The strangest thing about living in a new country is just how amazingly foreign you can feel at times. It’s not an altogether unpleasant experience. One of the best places to get acquainted with any culture or way of life is to travel on a local bus. On a Tel Aviv bus it can feel like you have landed in a modern day version of the land of Babel, when every one from the bus driver to the 80-year-old granny is shouting into their smart phone, babbling is in 10-12 different languages at any one time.
Its bad enough that my lack of Hebrew means I can’t fully listen into my fellow traveler’s conversations, (although it is improving, I am up to one word in 4 now), but when you are traveling with people from all over the world, from Japan to Brazil the noise and confusion can range from overwhelming to amusing.
What is less amusing is the fact that my naturally assertive side has to struggle with my English trained manners as I sway from being as aggressive as my fellow passengers to being shocked by their outrageous rudeness on an hourly basis. Its not like in the UK where its mainly young people who are rude, here it’s the older generation who seem to have skipped out on a consideration gene.
Like the time I was sitting on a pretty empty bus, tired after work, and had my bag on the spare seat next to me. A couple in their 60’s got on the bus and the lady decided that despite their being several empty seats where she and her husband could sit together that the seat next to mine was the one for her. She hovered next to me, and I tried to say that I was getting off at the next stop and indicated the rows of other empty seats and she gave me a death look , when she said she couldn’t stand , I moved to let her sit down, but then had to disturb her 4 minutes later as we arrived at my stop. She muttered and called me rude names in Hebrew, her husband looked embarrassed and tried to shut her up as he joined her on my precious seat .As I walked to the exit (not an easy procedure when the drivers all have a death wish) she continued to mutter trying to justify herself , I smiled and indicated the bus was empty and her husband smiled woefully , I exited the bus, just another day in Tel Aviv.
I have met some amazing people on the buses like the Israeli Lawyer who was chatting in fluent Japanese to two tourists and then helped a little old lady find her way across the road, I ended up trying to get him a job with my cousin in his law firm. Then there was the woman with her Dutch boyfriend, who was convinced I was an Israeli, it must be the long slim brown legs I have acquired since living here!!! And then there’s the older guy I chatted up because I was sure he was Gay and safe, and who turned out to be quite the opposite .I tried to cultivate him as a friend as he was sweet and spoke terrible English, which was brilliant for my Hebrew, but it was not friendship he was after!!! And at my age the last thing I am looking for is an OLDER man!!!
June has been full on and all this cultural adjustment was interrupted by a family visit, the parents the sister and the niece descended for a family Barmitvah. It was lovely to see them all and to spend time with my niece who stayed with me in Tel Aviv and got to meet some of my new mates. Unfortunately the parents were in Renanna staying with relatives and the sister was in Netanya staying with friends, all very complicated when you really want to see all of them for as much as possible for the short time they are here. But we all went to Renanna together for the weekend celebrations of my cousin’s grandson’s coming of age. It was a very heartfelt occasion; they are a lovely family, who I have got even closer too since I moved here. I even got a mention in the speech!!!! And even though the party did not include the full on bells and whistles parties you get in the UK, it was all the better for it, more intimate and more family focused. There was however, way too much food, it was all fabulous and we were fed way too well on Friday night, Saturday lunch and Saturday evening!!!!
The family have now departed and I am back to Tel Aviv life which is a mixture of enjoying the heat, like walking along the beach while trying to avoid being killed by the over exuberant bat and ball players who dominate the coastline here and alternatively running home to the refuge of the AC.
Lunch on a casual Tuesday in Yaffo
Another great activity here is ligging with friends and relatives who come and stay in hotels in Tel Aviv. I had a particularly fab time when my cousins managed to score an upgrade to a club room at a smart Tel Aviv hotel with full on club lounge service. I ended up having lovely day with them , sat by the pool , ( such a treat) lunch in the club lounge , with champagne!!! , a walk on the beach followed by tea in the club lounge. So my message to all my friends is do come and visit me in Tel Aviv and PS please book a cool hotel!!!!
Hammersmith to Tel Aviv 