Realized I wrote this and never posted it..whoops!
6:40 PM
Right now I am on the plane home. It feels very weird to be going back. Although a bit early I think I was ready, but was starting to miss Italy already when I had my last cappuccino in the airport in Rome. I realized how far I had come when I saw many clueless Americans in the airport trying to deal with the customs and the language and I was able to help. A particular elderly woman was very dramatic when she only had American dollars and couldn't pronounce brioche. After paying two dollars she exclaimed that it was a crime, but I wasn't sure exactly what she was referring to. (Don't worry, loaded up on the acqua frizzante and some chocolate before I left)All of the travel went very smoothly. Somehow, although I was supposed to pay for my extra bag, and both bags were overweight, they didn't ask me for anything, but I am not going to argue.I also met an interesting character while boarding the plane who when I said was a psychology major said that he did hypnotism as a hobby.Luckily , our conversation didn't go much beyond that (I was starting to get a little creeped out) Somehow, although I didn't get my seat until today I got the first row in the economy class so have had a lot of extra legroom. Still, the ride is going pretty slow, I didn't realize how long 10 hours really felt like! At this point I am just excited to be home and to see everyone.At this point 7 hrs and 45 minutes down and 2 hrs and 15 minutes to go, yay!
by the way, I made it and have been home for almost two weeks!
So I didn't have time to actually write out this post but many people were curious about how I finished my break so here it is in note form. It may or may not get transferred into full sentences, it is kind of funny with all of the spelling errors and short hand, enjoy!
Leaving at 3 am was an unavoidable adventure
Crazy tel aviv airport
Stupid got to rome- had a good cappucinno thank goodness
Then said going barcelona whoops bag already sent- knew it was trouble
Got to sevilla fine (great shopping barcelona airport)
No bag, sad
Went to H and M- power shopped really good, ended up keeping the stuff good price
Saw rachel- tapas- salmarejo so good!
Got early start, weather was nice, cloudy but still mild
-Alcazar- first muslim palace then christian - distinct style
Palm trees
-gardens- peacocks everwhere!!
Rachel then took me to the places that were formally Jewish, very little trace, made me appreciate italy, even if the jewish community isnt thriving the traces are still there
Went to museo bellas artes- surprised myself that I could understand most of the stuff in spanish
Really funny seeing an american college group on tour, felt weird they were very loud
Saw some famous stuff learned about distinct sevillan style
More tapas!
Palazio de Labrija- basically on old villa really cool mosaics- could definetely see difference betweenspain and italy, also some collected that dated back to roman times
It was pouring, shoe shopping, when to another neighborhood bought some beautiful ceramics
Lunch- goat cheese with marmalade on it- to die fo r
Came back wachted How I Met your Mother, love it now
More tapas! And more rain
Cordoba
Nicer day
Home of Maimonides
Went to synagogue, again different than in Italy not as magnificient but still really cool
Mamonides square (I was pensive)
Andlusia house- arab house really cool
Ate lunch- got scolded for putting my bag on the floor
La Mesquita famous mosque, cathedral inside
Train back
Final dinner
I was off, back to Verona
Had a mcflurry, little taste of home, so necessary
The second half of Israel was just as marvelous as the first.Tuesday, Amy had to go to a seminar so I ventured out on my own to the beloved Tel Aviv shuk I heard so much about. I was nervous because I did not have a map and had to use my memory to know where to get off the bus. Luckily my memory served me well (for once) and I got off at the right place. The shuk was filled with random things and of course, the very exciting gummy stands. If anyone knows my love for gummies, you will understand how exciting this was for me. Other exciting purchases include pretty think markers and stickers in Hebrew that say Tov Maod, Mezuyan etc. (to be used for a future job :) Also, going on right next to the normal shuk was an art fair that happens twice a week. This was really cool and most of the stuff was very reasonable. It was so exciting to have so many things in Hebrew and Jewish related to choose from. I ended up leaving witha gorgeous Challah cover and my favorite purchase of possibly my entire trip, a sheep made out of wood and paper. It sounds weird but trust me, it is so cool! After that I met up with Amy and rested a bit while she finished up her programming. I then attempted to grab a falafel, but the guy was so slow that me and Amy had to bolt out of there to catch the bus with her group to Jerusalem with no falafel.
