Hello from Israel!

I'm here! After a fairly smooth flight (as smooth as EasyJet gets), I arrived in Tel Aviv to the welcoming arms of Libby and her fantastic parents.

I have only been here a few hours, but so far:

1) I ate life-changing falafel, smothered in tahini and pickled vegetables. It was heaven, and was, according to Libby, just the first of many earth-shattering culinary experiences I'm to have this week.

2) Israel is beautiful. I've only seen it at night, but it's a fascinating mish-mash of cultures and people. That's true of most cities, but it seems even more pronounced here.

3) All of the street signs are written in English, Hebrew and Arabic.

4) Here in Jerusalem all of the buildings have to be built with Jerusalem stone. It's a lot like limestone, and it cools the homes and gives the whole city a serene, white blanket-y look at night.

5) I have already learned a few words in Hebrew, and have attempted (rather sheepishly) to use them. My favorite, and the most commonly used, is "beseder." It's pronounced more like bessedo, and it just means "okay." But it's used in a reassuring tone, and the pronunciation is really comforting, like someone putting an arm around your shoulder.

6) The Israelis are very aggressive. Not in a scary way. The way Libby describes it is that all Israelis treat each other like family, good or bad. That means they will shower you with warmth and hospitality (definitely my experience so far), but they also don't feel the need for polite pretense. They also don't really use lines. If you want something (whether it's falafel or getting off a plane), you just have to push forward and get it for yourself. I'm putting my game face on for the week ahead!

Libby is shaping up to be the tour guide to beat all tour guides, and tomorrow we have a jam-packed day planned, starting with Indiana Jones-esque exploration of the Old City, including the Wailing Wall.

It's going to be an amazing week!

Hope your week's off to a good start, too!

Love,
Jess