Summer Visitors

This summer I've been really lucky to have so many friends and family come to visit. I'll try and remember everyone who's come:-)

First off, there was my cousin, Erica (see post below), who spent the better part of 2.5 months here hanging out in Tel Aviv.

Towards the end of June my first friends (my age) from the ATL came visit. Lauren, a very close friend from high school, and her boyfriend, Chris, decided to stop in Israel for a week and pay me a visit. Lauren and Chris (see pix on right) are currently on a tour-de-force around the world, starting in the Middle East, winding their way up through Europe and then heading to the Far East to visit about 300 different countries (only slight exageration). Their visit to Israel couldn't have come at a more opportune time as my girlfriend and I had just broken up. It was great to have such familiar faces to help me have fun that first weekend afterward. We pretty much hung out, soaked up the sun at the beach, hit up the bars and ate good food. I was very sad to see them go but look forward to visiting their new home one day out in San Francisco.

Next up, my second set of parents came by for a visit. Joyce and Ramie Tritt have now been to Israel three times since I made aliyah, because Ramie's mother lives in Tel Aviv. Every time they have come we have lots of fun getting together, going out to eat and being with my otherfamily. I am looking forward to their next visit! (Although I'll see them in three weeks when I'm back in Atlanta for their son's wedding). That's right, my best friend is getting married. Wow!

My friend, Noah, also stopped in for a visit in July. This was his first trip to Israel (he came as part of the Birthright Israel program) and afterward extended his ticket to chill with me in Tel Aviv. Again, I was forced to show my guest to a fun week of going to the beach, visiting the bars and exploring the city (he felt obliged to bury me in the sand). Rough life! As an added bonus with Noah, he got to experience a very fun Israeli wedding when my friend, Lawrence, got married.

As you can see, this list is getting long... I also got to visit briefly with my cousin, Micah Hart, when he dropped in to lead a group of teenagers from the US on a tour of Israel. We didn't get to spend that much time together, but it's always great to hang out with him, reminisce and catch up on all the happenings in our lives. I'm very excited for him and his wife, Joanna, who just moved to Philadelphia where Joanna will be doing her residency. Congrats! (Also, they'll get to hang out more with cousin Annsley who insists on writing me e-mails describing the delicious food she makes:-)

To rap it up, there were three more friends from college who I got to see briefly. First, I had lunch with Ian in Jerusalem. Then, I got to meet up with Sharai at the port in Tel Aviv and on Sunday night I will be seeing Annie on her free night during her Birthright trip.

I'm sure that I've managed to forget a very important visitor or two in this update, but I will add a note in the next post when I remember:-)

Hope everyone is doing well in your respective parts of the globe!
Much love,
Evan
p.s. Just remembered important visitors: Leora and Ariel were back in Israel for a week to go to weddings and see family. So much fun to have my adopted brother and sister back here with me even if it were only for a quick visit.