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Next stop: New York City and New Orleans!

Hello all! 

I hope you're ready for a new adventure, because I certainly am! This summer I'll be traveling to New York City and New Orleans, the former of which I have always been near but never really had a chance to explore, and the latter of which I have never been to before. 

Since Israel, I have actually been to Mexico and South Korea, but I mistakenly neglected to capture my experiences in this blog. :( Summer is a time of renewed vows and resolve though, so I am hereby reviving this traveling tumblr. 

Leaving Michigan tomorrow bright and early at 7 am-let the adventures begin! 

So happy to be tasting all sorts of colors again. :) See you all in the Big Apple! 

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Until next time, Israel!

Tomorrow, at 10:40 am, I am officially flying out of Israel on El Al. This is the biggest understatement in the world, but what a whirlwind of an experience this summer has been! 

As someone who is neither Jewish nor connected to Israel in any way, I really had NO idea whatsoever about anything when I first came. Now, I can you tell you about Jerusalem and all of the other places I managed to visit during my stay here, a little bit about the political and educational system here, an overview of the colorful religious scene here, and much, much more than I ever thought I would know! 

More than the materialistic things I enjoyed here (the FOOD, the trips, the places, etc.), I really just want to give a shout-out to all of the wonderful, amazing people I've had the privilege of meeting this summer. You are some of the most passionate, curious, brilliant, and caring people I know, so I hope that many of you will keep in touch! 

In this blog, I hoped to at least somewhat capture my experiences here, but I really don't think I could ever express everything accurately either verbally or through the written word. I can only wrap up by saying that Israel is one of the most genuine places I have ever been in: genuine both in how much the country is grounded in reality and genuine in the incredible sincerity of its people.

Thank you to everyone who made this summer an unforgettable one. Though I don't know when I'll be back next, rest assured that this is by no means a permanent goodbye! 

Until next time, Israel! And as for this blog, until the next time I travel, which will hopefully be soon! :)

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Friday, August 3rd, 2012

As a last trip in Israel, my friend Rachel (fellow Yalie) and I decided to take a trip to Beit She'an, which is the largest excavation site in Israel. Beit She'an is one of the oldest cities in Israel and it went through a fascinating history: first, it was conquered by the Egyptians, then the Romans took it over, followed by the Byzantines. Later, it was destroyed by an earthquake and its ownership changed a couple of times again. Most of what we saw were gorgeous, gorgeous Roman and Byzantine architecture. It was absolutely stunning: 

The Roman Amphitheater:

Magnificent Palladius St.: 

Broken columns:

They say that going to Beit She'an is like taking a journey through time. This was a true statement. It was so strange, in a goose-bumpy, almost eerie kind of way to walk through something this old. It was like crossing some invisible line to another world, an ancient world. When I tried to picture Romans walking down the same streets that I was, when I tried to see in my mind's eye the number of spectators sitting in the amphitheater during a gladiator match-I really couldn't. But I what I could experience was this stillness in the air, almost as if it was heavy with all of the history that had transpired at Beit She'an. It was similar to the feeling I had at Masada, of entering something that has preserved itself. Even though Beit She'an exists now as a tourist site, I can still somehow FEEL what it must have once been like, despite not being able to picture that visually.

This was an absolutely FASCINATING last experience in Israel and I am so glad we decided to take the trip! 

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Thursday, August 2nd, 2012

I can't believe today was the last day of internship. I'll really miss going to the 4th floor of 14 Hillel St. everyday and seeing all of the amazing people I work with. Today was the perfect ending to my internship, starting with an overall assessment report that I gave in front of all of the staff. It was so cool to be able to present 6 weeks worth of feedback to everyone and to actively make a difference in PT! It just speaks to PT's uniqueness that I was able to do this and I thoroughly enjoyed it. :D 

