I'm Loving This LIVA!

*BTW I am no longer going to Ber Sheeva next semester, I am now moving to the north to Karmiel*
Shabbat Lunch: Liver=Liva          

                      So you may be wondering why the title to this blog post is "I'm Loving This LIVA". Well, the reason I made it that title is because this blog shows my life as i get more settled in Israel. I am starting to go out for Shabbat lunch more, travel more, school is getting more intense, and the year is really starting to pick up. I mean I can not believe that it is already Hannukah time!

                     The reason the blog title is "I'm Loving This LIVA" because I went out to lunch  few weeks ago for Shabbat to my very good friends cousins friends house. They were such a nice and welcoming family but the one thing that stuck out in both our minds was the husband. He was a young religious man who was recently a father of 2. He talked to us about what we were doing in Israel and our plans for the future (and whether or not that includes making alyiah or not after college) but he just kept commenting on this particul purchase he had made that friday before shabbat. This purchase he usually doesnt make, but he is really into  genealogy and "his anchestors in Russia ate it, so he is going to also!" What is this food you may ask...Liver. Brown and cold Liver. Now, If you know me, you know that I am the most picky eater i think in the entire world...so when he kept bringing up how much he loved the "LIVA" (he was from New York originally and thought it was funny to say Liver=Liva), I knew that this could only end in tears. "Amy, Where is your family from??" He asked me after he took his 5th helping of Liva "Ummmm...Russia, Germany, Poland...Those places". As soon as i said those words i wish i could take them back. "Well then you MUST try some Liva...your ancestors ate it and dont u want to respect your ancestors?" what was i going to say no? I made a face at the "Liva" but my friend Avital (who is trying to force me to brach out food wise) said "Oh Amy thats a great idea...here have a little bit". So..mom...i know this is going to be hard to believe...but i ate all the "liva" that was on my plate. YUCK!

              However, now when ever there is something that Avital and I like a lot, we always say "Oh Avi, I am so loving this liva! and that is why the title of this blog is the way it is.


Midterms are DEATH!


               A few weeks ago I finished my midterms at Hebrew University. It was really hard and stressful but i managed to figure out a way to finish them all...
I only had 2 midterms luckily!
1.A holocaust midterm-Write about 2 dates or events in history that greatly influenced the Nazi  policies for the Jews
2. Continuity and Change in Modern Jewish History (this one is a little harder to explain)- write a timeline of the Jews starting in the 18th century and then compare a text and a movie we watched in class and show how these 2 sources show the assimilation process of the jews in the United States.
I have gotten both back and did well on them so i am very happy...Penn State HERE I COME!



Ma'alot: Closed weekend with Karmiel

Ma'alot, Israel

                    The weekend of Nov 12 Karmiel Headed up to Ma'alot. It is a small town in the North of Israel where one of our staff grew up. It was a very long drive but it was worth it. Ma'alot is so beautiful and I was lucky enough to stay with an amazing host family. We prayed and ate such good food. we stayed with a couple who had 5 children. all out of the house except one 17 year old. Both husband and wife had come to Israel for a gap year, went back to the states for college, and then made aliyah a few years after. We had great conversation and for saturday lunch we were greeted with one of their older sons and his family.
                    On Saturday afternoon, we went to our staffs parents house for some snacks, havdalah, and to hear his father speak. He spoke about the creating of Ma'alot and his journey there. He also spoke about the  massacre that happened in the elementary school in Ma'alot. It was very interesting and a little shocking. The weekend was overall relaxing and so enjoyable and I hope I can go back to Ma'alot very soon!



Turkey Day in Israel

Me and Ari

                Even though Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Israel, It is deffinalty celebrated on Navit. Thanksgiving is a time when the entire Nativ family (at least the ones who are in Israel) come to Beit Nativ and celebrate with Nativers of all ages. There were nativers from almost every year on nativ (including nativ 29).  Unfortunately I still had school on that fine Thursday November 25th, but after I rushed home to dress in my fall colors. I headed down to the synagouge on base 15 min early because I am in the Nativ accepella group (The Hearing-Aids as we like to joke) and we were performing that nigtht. Everyone started coming in at about 5:30 and then our festivities began. It started with Yossi Garr, our director, giving a small speech. After, we performed one of our songs. It was Lu Yehi to the tune of Let It Be. then, the lights went dark and a small video presentaion that was put together by Nativers showing what life was life on Nativ 30 2010 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Stna1NVFWZU). When the lights came up the accapella group sang our last song. it was
called Change in My Life.


Nativ 30 Accapella Group

                              we had the best food we have ever had at Agron on that Turkey Day! I mean, I most certainly missed my usual thanksgiving feast and conversation, but for Agron food standards i was pleasantly surprised. I ate turkey, stuffing, potatoes, pumpkin and apple pie, and some vegetables. It was so delicious! But I had one thing on my mind; especially after every nativ 30'er got a letter from their family. All I had on my mind was how i couldn’t wait to Skype with everyone when they are at our usual thanksgiving hang out spot, the Levins house. Later that night, at about 12 my time, it happened,  I Skyped with the family and it made my thanksgiving complete.             
     Thanksgiving is still my number one favorite holiday of all time!!!

Roshana, Rotem, Me, Avital after eating an amzing Thanksgiving dinner
(dressed in fall colors of course)

 GIRLS WEEKEND IN TEL-AVIV!

                    Avital Shoomer and I just had the BEST weekend in Tel-Aviv. We left the Friday after Thanksgiving and took the number 21 bus to the central bus station and jumped on the bus to Tel-Aviv. I have never had a more easy start to a trip.
                   The bus ride was only 25 min because for some reason there was no traffic at all...once we got to the bus station in Tel-Aviv, we got some lunch and did a little shopping (surprisingly the shopping in the Tel-Aviv bus station is really good and cheap). After a few more hours or exploring the bus station and city, we headed over to our hostel. we stayed at Hayarkon 48. It is a beautiful hostel right next to the beach. after we check in...we nap or coarse! I used to never nap and now i have at least one every day. However, we only rested for a few hours because we had a busy night ahead. what was on the agenda? first, eating at the best (and i think only) Mexican restaurant called "Mexicana" and then exploring the Tel-Aviv port.

Dinner at Mexicana

          We went to dinner at about 8:30 at had an amazing meal! It is so nice to get mexican food again. Its weird from going to having it maybe twice a day to almost never. I got a burrito and Avi got a quesadilla. The food was so delicious!
After we walked along the board walk and then took a taxi to the Tel-Aviv Port. The port was so beautiful and it was so nice to walk along the beach at night. Eventually we found this little bar on the beach with big couches. that is where we

At the Tel-Aviv Port

spent our night. We drank and talked and just enjoyed being out of Agron and Jerusalem for a little while. but, we knew that we had a big day the next day and the only bad thing about Hayarkon is that check out is at 10:30a.m.





                    after we checked out, we asked the guy at the front desk if he knew of any good breakfast placed to eat, preferable on the beach. He told us of this little place called Mantaray. He said that this place specializes in breakfast and it was only a 10 min walk. Well, it wasn't a 10 min walk..more like a 30 min walk but oh was it worth it! The food was amazing, and the service incredible. We both got pancakes that were to die for and it was right on the beach. we had a beautiful view!

Right outside the restaurant

                          Then, we hopped into a taxi and headed to the Hertzalia mall (i think it was called the 7 star mall), did a little shopping, came back to Tel-Aviv and watched the sun set. We still had a little time to kill so we caught a movie before we headed back to Jerusalem, and back to our normal lives.

                       BEST WEEKEND EVER!!