Why can't every weekend be like this?

The way every day should end...

In the last two weeks the weather here in Tel Aviv has shifted from "summer" to "I'm melting."

Which basically means that you sweat standing still in the shade at 8am.

So, to beat the heat and mark the arrival of real summer in Israel...

we went camping on the beach last weekend.

The tent city.

I have to say, Israelis just get how to do summer.

After a quick drive to less-crowded beaches north of Tel Aviv, Itzik and his man-friends took less than 30 min to set up a large common tent, a kitchen, a small tent city, and the relaxing began.

Not bad for the first thing you see when you wake up on a Saturday morning...

Waitin' for Mom to wake up.

We spent Friday night and Saturday grilling, drinking, swimming, drinking, eating, drinking...you get it.

It never ceases to amaze me how remarkably peaceful it is if you just get a stone's throw outside of Tel Aviv.

Steak, drinks, bonfires, friends, soft sand, and the Mediterranean Sea...

this is summer done right.

My heart is in Boston.

On Monday evening Itzik and I went out for dinner with friends to a lovely Italian restaurant to celebrate  Israel’s Independence Day. Libbie and her husband Tzahi joined us and we all made merry. That is, until Libbie and I received news alerts on our phone about the Boston Bombing. Libbie and I met (and fell in love) in Boston, and we both immediately began scouring the interwebs for information about what happened, and for word from our friends and families there. I had been following updates all day from friends of mine who were in Boston to run the marathon, and when I heard about two bombs detonating near the finish line I felt my heart drop into my stomach. The rest of my evening was spent making calls and checking Facebook in an effort to account for anyone who may have been downtown that day (thankfully, most of my friends in Boston usually avoid the shitshow that is downtown Boston on Marathon Monday) and I was grateful to learn quickly that my loved ones were safe.

It is hard to put into words the feelings I experienced after learning about this. Confused. Sad. Scared. Homesick. Sick. Worried. When I lived in Boston and followed Israeli news (esp after Libbie moved to Tel Aviv) it was always upsetting to learn about terrorism happening here. But it was never altogether surprising. It is, after all, the Middle East. These things have a context here. That context never mitigates the horror and sadness of terrorism, but there’s a frame of reference and usually there’s never any doubt about the motive. 

When it comes to Monday’s events in Boston, however, there is no context. And for me to be living here, in Israel- where a certain level of violence is expected on occasion- and to watch bombs exploding in Boston? It was surreal. Videos of the explosions were online before we even paid the bill, and I watched in horror on my phone as buildings I used to walk by daily were torn apart. The Boston setting was familiar, and the scene of terror was familiar- but I could not wrap my head around the two together….and it made me homesick in a way I haven’t experienced until now. Knowing how 'commonplace' things like this are for my Israeli friends deepens my respect for the Israeli experience. It also makes me hope that those in Boston effected by this tragedy can rebound from their pain, and stand strong against whomever is to blame.

When Israel and Hamas went to war a few months ago, I had an experience of war and terrorism that was new for me. And the biggest lesson I learned from Israelis was this: if the fear prevents you from living your life, the terrorists have won. You must press on, you must garner strength from the knowledge that life will always conquer death, good will prevail over evil.

So, to my friends and loved ones in Boston- my heart is with you. I am overjoyed and utterly relieved that you are all ok, and I wish so much that I could be there with you right now. My heart breaks for our city, and for those who were affected by this tragedy. I pray that whomever is to blame will not be allowed a victory of fear. May justice be swift, and recovery short.

UPDATE: my friend Jen lives in Boston and wrote an account of her experience here. Jen and I worked together at the David Project, and she moved to Israel a year before me. She's an American-Israeli who has studied counter-terrorism, and the article is excellent. Check it out.

------------------------

A quick (but nonetheless important) aside:

Four years ago, I drove a new little family home from Mass General Hospital, and was introduced to a little girl who would change my world forever- Liron Etta. I watched my good friends Sasha and Ellen become exemplary parents overnight, and I hope that one day my family will be half as happy as theirs. I had the privelage of becoming a part of their family, and the memories we made together are precious to me.

You guys are my family, and today I wish more than ever that I could be with you to celebrate. I miss you every day, and I can’t wait to be back this summer to make more memories together. Keep a place for me at the table, and in your hearts.

Happy birthday, Liron!! I love you so much.

Hungry? I was.

I had a really special visit with my family in Erie. Mom and I spent time with her sister and my cousins at their summer cottage on Lake Erie, watched the sunset after grilling burgers and reminisced about the long long ago. I spent mornings (and afternoons) chatting with my father over coffee about life and love and finances and politics. I visited with a few childhood friends and caught up on the changes that life has brought us- boyfriends, babies, and a penchant for alliteration (apparently).

It was truly refreshing. And fattening. Honestly, I think I've gained like 10 lbs since landing on US soil. If you'll remember, this doesn't come as huge surprise- food is my favorite part of being American (well, its my favorite part of living, I guess). My entire trip has been oriented around how to procure my favorite meals. Erie was the most artery-clogging, soul-rejuvenating menu of all. Steak and fresh sweet corn, deviled eggs, hamburger stroganoff, John's Pizza, eggs goldenrod, standing rib roast and mashed potatoes (Christmas on Labor Day!), ribs (the day before Labor Day), donuts, burgers...ugh, theres more but instead of telling you I'll just show you. 

