Hi all, as promised I'm trying to blog more often and let you know how things are going. Well not to upset any of my friends back in the UK, but it’s very sunny and warm here and I've just come back from the beach :-) and the weather forecast is for more of the same tomorrow and the day after that hehe.
Okay I will stop with the weather report :-). As to the title of this entry its 19 months since I came here and its seems to pretty much flown by and I don't regret the change, I do miss things from England and seeing people and missing events but I am glad I took the chance to come here. Anyway onto recent events, I've had a pretty standard week, working away, but also having the chance to get out and about a little bit. I managed to enjoy some Indian food with some friends who insisted on dragging me out when I was feeling a bit low earlier in the week, I've also made a few new friends which is also cool and managed to catch up with a friend who lives locally. I do think my life has been a bit more social since I came to Israel and since I came to Tel Aviv nearly 2 months ago I think its improved drastically thanks to my friends and I hope it continues to improve.
Work related stuff, the project is continuing and I still don't have a finish date so in a sense it’s a good thing as it means each day I get more money :-). In another way it’s a bad thing as I can search for work, but I can't exactly say when I'm available. Still I'm enjoying the job and everyone is very nice that I've talked too and I'm keeping my ears open that maybe a permanent position may appear there still as it would be nice to continue my association with the company, plus I can walk home from where the office is and fulfil my exercise quota for the day.
In the meantime I'm searching for a more permanent role and I did have an interesting experience with an interview at the British Embassy which I didn't get the position, but it was only a short term contract as well so I didn't feel too bad as I wouldn't have liked to deal with the stress of searching again after a few weeks. But it was nice to see the embassy and get a bit of a look round.
Anyway that is it for now, I'm off out to meet some friends for a Douglas Adams evening.
Saturday, 25 May 2013
Saturday, 18 May 2013
Meeting People
Hi all, trying to keep blogging on a regular basis, but when nothing really changes its not much point in blogging :-).
First off a big Mazal tov to my cousin Robert whose Barmitzvah it is today, wish I could be there and it all goes fantastic as I know it will and I hope I will see you and the family all soon.
Now this isn't me whining about not meeting people, it just I feel like it’s hard for me to meet people, sure I have a lot of friends, but most of them are either married or in relationships which means I'm in some way always on the outside looking in and its hard, I want to meet people, do I go to events/synagogue and hope that people keep seeing me around and think they should talk to me. Sometimes I feel like Raj from The Big Bang Theory, except I can talk to people, for me it’s just making the initial step of contact. If I could get over that maybe things would open up for me. If anyone has ideas for me to meet more people apart from the usual social nights etc or going to synagogue, feel free to speak up.
Otherwise all is good, back to job hunting as the position I'm working in now is only temporary, so need to get back to hunting for a permanent job, hope you enjoy and we shall speak soon.
First off a big Mazal tov to my cousin Robert whose Barmitzvah it is today, wish I could be there and it all goes fantastic as I know it will and I hope I will see you and the family all soon.
Now this isn't me whining about not meeting people, it just I feel like it’s hard for me to meet people, sure I have a lot of friends, but most of them are either married or in relationships which means I'm in some way always on the outside looking in and its hard, I want to meet people, do I go to events/synagogue and hope that people keep seeing me around and think they should talk to me. Sometimes I feel like Raj from The Big Bang Theory, except I can talk to people, for me it’s just making the initial step of contact. If I could get over that maybe things would open up for me. If anyone has ideas for me to meet more people apart from the usual social nights etc or going to synagogue, feel free to speak up.
Otherwise all is good, back to job hunting as the position I'm working in now is only temporary, so need to get back to hunting for a permanent job, hope you enjoy and we shall speak soon.
Monday, 6 May 2013
Work and Promotion
Its been a couple of weeks since I posted, nothing really major has happened, been working for a firm on a temporary basis for the last 10 days and hopefully for another few weeks, maybe it will go longer than a month, but I'm enjoying it so far, doing hi-tech administration. Hopefully it opens more doors for me here in Israel.