Once in Jerusalem, I just pretended that I was part of the group and attended a seminar with a Rabbi who has been doing coexistence work with Israelis and Palestinians for over 5 years. We also got to hear from participants in the programming which was really an eye opening experience about Israeli society and the conflict. After the speaker we enjoyed bagels (oh how I missed you!!) and then headed out to Jerusalem. Amy and I walked around Ben Yehuda street and the area. I tried my first sufganiya of trip (jelly filled donut for Hannukah yum!) and we just felt the atmosphere. It felt pretty weird because there were so many Americans around. Amy has had a similar experience as me living in Verona by living in Yafo because there are a lot less Americans. We both prefer being more immersed in the culture than this. After grabbing a tea at a local coffee shop and talking, we met up with Amir, who was a counselor with us at JRF. We met him at what he called "the Soup Place" which was this really cool restaurant that had a chill atmosphere and a girl singing Jazz (a bit drunk I believe). We met a couple of his friends who also attend Hebrew U. His one friend is an art major and told us how he made a self portrait out of hummus. Oh how I love Israel. He told us that at the end of the exhibition he gave everyone pita and they ate it! (Hannah, new project ideas???) Once it started getting pretty late, we headed back to Tel Aviv. Instead of taking a bus we took this minibus thing that basically serves as a shared Taxi. It was really nice and got us back to Tel Aviv fast.
The next day we decided to check out the Diaspora Museum. It was located on the Tel Aviv University campus so it was pretty far north but definetely a cool area to see. So on the website it said that the musuem was being "updated," I'll just put it this way, it really needs to be updated. I think the museum was a cultural experience in itself because I got to see what museums were like in the 70s. Yes there were felt boards, and the modern times area about the Diaspora was from the 70s. Despite all of this (and the extreme amounts of propaganda to make aliyah from the Israeli government) I did learn a few interesting things. There were also temporary exhibits that were really cool. One was artists who had been inspired by Andy Warhol's paintings of famous Jews. Most of them were pretty hilarious. The other exhibit was photographs taken by American and Israeli children about their views on Jewish Peoplehood and Israel. I really enjoyed this, especially given my recent studying of photography.
After the museum Amy and I headed back to Yafo where she volunteers. I helped her teach her informal English class about Thanksgiving. The kids were a very rambunctious group of 14 year olds, but they were all very smart. The point of the program was to take kids who were excelling and give them extra attention to ensure that they can make it to college. Amy and I led a lesson where the kids learned about Thanksgiving and then had to debate, one side being the Native Americans and the others the pilgrims. The resulting debate was hilarious. Somehow recycling came into the mix, but also only some of the kids realized the direct parallel that this story has to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I also like how Amy made the parallel to Hannukah, that a lot of people died but we don't talk about that we just eat a lot, which is so true. The kids were adorable when girl kept telling me how nice and pretty I was, I literally did nothing but nice to hear that feedback!
After the lesson Amy and I headed back to her apartment for a bit and then went for a late dinner. We went to a 24 hour breakfast place called Benedicts. We were both going to order Shakshuka because, hey we're in Israel! But the waiter convinced me to order eggs benedict. I have never had that before because typically it has ham or bacon in it I believe, but it's Israel so of course there's the option without! I had it with Spinach and cheese which was so good. We then headed back to Amy's apartment for bed. Unfortunately, we had to wake up at 3 for me to catch a cab to the airport. (I felt really bad doing this because it was Amy's birthday!)It had been a great adventure and I was very sad to leave, but excited for Spain.