Dad puts on his game face for Christmas dinner 

Aebleskiver (swedish pancakes, a Christmas morning tradition)

Eggs goldenrod (aka hard boiled egg heaven)

Jill's Maine-themed experimental brunch- popovers, jam, and millions of other treats

Yum. To all of it.

 It's a good thing that I'll begin sweating this all off as soon as I step off the plane and smack into the wall of Tel Aviv humidity that awaits me next week.

My friend Clay

I have a Canadian friend named Clay from my time Tel Aviv University.

We both lived in the dorms last fall, and he was also in my program.

Clay showed up in random places, all the time.

Once, I got on a bus I'd never taken before in Tel Aviv. 

Clay got on at the stop after me.

Another time, I turned down a street in Tel Aviv I'd never been on before.
Clay walked by.

One time I was giving my friend Joel a piggy back ride over some puddles after a rainstorm.

I heard someone chuckling behind us...Clay, duh. He told us he'd just saved an old lady in the street.

Yesterday I was in my parents' house in Pennsylvania sorting through old clothes.

Truth. Clay rang the doorbell. 

So, here is a collection of photos from this year where Clay is doing what Clay does best- 

hangin' around.

Okay, Clay isn't in this one, but this was his housewarming gift- a broken vase and flowers he found on the street. Vintage Clay.

Clay is on the left with the long hair.

On the right kinda behind the plaid umbrella.

Top right, grey shirt, black sunglasses- cool as a cucumber.

Yesterday.
Note the rays given off by his heavenly aura (which can only be seen by smartphones and pure souls, like babies and puppies).


Dear Clayton-

Thank you for stopping by! It was great to see you. I still don't understand how you found my parents' house. Kol hakavod. Well played. I hope you have fun at the 24-hour Wal-Mart.

Jenna

Home is wherever I'm with you.

A few days ago I rented a car (Budget rental = balagan)

 and made the nine-hour drive to my parents' house in Pennsylvania.

It was nothing but me, blue skies, and the open road...

...oh, and the radio playing Taylor Swift's new song "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" 

three times an hour- you do the math.

Being home with my parents is like coming up for air. I'm used to being away from home, but there's something imperceptibly harder about being on a different continent from them. I can't fully express the feeling of peace I get from being with them. Lunches with Mom, mornings with Dad, steaks on the grill...

life is good.

Dad asked me the other day what I missed most about America. 

"Besides you? Target."

Truth.

Besides fawning over my parents and shopping at my favorite discount stores,

I've been enjoying catching up with old friends. 

Holly is one of my best friends from high school, and when I left for Israel she was VERY pregnant. 

Now she's a mom, and my mind is officially blown.

Her son, Kieran, is incredible, and we (of course) loved each other immediately.

I know, he does't look thrilled about me, but just trust me on this one. We had some laughs.

Lately I catch myself referring to many places as 'home'...Erie, Boston, Tel Aviv. Is this self-delusion? A lie? Or is it, rather, an acknowledgement that a place becomes home because there are people in that place who you love and who love you right back. It's hard for me (someone who feels things very deeply) to say goodbyes. It always has been. But moving around the world has made me realize just how blessed I am to have so many different people counted among those I call family. And my family is always growing. 

Okay, I'll leave you with a little gem from my parent's living room. 

A reward for reading to the end of the post. 

Don't adjust your screen. 

This is real.

Shazam!

...without skipping a beat.

One of my favorite parts of being back in Boston is saying hello to the neighborhood characters who set the stage when I lived here- the guys in the dry cleaners downstairs, Miguel at the bodega on the corner, Derek in the hair salon on my block- every time the small talk goes something like this:

them: "woah! hey! it's been forever."

me: "yeah, hi! its been about a year. how are you?"

them: "good, good. you? where have you been? are you back for good?"

me: "No, I live in Israel now. I just come back here to do my dry cleaning." (chuckles ensue...)

These conversations are amusing, and I have to admit that I get a little ego boost from telling people about my time abroad. 

I wanted to move for so long, and I made it happen. I did it. 

Surely that affords me some bragging rights, nu? 

So, I've been in Boston for a little over a week now, 

and aside from those little conversations, I really feel like I've just stepped back into the life I left behind when I moved to Tel Aviv last fall. 

And thanks to my new smartphone...I'm capturing every moment.

Here are some of the photographic highlights:

Chilling in my old neighborhood (love the South End) 

Going to yoga at my old studio 

(check out Sadhana if you're local, it's fantastic)

This is so true, right?

Spending time with good friends 

Ilya's private garden has really grown

everybody has smartphones now...

an outdoor screening of The King's Speech with Mary in the North End

putting on my game face for Field Day (I medaled in Cornhole, nbd)

Watching Liron frolic during a Jazz concert in Union Park

post-field day drinks at some dive bar in JP, of course (Marzipan loves JP)

Riding the T like a pro (not a big deal)

Hangin' out with my favorite little girl (Liron Etta...it's love)

we had a girls' night when Sasha and Ellen saw a movie, 

and when it was time to go to sleep Liron's cute little voice rang out with 

"...maybe Jenna will cuddle with you before you go to sleep." 

How could I say no?

So, all in all, I've been having a great time. I miss my friends in Israel, and I miss Itzik like crazy- but Skype makes it bearable, and I'm trying to focus on enjoying every moment here while I can. 

There's lots upcoming, so stay tuned!