On the other hand my home town team Hull City are back in the Premier League after a long hard season it came down to the last game of the season and a lot of luck. Having watched the last few games over here, I have to say its not easy being a Hull City supporter, but we're back in the Premier League and hopefully its onwards and upwards :-)
Also celebrated Lag BaOmer last week, Lag BaOmer is the 33 day of Counting the Omer which started at Pesach and finishes at Shavout which will be next week. Traditionally bonfires are held to celebrate this and usually barbecues.... seems like Israeli's like their barbecues :-). I joined some friends for a bonfire and we got one going, sadly we were told to put the fire out because of where we were. Still we had a nice barbecue and it was good to spend time with friends. Also spent time a picnic over the weekend meeting new people and heading to the cinema to see Iron Man 3.
Sorry this is so short, I hope this next one is a lot longer and more informative :-). For now I bid you farewell and say until next time.
On the other hand my home town team Hull City are back in the Premier League after a long hard season it came down to the last game of the season and a lot of luck. Having watched the last few games over here, I have to say its not easy being a Hull City supporter, but we're back in the Premier League and hopefully its onwards and upwards :-)
Also celebrated Lag BaOmer last week, Lag BaOmer is the 33 day of Counting the Omer which started at Pesach and finishes at Shavout which will be next week. Traditionally bonfires are held to celebrate this and usually barbecues.... seems like Israeli's like their barbecues :-). I joined some friends for a bonfire and we got one going, sadly we were told to put the fire out because of where we were. Still we had a nice barbecue and it was good to spend time with friends. Also spent time a picnic over the weekend meeting new people and heading to the cinema to see Iron Man 3.
Sorry this is so short, I hope this next one is a lot longer and more informative :-). For now I bid you farewell and say until next time.
Saturday, 20 April 2013
Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut
Well it’s been a busy week, but I am back and blogging. It’s been a busy week with Yom Hazikaron the Memorial Day here in Israel for the Fallen Soldiers of Israel and victims of terrorism. It’s a 24 hour period of simply remembering the soldiers who have fought and given their lives for this country which I now live in and for that period, cafes, cinemas and all public entertainment places are closed and even the television reflects the mood of the day. There is also two-minute of silence during the 24 hour period with one at 8pm to mark the beginning of the period and one at 11am and at that point everything comes to a stop, all is silent. It’s amazing to see that as the sirens go, cars that were racing along the streets, suddenly just stop and the drivers get out and stand for a minute. It’s a quite amazing show of respect for the men and women who have died for the State of Israel.
For me I spent the Sunday night in Rabin Square at the "Shirim Bakikar" (Songs in the square) which was a massive concert to mark Yom Hazikaron and as first time I attended it was an amazing experience, it felt like most of Tel Aviv had shown up as the Square was absolutely packed out. The songs reflected the mood and along with stories of fallen soldiers it was an amazing experience finished with the national anthem the Hatikvah. Monday daytime I spent at home just quietly.
Then the mood changed and it was Yom Ha'atzmaut which is the Independence Day here in Israel, celebrating the Declaration of Independence in 1948. The day is treated as a holiday by most and it seems as if the mourning mood has past to be replaced by one of celebration. The Israeli flag flies everywhere, from shops, to windows in apartments, from buildings to cars. And the most popular thing to do in this period seems to be to Barbecue in the parks and wherever you can. For me, it was my 1st time in Tel Aviv and like last year where I attended several barbecues, again I did, pretty much think I ate a couple of weeks worth of meat in a 24 hour period. But what more can you ask, celebrating Israel's birthday with friends and food :-).
After all the sadness and the cheerfulness of the beginning of the week, it was back to job hunting and everything else. Pretty quiet week probably due to the days at the beginning of the week but I am persevering and, hopefully having started to settle in Tel Aviv, I can broaden my social network and settle into a job here in Tel Aviv.
P.S. it’s raining!!!!!
For me I spent the Sunday night in Rabin Square at the "Shirim Bakikar" (Songs in the square) which was a massive concert to mark Yom Hazikaron and as first time I attended it was an amazing experience, it felt like most of Tel Aviv had shown up as the Square was absolutely packed out. The songs reflected the mood and along with stories of fallen soldiers it was an amazing experience finished with the national anthem the Hatikvah. Monday daytime I spent at home just quietly.