I am currently on my flight to Israel! This morning was not something I was exactly looking forward to. It involved waking up at 4 a.m and catching the first train out to Milan. Luckily, some of the other girls heading to Paris were also heading out to Malenpesa, the airport in Milan so they also caught the train. I realized a major way of relieving my anxiety about missing this train would be taking a taxi, well worth it but of course I sat around for a half hour. I was most worried about getting to the airport on time for my flight, which was at 10:40. Luckily, we made it to the 7:40 shuttle, even though our train only got in at 7:35. The ride was beautiful though because beyond the industrial buildings on the outskirts of Milan we could see the Alps which at this point were completely snow covered and gorgeous. It convinced us to attempt to make a trip out to Innsbruck in our last weekend here. I was able to get through all of the security despite the fact that the El Al desk was the farthest walk possible from everything because of their extra interviews. This was my first realization that somehow when I attempted to speak Hebrew Italian came out, in the end I made a good decision to switch to English but hopefully I will improve. It is very exciting to simply be around something familiar. Hearing Hebrew spoken after being in Italy for so long is very nice. I am very excited to meet my cousins at the airport and then eventually meet up with a bunch of people from JRF as well as an old friend from OSRUI. Now, I will attempt to watch Salt which is proving problematic because although it is in English partly, it is partly in Russian and the subtitles are in Hebrew, moving way too fast for me.
Later…
I am currently sitting in the Rome airport. My adventure out of Israel began with a 6 a.m flight, but I will start from the beginning of my adventures in Israel. I arrived at the airport, and it took a bit of time to get through border control. What did not help was a large group of Russians that the customs people decided to give a really hard time, but I ended up switching lines and finally got through. I then met up with my cousin Gil. The last time he saw anyone from my family in Israel, my mom was my age visiting, so he and the rest of the family were very excited. I went back with him to his home which is in Beit Aryeh, which is about a half hour outside of Tel Aviv. Everyone was very nice, but I quickly learned how pathetic my Hebrew is currently (possibly at the expense of the Italian) I met my cousin Noam who was 6 who kept running away when I looked at him, and I was sad I couldn't speak in Hebrew to lighten things up. We had a very yummy Shabbat dinner, then relaxed and watched T.V. I tried to work on my Hebrew by looking at the subtitles, but I am not sure how much I accomplished. The next day I woke up and hung around. A highlight was definetely watching Mary Poppins in Hebrew. Although nothing could top Julie Andrews' voice, I do think they did an excellent job of dubbing and it was hilarious. After that the entire family came over. Although it was an overwhelming amount of Hebrew I enjoyed meeting everyone. It was really nice to meet Leah who was my Grandma's first cousin, but they basically grew up as sisters. We found some old pictures from when she had visited the United States a few years when I was born. I also learned that the family referred to my Grandma as "Erika in America" whenever they talked about her which I thought was really funny. Of course, Leah had the grandmother instinct to make me eat as much as possible which resulted in me being unable to move for awhile after lunch. Later that night, it was time for me to move on to Amy's apartment.
My cousin Gil drove me to Yafo, and I think he was a little surprised that was where she lived. I also noticed that the family seemed a bit worried about me going there which was confusing. I later learned from Amy that the area that she lives in does not have the best reputation because there are a lot of different cultural communities where she lives including recent immigrants from Ethiopia, Jews and Arabs. Many Israelis do not like to go to the area because they are worried but Amy assured me that she always feels safe. After arriving I dropped off my stuff and Amy and I walked around Old Yafo. It was a bit bizarre for me to be seeing an old friend from a completely different setting but also really nice and refreshing. She recommended that I try a famous "toast" off of a street stand which was basically a flattened bagel grilled cheese sandwich=success. She then showed me around near the sea and some of the older areas which is really cool. I did not realize how old Yafo really was, but it was interesting because when compared to places like Italy there are also more new, modern things mixed in with the Old.
