Hosting a Visitor

Everything in Haifa is going very well, and I am really feeling more settled in here.  Not only did I buy kitchen supplies the other week, but I have started making big meals.  To be honest, I probably would not have started doing so if I wasn't hosting a visitor.  Joey arrived on Tuesday morning!

My suite-mate had her boyfriend come last week, and because he does not speak Hebrew, she had to pick him up from the airport.  I was happy that Joey speaks Hebrew, because his flight got into Tel Aviv around 2am, but he could navigate to Haifa on his own.  He called me at 7am from the top of the hill at the university and I had just enough time to pick him up, get him through security, and get to class while he fell asleep.

Shoko-b'sakit

We went to the shuk (outdoor market) on the bus.  I had gone once before with the university program, but this was my first time on the city buses.  I was a little nervous that we had missed it at one point, but Joey was calm and confident and got us there easily.  We bought a lot of food like dried fruits, nuts, cucumber, onion, potatoes, and fresh pita.  That night I made grilled chicken with rosemary and pomegranate and chopped salad.  We also bought shoko-b'sakit (chocolate milk in a bag), which is so delicious and a must have in Israel.

Yesterday, Joey and I went with my suite-mates and a few other girls to a music/beer festival down by the beach.  It was really fun even though I hate beer and didn't understand the music.  Still, it was nice to be hanging out by the beach, eating shnitzel and drinking mango juice and talking with friends.

Just so you all don't think all I do is travel around and eat and go to the beach, I will also talk a bit about class.  Ulpan is still very intense, but the homework hasn't been taking so long this past week and I am starting to feel much more confident in class.  Maybe it's because this week was not super grammar-intensive, but it wasn't stressful at all.  I really like my teacher and my peers, and I think the school does a wonderful job at making students feel comfortable while they are working hard and advancing.

That is all for now!  Joey and I are most likely headed to Jerusalem for Shabbat, so I will update on that soon!