I have to think about something for him too...) it's so hard to buy for men!!! Any ideas will be welcomed...
Suppose to get my first paycheck from the Hebrew lessons kinda soon, it's not much money- but it's something and it's nice :-)
Hope to have another nice week now, wish you all a good one too...

What a loaded week!

Wow this week was busy. On Monday I had the exam that determines my level in German - or at least that's what the school said it does. It was not just a hard exam but also had totally different topics and totally different layout than what I was told it'll have in summer. I got home so upset and unmotivated to continue with my German studies that all I could do is cry. The day after I went back there to see in what group they put me in- thinking that the groups were ranked according to the grade we got in the exam. I was placed in group "B" out of three groups, and still wasn't sure what that means. The teacher came to pick us up and take us to class- and he is the weirdest man in the world. He doesn't know how to teach, he has zero charisma, and he's plain annoying. I hated him from first sight. He told us all kind of things that later in the week we found to be wrong (administration things) and in general I thought that day that I can't go on and study with him in the next 6 months... The only bright side about it is that he only teaches us on Mondays and Tuesdays, and in the rest of the week we have a different teacher. Well! the other teacher is a really old woman, well not really old but it looks to me as if she should have taken her pension already, that on the first day bored me to death. She is a good teacher, and she's very nice and cute, but she speaks so slow! it takes her ages to finish a sentence! and if you ask her a question be prepared to get a 10 minutes answer- even if you only asked what something means. The first hour and a half of every day we had with her until now were dedicated to checking the homework- which is totally dumb because why do we get work to do at home if we check it so precisely every morning???
So that's school- which I'm so disappointed with... I told myself I'll give the man teacher one more try, and the woman I'll learn to cope with, I guess... The thing is that I had such a great teacher in summer in the other school that it hurts me inside to think about that when I'm in class... My former teacher was a young charismatic woman, with loads of teaching skills, and lots of real genuine nice personality. It's really hard to top!

***

Other than all this emotional see-saw I had with my German classes, I had a really busy week on the partying side!
On Tuesday we went out to the Erasmus* night in a students club, met a friend of Rob's from a few years ago, whom he hasn't met since then. He is so nice, so nice! We spent the whole evening with him, and it made the evening really worth it.
On Wednesday I went with Ceci my Mexican friend from my summer course for a girls night out- we went to a really stupid American movie called: " Because I said so", in the original version of course (meaning it's in the original language and not dubbed to German) and we enjoyed it in the sense of total escapism... When the movie ended I realized I'm back in Dresden, and with everything that happened this week- it fell on me like a stone... It was really nice to forget where I was!
On Thursday we went to another international night but this time not Erasmus and it was the Chilean night. We met Rob's friend from the other night again, and a lot more new ppl: we met some ppl from Mexico that study with him in some classes, and we met someone from Togo (which was so cool to talk to, he naturally speaks French, and his German is really good, English too and probably his mother tongue from home, which I don't know which one of the many there are). We got phone numbers of several interesting ppl, and already got invited to 2 more parties, one today- which we're gonna say no to- we're too tired, and one next week. I spoke so much German last night, coz there were a few ppl that didn't know much English, and it was so great. Rob was so proud of me! Apparently I got drunk last night, and when I'm drunk I speak really good German... LOL... This morning with perfect harmony to last night, my alarm clock didn't go off- so I was late to class, and joined them only after the first break, guess what??? I didn't miss anything coz they only checked the homework! that helped me not feel bad about it....

I started knitting again and realized that it's just like riding a bike- you don't really forget it, which is really nice...

That's all for this week, tomorrow we might go to another party (just heard about it now)- at least things balance themselves: I don't like my German classes so much, but I meet nice and interesting ppl from all over the world and go out a lot...

Have a nice weekend!


*Erasmus is a student exchange program for students all over Europe.

P.S I added something to my last post about teaching and learning a new language- you're welcomed to check it out.

In Germany. Again.

