busy busy busy!

The life of an American in Tel Aviv in the summertime - or at least my life - can basically be summed up in one word: visitors! I have had nonstop visitors for a straight 3 weeks now. It's the season that Americans come to Israel so I guess it makes sense. Everywhere you go in Israel now you hear English on the street... I think the Israelis are starting to feel outnumbered :-) Upon my brother's departure arrived Ezra and Noah, 2 old friends from Camp Yavneh, followed by Josh, a friend from high school who had just finished a taglit-birthright trip, followed by Erik, a good friend from Boston, followed by my sister Rachel's arrival! Not to mention all the other random visitors I've seen who haven't been staying with me. This also coincides with the start of a higher level ulpan class - an adventure unto itself. But it's all good things.
I was really inspired by Josh's birthright group. Most of them decided to extend their return ticket after the end of the trip so they could explore Tel Aviv for a few days. I took them all out to the most popular club in Tel Aviv and they had the time of their lives. It was so exciting and inspiring to see them and talk to them - you could tell they were so emotional and intimately bonded after their 10 intense days traveling Israel together. For some of them it was their first time in Israel, and they had already made up their minds that they would move here. For others they told me about how they now really care about their Jewish identity and heritage and want to explore the religion more and get more connected to the community. Birthright is really an amazing thing.
While Josh was here we also visited "water war" in Kikar Rabin (as you can see in the video I posted). That was a sight to be seen! Apparently they do this one day every year in the peak of the summer, despite the widespread complaints that it's a waste of water in a country suffering a serious water shortage. Nonetheless, great fun was had and everyone got to cool off for at least a few minutes! It was quite hilarious actually watching how intense people got with the water - some were even filling up garbage bins and dunking it entirely over someone's head. The channel 10 newscasters were there and interviewed my roommate, and in the middle of the interview a sneaky man came up and drenched them. It was shocking and hilarious.
It's getting extremely hot here and the beach is a necessity. Even though the water is as warm as a bathtub, it's simply too hot to be anywhere else. Yesterday the waves were enormous in Tel Aviv, bigger than I've ever seen them. When the waves are like that the water is mostly filled with boys. Rachel likes them but it's too much for me.
Rachel also took me to an Israeli wedding last night, a good friend of hers from New York who married an Israeli (and the couple happened to be a former Birthright participant and a Birthright security guard! a real love story). The wedding was so beautiful it took my breath away. I didn't know the couple very well but everyone was moved to tears, the ceremony was so touching. The wedding took place in a kibbutz north of Tel Aviv at night with all the trees and flowers and gardens lit up in beautiful lights and flame torches along a high stone wall with hauntingly powerful singing from the speakers surrounding the chupa. We danced until 3 in the morning. It was so different from an American wedding - not to mention the fact that half the guests were in jeans and flip-flops - but I loved it.
And tomorrow, my mom and stepdad arrive! More fun to come.