Before leaving, the PT staff threw a goodbye party for both me and Shira (the Global Institute coordinator). As always, we laughed and ate and said nice things (and of course teasing jabs in a joking sort of way) about each other, because that's just how PT rolls. :D I also received a gift: a copy of Startup Nation! This is not only the most fitting gift ever, but also exactly what I needed because I have a long plane ride ahead of me! It was so hard to leave, with everyone chorusing goodbyes and giving hugs. In the end though, I walked out to the smiling faces of all the staff, which is a heartwarming memory I will keep forever. :) 

To celebrate, my friend and I went to Tel Aviv, which was just the beginning of my weekend adventure. It was really nice to go back to the beach one final time (especially because the jellyfish season is now over). Though I won't be back in the beautiful Mediterranean Sea for a while, this is by no means a permanent goodbye! I can't wait until the next time I catch that gorgeous signature sunset. :) 

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Wednesday, August 1st, 2012

HAPPY August! 

For the first time in forever and a half, I played tennis!!! I met someone at the Mitt Romney talk on Sunday, who happened to share a lot of the same interests as me (including tennis). He took me to courts by the Malcha Mall, which is the biggest shoppign mall in Jerusalem! Although I figured out I'm so out of shape, playing tennis again really brought it all back and now I really want to get back into practice! It's so easy to forget your hobbies once you get sucked into the exciting life of school, friends, etc., but I'm going to make sure that I play tennis at least once a week now! For any Michigander friends reading this, y'all should be getting ready to play ball. :D 

After working out in the sun, we treated ourselves to a delicious brunch at this placed on Emek Rafa'im (the German Colony) called Luciana. I've actually never had an omelet in a restaurant before, so this was a pleasant first experience:

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Tuesday, July 31st, 2012

Today I wrapped some things up, quite fitting seeing as how it's the last day of July. :)

In the morning, I finished helping the person whom I was working with earlier on his business article summary and PPT. Although it's been a somewhat long and tedious process, ultimately I'm really proud of him for being able to understand everything! :DD I'm glad to have contributed (I think PT really helped me understand some parts of the article because it was very relevant to what I did this summer) and I wish him the best of luck!

At actual work, I'm in the process of finishing up my initial building of the intranet that I've been working on with one of my mentors. 

At home, Tom (apartment-mate) and I started cleaning out the fridge and we made good use out of all the veggies left in the fridge (homemade falafel sandwiches)! :D 

I can't believe it's all ending soon, but until then, full speed ahead! 

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Monday, July 30th, 2012

Every week, we have a staff meeting from 12 to 1:30 pm. Today, along with the meeting, the PT staff had a little goodbye for me as well. I'm technically leaving on Thursday (so no sentimental gushing until then), but it's become sort of a tradition to do these things during staff meetings. We had Ben and Jerry's ice cream (cookie dough and this flavor called Dulce de Leche with fudge) and it was just a heartwarming, lovely goodbye! I'm so happy to have worked with each and every one of PT's amazing staff this year. These are some of the most passionate, brilliant, and dedicated people you will meet, so I am so happy that *I* of all people got to meet and work with each and every one of them! :))

Today was also the birthday of our office manager: Elinor (MAZAL TOV ELINOR!!!), so we all went out to lunch at this sushi place near PT to celebrate. 

I still can't believe it'll all be ending soon! Time to make my last week in Israel count! Updated to-do list: 

Go to Haifa, a beautiful city up in the north

Visit Yad Vashem, the state-run Holocaust Museum

Eat Sabich, which is pita stuffed with fried egg plant and hard-boiled eggs (Doesn’t that sound delicious?!)

Go clothes shopping

Go souvenir shopping

Cook a full meal

Go to one of the settlements

Visit a kibbutz 

Go to salsa dancing lessons

Learn more Hebrew

Visit the Diaspora Museum

See a play in one of the famous Jerusalem theaters

Not sure if I'll end up doing everything, but I'm ready to make the most of my remaining time here! :) 

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Sunday, July 29th, 2012:

Tonight I saw Mitt Romney give a speech at the windmill in the beautiful, upscale area overlooking the Old City called Yemin Moshe. This was a small, low-key gathering and I was only able to go because Adi Arbel kindly invited me as a supporter of his venture, AIM teams. 

