Hebrew Words I Love

• mishmish--I love saying this word. It means "apricot" but it's so fun to say.
• melafafone--Also so much fun to say! It means "cucumber"
• lafa falafal--My reasons for loving this word are twofold. One, it's also really fun to say. And two, it's delicious! It's a really big falafel that comes in a huge pita that they fold over, instead of the pocket pita.
• balagan--This is just the most useful word in the world. It means something like "chaos," but Israelis use it all the time. For example, in the gan where I work: "When we go to the pool, make sure to keep your sandals, hat, and towel in the same place so that there won't be BALAGAN." Balagan, balagan, balagan. It's also the name of the kiddie amusement park on the kibbutz, which is a play on words: it also means "ba la'gan," or "come to the park."

Yesterday I went to Tel Aviv AGAIN! This time to say goodbye to my fun and dear friend Lily, whom I met on birthright. She's supposed to fly home today, but by the time I left Tel Aviv last night she was having second thoughts. Israel sucks you in like that. So who knows--maybe she hasn't flown home yet, after all!

It was lots of fun in T.A., as always. Lazar came down with me, and there was a great group of people there. Lily, of course, and Gil, one of our armed guards who was with us on birthright, and Meital, the soldier from birthright whom I visited a week and a half ago. Also two of Gil's friends, two more of Lily's friends, this awesome guy Dan who I met when I went to Jerusalem a few weeks ago, and a friend of his from the hostel he's staying at, a guy named Ben from London.

We went swimming and boogie boarding in the ocean, smoked some nargila on the beach, and went out for Ethiopian food. Not a bad night at all!

Tomorrow there is no shiur (class) because we're all going on a trip to Tel Aviv. Looks like I just can't get away from that city!

I love how much of Israel is coast and beach and sea.