Then the mood changed and it was Yom Ha'atzmaut which is the Independence Day here in Israel, celebrating the Declaration of Independence in 1948. The day is treated as a holiday by most and it seems as if the mourning mood has past to be replaced by one of celebration. The Israeli flag flies everywhere, from shops, to windows in apartments, from buildings to cars. And the most popular thing to do in this period seems to be to Barbecue in the parks and wherever you can. For me, it was my 1st time in Tel Aviv and like last year where I attended several barbecues, again I did, pretty much think I ate a couple of weeks worth of meat in a 24 hour period. But what more can you ask, celebrating Israel's birthday with friends and food :-).
After all the sadness and the cheerfulness of the beginning of the week, it was back to job hunting and everything else. Pretty quiet week probably due to the days at the beginning of the week but I am persevering and, hopefully having started to settle in Tel Aviv, I can broaden my social network and settle into a job here in Tel Aviv.
P.S. it’s raining!!!!!
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
Bye Bye Rishon, Hello Tel Aviv
Well I'm back and ready to blog; sorry it’s been a while it’s been a hectic couple of weeks. Firstly I'd like to thank every friend and family I've spoken with recently as the last few weeks and even the last couple of months have been one big frustrating time and I'd like to thank people for putting up with me even if it was just listening to me vent my frustrations. A second thank you is to the kind souls who lent me a place to stay while I had to wait to move into Tel Aviv, so thank you once again.
So since I last posted I've now moved from Rishon to Tel Aviv, I'm living very close to the beach which is cool and pretty much near to all the life in Tel Aviv so I think from location point of view and for a social life it’s a good place to be. It’s a bit weird to go down from the apartment in Rishon to a room in a shared place but I'm happy I've made the move as it means I'm closer to a lot of my friends who do live in Tel Aviv so I will get to see more of them. Hopefully I've started an improvement in my social life having gone out every night since Thursday for some kind of event which is nice to do as everything I've done in the evening has introduced me to new people. I think that’s my goal to go to events on a regular basis and get myself noticed by people and hopefully make more friends and improve my social network
Apart from the stress of moving and getting out a bit, it’s been very quiet otherwise, but with moving to Tel Aviv I hope that things in the days and weeks ahead will continue to advance and everything will finally fall into place. For now that is all, speak soon.
So since I last posted I've now moved from Rishon to Tel Aviv, I'm living very close to the beach which is cool and pretty much near to all the life in Tel Aviv so I think from location point of view and for a social life it’s a good place to be. It’s a bit weird to go down from the apartment in Rishon to a room in a shared place but I'm happy I've made the move as it means I'm closer to a lot of my friends who do live in Tel Aviv so I will get to see more of them. Hopefully I've started an improvement in my social life having gone out every night since Thursday for some kind of event which is nice to do as everything I've done in the evening has introduced me to new people. I think that’s my goal to go to events on a regular basis and get myself noticed by people and hopefully make more friends and improve my social network
Apart from the stress of moving and getting out a bit, it’s been very quiet otherwise, but with moving to Tel Aviv I hope that things in the days and weeks ahead will continue to advance and everything will finally fall into place. For now that is all, speak soon.
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
Pesach Time
I suddenly realised with everything that has been going on lately its March 26th and my last post was 7th March. So here I am checking in. For those of you who are on my Facebook will have seen lately things haven't been going my way, but I am hoping that everything has turned a corner in the last week with finding a room in apartment in Tel Aviv which I will move into next week so that's one stress relief there. Still got to do the whole packing and everything but I've already started that and hope to be ready to move by the end of the week, though I have to do a bit of apartment hoping for 5 days before moving into my new place... really does bring meaning to the phrase Wandering Jew.
On other fronts, I'm still searching for my niche and hopefully with moving into Tel Aviv things will settle down and I'll finally find my path here in Israel... At least my new apartment is only 5 minutes from the beach so while I try to find myself I can top up my tan!!!