Romney said all the right things (complimenting Israel as a democracy, we need to do something about Iran, U.S. and Israel are similar, so the U.S. will always stand by Israel, etc.) but his speech seemed somehow too fluent, too well practiced. Nevertheless, I did feel like he was a very charismatic person and he just LOOKS like an honest, open dude, which is important, of course, for a presidential candidate. For me, I mostly found it exciting that I got to be so close to one of the presidential candidates and it was also my first time at any sort of speech like that. Only in Israel do these things happen. Yet another plus during my time here! :) 

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Saturday, July 28th, 2012:

OLYMPICS ALL DAY, ERRRRRRRDAY. :))))))))))))

So far, following swimming and gymnastics intensely, mixed in with some beach volleyball and tennis. It looks like many Olympic giants are being challenged this year (e.g. Michael Phelps). Should make things interesting! :)

Aaah, I love this time of year. Oh and teams I'm rooting for? Naturally the USA and China. :)

Photo credit: http://decanter.media.ipcdigital.co.uk/11150%7C0000026ca%7C872e_olympic-logo.png

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Friday, July 27th, 2012

Today was the ending of two things, and the beginning of another! 

In the morning, we had our Closing Ceremony for the Fellows. We handed out certificates in the following manner: Shira called up the first Fellow and said a few words about him, then that Fellow said nice things about the next Fellow receiving a certificate, until every Fellow had received a certificate. THIS WAS THE CUTEST THING EVER. :)))) There was so much good will and love in the room! The Fellows really became one group and supported each other throughout. I hope everyone-both PT staff and PT Fellows-will keep in touch! I'll miss everyone!

Tonight, we had our last Yalies in Israel event. The person who coordinates these events rented an apartment in Rechavia (in Jerusalem) and we all came together for a final Shabbat dinner. Before eating the delicious catered food (which I will describe soon-don't worry :p), I decided to go to Orthodox Shabbat services with some of the other Yalies. I had never been to any services in Jerusalem before, so I decided it was high time I went on this little adventure. I'm so glad I went! Even though I didn't understand any of the Hebrew, the experience was priceless. First, I found the synagogue itself very interesting: it was Orthodox, so men and women were separated by a curtain. However, it was also egalitarian, so women led most of the services. Evening services were divided into three parts. It was mostly beautiful singing mixed with a little bit of verbal and silent prayer. As I sat there, listening to everyone else harm in synchrony around me, I really caught a glimpse into what it means to be religious. More than just following traditions (that are seemingly strange and idiosyncratic to outsiders like me, I might add), it's about a sense of community. I really felt that tonight and I'm not even Jewish! It was the most peaceful and thought-provoking environment-an experience like no other. 

Our Shabbat dinner itself was just the best thing. We ordered all the food from a fancy catering company called Naomi's. Before eating, we (and by we I mean all the Jewish people while I just looked around and enjoyed the Hebrew songs :D) sang our own Shabbat songs (the ones that are usually sung at Slifka) and this time, I really did feel a part of something bigger: the Yale family! It was so cute to see everyone together and to enjoy a meal together without the disturbance of phones or the Internet. And the food? Too many mouthwatering goodies to fit into my stomach! The menu: two salads, pita with three different kinds of hummus (I most enjoyed the spicy one :D), ravioli, zucchini pancakes, vegetable samosas, lasagna, and quiche. As if all that weren't enough, READ WHAT WE HAD FOR DESSERT: chocolate mousse cake (I definitely died and went to chocolate heaven), rugelach, grapes, watermelon, lychee, figs, and baklava. 

