LONG OVERDUE
It has been almost two months since my last post. Long overdue. I am not sure exactly why I stopped, but I think a number of factors played a role. Mainly, I got really comfortable here. I moved into a new apartment and suddenly I no longer felt like a tourist, or the international intern spending a few months abroad. I became settled. I didn't feel the need to take advantage of weekend trips because I was comfortable resting in my little nook in Haifa. This also meant that my life grew so routine for me, that I didn't see a need to write about it.
When I first came to Haifa, I noticed something that most travelers working in Arab neighborhoods notice - EVERYONE somehow knows each other, or at least knows of each other. This means that cars will stop on narrow one lane roads, with five cars behind them, so they can say hello to their 2nd cousin twice removed who they happened to see passing by. It is a friendly, and quite familiar environment. Well, after 3 months or so, I seemed to have gathered enough friends, or at the very least, acquaintance friends, and grew closer to becoming one of those people. I walk into my usual cafe and am greeted by name, I am given discounts at my favorite falafel place, and I will usually have small chats with a few people I recognize when I walk down the street.
The vibe I get here is somewhat reminiscent of the small-town feeling I would get watching Gilmore Girls. It's comfortable. Haifa has become a new sort of home for me, one that I developed independently. Like any place, it has its ups and downs, but I have grown to love my time here. As I get closer to the six month mark - which amazes me to even utter or write because it seems to have gone by so quickly, it becomes ever clearer to me that my return to the states will be a far greater culture shock than what I experienced when arriving here.
While I will undoubtedly be overjoyed to see all of my family and friends - a feeling that can never be replaced, I am nervous about my return home. I am rather unsure about how I will adapt to life back in Los Angeles after everything I have seen and experienced here.
I will take some time to give minor updates on a few of the things I have done in the past 2 months, but first here is a look at the apartment that sucked me into Haifa and made me feel at home.
Entry to the Building
Arriving at our Door
After climbing the stairs to the top floor...
Terrace Entry to our Apartment
View of the Carmel Mountain
View of the Sea
When I first came to Haifa, I noticed something that most travelers working in Arab neighborhoods notice - EVERYONE somehow knows each other, or at least knows of each other. This means that cars will stop on narrow one lane roads, with five cars behind them, so they can say hello to their 2nd cousin twice removed who they happened to see passing by. It is a friendly, and quite familiar environment. Well, after 3 months or so, I seemed to have gathered enough friends, or at the very least, acquaintance friends, and grew closer to becoming one of those people. I walk into my usual cafe and am greeted by name, I am given discounts at my favorite falafel place, and I will usually have small chats with a few people I recognize when I walk down the street.
The vibe I get here is somewhat reminiscent of the small-town feeling I would get watching Gilmore Girls. It's comfortable. Haifa has become a new sort of home for me, one that I developed independently. Like any place, it has its ups and downs, but I have grown to love my time here. As I get closer to the six month mark - which amazes me to even utter or write because it seems to have gone by so quickly, it becomes ever clearer to me that my return to the states will be a far greater culture shock than what I experienced when arriving here.
While I will undoubtedly be overjoyed to see all of my family and friends - a feeling that can never be replaced, I am nervous about my return home. I am rather unsure about how I will adapt to life back in Los Angeles after everything I have seen and experienced here.
I will take some time to give minor updates on a few of the things I have done in the past 2 months, but first here is a look at the apartment that sucked me into Haifa and made me feel at home.
Entry to the Building
Arriving at our Door
After climbing the stairs to the top floor...
Terrace Entry to our Apartment
View of the Carmel Mountain
View of the Sea