First few days

So I arrived in Israel around 4:30 pm Israel time on the 14th. Almost all of my trip was already at the apartments in Bat Yam, so Rachel Davis and I were provided a taxi to get to Bat Yam. I am living in an apartment with 5 other girls- 2 of which are Israeli Scouts. After arrival and unpacking we all went to our meeting spot to meet each other and learn the ground rules.

Today (June 15th), I rode the bus by myself for the first time. We were all supposed to find the place we are going to be volunteering so Sunday won't be as hectic. It took 45 min for me to get from Bat Yam to Tel Aviv by bus. I didn't know where to get off and the bus driver wasnt the nicest about it. When I got off, I didn't know where I was or were to go. I walked in both directions because there wasn't a street sign for the place I was supposed to turn. I eventually asked a sales women and she told me where to go. I felt very much like I was in New England- there are very few street signs, so if I didn't know where I was going, I didn't belong. And I felt like I didn't belong there- I was so lost. So I ended up finding the location of where I was working and then decided to explore a little. I got some chicken shwarma- my first of many for the summer and walked around a little. There are many shops near where I will be working, and I think I am about a 15 min walk from Shenken Street. After my trip I was exhausted, and was so happy to get back to my apartment and took a short nap. We then all met for some more ice breakers, and then got a tour of Bat Yam so we could see some of the places that we will need to go during our stay. Hopefully I am able to sleep tonight- I got only 3 hours of sleep last night, so I am exhausted. Tomorrow we're going to the North for 2 days so I will update this more when I'm back.