The next morning Amy took off from her volunteering and we went to a Moshav about an hour away where Reut, an israeli who was a counselor with us at JRF lives. It was really cool being in this area because I got to go somehwere where most tourists don't go and got an insight to people who live outside of the major cities. We walked around these gorgeous gardens (in a desert what!?) and the town. Reut explained that there were three synagogues: an Ashkenazi, Sephardic and Yemenite in her town. We also went to lunch for what she kept assuring me would be the best hummus I ever ate, she was totally right! First of all, I was unaware that you can go to places and simply order hummus as a meal, but it totally worked. Reut recommended that we order a smoked egg, which was kind of like the eggs that are in Cholent, almost hardboiled but also with flavor. We had that, then ordered two things of hummus, one with beans and one with just chickpeas…so delicious!! We also got pita of course, and I ended up eating so much. I have to admit that I will never be the same when it comes to hummus, Sabra does not even come close, I have no idea what I am going to do, but this is an issue to be resolved once I return to Chicago because there is very little hummus in Italy.
I then accompanied Amy to a community center for Ethiopians where she tutors English. Although a bit rowdy, it was very interesting to get a small glimpse into this community. The girls kept trying to talk to me, asking if I was their new math tutor, I was essentially mute, and then they told Amy that I looked like I knew a lot, whatever that means. Once thing, that I guess is a broad generalization, but I bet is true for most of these girls is they are obsessed with Chris Brown. In the one hour tutoring sessions, he came up multiple times. After the tutoring we stopped at a small grocery store and picked up some fruits in veggies for dinner. All I can say is, why are pomegranates so expensive everywhere else, they are soooo good!!!I also tried persimion (spelling? this may be a combo of the English and Hebrew word in my head) anyways it is this fruit that looks like a tomato except more orangey in color (the look of it totally freaked me out at first) and is really sweet. I have seen them everywhere in Italy and now I know they are delicious so will take advantage.
The next morning Amy went off to her seminars and I met up with Rona. I hadn't seen Rona since we were counselors together at OSRUI the summer of 2008 so it had been a really long time. She was very excited to show me Tel Aviv, and I loved being able to see it with an Israel for basically the first time. We first went to a café and got an Israeli breakfast for two which included eggs, orange juice , bread, eggplant and all of these different cheese and other spreads and of course, we cannot forge the Israeli salad. This was sooo good. After lunch we walked around the main shopping streets and just caught. I found a beautiful necklace which a woman custom made for me while I waited. I then got to see the huge shopping mall, which was very overwhelming but fun. I ended up seeing a lot of the stores I see in Italy but it was still fun. Rona also took me to this area which kind of reminded me of Soho in New York. It had a lot of really cute boutiques and a bit of a Bohemian vibe. At the end of this neighborhood was the "Bimah" which is a big theater where they perform drama, dance and music. The entire area was really pretty and for us former Tiferet folks a must see. We then headed back to the car and parted our ways. It was so great to see her and I hope it will happen again soon!
This past weekend was our last weekend trip with Claudio (very sad :( ) On Saturday we left in the morning for Mantova also known as Mantua, a city very close to Verona. I had never heard about the city before coming here, but it was a huge center for art for hundreds of years. We visited two Palaces, Palazzo Te (some explanation I don't remember but does not stand for tea) and Palazzo Ducale (the Duke's palace) We had a wonderful tour guide who was quadralingual. She kept apologizing for her English yet was able to say things such as "spinster" and "juxtaposition" so I really think she was doing okay. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, but we were not allowed to take pictures anyways. My favorite thing about Palazzo Te was the room of the giants (http://literaria.net/RP/L7/GiulioRomanoGiants.jpg) This picture does not do it justice because it is all about the experience when you walk in the room. The giants are literally giant, and the room is circular so you almost feel as you are spinning while standing still. Before going on to the Palazzo Ducale we stopped for lunch. I had one of the most amazing interesting things I have eaten in Italy. For the first course I ordered steamed pears with asiago cheese and truffle sauce. I know this sounds like a really strange combination but it was delicious!
With very full stomachs we moved on to the Palazzo Ducale which has over 600 rooms. I found it really interesting that Austrians had taken over and put on their own decorations over the Italian ones. One of the rooms looked exactly like the ball room from the Sound of Music. The palace was a bit overwhelming but really cool. We got to see a lot of the paintings that we have learned about in art history class, many by Andrea Mantegna who is from Mantova. You may recognize this painting of his (http://eu.art.com/products/p15164620-sa-i3571900/posters.htm?ui=2125615E3D234AC2A84ECAB7081E01FB)
This painting is known to be one of the first using perspective and is therefore considered on of the first paintings of the renaissance. After exploring the castle with our tour guide we made a quick stop in a theater that Mozart played in as a 13-year-old. After piling into the van we stopped at an outlet mall that was largely disappointing. Then we were back to Verona!
