Day in Tel Aviv with Israel

We had a fantastic day spend the majority of our time with Israel, Jacquelines farthers friend. Her dad works over seas and met Israel as they were working at distributors with the Gerber company. They have become close friends over the years, and when Israel found out Jacqueline was going to be here he's been trying to setting up a time to show her around Tel Aviv. Now he supplies a large portion of Israel with all sorts of products.. many of what we use here in the center! I could tell he didn't have a lack of money at all, but he was so incredibly humble.

He came to pick us up around 2:30 drove us to Tel Aviv (about an hour away) and met his son Ariel and his girlfriend Anat. They were all so hospitable and a blast to be around! We were walking along the beach with HUGE waves. I really don't know if i've ever seen them that big. As I was walking and talking to Anat she told me that she never uses english. She had learned it in secondary school, like everyone else that grows up here, but never used it as a form of communication. I was amazed because her english was beautiful and she understood everything I said.

We headed over to Jaffa and climbed the beautiful streets as they told us the history of the town. This is one of the oldest towns mentioned in the Bible many times. Israel reminded me that Jonah and the whale took place there! We stopped to get drinks before dinner, something I had never done, but Jacqueline explained how that is a very European thing to do. I liked it! Mostly, I realized how sheltered of a life i've lived. Honestly this was almost a culture shock to me. The whole experience was so different because they didn't even know what the Mormons were. They wanted to know more, but we can't. I wish so badly I could just tell them a little bit about it!

Tel Aviv is a fairly new city of about 20 years, now very modern and beautiful with high rise towers. The city has made a conscious effort to make beautiful paths for bikers and walkers to get around the city. It was so fun to see the bustle of families and friends relaxing on the beach.  They said their main leisure activities were to do just that, mostly bike on the beach, and hang out at cafes. I've never done that! We then walked over to a train station that used to be in service, but they had renovated and now it had all kinds of shops, art galleries and restaurants. We walked through one gallery that claimed to have the very few remaining propaganda filled advertising posters. I wish we knew all the languages they were in, but we could get some idea of the importance of them.

We walked throughout the city as I marveled at the modernity we were experiencing. I think i've realized that the Jerusalem that I see, which isn't much because we've had so much school work, is a very sheltered part. We go throughout the Old city and don't see the modern world at all. They were explaining to us that they don't visit Jerusalem very much because of all of the extreme people that live there. They feel so out of place, which we do, but we're used to it. In the old city we're around the Palestinian people, and some of them really make us girls feel uncomfortable because of their lack of filter, but Tel Aviv is majorly Israeli secular Jews. The Jews in the old city are usual orthodox so they pay no mind to us. It was nice to be with people exactly like us, but with no practicing religion.

We arrived at a beautiful little restaurant, that had all sorts of beautiful decorations. (I wish I would have taken more pictures, but I felt like a tourist around them) I got to eat Goose liver, which was delicious. Before I put it in my mouth I had to keep telling myself, "Don't think about what you're eating. People eat this all the time and survive. You're going to be ok." Then I could enjoy it. We used it as a spread on delicious bread. It had a sweet taste to it because we were told they used jelly in the liver mixture. Jacqueline and I shared lamb, which i've never had before! It was comparable to a lot of other meat, but it was topped with garlic (mom, you would have loved it!) I felt like a weakling because it was so hard to cut and I took the longest to eat, thank goodness everyone gave Mike their food so he didn't make me feel so bad for eating so slow. Then desert came... it was to die for. We had chocolate crunchy bits of amazingness, 4 kinds of pudding-ish dishes, and some sort of cake that all six of us shared.

The conversation over dinner was a little bit difficult for me because he had spent about 4 hours with them and asked them every question to my knowledge without talking about the gospel. I feel like the church is so much involved with my life I find it hard to not refer back to it. Our cultures are just so different, for example I asked if they played any musical insturment. No, it's not in their culture. Most everyone in the church plays musical instruments. They didn't play any sports in high school because It's focused on studies. What holidays did they celebrate? All the ones they knew about were the Jewish holidays, but they don't celebrate them because they are secular Jews. Have you met my mother? We look SO forward to every holiday, and it's what we discuss a lot of the time. When I was home for the 6 weeks before I came here I spent every week in the mountains either at our cabin, four wheeling, or hiking. I love being out doors! Their mountains are the beach. Each citizen of Israel is required to serve in the Army for 2 years. I didn't even know what kind of questions to ask them about the army, because I know so little about it. It was so so SO great to meet people so different than me! Then I realize we're all the same. They're my brothers and sisters.

I was so impressed by the focus of family here. They had 5 kids in their family, which is big for families around here. I asked Israel about his grandchildren and he said, "each kid is required to have 6 babies. Even ask Ariel." We turn to Ariel and ask him how many children he is required to have, he replied 6! I asked Anat how she felt about this and she said, "no way am I going to have six!" They teasingly told her when they started dating (They had been dating for 3 years, moving in together next month and possibly getting married next year) that she had to have six babies. All the children stay close to their parents here! Ariel explained to me that Beersheva where he was attending school was SOOOO far away being 1 and 1/2 hours. He still came home every weekend to be with the family. How cool is that? It's the culture.

On our drive home we got to hear Israels point of view on the Palestinian- Israeli conflict. He was so level headed compared to the extreme opinions we have gotten from the people we associate with. He explained it if Utah became too dangerous for my family we would leave for several years and then try to come back when the problem had been subdued, but other people lived in our house. It would be so hard. All reserve a right to be there, but that was their house. The same with the Palestinians. They had to leave because of fear, but their houses got resettled with Israeli people. It's such a hard issue. I hope one day it will be figured out. Maybe, not for some time, but it seems so difficult right now.

Travel is also such a major part of their lives. They have visited Spain multiple times, turkey, South America, America multiple times, and a couple others I can't remember. It's their culture. Then I asked if they had ever been to Egypt, because that's really the only place I might be able to relate with them. They replied of course not. That's Palestinian land, and way to dangerous for them. I found that so interesting. It made the conflict real to me. A place that most people in the world love to visit because of the history, and they are so close to it, but can't go in fear of their lives.

Also, he told about his son Ariels experience with cancer. He had been in the army, with a very prestigious group of to-be-commanders (i believe) and then found a lump on his tongue. He had to leave his troop, which was excelling and raising in ranks. He got it checked out and they flew him to New York to the best surgeon in the world. He had a 14 hour surgery and a very VERY difficult 3 week recovery in the hospital (his father said that Ariel watched grandmas zoom past him in their walkers, while he was too week to walk very far) and multiple months at home. He had a 6 inch scar on his throat and a 8 inch scar on his wrist where they took the veins from his arms to use for the tongue and then plastic surgery from his leg to patch his arm. With many hard times for multiple months he suffered, but eventually after special permission got to join his squad again in the army. He served in Lebanon and Syria in dangerous circumstances, and from what I could tell (because of his humility) he was in prestigious ranks.

We spend the most wonderful day with such generous people. It's an understatement to say I'm learning SO much. I feel like my brain is on overload way too often. I am so grateful for these experiences that I am having here.