Mom and Dad come to visit and Tal's wedding

My Mom and Dad were here a few weeks back and we had so much fun together. It was a whirlwind trip packed with activities, food, spending time together, food, Tal and Ariel's wedding, food, exploring Tel Aviv, food, vacation from work, food and oh yes, how could I forget, food. :)


They arrived on a Monday night and after giving them a quick tour of my place (where they'd be staying; I stayed with Leora and Ariel) we headed off to the nicest restaurant in Tel Aviv, Messa. Eating here was not simply a meal, but rather, an experience. The decor, the ambiance, the lighting, and the mood all pointed to why Messa is considered one of the top 80 restaurants in the world. The night was full of amazing tastes, great conversation, excellent drinks and topped off with fabulous desserts. This meal foreshadowed one thing that my family loves to do - eat. This is a picture of the five us at Messa.

Since they were only here for five days and five nights, we hit the ground running the next morning and visited an exhibit that I'd wanted to see (well, really visit, not see) for quite some time. We journeyed down to Holon, a suburb of Tel Aviv, and visited an exhibit called Dialogue in the Dark. For an hour and fifteen minutes you are led around in total darkness simulating what it's like to be blind. In fact, the tour guide is either blind or greatly visually impaired. It's in a completely enclosed environment that has been constructed to capture the sights and sounds of a normal day. After an hour you are brought to a cafe and you buy your food and eat in the dark. It is a really great experience and for those readers in Israel, I highly recommend checking it out. You can read more about it here. From there we headed off to a nice luncheon with the YouLicense Team and noshed on a traditional Middle Eastern meal while overlooking the Mediterranean. This is a picture of Mom and I after the meal. To finish off the day we headed out to Rehovot to visit with the family two days before the wedding.

On Wednesday we took a mini-bus to Jerusalem. We started off the Jerusalem experience with some traditional Israeli street food, schwarma. After getting some shopping done for presents for people back in the States, we headed to Yad Vashem - the Holocaust Memorial Museum. I don't want to go into too much detail here, but suffice it to say that the new addition to the museum is incredibly well done and manages to portray the horrors of that dark age in a clear manner. It was one of the saddest places I've ever been to and is a must see for any visitor to Israel. We were there for three hours, but the memories creep back into the mind a long time after that. That night we went to Abu Gosh, an Arab village just outside of Jerusalem that has the most delicious hummus in the country. We met up with my friend, Aaron, who lives nearby and while we were eating my cousins unexpectedly ended up at the exact same restaurant - quite the coincidence. Here's a picture of us. Don't I have the cutest little cousins in the world??

Thursday was the big day, the main event and the reason for my parents' visit - cousin Tal's wedding. This really deserves a post of its own, so I will wait until next time to write about it. For now I'll put up a couple of pix. Suffice it to say that we had a great time, Tal and Ariel are now a very happily married couple, the wedding was tons of fun and again, the food was stellar. More details will be coming soon. At left you have my aunt and uncle and the happy couple. At right you can see the dance floor - all night party!

Friday and Saturday we relaxed. We had a fun Shabbat dinner out in Rehovot with my family. Cousins Joann and Brad (from Pittsburgh) and family hosted everyone for a fun and meaningful get together. Saturday we spent walking around Tel Aviv, throwing the football on the beach with Dad, walking down the boardwalk with Mom and eating dinner at the Port.

I was sad to say goodbye to my parents on Saturday night, but we have many happy memories from the week we spent together. Definitely the hardest part about living in Israel is how far I am from my family and I look forward to the next time I get to see them - sister Paula's wedding.

So, until next time, Merry Christmas to my Christian readers and Happy Movie Watching and Chinese Food Eating to my Jewish readers:)

YouLicense - The Online Music Licensing Marketplace

I have a great job. Make sure you check it out - www.youlicense.com

How in the heck did a guy who studied International Affairs and Spanish end up working in the music industry you ask? Pure coincidence...

When I got to Israel I was determined to put all my energy into learning Hebrew and focusing on ulpan and once I felt comfortable with that go out and look for a job. However, if I've learned one thing in the last 7 years, it's things often don't happen as you planned. As fate would have it, my Israeli sister, Leora, passed my resume along to YouLicense and only a month after getting here I was being called in for an interview. After meeting the CEO, Maor Ezer, and the VP of Marketing, Tomer Kaplan (pictured at right), I was convinced that this was a great opportunity to be part of an exciting start-up company and a very original idea. Fortunately, the feelings were mutual and they agreed to take me on part-time until ulpan finished even though they wanted a full-time employee.