The next day we went just outside of Verona to an Olive Fair. I had no idea what to expect, but as most of you may know, I LOVE olives, so I was excited. The fair was in the country, next to an olive oil factory and there were tons of people there. If anyone was curious to know, I had a dream when I was a small child that I drowned in a sea of olives (because my mother told me if I ate too many olives I would get sick) while that dream may have seemed very strange, I realized in this visit that it was possible to drown in a sea of olives because I encountered more than I ever have in my life.
After hanging around a bit, getting free food and wine, we headed back home for a relaxing Sunday. Now I am getting very excited for my adventures also known as fall break. I will be reuniting with some of my fellow JRFers, seeing some other old friends and meeting family that I have never met before. I will be going to both Israel and Spain. I will also attempt to speak the other two languages that have learned previously and will most likely struggle a great deal. I am still very excited and can't wait to see everyone.
Ciao! (cherish this, I may be unable to speak any Italian upon returning)
Today Karissa and I ventured out to the land of the famous Ferrari and Balsamic Vinegar....result= Piazza Grande (not so grande) and being called French multiple times despite speaking english and saying we were from Chicago.
It seems that I have been posting a lot in a short amount of time, but now that I have the luxury of internet in my apartment once more I can update as soon as I write. This past Friday I didn't have any class so I set out for Cremona with Rose. Ever since I found out that I was a mere hour and forty minutes away from the home of Stradivarius, Amati and other masters of violin making I knew that I had to go. The town was cute and small, there was a lot less going on than in Verona, but I got to see a lot of cool things. After wandering around a bit looking for the main square (this can be very difficult without a map) we finally found the tourist office. We grabbed a sandwich and immedietely went to one of the government buildings that had a collection of Stradivarius' and Amatis. We actually had to call someone to come let us in, so I assume they don't get a lot of visitors this time of year. The exhibit was cool but not much to see. Of course, anyone who plays would agree that it seemed like such a same just looking at the instruments suspended in glass boxes and not being played. Luckily, I read that they are taken out periodically and played and concerts are even performed. After the exhibit we followed some signs that led to where some current Violin makers workshops were. I didn't walk in and try any violins, but we were able to peak through the windows and see them at work. It is cool to know that the tradition in this town has continued for hundreds of years. (even if the makers were mostly Chinese and Russian) I also love that violins are still made by hand, in largely the same manner as before. This is what makes them so expensive, but it also makes each violin unique and precious.
The real exhibit was the actual Stradivarius Museum which is located in the Civic Museum. I got very excited and whipped past all of the paintings that were on the way (I am sorry but there are only so many Crucification paintings I can handle in a lifetime, especially when the Stradivarius stuff was so close!)
The museum had a bunch of really cool instruments made by other makers. One of my favorites was the "Viola d'amore" I believe it had 8 strings. I wonder what it sounds like. Others were beautifully decorated. Probably the coolest thing to see though was all of these tools, stencils and pieces of wood preserved from Stradivarius' workshop. Although many have tried to mimic what Stradivarius did, no violin will ever be like his again. It was cool to see the actual things that he personally worked with. I also discovered that my violin was actually modeled at least physically off of a Stradivarius. I didn't know if I should find this exciting or disappointing, but it was odd feeling like I was looking at my own Violin in a display case.
After a stop for some souvenirs and chocolate we headed back to Verona. The rest of the weekend ended up being a lazy one, as the Olive Fair we were supposed to go to was canceled. Tomorrow we don't have class so I'll be making my way to Venice to see the Jewish Ghetto which my parents were raving about.
last minute add on..almost forget why I love Cremona so much: I was walking by a used bookstore and what is in the window but an Italian version of the Tea Rose!! is that fate or what?
