TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - I seem to have overestimated my capacity to immerse myself in a place where I don't speak the language. Hebrew is as greek as quantum physics to me. And I am really skeptical now of the whole idea of Israel as a foreigner-friendly city - sure, almost everybody speaks English but all the signs (not the road ones) are in Hebrew. There is something glorious about globalization and brand names for now, e.g. I couldn't tell which one is a facial wash and a feminine wash in the grocery store so I ended up buying a Dove combo pack of hand cream and facial wash because it was the only one which had a clear indication in English. For everything else, you'll just have to go by the picture on the package or the appearance of the merchandise itself, e.g. pale yellow for lemonade, orange for orange, a yellowish color for humuus, etc.
In any case, the translation difficulties are just the tip of the iceberg.
The next time I think of something crazy such as staying in a foreign place for more than two weeks of non-touristy activities, I hope someone would come and knock my head against the wall. I wish I am back in the States soon.
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