What is YouLicense? We are the online music licensing marketplace. We've created a platform that allows people who have musical content (artists, labels, publishers) to interact directly with companies/people who want to license music. We function much the same way Ebay functions, with an easy to use website where buyers and sellers can interact in a safe and secure environment. We provide a medium for both small and big musicians to license their songs for use in TV, film, ads, ringtones, public events and many other uses. We feature phenomenal Indie artists, bands, dj's, composers as well as other creators of music. We have a very unique search system that is very beneficial to people looking to license music. Users can come and search for music via genre, style, mood, instruments and other options. Additionally, we have a new option on our site called 'Opportunities' that allows a business to create a post specifying their project and what type of sound they are looking for and then receive targeted submissions from our ever growing catalog of artists. We have been open for business only since the beginning of August and have already had many deals made via our site and tremendous feedback. We were selected as a finalist in the Popkomm Music Festival as one of the most innovative start-ups in the music industry. Go check us out and see for yourself just how cool we are - www.youlicense.com

What do I do at YouLicense? I work as part of the Professional Services team. When we bring in big publishers or labels, I work hands on with them uploading their content to our site and ensuring that their artists are well-represented via their profile page. This work is very specific and I have to be very careful not to make mistakes. Also, I help with writing press releases, editing content on our site and providing feedback from our clients. Lastly, I make cold-calls. I call potential buyers from all over the world and invite them to come see YouLicense for themselves. I have had success with this in large part because we are making people who license music lives easier and their job better. We have thousands of artists from all over the world on our site and are the future of the music licensing business. If you have any questions about who we are or what we do, shoot me an e-mail at evan@youlicense.com.

So now I'm here with our office view overlooking the Mediterranean. Life isn't too bad...

The next post will have lots of pictures. My Mom and Dad were here a few weeks ago and I'm going to write another long post for that:)

Have a good week everybody!

Ulpan is over

I've been here for five months. Five months! Wow, time has both flown by and at the same time it feels like I've been here for a long time and can't remember what things were like before I arrived.

Anyway, ulpan is over. Tomorrow marks the last day of class and the first night of Chanukah. Today we had a party in my class to celebrate our crazy Hebrew journey together and also to sample food from all over the world. When ulpan first started there were probably around 30 people in the class, about 60% women and at least 10 different countries represented. This morning we were down to about a group of 15 and I was the only guy who had survived the class; most of the others had dropped down to another level or just completely left the ulpan for one reason or another.

I was put in charge of the party by my teacher and I must admit that I thought I did a lousy job of organizing it. However, to my surprise, it really came off well and there was way more than enough food from many parts of the globe. We had food from Russia, Peru, Estonia, Finland, the States, Israel, Georgia (the country), and more. It was a great spread and we enjoyed spending a few hours together visiting and reflecting on how much we had learned. Our teacher, Ayelet, was very sweet and wrote us each a card describing how we interacted in the classroom.

Nu (hurry up), so how's my Hebrew you ask? I'd say it's kacha-kacha (so-so) but I guess it's a little bit better than that. I understand a fair amount when people are talking and I'm beginning to hold my own in conversation (though at times I feel 100% lost). It will really be on me to improve it over the next 3 or 4 months because I am going to be taking a nice long break from studies. I start full-time at YouLicense (www.youlicense.com) on Wednesday where I've been working 25 hours a week for the last four months. A post will be coming soon about my work...

Now that I'm not in school and less busy, I'll try and kick these posts up to every 5 days or so. Stay tuned for these future stories: My parents' visit and my job.

Til next time, you stay classy San Diego. (name that movie:)

Happy Turkey Day

For some reason I always wake up on Thanksgiving with the song in my head, "Happy Thanksgiving! Hooray, hooray, hooray! Aren't you glad you're not a turkey on this Thanksgiving Day." Hahahahha. Anyway, just wanted to wish everyone well and hope you enjoy your the cranberry sauce, stuffing and the big bird. I'm getting together with a group of Americans today and we'll be celebrating over here, complete with two turkeys, one deep fried (southern style) and the other smoked... yummy!!! It's definitely a little sad to be celebrating for the first time without my family, but I'm not that sad because my parents are coming in 4 days. Wahooo! Happy Thanksgiving!

Let's go for a run

I ran my first race! Ok, really not much to brag about, it was only a 5k. Nevertheless, I paid the fee, got a number, tied the timing chip onto my shoe, beat my fastest time and got a t-shirt at the end. I was quite pleased:)

Now for the details: This past Saturday morning I woke up before 7:00 and rode my bike to the rendezvous point for our little convoy to the race - the American Embassy in front of the sea. Leora had arranged for us to get a ride with some of her friends that work in the embassy and it was great to go over there as part of a group and have all the camaraderie. That's the group in the picture.

