Tel Aviv

Kathleen and I arrived in Tel Aviv by train Wednesday night, got some dinner, and met another group of MIT students who are teaching in Tel Aviv at their hotel. Tel Aviv is like the Manhattan of the Middle East, and is right on the coast.

On Thursday, they all had to go to their school to teach, so I decided to explore the city on my own. I started the morning on the beach of the Mediterranean Sea. It was so refreshing to walk down the beach for a while (although cold), and then to get some breakfast at a cafe. I made my way to the old city of Tel Aviv, also known as Yafo. I got to see a few cool things, like a house that Peter stayed at (Acts 9:42), an old church, gardens, statues…

The old city - Yafo.

The new city.

It was nice to not have a set schedule for the day - I just wondered around, occasionally glancing at the map. For lunch, I intentionally ate at a restaurant that didn't have an english menu, and kind of just told me the waitress to bring me whatever she thought was good. It was very cheap since it wasn't a tourist hot-spot, and delicious. I ended up getting some kind of egg-tomotato-salad thing in a pita. Afterwards I did more exploring as I made my way back to the hotel.

One very different thing about the day that I never experienced while in Kenya was my ability to blend in (somewhat). The blonde hair is still a pretty good indicator that I'm European or American, but with a hat on, no one could really tell I didn't belong until I spoke. I'm also not used to being able to pull out my phone in public or to not have to constantly be on my guard from pick-pockets; the city is very safe, and because to live in Tel Aviv you have to be very wealthy, nothing I own is even desirable to most of the residents there. Quite different from Nai-robbery...

That night, Kathleen and I stayed with some of her family friends who live in Tel Aviv. It was so great to be with a family (with a 4 year old son and 7 year old daughter). Nothing can beat a warm house, homemade chicken soup, a comfy bed, and little kids to play with, especially when you've lived in college dorms for 2 years. We were supposed to go to Jerusalem that night instead of stay with them, but because it was SNOWING in Jerusalem, we had to go there the next morning. I was a little bummed about having less time in Jerusalem, but staying with the family was well worth it! Kathleen and I even went for a long run on the beach as the sun was setting - and instead of the beach being refreshing like it was in the morning, it was truly captivating. One of those moments when God's Creation captures you, makes your heart beat faster, and all you want to do is worship Him :)