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