Israel is NOT like the USA...

Just in case you thought it was, think again. I think I'm pretty much over my homesickness, though I find myself missing THINGS from home more so than people. I miss the simplicity of life in the states, where I had a clothes dryer, dishwasher, microwave, car, ice, hot and cold water that actually work together, and a stove that I don't have to light up every time I use it. I miss the ability to drive to the grocery store or mall, without getting screwed over by a cab driver. I miss polite people who help you in stores or over the phone, and I miss having a landlord that actually answers his phone and fixes stuff in the apartment. I miss the ease of life in the States overall. If this is what the real world is like, even in America, I want to be 6 years old again.

Most of all, I miss Kraft Mac and Cheese. They have a brand of M&C here called "Wacky Mac", which is fun with it's 4 different shapes of noodles, but taste-wise it SO does not compare to my favorite Blue Box.

There is some light at the end of this blog entry, believe it or not. There are a lot of wonderful things about living in Israel, that (most of the time, anyways) help ease the many headaches that come from living here. Here is a list, in no particular order:

1. The hot falafel in the Old City
2. The sounds of the city on Shabbat
3. The fruit stand on Azza
4. The historic and Judaic significance of practically everything
5. Shabbat dinner with my classmates
6. The ability to give lost tourists directions to their hotel/the Old City/Ben Yehuda
7. My hebrew teacher
8. Marzipan Bakery (remind me to smuggle home some of their rugelach when I'm home for winter break...it's amazing!)
9. The incredible amount of language, history and culture I have picked up in a short 6 weeks
10. Those rare moments when Israelis are the kind, friendly, and warm people I'd always heard about...in a way, it's almost a blessing when people are NOT kind, because it makes you appreciate those who are kind so much more
11. The pizza guy who is a former Orthodox rabbi, who always offers to discuss Torah with us
12. The pride and humility I feel every time I think about the significance of this city to the Jewish people, and how I am here, living the dream of so many people around the world who pray everyday to explore Jerusalem.

For these reasons, and many more, I am happy to be here. 99% of the time, they remind me that the struggles and challenges really are worthwhile. And the other 1% of the time? That's the reason I have a fabulous roomate and a constant supply of Nutella (an amazing chocolate/hazelnut spread popular in Israel and Europe.)

P.S. Does anyone know how to change our gas for our stove? Apparently that's the reason our stove is not lighting, and our landlord is being less than helpful.