Category Archive
The following is a list of all entries from the Wisdom Gained category.
New Adrenaline Rush: Rock Climbing in Israel
If the distribution of gas masks or a planned emergency drill doesn’t get your heart pounding, then you’ve probably been living in Israel for quite a while and you might need a new dose of adrenaline to shake you up.
Maybe it’s time for climbing an extremely high wall and praying that your partner down below is paying attention to your every move.
I don’t mean to sound so cynical, but the point here is that despite the constant attempts to destroy Israel, daily life here goes on, and so does finding new exhilarating things to do.
I recently discovered the climbing wall in Jerusalem’s Teddy Stadium and had such an amazing time that I’m looking for the next opportunity to do it again.
According to climbing.org.il, there are climbing walls all over Israel: in Kibbutz HaOgen, Ashdod, Eilat, and Jerusalem.
However, I found another website that has a more complete listing of all the rock climbing walls in Israel.
The hours at the Jerusalem branch are amazing – you can go after work and still have plenty of time to climb.
Sunday-Thursday: 4pm-10:45pm
Friday: 10am-hour and a half before Shabbat starts
Saturday night: hour and a half after Shabbat ends – 10:45pm (winter)/11:45pm(summer)
It costs 45 shekels last time I was there, but if you want to double check, call 02-6482264. For first-timers, a staff member will teach you and your partner how to climb.
The hours of each branch in Israel vary slightly so make sure to call or check here
Three Weeks of NIS 3 Coffee!
While it may seem like the holiday season is over, there is still much to celebrate. How about NIS 3 coffee? I don’t know about you, but I’m jumping up and down (and not just because I had three cups of pure caffeine joy!). What café finally got the memo that coffee doesn’t have to be expensive? Café Hillel on Emek Refaim right here in Jerusalem, that’s who!
Although I previously reported that Café Hillel would be opening at a new location on Emek, it turns out that they have changed their minds and decided to stay at their original location and renovate. The café itself is closed but for the next three weeks you 
can get NIS 3 coffee at the little side barista they opened up during the renovation process. The cheap coffee isn’t just hot; you can also get ice café for NIS 9. It isn’t as cheap as my all-time love of NIS 5 ice café at Marzipan in the shuk, but it’s a bigger cup and low fat (supposedly). In any case these are just some of the amazing deals worth pooping your pants over.
Good bargains don’t just happen. Either you or someone you know has hunted them down, passed them along or created them on their own. We cheap buggers have to stick together and look after each other to ensure the deals keep coming. That’s why I implore you to not only take advantage of the next three weeks while the coffee is NIS 3, but to tell the cashier, manager or owner to permanently keep the NIS 3 coffee as a part of the menu. I think in the long run they will end up making more money off the NIS 3 coffee than any of their ridiculously over-priced salads. Also, if the coffee is NIS 3 now, but after the renovations the price goes back up to NIS 15, we will all feel scammed — and nobody goes to a restaurant that rips them off.
Friends, drink and be merry, but don’t forget to be cheap and persuasive too!
Food Torture: Not Another Cafe!
Cafe Hillel, just another cafe.
I’m angry. What a surprise. I’m in the daze of a food nightmare. Living near Emek Refaim Street, you would think a girl could have her way with restaurants: endless options, yummy in your tummy food, and the cultural basics. But apparently the Food Gods don’t like us Jerusalemites.And instead of lots of different restaurants, whipping up all kinds of food-we in Jerusalem must suffer with choice A: falafel or choice B: café food. Crap and crap.
The sign reads: Coming soon Cafe Hillel. I wish the man in the picture would just keep walking. He even looks like he is stealing our taste buds! Shady!
In a previous anger post, I wrote about my desire for a Mexican restaurant in Jerusalem. Needless to say, my prayers and rants have gone unanswered. But friends, it just gets worse. Since my cries for Mexican food, two pizza places have opened in my neighborhood. And then…then this happened (focus your eyes on the picture). My cheap wrap place that almost felt like Mexican food if you closed your eyes tight enough and just held on to the wrap like it was a burrito, Tarantino’s, suddenly without warning closed down and a café Hillel is now opening in its place. Oh, the food inhumanity! Oh, the food torture! And obviously the worst part about it: THERE IS A CAFÉ HILLEL TWO BLOCKS DOWN!
