Israel: Day 1

We were so tired, we just fell into bed and slept.  I was sure in a new bed in a strange place, I wouldn't be able to sleep, but fell asleep immediately after that thought.

Our temporary quarters are small and colorless.  The walls are off-white, the tiles floors are off-white, and the couch is off-white.  The window looks across a small walkway to another apartment building that is built of off-white concrete.  The neighborhood consist of buildings that in the US would be called tenements. What you don't see is graffiti, and you don't hear cars going by with the stereo booming -- you hear children outside playing and singing.

We got up the next morning and unpacked a few things then went on a search for food.  We didn't know where to go and ended up walking forever until we finally found a place to eat.  In the US, you walk down the street and smile and acknowledge people you pass.  Here, they don't do that.  They just ignore each other.  But last night, the taxi driver and his, "Slee-chah," showed us you can go up to anybody and ask a question.

I know enough to say in Hebrew, "Do you speak English?" I can also say in Hebrew, "Where restaurant?" Based on pointing we eventually found a place to eat.  The food here is so much better than in the US.  The water tastes kind of funny -- although it has been declared safe to drink in all of Israel except at the Dead Sea -- but the food so far has been really good.

After lunch, we found a grocery market, extremely small by American standards, with both unfamiliar familiar brands of packaged and canned foods all with Hebrew writing.  Some had both Hebrew and English, but most were strictly Hebrew and we relied on pictures.  We found a roasted chicken like what might be at Raley's and bought one of those for 43 shekels.  It's a good thing we did, because we didn't realize until we got back home that the apartment doesn't have an oven.  What's more, we can't figure out how to turn on the stove.  It's gas, and I don't think the gas is on to the apartment.

Talk about irony, on the way home we saw all kinds of corner markets and little places to eat all very close to where we are staying.  But when we were hungry, couldn't find a thing, until we asked several people and walked for over an hour.  Also, on the way home I had my first culture shock that I'm still trying to process.