2 days ago I took a flight back to Germany. It was at 16:20 from Israel to Istanbul (Turkish Airlines) and my connecting flight to Berlin was only the day after at 08:40am. I was already planning my 13 hours at the airport waiting for my flight. My dad advised me to ask the at the transfer desk if it's possible to stay in one of the airport's lounges until then. So I went there and asked. The guy there told me that it's better if I take a hotel. He said that Turkish Airlines will provide me with transportation to and from a hotel, and a night there- on their own expense! I was so surprised and pleased! So I went through passport control in Istanbul (how lovely it is that the British need a visa to Turkey but us Israelis don't???) then they took me to a really ok hotel in town, and in the early morning they took me back to the airport... It was great having my own room and my own shower and a bed for the night...
Got to Berlin and Rob picked me up from the airport - we met Aaron his friend for lunch, and then drove to his parents' to be here for a few days - coz they're not around and they wanted us to be with his little bro a bit.
Today we didn't do much, Rob was kind enough to give me a drivers lesson here (I feel that I need the reinforcement to know the local weird rules and all) and met his former piano teacher (when we picked up his bro from a lesson). She's one of the coolest ppl I ever met- a 60++ year old that looks much younger, dances around and jumps and moves like a little girl. She's an x-Russian (Jewish too) who lives here for years and years, and I understood almost everything she said in German so it was nice- I wasn't left out of the conversation at all... She suddenly opened her kitchen door and on the table she had food and cakes- coz it's her Birthday today. Did I say she's really cool???
The weather here is really shit. Cold (about 13°c) and gray and rainy- but it's still gonna take a few days until I'm sick of it so... I'm not complaining yet!
Liya from China just moved to Germany after a year in China, came here after a boyfriend too- and I'm so happy she's closer now!!! Liya!!! when are we gonna meet??? miss ya!
That's all for now, gotta do my nails... (I'm such a girl sometimes... lol)

My new computer

This is my first post from this computer! Mine was very sick as you already know from all my stories about it from China, and now I have a new laptop- and I'm getting used to it. I like it that's for sure.
Since we came back from Sinai, we went traveling in the north part of Israel, slept on the beach of the Kineret lake for two nights, and traveled especially in the Galilee. It was very nice, and again I promise to put pictures soon. After that we went to Jerusalem, to spend Yom Kippur there- that's the day the Jewish ppl fast for 24 hours to ask for forgiveness for their sins. We spent it with my friend Yifat, who just moved to Jerusalem to do her 5th and 6th year of med school there. This day almost nobody drives in Israel, and the streets are filled with ppl and kids riding bicycles and other wheeled things. The most religious ppl don't do that of course. Jerusalem as usual is amazing, the feeling you get when you're there is so special, it's really hard to explain. Rob & I fell in love with it again. On Sunday, right after the holiday, we went to a museum- that shows all of the city's history- it's called Migdal David (the tower of David) and it's very recommended.
Adi, my best friend from school gave birth to a pre-mature baby, on the 6th month of her pregnancy - now the baby is gonna stay in the hospital until it's strong enough to leave... I cross my fingers the baby will be strong and healthy!
Rob left to Germany 2 days ago, and I'm going back there in less than a week- it feels weird to leave again for so long... My mom is going today for a week which means I won't see her again b4 I leave... It's a very weird feeling.
I've been trying to learn German alone here, yesterday I was good- sat for more than 3 hours. Today I'll do it after mom leaves, until the evening- it's another holiday today- and I'm going to my aunts place for dinner.
I really need to start doing sports again, especially Yoga. I feel so bad about not doing anything, a real icky feeling. I hope I'll find a good Yoga teacher in Germany, coz even though I have a really good Yoga book - I have no self discipline and I need a class to actually go to. I fear the fact that I'm not going to understand the teachers again- which really makes all the difference for me. I'll try to find out where there's a teacher that teaches in the method I like, and I'll see how much it costs. But even if it's gonna be paying money that I don't have- I'm going back to doing Yoga... Until I find a good Yoga teacher- I'll try to go to the gym at least...
I'm stressed about not having a job in Germany yet, I keep using the money I don't have (my savings...) and I really don't like this feeling. I haven't worked in a year, and it feels so useless... I really need to know that I'm making money, and not just spending it.
I'll write more in the next few days, I'm going to have lunch with my mom now (who bought so much food for me for the time she's gone- it's amazing).

