Informal Israel- Sofia Ceballos

Hi blog, it’s Sofia again and I have just finished halfway through the program.

Wow. I am so grateful to be here. The culture here is so different from back home and I am slowly falling in love with it.

Back in Miami, people are more on top of things and cautious. Here for example, in the grocery store, people don’t seem to care even when they are shopping and paying. I feel that people are more laid back and carefree. The food here is much better and maid more authentic. Israeli food is made with better quality rather than what is produced in America. Another factor that is different are the roads. Miami drivers are super crazy, but I think Israel has some of the worst. Just walking on the street people yell at me and don’t wait for pedestrians to cross. The right of way is definitely not a thing here. I feel much more free and independent here as well.

On Fridays and Saturdays, especially in religious cities no one drives and the streets are fairly empty with few people walking. This is the complete opposite of Miami. Everyone here also smokes cigarettes and the litter is more abundant than it is in America. The weather is also very hot, but at night it can get chilly which I enjoy. This is different from Florida because it is extremely humid there.

Lastly, many people expect you to speak Hebrew and they do not know common English words. I find this surprising because there are many tourists and it is more appealing to foreign consumers if items or workers can speak English. Although quite disorganized and chaotic, I’ve loved my time here in Israel so far and I’m so sad it will come to an end soon. The culture is something  that I’ve learned to appreciate and will miss greatly when I return. More to come soon.

Sofia Ceballos 
11/4/21