As for the race itself, I had wanted to run it in under 30 minutes, but had never done so on the treadmill. We were off with the sound of the gun firing. I thought that we'd be running on asphalt, but it turns out we ran on a sand/rock/dirt path that winded through farms and orange groves. With the sun rising and the crisp air of the morning, it turned out to be a beautiful setting for my first race. Leora and I ran side by side for most of the race and then at the end I decided to give it a final push and hope to break my time. For about the last 250 meters I broke into a full sprint and finished just under 30 minutes - 29:50 (around 9 minute miles). I knew the exact time because they have special chips that you tie to your shoe and you get the results shortly after you finish. The next day I wore my shirt around proudly. My next goal: A 10K in February that I'll run in under an hour.

Yesterday I decided to see how fast I could run a mile on the treadmill and I did it in 7 minutes, 30 seconds. I might have been able to go a little faster, but it's hard to know what my breaking point will be on the machine. I look forward to the challenge of getting faster!

The Week in Review...

People back home in the States like to ask me what I do in a typical week, so for this blog entry I'll attempt to recall what I did.

It began last Saturday night as we remembered the 12th anniversary of Yitzhak Rabin's assassination. Every year Israelis gather in the center of Tel Aviv at Rabin Square where the prime minister was murdered. There were over 150,000 people there. It reminded me of the last time I was at a rally this big, which would be when I heard Fidel speak in front of about 600,000. I could only understand a little of the speeches (which were in Hebrew), but I enjoyed the atmosphere of people gathering to remember Rabin. Being there reminded me of how much I hate Yigal Amir (the assassin) and what he did. The peace process in 1995 was moving along very well and there was much hope for a lasting peace. However, with a few shots, Amir effectively destroyed that hope in addition to killing a true Israeli hero. I couldn't help but wonder what Israel might be like had this not happened. We might be in the same situation we find ourselves in today, but I like to think things would be different...

Ok, so back to my week. As previously mentioned, I have moved out of my old apartment and into a great new studio (right on Dizengoff street:). However, I still had a big closet that I had left behind in my old apartment. The person who took over my room did not want to buy it from me and I was left with only a few days to get rid of it. I headed over to my trusted Israeli consultants (Leora and Ariel) and they helped me post an ad on the Israeli equivalent of Craigslist. In less than 24 hours I had sold my closet and the guy who bought it came the same day to take it apart and move it. I thought it would take a lot of effort to dismantle the closet (it is huge, 2.4 meters x 1.6 x .5) but he did it all with a small screwdriver and drove it off on top of his little car. I was very impressed! This was all possible because of the internet and the vast amount of people who use it to find everything. (also, if you have the time, check out this story my Mom sent me and you'll see just how connected we are through the net: http://www.yahoo.com/s/732115)

On Wednesday morning I went to Misrad Hapnim (Ministry of the Interior) to get my Teudat Ma'avar (temporary passport that lasts two years). This was a very important document to get because without it I am not allowed to leave the country. I've heard lots of stories of long lines and frustration in going to Misrad Hapnim, but my experience was nothing of the sort. The line was short and I was out of there in under half an hour. (Side story: The last time I tried to go there was the first week after I made aliyah and I went to fix the spelling of my name. Well, after walking 30 minutes, I find out that the place is actually closed due to a strike, a very common occurrence here in Israel. My name is still not spelled to my liking (in Hebrew) and I will change this at a later date.)

For the last month or so I've tried to observe Shabbat dinner and enjoy a nice meal with my friends here in Tel Aviv. Last night was no exception. I went over to my friend Yonina's apartment (which she also just moved into and has a great view of Tel Aviv) and she prepared a feast for six. I had the fortune to be the only guy there with five very attractive ladies (rough life, but if somebody has to live it, it might as well be me:). We spent Friday night sharing good stories, delicious food and a few bottles of wine. One of the best parts is that I got to take the leftovers home and now I have two very good meals to look forward to!

Today I am cleaning my new apartment, preparing for my oral exam in ulpan and going to the beach. The weather has gotten a little cooler, but the sun is still shining and the beach is calling my name.

So that's about how a week looks in my life in addition to the regular routine of work and ulpan. There also was a party and a few trips to the bars somewhere in there, but there's not enough room here to tell all the stories:)

Shavua tov to all!
p.s. Apparently people like to vote for my parents to go to the bars and get drunk... I think that this past survey had the most participation ever. I'll try and think of a good survey for the next one.

