College Park, Maryland
United States
This blog writing finds me at the University of Maryland dorms, at Shira's room. This is where I spend the weekend, when my weekstart was in New York.
I landed at JFK airport in New York, Went thru the long & exhausting immigration proccess, got my 6 months staying visa and walked out thru the doors to the journey I was dreaming about for so long. The freezing new york's atmosphire outside the airport made me forget about the journey and think about surviving. The snow covered the city in white, but it was still more alive than most of the places I've been in for the past few years. I took the subway to the city (they just call manhattan "the city", for a good reason - this is the capital city of the modern world), jumping from one train to another to get to my hostel. "Toilets are for the hostel guests only", was the sign that welcome me to my new hostel. I felt so lucky.
How was the hostel you probably asking yourself. so, I was thinking about it, and the best way to describe it is picturing a double sized bed and walls surrounding it. that how big my room was. You can't be disappointed if you paid only 27 bucks for a room in the heart of manhattan. Manhattan is thrilling and exciting. I've been to all the cool places such as Times Square, Brooklyn Bridge and the Empire state building. I woke up in the morning after a pleasant night at the doghouse, checked out and went to find the "88 E Broadway", as the resarvation of my bus ticket to Washington D.C said. Now I know the E in the middle is East Broadway and not 88 East. I didn't know that then. So I came to the cross of Broadway and 88 street, looked around to find a sign of a bus terminal but none. Do you know the look on the face of the tourist on movies? I looked worse. I was so lost, because I can see both streets but I can't find the bus stop. So this nice lady comes to me and ask me: "are you lost?" (you must be a magician I thought to myself), I'm looking at her, with a pack of 60 kilos on my back, mumbling something about Broadway, Washington and the sun. We both understand I'm not going to make it even if I will magically find the place, so she offered me to take a new bus. It was something like this: "so, you're taking the subway to the times square and 42nd street, then you switch to the shuttle train to the grand central station, you know, it's like the tachana merkazit". When I told Dorit abou it, she asked me if I wore the backpacking bag, hiking shoes, nylon cover for the bag, and sunglasses. no more words needed.
So I got to the university of marryland to meet Shira. I spent the night there and than I went to travel DC (the capital city of US). Unlike New York, the city is really quite and peaceful. You really find it hard to believe that the capital city can be laid back like that. All the buildings are huge and amazingly designed. I got there really early at the morning, went straight to the US Capitol building. Along with me, a company of the marines arrived for their morning training. When I told them I was an officer in the Israeli army they all gathered to take a picture with me. I know that it seems like I took a picture with them, but don't be confused by how it seems, its them taking a picture with me. I spent the rest of the day wandering there, passing the White House, Washington Monument, National Archive, Cathedral, Lincoln Memorial, China Town (just like NY, the chineese got their own spot), and more.
As written above, now I'm at Shira's room in College Park, Maryland. Yesterday we wen't to a students party on the local pub. now we're getting ready for Shabbat (I believe she still think I'm going to the temple today), so Shabat Shalom to everyone in Israel, Thailand and UK.
I love you all,
Ori.