Is this for real? Isn’t it bad enough that Emek Refaim is lined with cafes? It’s just the same menu, with different names for the salads, soups and sandwiches. Not to mention the difference in price from Café Aroma to Caffit for practically the same meal.
Now I know Nir Barkat just became mayor, but wasn’t he all about adding some culture to this city? I’m not saying that adding Mexican should be the first item on his agenda…no, I am. I think Mayor Barkat should shut down the building of this new café Hillel, which is clearly an abuse of our taste buds and a monotonous slap in the face. And instead, let us join together and build a burrito stand and unite for the sake of Jerusalem and her culture. Mexican food is just the beginning!
Stop the lame cafes from taking over our streets. They can have their menus but not our shekels!
H&M and Gap stores heading to Israel (finally!)
Well it’s about time. Rumor has it that H&M and Gap will be opening up stores in Israel by 2010. 2010?! Why you gotta keep us waiting like that? We’ve already been looking forward to the Light Rail in Jerusalem and the fast train to Tel Aviv for, oh, several years now. I don’t know if I can handle another grand opening to look forward to. And so the race is on. Which will arrive first – an H&M store or an express train from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv? It’s a tough call, but I think we may be sporting some trendy yet affordable dresses before being able to hop over to Tel Aviv to show them off.
H&M and Gap make aliyah. Good call, Ynet.
World AIDS Day: Be Safe, Wear it, Measure it and Spray it on!
Today is World AIDS day, reminding us that there is still no cure for this epidemic. If you are in Jerusalem and would like to have a free, anonymous HIV test, you can go to the Open House Clinic on Sundays between 5pm and 9pm. The clinic is located on 2 Hasoreg Street at the intersection of Jaffa St. and Queen Shlomtzion.
And remember an easy way to stay safe is using a good old fashion condom. Now apparently if you’re French then you’ll need an XXL according to a European study by the Singen-based Institute of Condom Consultancy. Yes, after over 10,500 men measured their member, it turns out Frenchies need a condom that is about six inches (15.48 cm) long, making them the biggest in the region.
Of course I can’t help but wonder where Israeli men would fall on the scale, but I will say this: anyone is free to measure and figure it out on the Institute’s website. While I admit I’m kind of curious to do my own study, I don’t think my husband would approve. You know you’re a little curious too (oops, I said little, is that a Freudian slip?)! Continue reading this entry »
Thanksgiving in Israel! It can be done!
It’s almost turkey time. I love Thanksgiving. And what’s not to love, dinner at 3pm, turkey that isn’t sliced lunch meat, stuffing right from the turkey’s butt, mashed potatoes dripping with gravy and cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Lots of pumpkin pie.
This used to be my reality every November for as long as I can remember. But for the last 3 years I have been living in Israel and those Thanksgiving days have turned into memories of my past. Oh, stop being so dramatic, the truth is you (as in me and all other American immigrants) can still have Thanksgiving in Israel.
I know it isn’t the same as sitting around the table in America, staring down at your food baby (this is a term Shira taught me which refers to the ridiculous amount of food you just ate that now makes you appear five months pregnant) and going around the table saying what we are thankful for (I am always thankful there is a toilet near by)—but friends, we are not alone and Thanksgiving can still be the best holiday ever! The gravy bowl is half full! Continue reading this entry »
The Game is On: The U.S. Presidential Election…What’s Your Vote?
With the U.S. Presidential Election just a few weeks away, do ex-pats in Israel, Israelis and foreigners know which candidate will be better for Israel? For me the best candidate would be the one that said, “Israel we’re just going to stay out of this. No more three-ways, scrappy peace documents, or lame promises–if you vote me for President, I’ll stay the hell out of it and focus on my own country.”
But since that probably is not going to happen, just like a kosher Mexican restaurant popping up in Jerusalem’s city center or a real gym built on EmeK Refaim ain’t gonna happen, my group of kids went to the heart of Jerusalem to find out what other people, besides bitter me have to say.
Check out what these folks had to say about the better candidate for Israel: McCain or Obama?