This week in Israel it’s the Jewish holiday of Pesach celebrating the freedom of the Israelites from Egypt. Usually I'm in England and with my family for this period so this is a new experience to be here in Israel away from my family and having to fend for myself. So last week I ended up purchasing enough food and plastic plates and knives and forks to manage for the period of Pesach. At least with plastic cutlery and crockery it saves on washing up LOL. Still it feels weird to be here without my family and I really miss them. Last night was the Seder night and for this year I attended a Seder organised in Tel Aviv at one of the Synagogues. It was a nice time and I actually found out that the Rabbi who organised the Seder is the Rabbi for the synagogue we were in and it is very close to where I will be living so it works out really good for me and I intended to make myself known when I get to Tel Aviv if not before.
Apart from the stress of moving and trying to find a job and establish myself I've been feeling a bit like this is the toughest period I've had in Israel, hopefully like the Israelites coming out of Egypt I'm coming out of the tough period and it will only get easier as the next few weeks and months go on. For now Chag Sameach and Happy Easter to my non-Jewish friends.
On other fronts, I'm still searching for my niche and hopefully with moving into Tel Aviv things will settle down and I'll finally find my path here in Israel... At least my new apartment is only 5 minutes from the beach so while I try to find myself I can top up my tan!!!
This week in Israel it’s the Jewish holiday of Pesach celebrating the freedom of the Israelites from Egypt. Usually I'm in England and with my family for this period so this is a new experience to be here in Israel away from my family and having to fend for myself. So last week I ended up purchasing enough food and plastic plates and knives and forks to manage for the period of Pesach. At least with plastic cutlery and crockery it saves on washing up LOL. Still it feels weird to be here without my family and I really miss them. Last night was the Seder night and for this year I attended a Seder organised in Tel Aviv at one of the Synagogues. It was a nice time and I actually found out that the Rabbi who organised the Seder is the Rabbi for the synagogue we were in and it is very close to where I will be living so it works out really good for me and I intended to make myself known when I get to Tel Aviv if not before.
Apart from the stress of moving and trying to find a job and establish myself I've been feeling a bit like this is the toughest period I've had in Israel, hopefully like the Israelites coming out of Egypt I'm coming out of the tough period and it will only get easier as the next few weeks and months go on. For now Chag Sameach and Happy Easter to my non-Jewish friends.
Thursday, 7 March 2013
Feeling the Strain
The title is very true, at the moment everything it seems is not going the way I would like, searching for an apartment is difficult and I only have a few weeks to find one before I have to leave where I am. I'm still debating with myself whether I want to try for a studio apartment or find with room-mates. All I do know is I want Tel Aviv.
The reason I think I'm having a debate is since I've lived away from home since University I've always lived with other people, even if we haven't socialised much, they have always been there. But I am 35 and maybe living on my own would be good for me, even if it’s a small studio apartment. Perhaps having that will push me to get out and about when I move into Tel Aviv, to meet people and build the life I want.
At the moment though I feel like things aren't going well for me, I feel very isolated and alone and it’s tough. There are moments where I feel like I should give up and go back to the UK, but then I think I will be in the same position there, I'd have to look for a place to live, for a job, rebuild my social life again. All in all if I had to choose I think I'll stay here for now... it’s warmer. Anyway I'm off to bed, going to a Star Trek event tomorrow so want to rest up. Blog again soon.
The reason I think I'm having a debate is since I've lived away from home since University I've always lived with other people, even if we haven't socialised much, they have always been there. But I am 35 and maybe living on my own would be good for me, even if it’s a small studio apartment. Perhaps having that will push me to get out and about when I move into Tel Aviv, to meet people and build the life I want.
At the moment though I feel like things aren't going well for me, I feel very isolated and alone and it’s tough. There are moments where I feel like I should give up and go back to the UK, but then I think I will be in the same position there, I'd have to look for a place to live, for a job, rebuild my social life again. All in all if I had to choose I think I'll stay here for now... it’s warmer. Anyway I'm off to bed, going to a Star Trek event tomorrow so want to rest up. Blog again soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)