Crazy weather

It's hot. It's cold. It's sunny. It's rainy. It's sweaty. It's windy. It's nuts!
I have a theory: (it's not a new one- but I'm starting to think I was right all along)
Where the weather is stable - the ppl are crazy. Where the weather is crazy - the ppl are a bit less crazy (I don't know a place with non-crazy ppl- even a bit). You can see it in Israel- where you have exactly 4 seasons, or if you want - exactly 2 seasons and something in between them - there's the short and harmless winter, and then some spring- when the weather changes a lot- but the whole thing doesn't take longer than 2 months, then there's the long and excruciating summer, that starts nice and warm, time for the beach and some color on your skin, and ends with 100% humidity and jelly-fish in the sea, and 38°c that make you wish you were dead in the good case or frozen in the bad case. In both of the real 2 seasons Israel has- you don't really have to pay attention to the weather report (and maybe that's why it's not the most popular part of the news) coz you can totally guess how tomorrow's gonna be like at almost any day. Let's say for example that it's August 9th now, and you wanna plan something for next week, something outdoorsy, you can easily guess that in the north on the mountains it's gonna be warm but not too warm and not too humid in the evenings, and in the mornings you better take your sunglasses. In the Vally, and also in the south of Israel - you know it's gonna be 200% humidity (in the Vally) and 40°c easy, and in the desert in the south - it's gonna be about 45°c and much dryer- just that you feel as if someone is standing close to you with a huge fan and drying you dead. My point is (even though I totally drifted away) that in Israel in most cases you'll be able to guess what the weather is gonna be like in a week or a month or in half a year from now. That means the weather is kinda stable. But the ppl? ohhhh We are crazy!!! I say we coz obv I'm still an Israeli- and you can take the girl out of Israel but as much as I hate to admit it- you really can't take the Israel out of the girl.
Now take Germany for another example. You might be able to guess that in January it's gonna snow here and there, but not just that you can't be sure of that- that's about the only thing you've got. Take the last few weeks: it was so hot sometimes that I was complaining about not having AC's here- even though in Israel I hate those things for ruining the environment and freezing as if I was in the north poll. The next day- after having about 36°c - we again had rain and thunder storms, wind and coooold... My theory says that as long as the weather is crazy like that - the ppl create a mechanism that helps them stay less insane- and they become much more boring (of course not all ppl- just in general).
Now, my theory has lots of holes in it- I know- coz the German ppl I know - are far from boring. But on the other hand- they really don't look as crazy as the Israeli ppl look to me when I'm in Israel (and again- that includes me in a way). By crazy I obviously mean- a lot more spontaneous, a lot reckless, a lot more chance taking, and risk taking, and a lot more open and smiley, to anyone, even ppl they don't know, a lot more interfering- in the 'butting in' kinda way- telling you what they think even if you just met them 2 seconds ago and so on.
I know my thoughts here are very confused, I actually thought I wont be able to write a thing- I had this kinda block - I think I blame learning German for that- coz I really spend a lot of brain-band-width (it's a new term I just came up with) on studying- more than I ever did in my life (I really like these German lessons, it's fun).

***

Yesterday we went with a few classmates of mine and even my teacher and her boyfriend to a movie. It's kinda rare to see a movie here for me- coz they dub everything on TV and in cinema to German (how stupid is that???). So there's a few cinemas that show the movies in their original language- and we went to see Ocean's 13. I had a really good time! I liked the movie, I think it was better than Ocean's 12 and just as good as Ocean's 11, and I enjoyed the company so much too! After the movie we all went to have a beer- and it was great!
Tonight Rob's out with a friend, and it's the first time he goes out alone (without me) since I came here - and I think it's really good he did. People need some time alone, and time with their friends without a non-German-speaking girlfriend to tag along... :-)

***

Tomorrow Rob's parents are coming here for a day- on their way to an event in Berlin. They're gonna arrive when I'm still at school, and I'll meet them all right after. We're prob gonna be touring Dresden a bit, even though it's really not their first time here.

***

That's all for now kids!

In the middle

Today was the middle of my German course- and I wanna apologize for not writing since the first day there! I still have a lot of fun there, it reminded me again that I love studying and especially learning languages... I found myself doing the homework every day and telling my teacher it's not enough for me- since I don't have much to do in the afternoons (especially when Rob's studying for exams) and asking her for extra exercises... My teacher is SO nice, funny and cool, I found myself talking to her about just anything- on the way to and from school coz we take the same Tram. I also got really friendly with Ceci the Mexican girl, who I really like. We got 3 more ppl in the class, a Korean young woman, an Australian guy (who's here coz his girlfriend it from here) and a Romanian girl- who no one knows a lot about coz she hardly speaks anything else but Romanian- and she's not really catching up on the German like the rest of us.
I went to the bakery alone for the first time since I'm here- to buy me something for breakfast, and that's one result of me learning German... Here you can't go to the bakery if you don't know what to say- and since bread is one of the most important ingredients in the German diet- it's pretty important to be able to buy it! I always send Rob to buy bread- but maybe from now on I will feel ok to go there myself...
It feels really good having something to do in the mornings every day, not being bored for a second anymore, it gives such a sense of capability, of efficiency.
Today it was the middle of our 4 week course, and our teacher and the teacher of the other group took us to this really nice beer garden on the Elbe, next to the Blue Bridge (I'll look up it's story and let you guys know all about it) and it was really nice. The purpose was to celebrate being in the middle and also trying to order something on your own- in German... It was a really nice gesture of them.
Other than that not much is new- Rob still has one more exam to go- and in the next weekend his parents are coming for a visit- which is really nice coz I haven't seen them since I got here.
I'll finish up saying that I have a really good time here now, and that I hope that next year will look the same... I'm never sick of being a student...

