Happy New Year!

It is the time of the high holidays in Israel now. Seriously, the month of September is FULL OF HOLIDAYS. That means a lot has happened since my last blog post. We're continuing to explore the city, finding new restaurants, grocery stores, and street markets. I'm happy to report that we're making good friends already. And I am finally starting to get the hang of my job. I'm getting faster and asking my colleagues less annoying questions throughout the day. We've had some pretty exciting moments over the past two weeks, which include:

1. Attending my first "national day" as an official American diplomat. My husband and I went to a celebration for the independence of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

2. Sitting on the port and eating brunch for literally three hours. It was so relaxing, I think I could have stayed there for days. In fact, we have had several great dining experiences and are itching to get the rest of our cooking supplies so that we can have friends over for home-cooked meals.

3. Walking in the streets of the city... literally walking in the middle of the street. Today was Yom Kippur when the Jewish community fasts and dresses in white. No one is allowed to drive a motorized vehicle and everyone goes out into the streets walking, roller blading, and riding bikes. What an eerie and peaceful atmosphere!

So much is happening so fast! I had a dream last night that all my friends from DC showed up unexpectedly for breakfast and we sat on my porch drinking coffee. What a wonderful thought...

By the river

The colors of this scene caught my eye during a recent walk down the Yarkon river. I was on a rowing team for four years and toyed with the idea of joining a club here. I haven't seen any actual crews on the river yet. It is too hot to do anything athletic except in the early morning.

Alternatively, I found the perfect yoga studio around the corner from my apartment. Whatever I choose, I need to get my butt in motion. What do you think?

Mountains or Beach?

"Are you a beach person or a mountain person?" A friend asked on one of my last nights in DC.

"I like both." I responded, without much though.

"But, you can't be both. Which would you be if you had to pick one?"

"I guess beach... or maybe a giant lake by a mountain... to live or vacation? Wait, why can't I be both?"

Having lived near the beach for almost a month now, I still can't decide. Can't a girl just be both?

In the neighborhood

There are lots of lovely things about our neighborhood, including this chic vespa. Oddly enough, vespas are not as common here as I would have expected. Most of the women drive these large, fearsome motorcycles... on the sidewalks.

A Sidewalk Breakfast

Our first weekend here we went to breakfast at a little French restaurant. We loved it so much we went back for dinner this week. I was so pleased to have found French Press coffee (I'm not a huge fan of espresso). Medium ground coffee is difficult to find. Whole beans... haven't seem any yet.

My first impressions of Tel Aviv are that it is a very sophisticated and nuanced city. There are many facets to it, and I'm only beginning to get a sense of things. Along the beach people walk around with bathing suits and cover ups constantly playing some game with paddles and a ball. The gay beach is next to the Haredi beach is next to the dog beach is next to the quiet family beach...

Come a couple blocks inward and you wouldn't even know it was a beach town. People dress like southern Europeans with a lot of flowing, loose-fitting clothing. The sidewalks are crowded with people walking their dogs and children in strollers. There are juice stands, cafes, falafel stands, gelateria, and upscale restaurants and stores. And lots of cute (but feral) cats.

I'm trying to get together a collection of shots that capture the spirit of the city. I'll share some more with you soon.

Moving Postcards!

They say moving is one of the most stressful life experiences. Don't get me wrong, it is exciting, but it is also bittersweet to leave all of one's friends and taxing to keep track of the endless details. Joel and Ashley of This Paper Ship have made the moving process much more pleasant with their custom moving cards. We recently asked them to design something for us to commemorate our first big move and to send to friends and family.

If you are moving soon and would be interested in commissioning something similar, check out their Studio website and etsy shop. They design maps for all occasions and offer many other freelance photography and design goods! I adore their aesthetic.

(I'm sorry we couldn't send postcards to all of our friends. If you read this blog and you want our new address, let me know).

More updates to come!

Be Careful What You Pack

Friends, so much has happened since my last blog post. We have been easing into this move for over a year now, but it didn't feel real until last Wednesday when five strangers showed up at our house and packed all of our belongings into boxes to be shipped overseas. Three and a half hours later, our house was empty.

While there are definitely some things I would have done differently, overall we had a great experience. The packers were fun, courteous, and extremely fast. If I could do it all over again, I would pack more in the air baggage. It gets there much faster than the crate shipment that travels by sea. We only used half of our weight allowance, and I forgot to pack ANY books or Hebrew dictionaries. Or hangers.

After saying goodbye to friends and family in DC, we traveled to Newark for my job. Luckily, we have friends in Brooklyn who welcomed us to their city and made our last few nights in America memorable.

After arriving in Tel Aviv, we were greeted by this view from our balcony. We're still getting used to things here, but I think it's going to be a great two years!