Weirdest Things About Being Back The U.S. of A.
Posted by Yeshiva Guy | Posted in America, Eretz Yisroel | Posted on 11-10-2009
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I can’t go out the door and step into the makolet anymore…I now need to take the car.
I use and drive a car. Not those tiny monits. Huh.
Restaurants serve normal steaks. Solo, Prime Grill and da boyz…they all feel like real restaurants to me. Not some transients, Mom and Pop type establishments established by Moms and Pops. Literally.
I feel (slightly) out of place in the local shul, being underdressed?. In Geulah, I feel (slightly) overdressed.
My cellular phone has consistent coverage. Awesome.
The grocery stores have…groceries. Weird.
Mommy and Totty suddenly feel it’s normal to call me three times a day asking me nothing at all, just to chekc where I am. Hello- Tel Aviv is just as bad as Manhattan, and I don’t hang out in either city. Whatcha worried about?
Learning (read: Torah) is much more…of a chalos here. Sorry, not in the mood of translating that one atm. Figure it out or ask me on Twitter later.
Getting asked ten times a day about when I’m going back, shidduchim, etc. Probably gonna dedicate a separate post to that. (BTW- spell check wants to change “shidduchim” to “Archimedes”. Really. Try it.)
Using planes again. It really is cool to take off into the air in 40 tons of steel. Miraculous, actually.
Seeing Muslims walking down Avenue J. It’s like living in a forest for five years, watching deer on a daily basis, and then seeing one stroll down 13th Avenue. Different.
My cellular phone has consistent coverage. Awesome.
You must not be on AT&T.
You just got to Israel for Elul zman and you went back for sukkot? Wow, your parents must really be rolling in money. What was the point of coming to Israel?
In my day, I didn't even go back for Pesach. 11 months without going back to the states. :O. And i survived.
And sorry, American cell phone service is crap next to Israeli. I never had as many dropped calls as when I used an American cell phone.
In general, this is the list of a spoiled American. Not even sure why you bothered coming to "Eretz Yisroel".
Very interesting observations. I also read your other post about it (under the ice skating stuff).
There are some very good restaurants in Israel. Ok, don't know about the "very" part – but they're definitely not "mom and pops" establishments. Methinks you are skipping the good places in Tel Aviv (possibly because they're not kosher…).
Secular life in Tel Aviv can be very cool and hip and whatnot. It's what you need to look at when comparing to a US city. Not geared towards the average yeshiva bochur, true, but can be quite as fun and fashionable as any Western city.
Speaking of Kashrut, why do you have to look for "teudah" in Israel but not in America? Surely you are talking about shops that are geared for Charedi people there?
@IsraeliMom
Yes, there are some good places (with a Mehadrin Hashgacha), but they are few and far in between.
Obviously, only judging infofar as a yeshivaguy goes! And the world should be adjusted to fit our needs:)!
Need to look for a teudah each and every time here since the kashrus situation here is more (much) volatile than in the US.