A fox, a camel and a dead hog

Charles called on Friday night. He said they were in Jerusalem for 2 days, and asked if I wanted to come meet them on Saturday in Tel-Aviv. I agreed happily, and the next day I drove off. I met them at Charles's cousin's house- a really nice renovated apartment in a very popular area in TLV. It's very rare to find a good apartment there, so I asked for details and was told that her parents bought it for her. Lucky girl! Immanuel, Charles's cousin is a really nice and interesting person. She came to Israel alone, from France, at the early age of 17.5, studied here in uni later on, and now works for the french edition of The Jerusalem Post. Impressing.
It was so great to see Ana and Charles in Israel! Well, just seeing them was great... We all went to the beach, and cramped up on the TLV beach like the rest of the Tel-Avivian species. I really don't like Tel-Aviv, the only nice thing it has is shopping... We made plans for the next few days, and so it happened that on Sunday they took the train to Haifa, we toured around the city for a couple of hours, and in the evening we took the car to the Kineret (The Galilee sea). We put up 2 tents (one for me and one for the happy couple) and played cards (lost a "7"- the good finder will be rewarded - coz these are really nice cards), drank some beers and generally had lots of fun together. I really missed Rob on that situation, but they were such nice company that it made these feelings became a bit more subtle. On Monday morning we woke up and went straight to the lake- to swim. That day we travelled all over the Gollan heights with the car, and in the evening we went to the Kineret again to camp for the night. The next day we stopped in a winery in Kibbutz Amiad to Charles and Ana's request, and were really surprised to find out that they only make liqueurs from all kinds of fruit and other ingredients. They let us taste some and I ended up buying a really good dark chocolate liqueur... Yami!!!
After that we went to eat Humus in Akko, and wonder the old city and market, and then we went to Rosh Hanikra, to see the grotts, made by the sea. The view there is always really amazing... After that we went to my moms, for a shower and dinner before the bus to Eilat at 23:30. It took us 5.5 hours on that bus (was really fast!) and we arrived to the little oasis that sits on the red sea. We took a taxi to the Taba terminal border cross with Sinai. We arrived a bit too early for our ride on the other side- so we watched the sun rise over the red mountains of Jordan. We crossed the border and Charles and Ana saw the difference between Israel and Egypt: new and advanced vs. old and conservative, Efficiency vs. laziness and taxi drivers brotherhood. Our ride got there and we drove to the beach. It was (and still is) hard for me to accept the tranquility and silence while knowing that this society is such a men's society. There's hardly any women around (they're all home with the kids) and they are all business men with lots of kindness and serious faces (I know, it sounds ironic- but it's true). Sinai is so empty these days that Charles and Ana who fell in love with it, got really upset. The Bedouins there just told them that that's the way it is, and when tourism is so slow they just look for other business opportunities, and that as long as they have their health they feel rich. My European friends had a hard time accepting that, but in the end I think they almost did.
I left Sinai this morning, after 2 days, knowing that I really should go back soon- it's just so beautiful there... And so relaxed and quiet. Ana said something that really made me think: on a normal day anywhere else (and especially in China- where we all came from lately) you see hundreds or even more ppl a day. In Sinai you tend to see about 5 ppl a day... It's amazing what it does to you. After the first day- when you get used to it- and all your thoughts have settled and stopped bothering your brain- you hear the silence. And it's great. And so peaceful...
Pictures soon...

Oh! and the title is what it is coz it's all animals we saw when traveling (well we saw much more)

Oh boyfriend, where are thou?

I actually know where he is right now. He wrote me an e-mail (thank you universe for inventing the world wide connection). They're in Pisa (I'm so jealous- never been to Italy) and heading to Sardinia tomorrow... (Have I mentioned how jealous I am?)

***

Went shopping with my sis today. Bought a new pair of shoes (will be great for European weather) and 2 nice shirts, and my sis bought me a pre-birthday present- a really special shirt... Was a fun day for us in Tel-Aviv, and also- my sister went to an interview in an arts school called Minshar, and she got accepted for cinematography!!! I'm so excited for her. She got excepted to another school too (Camera Obscura) but she chose the other one. My little sister is gonna be a student!!!