A Place to Call My Own

I've been living in Israel now for over four months and in Tel Aviv for the last 3.5 or so. Life had been going well here so far and last week it got about 10 times better (and I'm not exaggerating).

How? Well, it just so happens that I moved out of my apartment that I was sharing with two Israeli girls and into a a place of my own. I landed this place through some great luck; a cousin of the Tritts, Noga, had to find someone to sublet her apartment while she works in the states and travels. After seeing the place I was sold!

What's so great about it? For starters, I'm living by myself. At 25, I was more than ready to have my own space. Also, for the time being this place comes fully loaded. I've got a stereo, tv, dvd, vcr, washing machine, refrigerator, small stove, small oven, microwave and more. It's not only equipped with electronics, it also has some good furniture to fit the space and hold my stuff.
For a studio apartment, it's a really good size with lots of storage. There is one main room and there is also a smaller second area that has a small kitchen. The bathroom is bigger than average. Another big perk is my merpeset (balcony). It overlooks Dizengoff Street and is located in the heart of it all in Tel Aviv. I'm a few more blocks away from the beach, but still about only a ten minute walk. That also reminds me of another thing: the bike. Noga was kind enough to leave me her bike and I've been riding it all across the city. I had one my senior year of college up in DC, but I'd forgotten just how fast you can move through a city on a bike. My usual 15 minute commute (ok, walk) to work has been shortened to about 3 or 4. Places that I used to take the bus to, I'm riding to. I love it!

There are only two drawbacks of the apartment. One, I'm technically only subletting it through mid-February, but Noga has assured me that if I want it past this it's mine. I just hope that works out. Also, the place is very girlie. I mean, it's got purplish-blue curtains, painted hearts on the walls of the kitchen area and bathroom and pastel colored lamps. Since the place isn't 100% mine, I'm a little limited in what improvements I can make, but I've still got a few things planned to make it more my style.

It's great to be writing this post from the comfort of my own space with great Israeli music playing on the surround sound in the background (say that last part 10 times fast:)

Shavua tov to all!

p.s. Getting pretty excited for cousin Tal's wedding and my parents coming to visit.
p.p.s. I also want to send a big thank you to the Tritt Family. They have already been to Israel twice since I've been here and have brought over a few bags for me. Both times they were here we got to go out a lot together and had much fun spending time with one another. I love seeing my second set of parents. Toda raba!

These are a few of my favorite things...

Without a doubt, the question I am most often asked is "Why'd you make aliyah?"

I get it from Israelis, Americans, Europeans, South Americans and many others - there is no shortage to where the inquiry might come from. There are two other times in my life when I remembered being asked the same thing over and over again, the first "Where do you want to go to college?" and the second "Now that you're graduating, what are you going to do with your life?" Curiosity is understandable though and I'm just as guilty as any for asking the same questions over and over again.

So, why? Nu! (That's the polite, but not so polite Israeli way of saying "get on with the story":)

Well, my answer always changes. I have the standard party-line answers (couple of variations) but I guess now is as good a time as any to really write them down. Also, now I can point people to my blog in the future and tell them that I've already answered the question if they're really interested... hehehe

I love the fresh fruits and vegetables here. It's true. I can walk down to the corner store and get delicious anything that's in season. The fruits in season now are persimmons (taste like honey in fruit form), small juicy melons (smaller than a cantaloupe but closer in flavor to a honey-dew), pomegranates, guava, mango, kiwi, star fruit, passion fruit, and much more. The fruits stick in my mind in particular because this past Shabbat, my friends and I made an awesome fruit salad which we got at the shuk (flea market with everything and anything imaginable). We also got fresh fish from there along with lots of fresh herbs to cook the fish with.. great meal! It was complemented by the famous Israeli salad, which typically consists of cucumbers, tomatoes, purple onion and a little lemon juice. Of course the part that makes it taste so good is that it's all chopped up into very small pieces:)

Along with the fresh fruits and veggies comes fresh squeezed juice. There are literally hundreds of places in Tel Aviv where you can stop and get a just squeezed/blended juice. My favorite combination is orange and carrot juice, although with pomegranates in season, they are quite delicious as well. Did I mention that you get a tall glass for about 2 bucks? I try and drink one about 3 or 4 times a week and I call it my vitamins.

