i'm coming home

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't posted in so long! Happy Hanukah from Israel!I've been very busy finished up my trip in Israel. Over the past few weeks I've been cramming last minute info before my finals, while getting over a stomach bug that wiped out half the kids on my trip. I swear, twelve kids were sick at the same time! It was crazy. Before that, I spent a week in Gadna, a IDF (Israeli Defense Force) program for high school kids to give Israeli teens a taste of the army before they enlist. In case you were not aware, it's the law to go into the army when you turn eighteen. We've spent a lot of time in my Jewish History class debating whether or not all teens should have to enlist, etc. It's a very controversial topic, even today. Anyway, for five days, my friends and I had to wear the Israeli uniform and count backwards in Hebrew (which I can do by the way!) and learn how to crawl on the ground, run from grenades, build shelters, fire M16s, and so much more. Although I was incredibly miserable and sore throughout the week, the second I left I realized how incredible the experience truly was. Also, I recently made the decision to return to Israel this summer on another NFTY program with my camp friends. Even though I'll be doing a lot of the same things here, it's going to be a whole different experience with my friends from camp. I'm really really excited, and I'm so happy I fell in love with Israel as much as I did! Anyway, I wanted to let you know I'll be returning to the United States in 6 DAYS! I'm so excited! I can't wait to see my family, my friends, my bed, a home cooked meal, and people speaking in English. When I get back home I will most definitely get back into the swing of blogging again; it was much harder than I expected it to be. I hope my posts have been keeping you interested enough! See you soon, xx

One Year Anniversary

Ahhhhh I've been such a bad blogger!! I haven't even checked my blogger profile in months, and failed to see the anniversary of my blog! The history of my blog is a little on the complicated side. I started about two years ago in April 2010 on tumblr. My blog back then was merely a place for me to store specific thoughts and rambles. In September 2010, I switched the blogger, and Just Me With A T became a full-time fashion blog. So I suppose this isn't really the one year anniversary of my blog, but let's just call it the One Year Fashion Anniversary. I hope you all enjoy my blog as much as I enjoy blogging. I'm hoping to continue my blog much more constant when I return from Israel in a few weeks, where the internet will be more accessible. Thank you so much for all the support over the years, through the comments and encouragement! In the past year, I have been featured on teenvogue.com, wore my first pair of heels to school, and  built up a stronger fashion sense for myself which has hopefully rubbed off on others! Thanks again for all the support, and keep reading! xxx

Never Forget

This past week was spent exploring the Jewish history and the Holocaust in Poland. After waking up bright and early Sunday morning, we flew to Vienna and then finally arrived in Warsaw. The first thing I noticed at the mall was how incredible beautiful the women in Europe are! Their clothes were so nice, it was so incredible! Later that day we visited a Jewish cemetery and an old ghetto wall. The next day was spent at a shtettle, and ended with a emotional memorial service in a forest where 1400 Jews were massacred during the Holocaust. The next day we visited Maidanek, a small concentration camp. We visited the barracks where the Jews slept 15 people to a bed, and walked through the gas chambers and crematoriums. Our tour ended with seeing a heartbreaking pile of ashes probably ten stories high. That was the only part of my trip that I cried. The next day was spent exploring the old city of Krakow. We visited several old synagogues and visited the Jewish quarter. I unfortunately did not get to see one of my favorite bloggers, Weronika (check her blog out, it's incredible!) but I did enjoy seeing the city. Later that day we followed the path of the Jews in Krakow; we visited the ghetto they were issued to, then visited Plascow, the concentration camp they were all sent to when the ghetto was liquidated. We ended the day visiting Shindler's Factory, which if any of you have watched Shindler's List, you will know how incredible this experience was. If you haven't seen the movie, I really recommend it! The last day in Poland was spent exploring Auschwitz, the largest concentration camp of all. We spent the morning walking through Birkenau, the largest of the four parts of Auschwitz, also knows as Auschwitz II. That afternoon we took a guided tour through Auschwitz I, which has been made into a museum. After a delayed tour and crunching time, we rushed to the airport and made our Vienna flight, and almost missed our Tel Aviv flight! After getting back to Kibbutz Tzuba at around 1:30 am, we moved into our rooms and went right to bed. All I can say is that Poland is an indescribable experience that every person (Jewish or not) should take part in at some point in their life. The story of the Holocaust is a heart-wrenching story that every person (again, Jewish or not) should be fully educated in. One problem that our generation faces is that soon every single survivor of the Holocaust will have passed away, unable to tell their story. If our generation doesn't continue to tradition of educating others about the Holocaust, who will? Please, if you have any questions about the Shoah (the Hebrew word for Holocaust) please feel free to shoot me an email or comment below! Since the internet still has not been fixed here on the Kibbutz, there was no way I could post all 650 photos I took in Poland on my blog or on facebook. The photo above was in Birkenau, of a rock found on top of a tombstone. I thought that this photo truly represented my experience in Poland. Off to Elait and Gadna (High School Army Experience) next week, then only three more weeks till I come home! xx