***

I guess I write more coz I don't get to talk to Rob, and I need to tell someone whats going on with me.

***

Charles called me today!!! From Paris!!! They're landing here on Monday night, and they're gonna call again on Tuesday and we'll make plans!!! I'm so happy about it!!! Now I have to focus up- and stop feeling like the tourist in this country, coz I'm gonna have to take the role of the guide... I still feel a bit like a stranger here- everyone's so loud and blunt, in China they used to stare coz I was different, now men stare coz they're obnoxious. People tend to talk on their cell phones everywhere, and ask very personal questions even if they're just the person fixing your cell phone. Hmmm... how was I ever used to this??? Well now I have to like it, or at least have excuses for it- if I ever wanna show the nice things of this country to other ppl. And there are plenty of nice things here. Plenty.

***

Good night. I'm really tired now... (Uggi my dog is so cute- every night waits for me to go to bed- to come along and sleep in my room...)

1000 visitors

Ironically, and realistically my 1000 visitor was someone that was looking for the meaning of "the world is my oyster". Why Ironically and realistically?

Because except for a few ppl - almost none of my best friends read my blog.

I guess this sounds a bit pathetic and well- you're probably wondering why the hell I even mention it here- but I mention it here coz it pisses me off.

And then they ask me what's up with me, and what's new in my life. And that really annoys me. But whatever. It's almost even liberating to know that. I feel a bit more free with my writing. Well, not that I felt not free before.

***

Rob is on a surprise trip that his dad planned for the whole family, for the parents' 25 anniversary. I don't get to talk to him much (today was the 1st day out of 8), but when I called just to see if he already knows what's the plan, they were in Austria. He still doesn't know where they're going next.
I was invited for this trip as well- but since I wasn't planning on being in Germany when they leave, I thought that it doesn't make any sense to come there especially for that. Also I thought that I don't feel like being the only one not from the family on the trip. I just didn't feel like it's my place to join them for something like this. Yet.

It's been only one day and I already miss talking to him. Hopefully this week will pass really quick for me.

***

Charles and Ana are suppose to come to Israel on Monday (in 2 days from now). I sent Charles an e-mail asking what's up. Haven't gotten an answer yet. Can't wait to see them here.

***

Have a weird mood. Tomorrow I'm meeting my sister in Tel-Aviv for some nice shopping. Hope it gets me out of this mood. I love it that I spend so much nice times with my sister after so long I haven't seen her. It's so great.

Long time no write

Haven't written in a while... Tell you the truth it's been kinda eventful here- even though I've been doing practically nothing... Met most of my friends here, saw most of the family, went over most of my stuff and threw away a lot of things. Gave lots of clothes and shoes to charity. While going over my closet I realized that there's so many things in it that I'll never wear again. That when you live in the same place all the time you just keep them for that once in a season you'll wear them. When you go away for so long- you realize that you've managed with a lot less than that. You tend to keep only the things you really like and need. So that's why I threw out so much of my stuff. I still have 3 drawers to go over, and some boxes in the storage room.

Two of my best friends (the ones that are married) are pregnant. I'm not sure I'm suppose to tell anyone about it- but hey- if they're not reading this (and they better!!!) then they'll never know... When the first one told me about it- I was so happy for her. I mean- it's so weird - but I am really happy for her. Today the second one told me. And of course- I am so so so happy for her. And with that happiness I think I got a bit sad. It took me a while to realize what was making me feel this sadness. And in the car it hit me: I'm not going to be here for them while the pregnancy. I might not even be here when their babies are born. Well to be honest I will probably not be here then coz I'm gonna be studying German in Dresden at the time. And births- as you all know are usually not very planned... I don't even know if I'll be able to be here close to when the babies are gonna be born. And then I realized that I will not be around much when they grow up. I know that these are "just" friends- but they are not "just" friends to me. I feel like I'm gonna be an aunt or something, not just a friend of the kid's parents. So this is really weird for me...

We're having a girls night tonight- celebrating Goni's birthday a month and a bit late. She waited for me to be here, and for the others to have some time to be alone with us on a private celebration. I invited them over here to my house- coz my mom's not here for a week, and my sis agreed happily to go spend the weekend with her boyfriend.

I still feel like I have to shake this weird feeling off of me.