Also, living in a pedestrian friendly city means that there are many delicious bakeries within walking distance and I happen to have one right outside my building. I think I may have mentioned this in a past blog, but there is nothing like hot rugala in the morning.

Obviously I think with my belly first... and I guess I've led you, the reader, astray. This post is long enough for now and if you want more info as to why I made aliyah, you'll just have to keep coming back and reading:)

Shavua tov! (Good week!)

Spontaneity

Those that know me, know I live for surprises and adventure. This is for sure another reason why I am loving my life over here. My friend, Aaron, came to visit me on Thursday night in Tel Aviv and was getting back on the bus Friday afternoon to return to Kibbutz Tzuba when he suggested that I come along with him. An hour and a half later I was on the bus on the way to the kibbutz.

Last night we went to services at Kol Hanshama, the famous Reform synagogue in Jerusalem. Afterwards we had an awesome dinner at the kibbutz and I finally met the much talked about Reuven. Reuven is a Jewish History teacher and one of sister Robin's most influential teachers. To this day, she quotes him in her essays. This morning we had services at the kibbutz led by future Rabbi Aaron (he did a great job) and this afternoon I will be going on a hike to see the oldest and biggest mikvah (Jewish ritual bath) and even more amazingly has the oldest depiction of John the Baptist on its walls.

I know this is a short post, but I am trying to do a better job of writing more often:) Shavua tov! (Good week)

Heading Down South

As the holidays came to a close, I knew I needed to get out of Tel Aviv now or else I wouldn't have a chance to take a vacation for quite some time. So, my friend, Michelle, had a great idea (also from Dunwoody, friend from high school), and we hopped into a car and drove down to southern Israel.

For those of you not familiar with Israel's geography, it's small, real small. Israel is about the size of New Jersey, but unlike the Garden State, Israel has a wide variety of climates and different topographies. Going south meant we would be leaving the concrete of the big city and discovering the sands of the desert. The whole southern desert in Israel is called the Negev and it is absolutely stunning. I had been there before, but it had been more than 8 years since I went as part of my first trip in Israel. The views were even more breathtaking than I remembered!

We started out on a Wednesday in a rented Subaru. Now that I'm 25 (still scary) I can rent a car! I hadn't driven in about 3 months and miraculously, there wasn't a problem at all... well, not a technical driving problem... keep reading for the other car trouble:) The drive down took us by the Dead Sea and long stretches of road with huge desert mountains rising up on either side. Wow!

We stayed on Kibbutz Ketura, which is about 30 minutes north of Eilat (the southern most city in Israel, located on the Red Sea). We visited with friends of Michelle's, Tova and Nissan and their two adorable kids, Avram and Sivan. That's the picture of the six of us above. We stayed down there for a few nights and it was an extremely relaxing and fun trip. The first day Nissan, myself and another friend hiked up the mountains behind the kibbutz. The second day, Nissan grilled up a huge steak and we sat outside and enjoyed it with some cool beers. Also, we were down there for the end of the holiday Succot and were there to celebrate both Shabbat and Simchat Torah (the annual completion of reading the Torah). I know I need to define what a kibbutz is and these holidays are, but I'll save that for the next post (which will come sooner, I promise:). I would like to send a big THANK YOU to Tova and Nissan. They showed us a great time and were incredible hosts. Toda raba!

Time for the funny story: I have fond memories of rolling down sand dunes in the Negev from my first trip here when I was 16. So, Michelle and I set out to find some dunes. We got some instructions and when we found the road to get there, it looked like it might involve driving on some bumpy terrain. No problem. So we're bumping along this "off-road" and after a few minutes come upon a sign. I say, "Hey, Michelle, what does that sign say?" and she replies "Danger." Well, I guess I didn't put two and two together and kept driving. Fifteen feet later, the front wheels of the car are spinning, filling up with sand and we're stuck! Luckily we saw some camels passing and had them drag us out. Ok, that's not true:) However, we did come across some nice people about 20 minutes later with a Land Rover who towed us out. Modern technology is marvelous though and we weren't really worried, because we'd already phoned in for help. Moral of the story: When driving in the desert, pay attention to signs that say 'Danger!'
hahahahhahaha

Ok, this post is long enough. I apologize for taking so long to write. I will do better!

Yom Kippur in Jerusalem

No cars. No machines. No work. Everything comes to a stop on Yom Kippur in Israel. Even the airport is shut down. There is no law prohibiting it, but nevertheless nobody drives on the holiest day in Judaism. Having grown up in a world of constant motion, this was something that I had never experienced until this year.

