From בידוד to סגר (Quarantine to Lockdown)
Nearly a month has passed since my last entry, and during those few weeks, I have been having THE absolute time of my life exploring Tel Aviv despite our בידוד/bidud (quarantine) turning into a country-wide three week סגר/seger (lockdown). I ended my two weeks of בידוד/bidud (quarantine) on September 8th and spent the following ten days walking almost every street in the area, meeting new people and catching up with my good friends Lexi and Sam, people watching from ground level (eeek!), and exploring Tel Aviv’s shuk (open air market), beaches, bakeries, shops, and grocery stores. I spent many afternoons and evenings laying on some of the many beaches in the area and swimming in the warm Mediterranean Sea. I have been collecting pink and purple shells, and watching some of the most amazing sunsets I have ever seen - a larger than life red ball of beauty sinking in the sky and disappearing behind the horizon.
My long term roommates, Arielle, Emily, Jai, and Ari and I have settled into our apartment and begun to decorate to make it feel like our home. We have bought and hung up plants, vines, twinkle lights, and art; I have painted and displayed some new paintings (check out my art Instagram page @Art.on.Art to see) and my and Emily’s room finally feels cozy and comfortable! We have all gotten into a wonderful groove of sharing our home space and have spent many evenings having lovely conversations over our dining table, usually accompanied by wine or ice cream (or both). I have met amazing Israelis, gotten to know more of the participants on my program, and I’ve felt myself adjusting to Israeli culture more and more each day. I have (finally) figured out the very exciting logistics of navigating the city’s public transportation, setting up an Israeli bank account, figuring out my new phone plan, and bargaining my way through the shuk. My food palette has turned Israeli faster than I thought, and I have eaten some of the largest and most delicious mangos I have ever tasted. Hummus, pita, Israeli salad, schnitzel, fresh fruits, and veggies have filled my belly; and the sweet smell of challah has filled my apartment each week.
On Friday, September 18th, a country-wide סגר/seger (lockdown) began in hopes of decreasing cases of COVID-19 in Israel. The rules are as follows: masks are mandatory when outside for any amount of time, and if someone is caught by Police without a mask on, it is a 500₪ ($145) fine. Residents are only permitted to travel 500 meters (0.31 miles) away from their homes, all companies and organizations are instructed to work from home, however, working from the office is allowed if they receive a government exception. Public transportation is running at 40% of normal routes, restaurants and cafes are operating as delivery only, and most grocery stores are open with limited hours (except for the AM:PM convenience store across the street from our apartment that's open 24/7, thank goodness). Yes, this is a very frustrating experience, as we have just begun to explore and learn the ways of navigating the city. As frustrating as it may be, in the beginning TWO days of סגר/seger (lockdown), COVID-19 cases have drastically dropped from a staggering 5,533 to 3,789 new cases per day. Aside from how amazing this decrease in cases is, what completely blows my mind is how compliant Israel’s residents are with following the government's rules on behalf the health and safety of the entire country. Israel is about the size of the state of New Jersey, making it very possible for the actions of one neighborhood to affect the entire country. The commitment to community health and public safety that people have here warms my heart, and makes me feel very safe. Today is day four of סגר/seger (lockdown) and we are at 2,122 new cases. Down 3,411 cases per day in four days, not bad!
To all of you who are following my journey, תודה רבה/todah raba (thank you so much)! I hope these updates bring you joy, teach you something new, and/or spark interest, questions, or discussions in your homes. If you have comments or questions about anything I have written about in this post or any of the others, please comment below or send me a message via the Contact Page. !לדבר בקרוב/lehdaber b’karuv! (Talk soon!)