Recovery

Water Calligraphy.
For training your brain

On Saturday I felt a bit better, so I allowed myself to join Liya's dinner at her place. She invited some ppl from school and she told me that I'm more than welcomed to come if I feel any better. I thought that a dinner at someones home is a really good idea for starting to do something after being sick. Dinner obviously was great, and the evening past so fast that I was really surprised it was already 1am. The next day I slept so good until almost noon. There's no words to describe how much a good night sleep is being taken for granted... After 3 or 4 nights that I woke up almost every hour, and when I finally woke up in the morning it was to end the nightmare of "sleeping" - this long good night sleep made me feel so much better.
I had to get my certificate from uni - the one for finishing my semester (ppl who stay for another semester don't pick it up now) so I decided I wanna show Rob where I studied and the area. It was a cold and beautiful day (like today) the sun is shining and the air is kinda clear and bright (well no blue blue skies but it's good enough for me). We picked up my certificate (they put it in a really nice red hardcover) and went to the park across the street from uni.
It was Sunday afternoon and there were a lot of ppl there- it was so nice to see them doing exercise on special outdoor gym equipment, and singing together, playing cards or badminton, painting, or writing calligraphy on the ground (they do it with water- just to practice, then it dries out and they can do it again). It was especially refreshing to see them do these things coz usually we see so many of them just wondering around the supermarket or the malls on weekends and we find it really terrible that they have nothing else to do but walk like zombies.

Exercising in the park
These facilities are everywhere,
and are being used by older ppl especially.

In the evening we went to a nice Italian restaurant in the center of town and then we went to a foot massage close to where Rob stayed the first weeks before we had the apartment. It was nice talking to the 2 ppl who gave us the massages, coz they were a lot more intelligent then the young girls and boys who work in the massage place next to where we live. They actually knew some things about other countries, let alone their own.

Hangzhou

Warning: This post is kinda long

Yesterday I puled myself to Hangzhou, even though deep inside I knew I should stay in bed for at least another day or two. I took the subway to the new train station in Shanghai - they build it in the past year or two, it didn't exist last time I lived here. I see it from the outside all the time - it's just amazing- it's supposed to look like a big Chinese umbrella and it actually does... you can see for yourself in this picture:

Shanghai South Railway Station a view from the outside

I change metros there every day on the way to uni and back, but I never got to go to the actual station. This place looks totally like an airport rather than a train station in east Asia. It was absolutely easy to find my way around (I think it would be easy for ppl who don't know any Chinese at all too), and it's definitely efficient which is a very surprising thing when talking about China... I arrived there in the morning (after getting a wake up call from Rob at 8:14AM - wake up shmake up- there's nothing sweeter than waking up from a phone call from you tipsy loving boyfriend...) so that drove me to leave on a normal time- being in the station at 11:10AM. I asked for a ticket to Hangzhou - and the teller told me the train leaves in 40 minutes. I was really relieved to hear that there's seats, and that I don't have to wait for long. I bought the the cheapest there was (I guess that's what was left) it cost 25RMB (= about 2.5€） and headed to the entrance to the gates. There I found an x-ray machine (they have one in all the train stations- even the ones you think are so not worth the security coz they look like a dump) went through that and looked for my gate. The nice lady in the entrance told me to go to waiting room number 7 - so I headed there and was very impressed with the inside design of the place too...

x-ray machines even in the crappiest train stations

As soon as I set down on the seat- I noticed that my train was "boarding". I followed the herd and found myself going down an escalator to the platform. I found my seat on cart number 13, and set down. It wasn't the cheapest ticket for nothing: my seat was one out of three crowded seats (out of five in a row divided in the middle making a 2 seats row and a 3 seats row with an aisle in between). My seat was just next to this kid and his grandpa, and here in China I must admit- I haven't figured out a way to tell who cares about those seat numbers on the ticket and who doesn't - it appears to be 50-50 in the population... In the end instead of sitting on my aisle seat- I found myself sitting between a Chinese guy (later on he left and came a young woman) and the grandpa with the 4-5 year old (spoiled like all of these one-kid-per-family-kids) on his lap. The kid I must say seamed kinda smart but as I said- very spoiled. across from us set a middle aged couple that was just as noisy as all the Chinese ppl, and a young guy that while sitting down on his seat was finishing his noodle-meal-in-a-box (it's very popular here as travel food or something to eat at work). The whole time I was being squeezed by the kid / grandpa that were moving around as if it's a new national sport. The kid saw one of the food carts ladies walking through - and told his grandpa that he wanted to eat lunch now (it was almost noon and the Chinese ppl can not go through a day without eating their lunch at noon and their dinner at 18:00. Really - they just can not). He looked at all the nice boxes the lady had and picked them all up looking at them to see if they're nice. He picked a blue box and said he wants that one, but the lady told him that this one is spicy and he should better pick something else. He looked a bit confused for a second, saying that he wants the blue one coz it's just the most beautiful one... but his grandpa and the nosy lady across from us agreed that he should take the orange one. The nosy lady butted in and told him: "it's beautiful, but it's also spicy!". The kid was convinced and there was peace for all. Until he decided he doesn't wanna have more than a few noodles and the chase after him began in the whole train....
After 2 hours and 10 minutes of being a playground for one little kid and one old grandpa, we finally arrived at Hangzhou. By the way- I totally managed to fall asleep on the train- even if it was only between squeezing and only for 20 minutes). To start telling you about the differences between the old east Hangzhou train station (there's a new one in town) and the Shanghai South Railway Station - it's like telling the difference between an airplane and a horse carriage. The smells, the colors (well the lack of colors in this case), the lady who was laying on the platform- not moving when the security guys touched her frightfully... Third world compared with state of the art. Got out of there as quickly as possible and took a taxi to the youth hostel to meet Omri, whom I know from the China forum online. The youth hostel is located in the center of town, right next to the lake, which is a great location. I really liked the streets next to it, and this lake, as touristy as it is- has something special about it - especially under thick mist. I checked in the hostel, got a lower bed in a 4 bed dorm room, put my things in the locker and headed to meet some more ppl.