The night before Yom Kippur (Kol Nidre) we left synagogue and the street was filled with little kids taking advantage of the car-less streets by riding their bikes up and down the hills of Jerusalem.

I stayed with the Wine family in Jerusalem and attended their temple for both Erev Yom Kippur and the morning services. Since they belong to a Conservative congregation, I was fairly familiar with the service, though I was very grateful to the woman who provided me with a half English/half Hebrew sidur (prayer book). I couldn't follow the sermon too well, but hopefully next year at this time I'll understand it much more.

In the afternoon, I decided to walk the 2 miles to the Old City and spend the last few hours of Yom Kippur praying at the Kotel (Western/Wailing Wall). The walk there wasn't too bad even though I hadn't had anything to eat or drink for more than 20 hours. As I approached the Old City, I decided to enter through the Damascus Gate and take a shortcut via the Arab quarter. While this was smart to save time and energy, I also faced another challenge because I was confronted with the rich smells and sights of the delicious food that was being sold there. It was a nice reminder to me that Jerusalem is home to three religions and each have their own important part in the city.

When I finally arrived at the Kotel, it was as it had been the first time I was there: I was looking at a wall with people praying in front of it. It's only as I got closer to it, put on my talit (prayer shawl) and really looked at it that I did begin to feel the importance and power of the moment. As thousands do daily, I walked up to the wall, said my own prayers for the coming year and kissed the Jerusalem stone that was warm from having baked in the sun all day. I looked at the cracks between the rocks and saw an untold number of notes, little prayers that people had left here.

It's amazing to think what constitutes a "holy" place. A place where people come to express devotion, thanks, anger, love, belief and more... I guess that's what I liked most of all being there at the end of Yom Kippur; just looking out at all the people that were gathered there, from Orthodox Jew to the curious tourist and everything in between. So many people together with so many different thoughts about the same place.

I am thankful that I was able to spend this year in ירושלים Jerusalem.

Reflecting on the year that was...

Well, here we are again. Yes, it's that time of year, the time between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur when we think back on all the things that transpired in the year before and all we want to happen in the year to come. It's also the time when we (Jews) are supposed to think about anything that we've done wrong and ask for forgiveness from those whom we have wronged. Likewise, we are commanded to forgive anyone that has wronged us. So, if anybody is mad at me, here's a big, public "I'm sorry" and I also hold no grudges coming into this new year. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, here are some of my thoughts on what this past year has meant to me:

A lot. This past year, almost more than any other, has been a time of deep personal growth and movement towards a fulfilling and happy life. I finished out my stint as an Americorps VISTA volunteer in Miami, serving for one year at the Association for the Development of the Exceptional (ADE). ADE is a day program serving adults with developmental disabilities, providing these very special and wonderful people with a place to come learn, work and be accepted. It is a phenomenal program. In my time there as Development Coordinator, I, along with the help of many others, planned a Fashion Show, a fundraising Bowl-a-Thon, created a monthly newsletter, and was part of a team that secured a $290,000 grant. Needless to say, I am very proud of my accomplishments in Miami and miss everyone at ADE. The people there, both participants and staff, touched me in a very profound way and one that will have a lasting impact on me for the rest of my life. *I served as part of the City of Miami VISTA partnership and anyone who is interested in learning more about this great opportunity, should contact Dorcas Perez at DPerez@miamigov.com. Dorcas is the VISTA team leader and oversees a team of 15-20 volunteers just like me who are stationed at non-profit organizations throughout the city of Miami. She is an awesome person to work with and is always looking for qualified candidates who want to volunteer a year in service to the US.*

It was only towards the end of my VISTA experience that I made the decision to make aliyah. People that have known me for years, knew that this was something that I had once strongly considered, but had spoken little of for some time. In January I was conflicted for a few days trying to decide if now was the right time for me to do this. I told myself that I needed to go back to Atlanta and work, save up some money and then do it. However, that just didn't seem like the right answer. When I did finally decide to move, it was as if a giant roadblock that was in my way suddenly vanished, that I was firmly putting myself on the right path. I am so happy that I came to that decision and as I sit here typing these words I know that I'm in the right place.

Moving halfway across the world does come with its consequences, however, mainly being so far away from my loved ones, my friends and family. Skype, gmail chat, facebook, text messaging and more have made it quite easy (and cheap!) to stay in touch, but still I won't get to see people as much and will surely miss many important events (cousin Annsley's wedding being the first; mazel tov!). Alas, there is a yin to every yang, and my longing to be near my family is mine. However, I've only been here for less than 3 months so for the time being there is no need to dwell on this...