Although it was sad to say goodbye to both the Fellows and some Yalies, I also mentioned that something new is starting: the 2012 London Olympics!!! OMG most people probably don't know this, but I am OBSESSED with the Olympics. LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!! (And the odds be ever in all of my favorite athletes'/countries' (and YOUR favorites if you care) favors. :D)

Shabbat Shalom and HAPPY OLYMPICS!!!!!!!!! :)))))))

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Thursday, July 26th, 2012

Launch Night was absolutely AMAZING and I am SO PROUD of all of our Fellows! Each of them had their best pitches (15-second verbal blurbs about their ventures) yet! :)))

From beginning to end, I couldn't have asked for a better way to end the 2012 Global Fellowship. I got to the office at around 9:15 and immediately started preparing for Launch Night. After making PPT's, organizing everything we had to bring, helping the Fellows with their Executive Summaries, and going out to a DELICIOUS Korean Restaurant nearby, we were finally ready to roll out to our venue, which is the JVP Media Media Quarter on Hebron Rd. 

I am so glad we chose this space, because it was absolutely incredible! We were in this courtyard that had beautiful greenery. It was both elegant and intimate at the same time-a perfect combination for an event like Launch Night! I didn't get to take many photos of Launch Night because I kept having to run around everywhere, but here's a picture of the courtyard we were in: 

The actual evening progressed like this: First, we set up all of our equipment, helped the Fellows set up their booths, set up registration, etc., and ran a rehearsal of the pitches. Then, guests started arriving and we all mingled and talked with people while eating delicious finger food (the quiche and wraps were absolutely amazing). After some initial schmoozing, all of the Fellows pitched their ventures. Then, finally, to wrap up the evening, all of the guests could visit each of the Fellow's tables and ask questions about the ventures they were most interested in. 

My involvement at PT started with the Jerusalem Fellowship Launch Night, which was an amazing event in itself. I've come full circle now, though, with the Global Launch Night. Close to 100 people (or maybe even more-the place was packed!) came and I just had a fantastic time. From helping to run the event to recording the pitches to talking to so many different people to seeing the Fellows shine, it was certainly a night to remember. :)

After all the excitement of the event, we PT staff all went out to celebrate at a restaurant in the Shuk. There, we toasted Michael and Shira, who are unfortunately both leaving PT Israel. :/ But on a happier note, we also toasted them for a successful Global Institute and just for being awesome. :) 

Last night was the culmination of everything we've all been working so hard on. I am so happy for the Fellows and so proud to be a part of PresenTense! :) 

P.S.: Launch Night photos aren't up yet, but they will be soon! Keep checking this website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/presentensegroup/! This is where you'll find all of the PT photos from this summer. Browse through if you're interested! :) 

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Wednesday, July 25th, 2012

I chose to work from home today and had a nice mini shopping excursion. 

The first place I hit up was a bookstore called Stein Books. For some reason, I expected to find a big department store like Barnes and Nobles, so I was really surprised to see this hole-in-the-wall place:

It was so crowded and books were overflowing everywhere, with no sense of organization that I could really make out. In a weird way, it was so cutely disheveled and charming in an unconventional sort of way, kinda like something you would find in Harry Potter, lol. The sign on the door advertises something like: "Can't find it? We'll get it for you." They have soooo many books in both Hebrew and English, but the problem is, it was impossible to find any of them, haha. I spent a good while just browsing the titles and had a good time despite not being able to find anything that I wanted, lol. I also laughed out loud when I randomly came across this (in Hebrew no less :p):

After Stein Books, I went to Mamilla Mall, which is a fancy strip mall by Jaffa Gate of the Old City. I went into this shop called Soho Gifts that had funky designed goods, like personalized watches, cooking ware, etc. 

My excursion ended with a quick browsing of the Old City and a trip to the Shuk, where I got bracelets (souvenir gifts for people) and these really good pears that remind me of Asian pears. I recently had this idea to try every single variety of every single fruit. Israel has given me a good head start on that. :D 

I ended my evening with meeting someone new and helping him with a social business article, which I found fascinating to read. The article is about a breakthrough in the way nonprofits assess their impact, which is an important issue for all nonprofits. Overall, both a productive and fun day. :) 

