Idiosyncrasies of a Contradictory Country

Because my week is looking like it will be pretty slow (I'm waiting for Hana to get out of a meeting so I can show her the edited version of my first article), I decided to dedicate this blog post to some of the little things I have noticed thus far in my trip (most of them will have to do with traveling).  These little things make up a country, not the politics.


1) No matter what time of day or in which direction you travel in, the number 40 bus always hits stop-and-go traffic on Yafo Street that causes the bus to be delayed a good fifteen minutes.


2) As Stephan mentioned in his blog, Nescafe is strangely addicting.  (Two spoons of Nescafe, two spoons of sugar, pour in hot water, pour in milk, stir, and enjoy.)


3) There are too many people in Tel Aviv, and they all suffer from the Israeli Traveler Syndrome: Extreme annoyance at anyone going at a slower pace than themselves, and extreme defensiveness when someone tries to get past them.


4) Israeli bus drivers will start driving even while people are still paying for their tickets.  Don't worry.  They totally don't care about how you're going to sit down as they careen across sidewalks, making it impossible to move without dying.


5) The trains are never late in Israel, down to the second.


6) "Cold" is about 55 degrees in Israel.


7) While Katy Perry was popular when I was in Germany, Eminem is popular here.


8) Instead of saying "wow" or "hey!" when people see each other, Israeli youths will say "eeeyoooo!"


9) Israelis sometimes say "what's up" in Hebrew with an American accent.  ("Ma Koreh" as pronounced by an American.  For the longest time I thought my uncle was making fun of me when he said it like that, but then I heard other Israelis saying it to each other.)


10) If someone's headlights are off, a car next to them will inform them.  That same car will then cut them off if they are so inclined.


11) Do not trust the English transliterations of how Israeli towns are pronounced.  כפר סבה is definitely not pronounced "Kefar Sava".  It's prenounced "Kfar Saba".


12) In that same respect, the English transliterations of Arab towns are probably not correct either.


13) The first thing you learn in the army is how to get by without sleeping.  Don't worry.  You won't need rest as long as you have...NESCAFE!


14) When you see a falafel stand swarmed with people buying for the lunch rush, it's probably wiser to eat then than a half hour later when it's empty.  In the lunch rush, the food is fresh.


15) That being said, buying left over borekas (puff pastries with potatoes, cheese, and spinach = amazing) at the end of the day is still just as good.


16) You THINK you can spot a Palestinian or Arab.  But you can't, at all, unless you hear them speak Arabic, and possibly not even then.


17) I've only seen one woman wearing a Burqa, and that was in Yafo, not in an all-Arab village (there I didn't even see anyone wearing a hijab).


18) You know what's big here, and you won't believe it?  ACID WASHED JEANS.  Typical Tel Avivian young woman's outfit: high wasted acid wash jeans (in all colors), a shapeless, silky top, and flats.  Also in: acid wash shorts and acid wash denim skirts.  ????  THE 80s ARE BACK?


19) The new thing for teenage boys in lower-class economic situations is to bleach their hair and dye it pink and blue.


20) People do not answer the phone in Israel with "Shalom?"  They answer " 'alo?"  Sometimes without the question mark, just a brisk " 'alo."


21) For Israeli families living in apartments, the elevator is often very small, because only about six families live in apartment buildings together.


22) You want shawarma?  Be ready to be really thirsty.


23) You know what Israel doesn't have a lot of?  Greek restaurants.  On the other hand, you know what they do have a lot of?  Bulgarian restaurants.


24) A purse bought at the New Central Bus Station for 30 shekels (about $9) can be found in a boutique in down town Tel Aviv for about 100 shekels (about $30).  Or more.  Moral of the story: go shopping for accessories in the New Central Bus Station.


25) Walking down the main street in Kfar Saba in the morning, you will most likely encounted many old Israeli men and women accompanied by their Phillipino caretakers.


There are 25 random facts about the little things about this country that have struck me thus far.  Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to go buy some left over borekas for my late lunch at the Makolet (market) down the street from the Sadaka-Reut offices.