Time Bank Jerusalem – Trade babysitting for salsa lessons; Cooking for Spanish; Yoga for visiting the elderly
Throw out your cash. Bartering is the new currency at the Jerusalem Time Bank, a community where people can swap valuable services with each other. The idea is that people can use their time as money since everyone’s time is equally valued.
If you want to sign up, go to the Jerusalem Time Bank Website or call 02-5664144 and fill out the questionnaire. First, choose the services that you can provide which range from playing chess to reflexology, and are supposed to include options for every age. Then, you can select the services you want to receive. I just submitted my application and am awaiting my interview, so I’ll keep you updated.
If you find yourself looking for new ways to save money, this is definitely a creative way to do it.
How to renew your U.S. passport in Jerusalem
vs.
If only the U.S Consulate would greet you with freshly-made Dunkin Donuts doughnuts and muffins, a Starbucks white-chocolate mocha and a fully-stocked Target, it might make up for the annoying process of renewing your passport and venturing into East Jerusalem.
If I could award one website with the worst usability, that special prize would go to.. wait for it.. the Jerusalem U.S. Consulate. After reading and re-reading each section of the site, the big question for me was still, how do people aged 16-26 renew their passport?!!! I pretended to fit into the over 26 category and it worked out, but um… some headlines and clarity would be nice. Americans are supposed to have a good reputation for clear instructions. Especially compared to the Israeli system. C’mon people!
In case you want to know how I went about it, or in case I need to do it again, here are the steps I took to renewing my passport.
Step 1: Make an appointment by clicking here. Mine took at least a month in advance to schedule.
Step 2: Read the U.S. Consulate website about 30 times to decide which form to fill out. In the end, I needed the DS-82 application so I printed it and filled it out.
Step 3: Prepare the following:
- DS-82 Passport Application
- Most recent passport and photocopy
- Two identical passport photographs – 2 x 2 inches (5cm x 5cm) showing full front view of the face with a white or off-white background only.
- $75 USD or the equivalent shekels
- 30 shekels for courier mail service
Step 4: Travel to 14 David Flusser in the Arnona neighborhood of Jerusalem 27 Nablus / Shchem St. which is off of Kvish 1 by the Paz Gas station. Maps, emails, phone number, and more details.
P.S. You can renew by mail or in person. But considering I don’t trust the Israeli mail system, and, get this, the Consulate emailed me that they don’t recommend it, I went in person.
Contact Info for the Jerusalem U.S. Consulate:
Phone: 02-628-7137 or 02-622-7219
Fax: 02-627-2233
Email: jerusalemacs@state.gov
Disclaimer: Please thoroughly check the Consulate site for updated information and to ensure you bring all the correct paperwork.
My 5 new favorite blogs, in honor of Blog Day
Today is International Blog Day, and bloggers are supposed to recommend 5 new blogs to create a greater sense of community in the blogosphere. Incidentally, Blog Day was created by an Israeli, Nir Ofir, who created BlogTV which I wrote about on israelplug a while back!
If only it was easy to narrow it down to 5! But that’s how this game is played, so here are some new blogs I’d recommend to you.
1. Jewish Humor Tube– posts funny Jewish or Israel related videos including this hysterical video from an Israeli extreme challenge TV show. Which makes me wonder, is this the closest Israeli TV gets to Double Dare? Where’s the slime?!
http://www.liveleak.com/e/b0e_1215189445
2. The Jew Spot – I found Monica’s blog from the list of bloggers who participated/watched the NBN JBlogger Conference . Monica interviews really cool and interesting people in the Jewish scene such as Idan Reichel and Chloe Jo.
3. Sex and the holy city – an unapologetic blog about the sexual escapades of a young woman in Jerusalem. Truly a meeting of Sex and the City and Jerusalem.
4. EngrishFunny I’ll be honest here, I have a major weakness for funny English signs and misspellings. Whenever I travel, which isn’t nearly enough these days, I’m always on the lookout for funny spelling mistakes.
5. Smitten kitchen – an amazing food blog that Yitz showed me, with the most stunning pictures that’ll leave you wiping up your keyboard from drooling over the beautiful bourbon peach hand pies, cold-brewed iced coffee, dimply plum cake, or whatever else is on the menu.
Happy Blog Day! Pass it on.
The Big Felafel 