Again, I've managed to write more than I intended, but hopefully you have found it mildly interesting:) I would just like to say thank you to a whole bunch of people. There have been some great people that have come and gone from my life in this past year and I am a much better person from having been with them all. I want to say how lucky I am to have the most supportive family in the world, one that is there for me at a moment's notice. Likewise, I am blessed with friends that share no equal in this world and can be counted on for a laugh or for a listen.

As I head off to Jerusalem (not next year in Jerusalem, this year:), I will keep my prayers for a better world in this year to come in my mind. This past year has been a great one, but the year to come will be even greater, at least until the one that comes after that. I was raised to believe to make the most out of our time and to appreciate all that we have and I'm doing the best I can. I'm sure you all will do just the same...

For those of you that are fasting, may it be an easy one. For those that aren't fasting, eat a pizza for me!

Wishing y'all the best in the year to come. Shana tova one more time:)

What a weekend!

Wow! I think that was the fullest weekend I've had in a very long time. From the moment it began, it didn't stop until Monday morning. Time to roll back the tape and see how much I can remember:)

It began on Thursday night after work. The workdays here run Sunday-Thursday, so our Thursday is the equivalent of an American Friday. It has definitely taken a little time to get used to going back to school/work on Sundays, but when Thursday rolls around it still feels like I got a 4 day work week (and we all love those). Anyway, Thursday night I went to a reunion of NBN (a great organization that helps new olim in Israel... separate post to come at a later date) on the beach and played Ultimate Frisbee (little sister, Robin, is captain of the UGA team). Afterwards I went out with some friends to two fun dance clubs; one on the beach and another at the port. It was lots of fun! On Friday I went to a great Turkish restaurant for lunch. It is owned by the brother of one of the women in my ulpan class. It was delicious! That night I had a nice Shabbat dinner with two other people from my class, a good friend from Spain and the other from France. The common language was a mixture of Spanish/English/Hebrew and we had a great time being together.

Saturday was amazing. Three and a half years ago, I studied abroad in Cuba. While I was there I met a very sweet and nice Argentinian couple who were traveling around the island for three weeks. Since then we have kept in touch via e-mail and Gmail chat. So, Mati (pictured above with me), the guy from the couple, happened to be visiting in Israel with his family for a wedding. We arranged to meet up on the beach and had a great time playing shesh pesh (backgammon) and chatting. We picked up right where we left off from many years ago and spent a great afternoon together. It just goes to show that you should definitely keep in touch with people, because you never know when you might end up playing backgammon with them on the beach on the other side of the world:)

Saturday night we went out to celebrate my 25th birthday (actually on September 9). Many friends from ulpan and other places came to the bar and we had an awesome time dancing and partying. Many of the pictures from that night are available via my Facebook profile. Someone asked me if I feel different now that I'm 25 and I guess, for the first time in a while, the answer is yes. Strangely I don't think I can get away with being a kid anymore. Somewhere along the way I'm all grown up and 25 is one of those turning ages where you know that adulthood is around the corner (in my case, maybe 5 years away:). For now, I'm definitely loving living for today, but I guess I'm just not a kid anymore... though anyone that knows my family knows I will always be a kid at Hart! (misspelled intentionally)

Sunday (which is our Monday) started off by going to ulpan (ok, I was a little hungover). At the end of class we ate cake for my birthday and another girl's birthday in the class and it was very sweet. It's so nice when people are so kind to you even though you've only known them a short while. It made me feel really good and I appreciate it very much! Afterwards, I went to work for a short day, because then I went to... the Black Eyed Peas concert! My friends, Leora and Ariel, got us tickets for my birthday and it was a blast! The concert was in Jerusalem, set just outside the Old City in an amphitheatre that is easily hundreds (if not more than a thousand) years old. The scenery alone was stunning, with the lights reflecting off the Jerusalem stone and the beautiful steep hills of the city. The music was awesome! They played most of their big hits and I got to see my ex-girlfriend, Fergie. She is still Fergalicious and G-l-a-m-o-r-o-u-s, but I don't think we'll be getting back together:) hehehehe...

All-in-all it was a great weekend and one that I will definitely remember for a long time to come. I want to send a big THANK YOU to everyone that wrote me, called me, thought about me and anything else on my birthday. It was so nice to receive all the Facebook posts, e-mails, messages, texts, calls and everything else! We have so many ways to keep in touch with each other and yesterday I think I used them all:) Thanks for taking the time to read this blog and I apologize for this very lengthy entry... I'll try and keep 'em shorter next time!

