A Not-So-Humble Abode

This summer, home is where Ibn Gvirol is (that's the name of our big street). Housing for MISTI Israel was a bit hectic because my roommates and I didn't find out where we were living until a couple weeks before arriving, but as how most things go, it all worked out in the end. I've decided to dedicate a separate blog post to our living situación for the summer because really...it can't be beat.

The official Tel Aviv Hostel Group. We have non-Tel-Aviv pals that crash at our place over the weekends, and here is the gang all together.

The Location

The apartment is right in the center of Tel-Aviv, and everything seems to be right at our fingertips. We have a health supermarket (think Whole Foods) right outside our building and restaurant after cafe after restaurant down all of Ibn Gvirol. Public transportation is only a couple hundred steps from our door, and there's even a nice big park just in front of our complex to stroll through on my way back from work. I would say location: ideal.

The Space

• Large living room with one couch

• Open kitchen space with everything (including a big island, perfect for meal prep) but a microwave

• A whole wall of windows overlooking center Tel-Aviv

• Four rooms, two beds each. Mattresses are not the comfiest, but they're the least of our concerns.

• 2.5 bathrooms

• Washer and dryer in the apartment. A concept.

The Amenities

Top-floor pool and gym and a rooftop with 360 views of the whole city. I hope to adopt a consistent after-work workout routine for the summer, and the view definitely helps with that. Other amenities include: a handful of friendly front-desk workers that say "Boker Tov!" to me every morning on my way out and "Shalom!" when I return home.

The Roomies

I live with six lovely gals also from MIT, and the apartment dynamic is full of positive energy. I feel very lucky that so many great MIT pals are in the region, as a summer alone is never as fun as a summer with friends. Here is a collage of my fantastic roomies for the summer (give or take a few on weekends).

Pictured (left to right, top to bottom):

1. Rosie: Queen of commuting to Haifa every day and of waking up at the crack of dawn

2. Autumn: Queen of rice and beans and of accents

3. Julia: Queen of big energy and cauliflowers

4. Eileen: Queen of organization, truffles, and microbiomes

5. Janice (farthest right): Queen of hugs and of asking about how my day is

6. Jenny: Self-explanatory

Rosie: Queen of commuting to Haifa