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Tuesday, July 24th, 2012

During these last two days, all of the PT staff blocked off time to hold "office hours" for the Fellows. This is a time when Fellows can come to us for help on their executive summaries, pitches, budgets, general advice, etc. I held my own office hours and as usual, learned something new from the Fellows! Some of them asked me for budget help, which is something I've never done before, so that was super exciting. :D This is what I love about this internship-every day is a new adventure in some way! :)

Speaking of adventures, tonight I went back to the Israel Museum because the Yalies in Israel had a guided tour there. We visited several fascinating exhibits, but here are the two coolest (well, in my opinion) things I saw:

This is a video on the floor of the museum:

Basically, the artist strung 300some watermelons on a chain and looped them into a circle. She then held onto one of the inner watermelons (so she was actually part of the chain) and then the video shows the chain slowly unraveling. The coolest thing about it is that all of this is on the Dead Sea, so everything floats. At first, the artist seems dead, just floating there motionlessly. Then, as the chain ravels more and more and she starts unraveling as well, she comes alive, almost as if in a rebirth. This play between life and death was really fascinating, especially expressed in such a way. 

This is a picture of a Hassidic wedding dance, or as it's called, the Mitzvah Tantz: 

Having grown up with no religious background at all, the more religious something, the more fascinating it is to me because it's just so different. This was actually a video as well and in this dance, the bride is completely covered (because no part of her body can be exposed) and she is led in this dance by a rabbi, who is attached to her by a long, white cloth rope thingy. This is an enormous celebration and all of the guys in the community dance. 

Even after two visits to the Israel Museum, I have still not even come close to seeing half of it. I hope to visit again someday soon! :)

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Monday, July 23rd, 2012

I had two really fun meals today!

For lunch, I went to the ROI offices (ROI is an organization that has similar goals to PT and partners with PT in many events) for a staff meeting/lunch. During the lunch, we went around the table and each person introduced him or herself and also talked about either an interesting book or article he or she had recently read. I wrote a blog post about the ones I found most diverse and intriguing! Read it here: http://presentense.org/blog/pt-reading-list

For dinner, the we went out with the Fellows for a “De-Stress” dinner at a restaurant called The Spaghettis in the Mamilla Mall! The view was absolutely gorgeous because we were on a rooftop overlooking the Old City:

I’ll let the food speak for itself:

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Life Lessons from the 2012 Global Fellows

What I Learned From the 2012 Global Institute Fellows (list is alphabetical by first name):

From Adi Arbel: 

The Mexican laffa > the Tunisian laffa at Waffle Bar

In any situation, a smile or laughing face can never hurt. Charisma is the best kind of charm. :)

From Cynthia Ferman:  

Shopping is an art.

Even when we have a million and one things going on in our lives, it's always worth it to pause everything to spend time with family and friends.

From Daniel Jacobs: 

Ramen ISN'T just that fried stuff that comes in a box. ;) 

How to get out of your comfort zone and dive headfirst into a new world. You will always be firmly grounded in the scientific community, Daniel, but it's also fair to say that you'll now have a place among entrepreneurs as well. :)

From David Yehuda Stern: 

British people are unfortunately quite hilarious (taking so much effort to admit right now).

How to deviate from an idea even when it's successful to plunge into the unknown and how to be genuine: to ourselves, to others, and to our work. 

From Emily Engelson: 

How to be beautiful (on both the inside and outside!)!

Creativity is not just about having an artistic eye or interesting perspective. It's about getting out of the box of dissatisfaction that constrains us; it's about having the guts to pursue a dream, to break out of our own skins and explore life from the perspective of others from all around the world!

  From Evan Malach: 

You're a talented singer! Thanks for sharing all of your videos, Eval. :D

A second chance is a privilege, not a guarantee. No matter how many chances we get, we have to make each one count. 

From Jessie Mallor:

All colors are neutral and color blocking is incredibly classy. 

The best kind of teachers are the ones who never stop learning. 

From Justin Sakofs: 

How to present with animated enthusiasm! ;) 

It is entirely possible to balance your career, passion, as well as family as long as you're willing to make the effort. Kol Hakavod. 

