Ani Po! (I'm here!)

I made it here without too much of a hassle, thanks to a lucky penny Mom found at the grocery store that morning. Unfortunately the TSA body scanner also found the penny in my back pocket and I had to have my butt patted down to make sure I wasn't carrying anything suspicious. The flight was pretty good, the UCSD birthright trip actually ended up being on my flight to Israel, so I was in good company and was able to spend some time with them in the airport. After arriving in Netanya I found out that my apartment isn't ready yet, so I am temporarily living in another apartment for the next week or two. My least favorite part of the trip so far is that I will be living out of my suitcases for a while, which is difficult because I don't remember where everything was packed. Luckily I am still having a great time and enjoying the company of my temporary roommates.

So far, I have mainly been exploring Netanya, and getting to know the other teaching fellows. Our madricha took us on a tour of the area and showed us where the important things are. Within a few blocks from my apartment there is a shuk (outdoor market), shopping mall, drug store/pharmacy, supermarket (right next door to my building), a sushi restaurant, and too many felafel/shwarma places to even count. Not to mention the beach is less than a 10 minute walk away. Looks like it is time for me to become more of a beach person, you know, as if I haven't lived close to a beach my whole life or anything.

I will start my pedagogical training in Holon on Sunday, and at the end of next week we have our first weekend seminar. We will be going to the Sea of Galilee, and I am excited to start seeing more of Israel. Anyway, that's all for now, I will try to update this blog as often as I can, but no promises on when the next post will be. Hope all is well with everyone at home!

Melanie

View from my building.

Beautiful beach in Netanya.