Day 5-6. Ordinary People.

12:30 am Israel time. I just woke up from a mini-nap that I didn’t realize I was taking until just a few minutes ago. Must’ve been tired. I’m sitting here listening to that John Legend song, “Ordinary People,” and I want to share the stories of some extra-ordinary people I have met during my trip that have taught me something new or made my trip interesting in some way. Let me introduce you to…

A Manager I Know
She’s a manager at my company, and we are grabbing lunch together in the cafeteria. We talk about the movie, Waltz with Bashir, which I had seen the other night. Talking about the movie reminds her of her childhood memories and of the Lebanon War. In particular, she recalls her own feelings of fear that one day she would see her father’s name displayed as a casualty of the war on tv. During our conversation, I notice she is talking openly and pretty nonchalantly as if she has accepted these childhood memories of war as being a normal part of her life. From an American perspective, I can’t even imagine what that type of fear feels like. And, if I think about it, there are children currently in Israel and Palestine building the same childhood memories that she did as a child.

The Cat-Hating Squirrel Lover
I met her on my last trip to Israel. She’s spunky and full of energy. She travels the world, sometimes alone. She’s got an adventurous spirit, and you don’t have to spend much time with her to see that.

We’re talking about squirrels in the States and how some of our team members find them to be the cutest creatures on earth. Squirrels don’t exist in Israel. I never realized or ever thought about a squirrel being anything other than roadkill or Max’s nemesis at home.

I mention that I’ve noticed there are street cats ALL over Tel Aviv. Cats are everywhere and are Tel Aviv’s version of roadkill and pests. She hates them. Apparently, during cats’ mating season (whenever that is), they make an awful screeching noise in the streets that carry on into the night. She says you can hear the sound through the windows and it never ends. I cringe and have the reaction of nails on a chalkboard. I have a new appreciation for squirrels.

The Software Developer
She’s shy and is showing me how to run a report in the system. She lives near Jerusalem and commutes into Tel Aviv every day for work. Her boyfriend lives in southern Israel somewhat closer to Gaza, and travels past Tel Aviv every day for his work. I ask how they meet. They were both programmers when they met in the military. Her story seems cuter as she talks to me bashfully.

The Office Security Guard
He tells me he’s never been to the States because he’s been denied a travel visa twice. It’s hard to get a travel visa, he says. Work or student visa is different.

Apparently, a lot of Israeli young adults visit the States after finishing their mandatory military service. Some go to travel and others go to earn under-the-table-cash as furniture movers, paint sellers, Dead Sea product sellers, etc. After earning money, they go off to Latin America to travel and spend the few thousands of dollars that they have earned.

The Builder & The Architect
It’s 10 pm, and I decide to grab dinner at Brasserie. The owners of Brasserie also own Coffee Bar (my favorite place so far), and I want to see how the two compare. I get to Brasserie thinking that my chances of getting a seat are decent since I am getting there late. I end up sitting at the very end of the bar because the restaurant is hustling and bustling with no open tables. As I settle into the stool at the bar, my right elbow keeps bumping into the wall. I order coq au vin and a glass of red wine from Flam Winery. As I wait for my meal, I decide to read my book, The Five People You Will Meet in Heaven. My roomie (if she’s reading this) is probably wondering why I still haven’t finished that book. My excuse is that I have been busy.

The guy sitting two over from me speaks over his girlfriend and asks where I am from in the States. He had heard my accent when I was ordering food. We’re two very different people. He’s the self-admitted “loud guy from NYC,” and I’m the low-key girl from San Francisco reading her book while sitting in a trendy hot-spot in a hoodie. At least I was wearing a pseudo-trendy shirt…more like Euro-style shirt from Spain that I intentionally brought to Israel. I never wear it but I thought I could get away with it in a foreign country.

He owns a commercial building company that brings in more than $XXXM a year. He also owns a black AmEx card and lives in a $7k 1-bedroom in Chelsea. He never went to college, and he says the next time I am in NYC, I should contact him if I want to eat at a nice restaurant but can’t get through to the reservation line. He has hook-ups. Sweeeeeeet.

He is visiting his girlfriend, the architect. She’s Israeli but used to live in NYC for 10 years. I especially like her. She’s strong and independent and loves her job as an architect. We talk about an architecture firm that I almost interned at in college (Perkins & Will). She and I connect on our family and work values, even though we’re both unmarried and without children. She hates the prissy, spoiled girls (e.g., the ones from Long Island haha) that feel entitled to luxury and snobbery. I don’t meet many of those types of girls in the Bay Area, but I agree with her. I don’t like that type of female breed. Somehow, I respect women with a level of commitment to success and achievement. Success and achievement can be defined differently for each person, but the level of commitment is so important.

[Pictured from left to right: His glass, her glass, my glass.]

Two Old-Time Military Buddies
The two Israeli men sitting behind us at Brasserie see that the two Americans and the Israeli girlfriend are having a fun time. The men are about my parents’ age. One of the men taps me on my back and asks if I’m Korean. How did he know?

He’s visiting the motherland and catching up with his old friend from his military days. He’s an anesthesiologist from Michigan and works with a lot of Korean doctors. His friend, the other man at the table, is the chief of the police force’s psychotherapy unit. Both served in the Lebanon War of 1982. The psychotherapist says Waltz with Bashir is accurately portrayed.

I think the anesthesiologist wants a Korean-Jewish daughter-in-law haha.

A French Wine Merchant
I walk to Azrieli Center from my office to check out my boss’s favorite Israeli clothing store called Scoop. Just outside the Center, I see a film crew shooting a woman walking down the street. I am definitely in the footage as I walk past the woman while she crosses the street towards me. I thought about being obnoxious and funny by busting out a fobby “V” sign with my fingers, but I decided to walk normally. However, if you happen to be watching some Israeli commercial or tv show, and you think you see me in my fleece Marmot jacket, then I am telling you that you really did see me.

At the Center, I see a wine shop, so I go in to peruse the shelves of reds and whites. I end up buying three reds, but seriously, I don't drink that much! I know, doesn't seem like it from my blog entries. :P

The Jewish wine merchant from France keeps insisting that I have to buy the Yatir bottle and that the Tulip bottle is not only very tasty, but also benefits a good cause. [The Tulip Winery employs people with disabilities.] He also recommends the Saslove bottle as a good bottle to have at dinner. I will take the Saslove to dinner at my coworker’s house tomorrow.

As a courtesy for being a good patron, I get a small tasting of Kentucky Bourbon. The wine merchant offers without me asking, to take a picture of me.

The Hotel Receptionist
She’s from northern Israel and is studying in Tel Aviv while working part-time. I ask if it’s too late to schedule a tour for Saturday. With the war still going on, I have decided to keep a safe, low-key weekend in Israel…hang out in Tel Aviv on Friday and then maybe spend the day in Galilee or Nazareth on Saturday where it’s safe. I don’t want to go anywhere close to south Israel.

Bethlehem would be a nice option, except it is located in the West Bank. Palestinian culture seems interesting and all…but…maybe I will take a raincheck this time. Galilee is further away, and most of my time would be spent on a bus.

No thanks. I’m going to Nazareth.

[To be continued]