The entrance to Mingtown Youth Hostel, Hangzhou

We met Diego and Adriana, he's an Israeli who was born in Argentina, she's Colombian. We had lunch and then headed to the place where it's all gonna happen: Adriana's place (lives with a few more lovely girls- just like her) to cook the x-mas dinner. After a lot of ppl in a small kitchen (well, bigger than mine) and a few hours - we had some dishes set on the table- and we dug in... The evening was one of the most pleasant, fun, warm and welcoming I've ever been to. I even got a nice bracelet from one of the girls- as a x-mas present (thank you Cecilia) - this little gesture of giving presents to the ppl you love- I think I'll have to write about it one day too (we don't have a holiday like that in Israel, well at least we just like giving presents for fun...). Even though I still didn't feel totally healthy - I didn't wanna leave. In the end we left at around 02:00 and I was asleep by 03:30 (it takes a while to get ready for bed when you're doing it in the dark to not wake up any of the other 3 ppl you have in your room).

In the morning I met Omri and Diego for breakfast in one of the endless Starbucks coffees in China. This one is just by the lake, and it was really nice walking there on the bank while rain drops were falling on my head (had to say that line from the song...).

A golden ox merging from the lake
West Lake (Xihu), Hangzhou

As it was raining a bit and I wasn't feeling very well - I decided that I'll go back to Hangzhou soon, and of course take Rob with me... I took my backpack from the hostel, and went home...

(still not feeling great- laying in bed since I got here...)

When you can't say the word "Degrees" (plural) - it means it is COLD

The "Hanukia" I made by myself - just like in kindergarten...

Last Friday I invited some friends for a Hanukkah dinner. Out of the 5 of us we were 2 Jewish ppl that really knew what this is about, and in the end- we had a really nice evening. I made the special food for it, and we lit up the candles. I always enjoy indoor parties and dinners a lot. Sometimes I would defiantly prefer them over going out to a club or pub.
This last weekend had blue skies and less than 5°c... In the evenings it got down to 1°c - which is very freezing for me- especially when the sun is not out and there's a wind... But today it's a bit better, I try to wear more clothes (I'm becoming Chinese in another way- wearing another layer under my pants...) and then I feel rather fine... As long as it doesn't get colder than this (from my experience it doesn't get a lot colder) I'll be fine. The thing is that the houses and buildings are really not isolated - and the AC's really don't help in these low temperatures. We often turn both our AC's on for hours- and last Friday Rob and I were shopping for dinner - and he bought "me" my Hanukkah present- a small fan look alike radiator heater (it's the cutest thing- and it really warms you up- but you have to be kinda close to it).

***

This Saturday evening I talked to my family over Skype- and saw them in the web cam. I know it's no big deal, Rob and I had a whole relationship based on that for more than a year, but when I saw my grandma and my little brother - that was really cool. Apparently until they fixed the Skype on my dad's computer, and installed the web cam in it - My little bro Daniel was so excited and couldn't wait to see me on the screen. When they finally called, and they could see me and hear me- he was totally hyperactive and didn't stop telling me: "I love you, I love you!!!" (he's not even six...). My other brother Gil (who's almost 4) was already asleep- and I hope that I'll be able to see him next weekend... I asked Daniel if he wants to call me the next morning too (they have a Hanukkah vacation) since it's Sunday here- and on Sundays we don't work or study (as apposed to Israel- there Sunday is the first day of the week) he said: "OK, but it CAN NOT take so long as today!!! I'm going to the vacation's activities in kindergarten and I have to leave the house early!!!" LOL I laughed so much... He's such a clever kid - talking to him is so interesting, I can almost talk to him about anything.
I'll try to give more of he's pearls if I have some in the future... It's unbelievable how much I miss my siblings. A LOT.

