Week 1- Home for the Month

RuviRanatunga

May 9

Hi everyone! I am currently nearing the end of my first week of my study abroad experience in Israel. I live in a dorm room at Tel Aviv University on the North side of Tel Aviv-Yaffo in Israel. My dorm section is in the building for visiting students. The dorm building is one building among multiple other buildings in a quad area on campus and so far I love it. It has a small kitchenette and fridge which is nice because I can make my breakfast in my room before heading out for the day. I found out about the dorm room openings through my dad's colleague who works at Tel Aviv University. The process was really easy, as I was able to reserve my spot a few months before I planned to arrive and then pay for it once I knew I was going to for sure be in Israel for the month of May. One of the biggest adjustments to living at Tel Aviv University and Israel is the language barrier. I can't read or speak Hebrew or Arabic, and even though most people in the country speak English well, a lot of labels on products at the grocery store are only written in Hebrew. The first time I went to store to get a few things for the week was kind of a guessing game when it came to frozen food and things like yogurt and toiletries. Another adjustment I have made it getting used to the Israeli week. In Israel, the weekend is Friday/Saturday rather than Saturday/Sunday because of Shabbat (Friday evening to Saturday evening). On Saturdays, the trains is closed and the normal bus routes are changed and many stores are closed, especially if they run by Jewish people. Some of the things I love about Tel Aviv is the ease and relatively low-cost of public transportation. The buses are almost always on time and within a max of 20 minutes take me wherever I need to go. I also love of the people here love to spend outdoors. Whether this is walking along the beach, running outside, or enjoying the many parks in the city, if I am ever looking for something to do I should start with just being outside in common areas. The food here is incredible, too. It is made with the freshest ingredients and really tells the stories of the various groups of people who immigrated to Israel many years ago.