I have now been in Israel for six months. One thing I have noticed is that in general, there isn’t the same instant gratification I had in the States. When I wait in line, I really wait. When I talk to a friend or family member, we really talk. When I need to get somewhere, I sit on a bus, and I mean really sit, for hours on end. With so much time to sit and think, I notice many things that may have passed me by had I been driving in my own car and singing along with my music as the hours melted away.

I have now spent almost seven months living, studying, traveling and volunteering in Israel. This technologically advanced European-style country in the middle of the Middle East, a region still stuck in time in a lot of ways, seemed so foreign to me not long ago. And now it feels so comfortable, even with all its quirks.

It was just a regular Monday afternoon in Tel Aviv. I was on a weeklong break from my Young Judaea Year Course Israel Experience in Haifa, and I was wandering around the Neve Tzedek area in south Tel Aviv. The neighborhood is known for its artsy feel, great galleries and terrific restaurants. As I walked up Pinnes Street (I’m really not sure how that’s supposed to be pronounced…), I noticed there was a commotion up ahead, so naturally I went to check it out.

In any normal year, summer is the time when thousands of Jews from America and around the world flow into Israel. Bar-Mitzvah tours in the Galilee, summer courses at Hebrew University, NFTY camp, birthright israel students- everyone is here. If you were walking down the Tel Aviv beach promenade last summer, you would have heard all languages but Hebrew. 2001 is going to be one of the poorest years for tourism ever. Israel hasn't seen such a difficult period in many years. The Tel Aviv promenade is empty.

Hello all of my dearests! So I am finally here in Israel. I am writing from the dan panorama hotel along the seaside of the med ocean. We (the people in my birthright Israel group) just returned from a frolic along the coast. The water had a very nice temperament--extremely warm and gentle waves. As a result, I have more freckles and a few nice sea shells.

Last Saturday, the Israeli national soccer team played the Faroe Islands (yeah, I don't know where that is either) for a chance at a chance to go to the World Cup. Our madrichim (counselors)   advertised the game to us, we paid our 80 shekels for a ticket well in advance, took the bus over to Tel Aviv, and began preparing for what I think, in retrospect, was one of my most meaningful nights in Israel.

TEL AVIV, Sept. 26 (JTA) - A group of 218 people from a remote mountainous corner of northeastern India who claim descent from one of the lost biblical tribes will be immigrating to Israel as recognized Jews for the first time.

The aliyah of members from the Bnei Menashe community to Israel is a turning point, said Michael Freund, founder of Shavei Israel which assists "lost Jews" seeking to return to the Jewish people.

It seems like only yesterday when I was waking up early in the morning, making my sandwiches for lunch, going to school, and then playing tennis in the afternoons. Well, that's because it was yesterday. The last time you heard from me, I was an American in Petach Tikva. I made the most of my Israel Experience phase of Year Course, coaching table tennis and exploring this foreign country. Just as my Israel Experience ended, so did my seclusion from society.

As I try not to think about how many days are left of Year Course now that our spring break chofesh is over, I will instead think about a particular instance during my break—more specifically, a particular cab ride.