***

Rob's leaving tomorrow night - going home for Christmas. I'm gonna have 10 days alone in which I don't have school for 3 days, and 1 weekend and one Saturday- meaning out of the 10 days alone- I don't have school for 6 days. I hope I won't bore myself to death... All of my friends here are gone for the holiday - and I seriously do not know what I'll do with that time (did someone say study? NO WAY come on - do you know me at all???)

Happy Hanukah

Tomorrow's Hanukah. Used to be my favorite holiday when I was a kid. It's supposed to remind us that the Hebrew ppl in Israel won over the Greek thousands of years ago. OK not a lot of thousands but a few... The story tells that after the victory the big temple was ruined and the Menorah - a big lamp with 7 candle spots (one for each day of the week) was the only thing left. As well they found a small jug with oil to lit the Menorah up. There was so little oil left that they were sure it's not gonna last for long- but then it lasted for 8 days. We call it the miracle of Hanukah, and the holiday is also called in Hebrew the holiday of light. We celebrate it by lighting candles every evening in the Hanukia, or Menorah (that's how Jews outside of Israel call it) every night we lit one more candle- for 8 days, to remind us of the miracle. The special food is everything that is fried in a lot of oil- like big puffed donuts with jam inside.
I used to like it so much especially coz of the candles lighting up in the evening - standing proud next to the window until they're gone. It's usually in December and the darkness outside, the winter- which I always disliked to a certain extent- would go away and make room for light, fire, warmth and the colors of the candles. Kids in this holiday get 8 presents - one for each day- usually some chocolate, or a Dradle (a spinning toy with the Hebrew letters saying- "A big miracle happened here" - or "there" if you're not in Israel) to play with. When we got older we usually got a bit of money from our parents and close family.
The last time I was in China- 2 years ago - I met my later to be best friends here on a Hanukah celebration with the Jewish community. I remember I only arrived here 2-3 weeks earlier and decided to go to the celebration - to meet new ppl. I realized that here if you don't make the effort- you'll never make friends. Even things that at home seem absurd and too straight forward- like calling someone you don't know and saying: "hey I got your number from this and that and I'd like to meet" this kinda thing here would totally make sense. That time I didn't celebrate Hanukah in any way at home- but this time - I decided that I want to. It's weird- coz then I was living alone and basically lived life the way I wanted to- and now I'm living with Rob- who's not even Jewish and I decide to do it... LOL
But I thought it would be nice - I do it with no religious feelings, more than that- I think one of the reasons I love this holiday so much is because in the whole story "God" is not mentioned even once- which makes it easier for me to relate to.

I didn't have a Hanukia here so I decided to make one of my own the same way we used to in kindergarten. I bought paint and painted some old candle holders (like the ones you get with burner candles). I bought candles at the Jewish community and I'm ready to go. I'm waiting for a reply from Charles - one of those good friends I made last time I was here - and I hope he'll come with his girlfriend and join us for a Hanukah dinner.

***

I've noticed how much I enjoy cooking lately. I've always liked it, and I've tried cooking all sorts of stuff in the last 2 years of living alone, and obviously have cooked stuff at my moms. Every now and then I would have had a project and cooked something interesting for all of us. But now- I really have someone to cook for- and if I wont cook something that is more than simple paste, then... hmmm... no one will or at least- untill we cook together it'll be so late in the evening we will starve (I feel obliged to say here that Rob likes cooking- and I really like it when he does). I don't have an oven here - so I'm chalenging myself with stove cooking only. I think after these 6 months I'll be a master...

***

I watched a movie last week - I got it from Liya. It's called Garden State. It took me a bit of time to get into it but when I did- I was captured forever... It gave me a sense of reality, especially because it has such a real life - weird story... Yes yes- there is such a thing as real but weird. I'm putting a link here to the movie's website- you can check it out- I especially loved the soundtrack (it plays on the website a bit for your enjoyment) and I haven't stopped listening to it over and over in the last few days...

Garden State (2004)

And here's a bit of trivia about it - but you shouldn't read it if you haven't watched yet- to my opinion it'll mean nothing to you...

Garden State Trivia