gilad shalit

These past few weeks have been insane! Holiday after holiday lead to a very packed and confusing schedule for the past three weeks. For sukkot, I visited one of my counselors from this past summer, and stayed at her house in Rishon. I also went to a barbecue at another one of my counselor's houses; it was so great to see everyone! After two days of vacation, I was off to the Kineret. For the next six days, I was hiking from the Kineret to the Mederteranian Sea on a program called Yam El Yam, or Sea to Sea. It was a grueling but extremely rewarding experience. I went six straight days without showering, we slept in the wilderness, we cooked our own meals, and had to navigate ourselves on the right trails. On the last day of hiking, after a strenuous hike up to some crusader castles, a loud rumbling noise was heard over head. All of a sudden, several helicopters flew over us and landed across the valley. If you are unaware of the events occurring in Israel right now, Gilad Shalit, an Israeli solider who was kidnapped more than five years ago, has been released to Israel in exchange for 1,027 Palestian prisoners. The deal was only made official last week, and I was so excited to be in Israel when Gilad was finally able to return home. I never would have expected to physically see him land! We watched as the helicopters landed, and we were so close we could hear cameras flashing. I can't even begin to explain how shaken I was, and how absolutely amazing I feel knowing that I experienced first hand a part of Israeli history. The next day, we biked the last two miles down to the Mederteranian Sea, and got to swim in the ocean, as well as dump a bottle of water we took from the Kineret into the Mederteranian Sea. It was an absolutely outstanding experience. After Yam el Yam, we visited Kibbutz Gezer for a Simchat Torah celebration. We sat through services (some of the most fun I've had in a long time) and danced the night away with my friends (and ate about five or six granny smith apples; I think I'm obsessed). I hope you all had a very very happy holiday who ever celebrated! My parents are flying out tomorrow; I'm so excited to show them Israel!!! Chag Sameach!

photo diary

Brief preview of my very messy hotel room. We've been really busy the past few weeks with all the Jewish holidays messing with our schedule! Stay tuned for a very detailed post about my sukkot this past week! 

Vintage Dress, Urban Cardigan and Oxfords, H&M Belt

Forever 21 Top, H&M Pants, Camel Shoes

Urban Top, H&M Shorts and Sneakers, Frenchi Tights

rosh hashanah

Shana Tovah everyone!
Sorry it's taken me so long to get a post done. The internet is non-existent here along side with the eleven hour work days, making it quite difficult to blog! I finally put my camera to good use and got some pictures of my friends and some of the beautiful sights we've been visiting. In the past few weeks we've crawled through the water tunnels in the City of David, explored the ancient mansions of the Tzudukim, climbed Masada, covered our bodies in mud and floated in the Dead Sea, and ate my first falafel! School just broke for Rosh Hashana, and on Wednesday I'll be off to my friend Emma's house for the holiday! Excited for delicious home cooked meals, fun-filled afternoons of much-needed retail therapy, and lots & lots of sleep. Hopefully the internet will be much better at her house so I'll be able to update more often! xx

sunrise while climbing Masada

somewhere only we know

I just finished my first full week of school here in Israel! Who knew 9 hours of school could be so impossible! Working till 11:30 at night every day is leaving me with absolutely no time to get blogging done! So I was ecstatic when we were given 4+ hours of free time on Shabbat! And thank god for Molly, my fabulous roommate and photographer! We walked around the beautiful Kibbutz taking photos in the herb garden, intersections, and in front of random bushes. Here's a photo diary of all my back-to-school outfits for the first week!

First day of school outfit:

F21 Top

Nordstrom's Vest

Saver's Shorts

Gap Sandals

pretzels & nutella all day every day

F21 Top

Urban Cardigan

H&M Pants

Gap Sandals

American Apparel Bow

Taken from my balcony! Wearing the dress backwards cuz I find it more interesting.

Urban Dress

Nordstrom's Belt

Urban Oxfords

new favorite hairstyle: double braid

Credit to Molly for picking the outfit & location! The beautiful herb garden behind our hotel!

Urban Shirt

H&M Vest

F21 Shorts

Urban Oxfords

shabbat shalom from the western wall

Tonight was probably one of the most incredible nights of my life. Celebrating my first shabbat in Israel, we went into Jerusalem and visited the Western Wall. I was able to write a little prayer on the slip of paper, and cram it into a crevice at the face of the wall. On my way back to my group, I was pulled into a large group of girls dancing and singing Israeli songs. One woman grabbed my hand and pulled me into a horah with her and a few other woman inside the circle! I was laughing and dancing and clapping and having a great time with complete strangers! They were so sweet and welcoming! I was so moved by the community and respect everyone had for each other. I can't wait to go back into the city tomorrow night to shop. Here's a mini photo diary of today's festivities.

Gap Sweater, TJ Maxx Maxi Skirt