Some more plusses and minuses (10/21)

I've been thinking more and more this week about the pros and cons of life here in Israel. It's a battle I keep having in my head.

Some more pros to add to my list:

- lots of sun and no rain. Now, I know that Israel is in a drought, and it pretty much is always in a drought, and the land and the country need rain, but not having to worry about waterproof shoes or a raincoat on any given day, is really nice. Of course when it DOES rain here (if and when that happens) I will be happy for the land and the country.

- bus and cab lanes that run separately from regular traffic on the street. This is similar to the HOV lanes back home but here, it is only for public transportation, in hopes of encouraging people to use buses instead of cars in the big bad city.

- most Israelis are willing to help me learn Hebrew. Most of them speak English pretty well so if I am not understanding a waitress or someone at a street light or someone asking for directions, I can either explain in Hebrew that I'm learning Hebrew (and obviously not a native speaker) or resort to speaking English. My waitress at a restaurant on Wednesday taught me the word for bracelet (tzamid) when she saw I had silly bandz too!

- many Israelis air dry their laundry. It's economical and eco-friendly. Many apartment buildings have clotheslines outside with clothespins and there are always sheets, socks, and other clothing items hanging in the breeze. I have decided to jump on this bandwagon while I can (our bathroom has a small patio area with clotheslines and clothespins). It saves the electricity on the dryer (environmental), it saves me money (economical), 5 shekels a pop - that adds up to at least a beer at the end of my time here - well worth it.

Some more cons to add to the list:

- because there is lots of sun and no rain, it is still REALLY HOT in Jerusalem! It was over 100 degrees at least once this week; it's October, thank you global warming. But really, there's a reason I came here in the winter. Not the summer. So global warming, go away! Thanks.

- the traffic lights take FOREVER to change, and at most major intersections, the lights only allow you to cross halfway across the street, then wait again for another green light. This is for security, so someone with ill intent can only get so far so fast, but for me, an innocent person just trying to make the bus, it's really inefficient!

- Israelis like their cigarettes. And I don't. I never have. In a country that otherwise seems very healthy (Mediterranean diet, lots of fresh produce all the time), I'm still amazed at how many people just pull out a cigarette for fun. Or...whatever it is that makes people want to smoke a cigarette. There are lots of places in this country that do not ban smoking indoors so I have gotten back into my habits of living in Ohio (from 5 years ago), which at the time also did not have indoor smoking bans, which include coming home from a bar and immediately jumping into the shower. And then febreezing my clothes so they don't stink up my entire apartment. I really just think it's gross, rude, and offensive. You wanna dig yourself an early grave? Fine but please do not take me down with you.

Hopefully the plus side will grow a little bit more to outweigh the bad side, but I have happened to notice more recently the things that bother me about this country and being here. I know it's very much my choice to be here for this period of time, and I still love Israel, just have a connection to the land and the people and the culture and the language (and the list could go on), so I am not complaining but as I continue my 5 months here, I do have the right to make a list of these things and note them all as a part of my overall living experience. We'll see what happens over the next 4 months!