Trying to Adult

    Trying to adult is a phrase that I've kept on telling myself this past week and a bit. I've done and started so many new things that I haven't ever done in my life. No one teaches you how to do certain things in your life that seem so simple, yet you're expected to inherently just know how to do it. I think I've come to the conclusion that everyone is always "trying to adult" or maybe I'm just incompetent. Anyways, those were my wise words - on to what I did (I hope I'm not repeating myself from last post) and lessons learned.

    The last week before I began work I made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to change over my Canadian license to an Israeli one. I was ready to fight tooth and nail with the woman at the counter, expecting the worst. To my surprise, all she had to see was that I had to have my Canadian license for at least 5 years on some fancy approving looking paper or card and then 10 minutes later I had my temporary license! Look out Israel, someone who has never driven here and doesn't know the laws of the road is now legal to drive 😎 (make it make sense). I continued on with my pilgrimage from the city centre to make it to the Old City where I visited the wall and I am happy to announce that she is still standing. I also got to see a friend from yeshiva that I haven't seen in years and then, I made my way back to the coast. 

Sweaty selfie at the Kotel

    Later in the week I went to the Misrad Haklita (office of integration) and finished my "official integration" process - aka free money and other goodies. That process was done by an individual who did not speak Hebrew, spoke very minimal English and was fluent in Russian (again, make it make sense). Later, I (spontaneously) bought a ticket to the Jerusalem Wine Festival and went with a friend. I can't remember all the details of that night but I did come home with a new wine glass. I spent that Shabbat in RBS with a whole bunch of my cousins and had a great time.

An attempt at an artsy photo

⏰6:00am wake-up Sunday morning⏰

If I have one complaint about G-d, it's that They didn't decide to rest on Sunday too.

My first day of work!!

    Commuting to Tel Aviv, like a good Oleh from North America I showed up 5 minutes before 8:00, the earliest start time. And like a good Israeli, the head architect of the Tel Aviv branch showed up 5 minutes late and welcomed me to the office. He asked me a little about myself, introduced me to the project that I'd be focusing on for now, and reminded me that since I am young to not post any work I do on social media. The usual things. The people that work here all speak English, two of them exclusively just that. The project that I was given to focus on just began, and is part of the new light rail system that will eventually be built in Tel Aviv and the surrounding cities. Even though I am using similar programs that I would use in Canada, it's a different feeling working on projects here. Like I am extra careful and attentive while doing work. It's such a hard feeling to describe, but to know that eventually in years to come I can point to certain systems or buildings in Israel and tell my (G-d willing) future children that I had a hand in creating that is so meaningful.

    

    Got home on Sunday and was absolutely exhausted - the sun tires you out here. But I trudged through, and managed to, for the first ever, MEAL PREP. I didn't actually believe in myself that I would do it, but it has been the most convenient thing ever to come home everyday of the week and know that it would just take 3 minutes to heat up a meal. Sunday is the hardest day, but it makes the rest of the week so much better.

My nutritious and delicious dinners for the weeks ahead until I get bored eventually

    That's it for this post. Hope to write another one right before Rosh Hashana! Hope you're still tuned in then.