From Melisa Goldfinger: 

Enrique Iglesias is only worth listening to because he's guapísimio. 

Courage: courage to face a whole new language, courage to face a whole new country with its own complications and idiosyncrasies, and courage to fight for what you believe in even when society dictates the opposite. 

From Tomi Büchler: 

Budapest is awesome (Don't really know if you could have stressed this point any more. :p).

No news = good news. Sometimes we forget the power of efficiency when it comes to language. Whenever you had any input, we knew it would be thoughtful and concise, because otherwise you wouldn't have given your opinion. Stay classy, Tomi. :) 

From Tobias Finkelstein:

The best venture in the whole world (sorry guys) is openforbusinessonchristmas.com. :D

What it means to have "kibbutz" attitude: how to always look out for your friends. 

From Yana Rebrova:

Funny Russian phrases. :D

In order to have a balanced life, all of the legs on your table have to be the same length. I hope you will always find that balance in your table, Yana. :)

Thank you all for a wonderful summer and KEEP IN TOUCH! :))

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Sunday, July 22nd, 2012

Wow, can’t believe this is the beginning of the end of the 2012 PT Global Institute here in Israel! On Thursday night, all of the Fellows will be presenting their ventures in 15-second pitches on what’s called Launch Night. I’m SO proud of all of them and can’t wait to see them shine! :))

In other news, yesterday I went to a really interesting dinner in Tel Aviv, at Yotvata Bair. The person (She’s AWESOME! :D) organizing all of our Yale in Israel events invited Muki Tsur to come and speak with us. Muki was one of the earliest leaders of the kibbutz movement in Israel, so it was really interesting to hear his story and more about the whole concept of a kibbutz. For those of you who might not be familiar, a kibbutz is a community in which everyone lives communally (Or I guess sort of socialist-ly, if you want to use another (sort of made-up) word, meaning they all have different tasks on the kibbutz. They started off very much communalist and as utopian societies: your revenue has no connection to your position, everyone shares everything in the community, and apparently you took public showers in the open with everyone else WHILE singing (according to Muki, hahaha). Unfortunately, kibbutzim haven’t been doing that well economically these past years, so many of them are being privatized. If you’re interested, you should do some research! I think it’s a fascinating topic and I’m glad we had a chance to listen to Muki’s story. 

As always, I have to comment on the food I ate. Yotvata Bair is actually a kibbutz that specialized in dairy (so kibbutzim are self-sustaining and often are known for various food products because agriculture is a big part of kibbutz life). Funnily enough, it was founded by some of Muki’s friends, so the organizer of the event chose a really fitting location for dinner! :) Anyway, Yotvata Bair opened up a series of restaurants (named after itself of course) that is entirely dairy based (so by kosher law, you’re not allowed to mix dairy and meat, which is why you get kosher restaurants that are either dairy-based or meat-based). I had a delicious salad called a “Cowboy Salad,” which had sweet potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, Bulgarian cheese, and peanuts, all with sweet chili on top. I also had yummy bread along with 4 different sauces that came along with it! :D Then just when I thought I was very content and full, dessert came and it was simply irresistible: firstly, watermelon (I LOVE watermelon) and cheese (? because no idea that was a possible combo, haha-but I just ate the watermelon, not the cheese :p) and secondly, mouthwatering Belgian waffles with rich chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and two mounds of mystery flavored (but absolutely heavenly) ice cream on top. Plus, to top it all off, there was an absolutely gorgeous sunset because the restaurant is located right across from the beautiful Mediterranean! :)

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Saturday, July 21st, 2012

What I did during this Shabbat:

Cook potatoes! See picture: 

Watch ER and Futurama

Watch the opening lecture of Game Theory on Yale's open courses website

Bluebook! 

Eat lots of fruit

Head down to a place called HaTaklit downtown to a fellow Yalie's birthday party, where I had delicious cake, drank something yummy, and talked to lots of interesting people!

It's been a great day. :D READY FOR MY SECOND-TO-LAST WEEK HERE IN ISRAEL!!!