First Post from Israel!

It is not without major jet-lag that I sit down to write this post. I arrived yesterday around 1:00 p.m. Israel time and was immediately greeted by an hour-long line getting through passport control. Supposedly right now tourism in Israel is down, I can't even imagine what security must be like at its height...

My first flight from Dulles to Charles de Gaulle was about seven hours long. I sat next to a woman who just happened to be from Bethesda - nice coincidence! She was also en route to Tel Aviv. I was in the window seat and she was in the aisle. We got lucky, the middle seat in our row remained empty the entirety of the flight.

The first meal served on the flight was this:

The hot dish was a yellow rice with tomato stew and veggies. The meal also included sugar-free applesauce, a piece of multigrain bread, a roll, some dried fruit, some fresh melon and a small green salad. The salad was DISGUSTING! Everything else was okay.

The second meal on the first flight was supposed to be a light snack. When the stewardess came to drop it off to me I was very confused because the tray had dairy yogurt on it and some kind of muffin that had egg. The stewardess informed me that Air France does not serve a vegan snack, just the meals. Kind of absurd for a seven hour flight if you ask me. When I flew British airways in June, we had two full meals on each flight, and everything served to me was vegan. If you request vegan meals, you should not be served anything non-vegan at all... Good thing I brought some Larabars with me!

The next flight was approximately four and a half hours. I sat in the aisle next to two very friendly older French men who I think were a couple. They reminded me that in French the words for "thank you" and "please" are "merci" and "s'il vois plait." There was one meal served and it was this:

Evidently my dreams came true and I can now die a happy person, for I was bestowed with the joy of not one, but TWO vegan croissants! They one on the left even had dark chocolate in it! The fruit on the top right tasted kind of like grapefruit. The pudding on the top left was made of soy and was vanilla flavored. It was quite tasty but after having two croissants I couldn't bare to eat the pudding. The "entree" on the bottom was almost like a burrito or a Hot Pocket. It was filled with veggies and a yellow sauce. It was.. interesting.

From the airport in Tel Aviv I took a taxi to my friend Amir's house where I am currently staying a few nights. The taxi driver and I spoke in Hebrew the whole time! Originally he is from Russia (I think?). I tipped him well for being so patient with my lack thereof Hebrew abilities :)

From there I was warmly greeted in Giv'at Shmuel at Amir's family's home. I will save the rest for the next post!

Au Revoir Washington!

With a collection of diverse feelings I embark upon this exciting and much anticipated adventure. Today is the day it all begins.

"It" is my five month adventure in Israel.

From Washington I am flying to Paris and then from Paris to Tel Aviv. I arrive in Tel Aviv around noon on October 24.

So, I know what everyone is thinking - PARIS!!?? I wish. My time in Paris is just a one and a half hour layover at the airport :( Paris and I will have to get acquainted another time around. To what I am most looking forward on the journey to Israel is the food!

If you have ever flown on an international flight then you know how hit or miss the meals can be. I have read wonderful things about the meals on Air France flights and hope to also be driven by my tastebuds to write wonderful things. Maybe I'll even get to sample a vegan croissant! A girl can dream, right? I hope the person who sits next to me is going to be ready for all of my foodie photos!

Though this post is on the lighter side it is not without some bittersweet sadness that I leave my home behind. 

In honor of my motherland Maryland, here is a list of the things I feel I will miss most (people excluded because obviously I will miss the people in my life the most):

1. The dewey smell of rain and how it always seems to remind me of the Land Before Time movies. Anyone following me on this one? Tree Stars?
2. Holiday music playing on the radio nonstop around Christmas time. Good thing I have Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You on my iPhone!
3. Halloween! I can't imagine growing up and not going trick-or-treating! What else are you supposed to do on the night of October 31? Certainly not homework.
4. Thanksgiving - but mainly just pumpkin-flavored everything! I wonder if Israel grows pumpkins?
5. Large piles of crunchy brown leaves to jump into! That's the best part of Fall!
6. Ice skating outside! Not that I actually do this regularly, but it's nice to have as an option :)
7. Valentine's Day and hearts. Hopefully I'll still be able to send Glen Coco his annual Valentine!  Mean Girls reference anyone?
8. The way the snow looks on the trees in the Winter. It looks like a scene straight out of The Nutcracker.
9. Christmas lights! Does Israel do Hanukkah lights? This probably is not a thing. Ironic because Hanukkah is supposed to be the festival of lights... it seems like American Christian households are winning on this one!
10. Target! Who wouldn't miss this place? They have everything anyone could possibly need. Where else can you get a Dora the Explorer DVD, a few oranges and a bookshelf all in the same place? Walmart is not a valid answer because its stores are always very inconveniently located.

It is hard to believe the next time I post to this blog will be from another country! I feel like I am about to go on an undercover assignment. Stay with me throughout the next few months for some groundbreaking coverage ;) 

Until next time, !להתראות (Lehitraot! - This means goodbye/ see you later in Hebrew.)