Shana tova and Happy New Year to everyone!

Ulpan Aleph Bet

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love speaking in other languages. I've always been a huge proponent of expanding one's horizons and boundaries through learning a second (or third) language. Since I started learning Spanish when I was 15, it has been a passion of mine and I speak it whenever I get a chance. I want to give a shout out to the greatest Spanish teacher in the entire world, Senora Clarissa Adams-Fletcher. Check out her page.

Back to the theme of "Why I made aliyah?": a huge reason was to learn Hebrew and really know and understand the language. Living in Israel is great, but it will be even better when I can read, write and speak Hebrew fluently.

Where does one go to learn Hebrew you ask? Well, ulpan. Ulpan is a time-tested method to teach Hebrew quickly. It is an intensive studies program that typically lasts 5 months. The levels range from beginner (aleph) to much higher levels (dalet, hey). I love ulpan! I am in a beginner's class (kita aleph) and study five days a week, *Sunday - Thursday. *(The Israeli work week runs Sun-Thurs. This deserves an entire post of its own and will be written soon:).

This is how a typical day begins for me: I wake up, get dressed and head over to the delicious bakery which just happens to be on my block. I get some rugala for me and my friends (see picture from previous post) and head off to class. Class runs from 8:15-1:00 with two breaks.

The ulpan itself is represented by dozens of countries and languages. The most common languages heard are Russian, French, English, Portuguese, Spanish and several others. Breaks are definitely one of my favorite parts of the day because I get a chance to talk to so many different people who are here for so many different reasons. Some are new olim (immigrants) like me, although many are not. Some are here studying for a few months, here for work, and more. I've met several girls who moved here to be with their Israeli boyfriends who they met when the Israelis were on a trip in their country. Many people at ulpan are Jewish, many are not. It is quite the eclectic mix.

Whoops! Almost forgot to write about the class itself. I have another great language teacher, Ayelet. In Israel, teachers are only called by their first names, at all levels of education, from elementary school through university. Ayelet pushes us to really absorb the language and to try and not think in our native languages. I've only been in ulpan for less than two months, but yesterday when I read a whole paragraph in Hebrew without vowels and understood it, I felt pretty good. Also, I'm following Hebrew conversations fairly well and it's only a matter of time before my big mouth gets to participate in 'em.

This makes blog post number 2. Some people have complained that I took too long to post this one. I'll try and write this weekend (which starts tomorrow night!)

Finally!

So I've been meaning to write this first post for about 2 months now. I have so much I want to share that I don't even know where to begin. Rather than posting an incredibly long piece, I'll give a brief summary of my life here and then update the blog more frequently with more insightful and fun stories. Here it goes...

On June 28, 2007, I made aliyah (emigrated) to Israel. A natural question to follow would be, why? Well, you will just have to read this blog to get an answer to that question (believe me, I have many answers:). Anyhow, things over the past few months have been going great! I have taken care of the basics and am now living a fairly hectic and full life. I'll try and cover the highlights:

I live in Tel Aviv, in the heart of the city. I found a great room in a three bedroom apartment that I share with two Israelis. Living two blocks from the beach is tough, but someone has to do it and that someone might as well be me.

My time during the week is split between ulpan and work. In the mornings I go to ulpan (intensive Hebrew class) and in the afternoons I work at my great new job (I think my boss is going to read this blog:). I work for youlicense.com and I will write more about my job in a later post.

The nightlife in Tel Aviv is non-stop. There is always something to do or somewhere to go. The city gives off a very NYC vibe, but it's really so much more intimate due to its size. Tel Aviv is a truly international city with people here from all parts of the globe and all walks of life. Before I came here I thought that I would have a hard time keeping up my Spanish, but I've found lots of people to speak with and made many new friends in the process. Speaking of which, the people in the picture are my two buddies from ulpan (also new immigrants, Pepe from Mexico, Ben from France) and my friend, Adam, who was here from the States for the summer.

Basically, life here is going real well. I'm as happy as ever and feel so fortunate to be so lucky and have had all the pieces fall in the right place. There are a lot of people I want to thank and who have contributed to my happiness here, but for now I just want to single out two. Leora and Ariel Wine are near and dear friends who have made the daunting transition of moving half-way around the world so much easier and I am very grateful! Stay tuned to "Live from Israel" for more shout outs:)

So there is a lot, I mean A LOT, left to write about, but for now this post is long enough. Thanks for reading and I promise no more mass e-mails. If you have any suggestions, feel free to post a reply or e-mail me at ewertheim@gmail.com.

B'shalom,

Evan