Big City Attractions, Familiar Atmosphere

Israelis, from my observations and experiences, can take one of two paths after making plans. Scenario One: they will call you and tell you that they will meet you at whatever location at a specific time. What typically results is that they will show up nonchalantly at said location but at a time that is fast-forwarded into the future. The place may also change without notice. Be on guard. Scenario Two: during the initial call, they will put you on notice that they will come get you now to go do something that they may or may not have filled you in on. The latter was the scene that opened the weekend for me, though I had somewhat of an idea of what I would be doing.

My friend Amit, who is going to study at Indiana University's business school for the fall semester as an exchange student from Tel Aviv University, picked me up from my friend's place just after I had arrived on Thursday evening. We went with a friend of his and her mom to Park HaYarkon in Tel Aviv to watch the opera Carmen performed by the Israeli Opera. I'm typically not an opera addict but wanted to take Amit's invitation and see what kind of experience it would be. The video below captures a brief surprise performance at Dizengoff Center (the main mall in Tel Aviv) in anticipation of the show.

I would definitely attend and enjoy an event like this again in the future, but not because of a new-found love of opera. The opera itself was a great performance no doubt, but what made it special for me was the experience of the surroundings that made it a uniquely Israel spectacle: the crowd, the translations and the master of ceremonies. Pausing to look back with amazement at the expanse of the park, there were at least 50,000 people who had gathered for this free civic event. Though the performance was in French, Hebrew subtitles were projected on the screens. It was a great way (and my only avenue) to understand the opera and presented a bit of excitement and pride to see such an official event translated for the onlookers. Ron Huldai, the mayor of Tel Aviv, hosted the event and thrice presented the crowd with an introduction and synopsis of the opera. He did so in such a convincing manner and employed exuberance and passion. I don't think Mayor Daley would be able to affect a crowd in such a manner, much less be able to speak so eloquently and seemingly extemporaneously.

Friday brought with it more relaxation and enjoyment. After waking up, doing laundry and enjoying the city views from atop huge rooftop (thanks Karen!) we ran some quick errands and went to the beach for the day. I met up with Yael, another newcomer from Australia, and wandered around the city for a while. We crossed through Rabin Square and stopped to reflect on the site of the former prime minister's assassination. The word spray-painted on the top of the rest of the preserved graffiti says slicha, which means sorry or forgiveness. We headed back to Yael's place to make some simple sandwiches to celebrate Shabbat. Later that night we met up with my truly amazing Tel Aviv friends (don't forget this!), Avital and Ofer/"Adrien Brody." I'm glad they had us come out - I had a great time and met two of their good friends and realized that I share mutual friends with both. The weekend ended as I rushed to get a shared ride from the city center to the new (yet seemingly really old) bus station to catch a ride for a mere 22 shekels to Jerusalem with my roommate Sheeran and our friend Robert, the positive and positively talkative Canadian in the group. Along the way to meet them at the bus terminal, I was making some light jokes with a girl who was waiting with me for the shared taxi, in the end making what might be a nice friendship out of the simple conversation. That's Israel in a nutshell and another bright spot about being here.