To My East Coastians:

I was very excited to sit down and brag away about the gorgeous weather we are having over here in Kiriat Ata, Israel....the bright sunny days, the gorgeous nights you can walk around in a t-shirt and be comfortable, the anti-East Coast weather if you will...but then I checked weather.com and had those bragging rights stripped away from me.

An Israeli winter consists of temperatures in high 60's and an occasional rain storm -- paradise compared to Northern, Virginia-- but now I see you all are having 70 degree sunny days! WTF is that?

You are supposed to be ankle deep in snow, shielding your faces from the brutal wind, and avoiding the rain; not rocking shorts and getting your tan on.

BUT OH WELL...

The first nine days adjusting to life in Israel have been quite an adventure. Becoming accustomed to life in a foreign country is an on-going process; one that requires patience, an itch to learn, and a ability to not just step, but leap out of your comfort zone...and sometimes fall flat on your face, but get up and go at it again.   

Not everything in Israel is foreign

Using shekels instead of dollars, eating fruit AND vegetables in the same day, reverting back to a dorm lifestyle, hitchhiking, and being 'OK' with soccer being referred to as football are just a few of the daily learning curves -- but I wouldn't trade this time of my life for anything.

Why would I?

For the first time in my life I'm that good looking foreign kid with an accent, not the one wondering what the hell the girls are thinking. All those British kids who move to the USA for a "college education" are way smarter than we ever give them credit for.

But I digress.

Tomorrow is the first day of Hebrew classes, and as you can imagine I'm in the beginners class, "Alef All-Stars." Soon I will be able to count from 1-10, write my name, and even recite the alphabet in Hebrew....not shortly after I'll be reading books, writing thesis papers, and giving speeches in Hebrew, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. SO, Let the frustration begin but more importantly let the learning continue! 

I hope everything is fantastic with each and every one of you all back in the good old US of A or wherever in this big wide world you just may be; but it's a school night, so some beauty rest is needed...as we say in Israel, Laila Tov!

Sean

Hannah, the queen of all the Kibbutz dogs