it's been awhile!

Wow it's been awhile!

I am not really sure why it has taken me so long to write this, however, finally I am.

So Israel was great! I did all sorts of great things and really got to spend time with people - which was nice. However, because it was a rushed trip, I didn't get to see everyone or do everything that I wanted to do.

Here are some of the highlights:

-Went to Hevron
-Went to Mamunha (that is what the Maroccans do after Passover....)
-Hung out on my friends moshav, went to his neices birthday where I had to use hebrew all day. My brain hurt to say the least. but it was a great time.
-Spent the day at the Spa with Yannah. We're talking, sulfer pools, massages, vats of mud (which I naturally decided it would be more fun to jump into AND THEN fell in) and went into the dea sea (we got yelled at for going out too far....ooops)
-Impromptu jam session in my apartment
-breakfast at the King David Hotel with friends from abroad
-Aliza's first birthday
-taste tests at airports (were not talking soda, they were giving out booze and I sampled as many as possible)
-Even did work! Went out to Kiryat Moshe to check out the site that I will be working at next month

that's about it. It was a great time. I had a lot of fun... I am going back in a few weeks, so that makes everything better. My allergies were insane while I was there but at least when Iget back allergy season will be over...yay.

I am sure I will think of something else later, however, this is just a point form of my vacation.

Right now I am just working on the trip that I am bringing to Israel in a few weeks. Exams have finally finished here so the office has been quiet, however, ther eare still students coming to visit. YAY.

that's about all, pretty boring right now. I will have my flight booked to go back to Israel in a few weeks, so thats a good thing. It's the little things that make me happy :)

Have a good one,

Shavoa tov,

Nikki

It's coming...

Ok, I have been back for a few days and I promise to put up a blog real soon with an update of my trip.

Stay tuned...

update

So I have landed in Israel.

My plans for the day have changed.

I learned to always call family as soon as one lands. there is always the odd chance that someone is near the airpot. So I called my cousin who said they were going to Hevron and I should come. So that took no thinking. So here I sit (using the complementary internat that Ben Gurion provides) updating my blog.

Oh, when I got off the plane (I tried to take the chair with me, didn;t work.) I was FIRST at passport control. While getting my bags I bumped into my first-year university hebrew prof, who remembered me after 7 years, so we talked and will be in touch. hehehe. The plane was filled with Israelis that had the same idea I had. The airport is EMPTY.

Oh, while in Toronto yesterday at the airport there, this bus pulls up (actually two) and these well dressed men get off - it was the NHL team the Flyers.

Ok, back to sipping my chafouch! I'll write more tomorrow or later tonight when I get to the apartment.

Modim Lsimcha,
Nikki

I-Pod?

i-Pod?

I write this blog update on top of the world. Actually, I am about 1 hour outside of Tel Aviv, somewhere in the sky. My flight was spent drinking copious amounts of fresh orange juice, my oh so yummy Kosher for Passover meals, my own personal TV that I could watch whatever I want, oh and my own bed.

Yes, I have a bed. It’s more of a pod. I can recline my chair, turn it into a bed, elevate my feet (oh, I should do that now… please hold.) And the flight attendants really do care about me. Now you say “But Nikki, they don’t have seats like that in economy where you are sitting.” So I say to that, “ Correct, there are not seats like this in economy; only in executive first.” After numerous flights, I got an upgrade. Yes, I am sitting in the fancy section. Ooooh, fancy. I must take this moment to thank my friend that got this whole thing in motion. I will not publish said friends name due to the fact that everyone will ask/beg/plead/sell his or her child for an upgrade. (All I am saying is that my friends girlfriend works for the airline, and they know someone that knows someone and decided to make my day… and for that, I am forever indebted to them and their entire family and the entire chain of command that got me here.) Well, this made my day. I slept on the plane, I sit in my little pod, and anything I ask from any of the flight attendants they will be more than happy to help. Instead of the usual “Can I have some water please?” The answer is not “It’s over there,” “I’ll be with you in a second,” (then they don’t come back for about an hour, and during that time, you have died from dehydration. Or “We are not serving drinks now.” Here it’s “OH, yes Ms. Greenspan.” And in less than 2 minutes I have a cup of perfect temperature water. So I had my own pod- it was My “I-pod.” And let me tell you, it was wonderful. Now, if the seats had a massage option… So when I got on the plane, she looked at my ticket “OH! Ms. Greenspan! Welcome, I am I am incharge of the flight crew. Thank you for flying with us today, if there is anything that I can do, please let me know. I look forward to having you on our flight.”
I never got that in economy. It was “ To the right.” Or “To the left” (that was if they chose to talk to me at all.)

So other observations from the 4th row. There are two bathrooms and they are always clean and don’t smell like yucky airplane bathroom. Every once in awhile one of the pilots comes out, and takes a nap (well, when it’s their turn to nap) and sits with us up here. It’s very surreal. Oh, they keep bringing hot towels. And it’s wonderful. I cannot say enough wonderful things. OH, they also gave me fresh fruit. They are too accommodating. In fact, I swear this is not the normal airline that I have flown in the past. They are just too helpful and want to make my flight as enjoyable as possible. (this is also the Toronto crew.. not the montreal crew….)

(Looking out the window, we are flying over some islands….)

(I look so appropreate in my I-pod, with my MacBook… I look like I belong.)

Oh, and for those of you that know that I have a airline blanket collection, I must say that I have no inclination to steal the one from here . It’s actually a duvet. It’s way to warm. HA HA HA. (Also, I don’t have a backpack… and really, we don’t steal from executive first.) They also gave me a little toiletre bag. It contains:

Eye mask
Ear plugs
Socks
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Various creams and sprays for every part of my body.
The best lip gloss EVER.

I AM taking this with me. It doesn’t count as stealing, it’s a gift, so I am taking it.


They also have a never-ending supply of kosher wine for me.

What else?

I don’t know. I get off the plane first, so that’s exciting. My luggage has a priority sticker, and having Israeli citizenship I get to go through the fast lane. What a day.


So my tentative itinerary is:

Land
Get into sherut (a shared taxi) that will take me about 2 hours to get home
Get into apartment
Play with Mister Moe.
Hang out with Gogie (if he is back from Haifa)
Go to the shook. Visit the cheese guy (the pesto parmesan spread is AMAZING.) get some matzo, go back to the apartment and pass out. Or wander around the neighborhood. We’ll see. I’ve got time. My friend Jo thinks we are going out tonight when she finishes work at 1 am. HA!

This is a great way to start off my 12-day mini-adventure; I look forward to the rest of it.

I’m almost there!!!!! We are over the Mediterranean; the next bit of land I will see will be the shores of Tel Aviv. What a day!!!!!!!!!!!


Well I must say this has been quite a flight. I seem to always have these adventures (my first flight ever when I was 13, I was flying alone, some how I ended up landing in the cockpit… now that was also a really really cool experience… the whole airplane thought I was deaf, but that is a totally different story.)

I am rambing. I am going to ask the nice lady to take a picture for me so I have proof that this all happened and it wasn’t a case of me dreaming.

Talk to you in Israel,

Ms. Greenspan, the kosher meal in seat 04A.
(ha ha ha!)