- Not having a car and thus not having the freedom to travel as much as I would have liked.

- No buses on Shabbat (Friday afternoon thru Saturday evening) thus stranding me, and everyone else, every weekend.

+ Being forced to relax on Saturdays.

+ Bus rides through vast stretches of desert.

+ Enormous shadow masses in the middle of nowhere with seemingly not a cloud in sight. This is also sort of freaky.

- Having to wear some sort of shoe every time I intend to set foot on the floor of my apartment for fear of what might lie there despite having scrubbed for hours.

+ The Shuk.

+ Flea markets and art fairs every day of the week, all over the country.

+ Finding bullets on the street.

+ Finding seashells that Ive otherwise only ever seen in stores on the Ocean City boardwalk.

- Not having nearly enough room in my suitcase to bring home all the shells I’ve collected.

+ That time J found a really pretty sea slug.

+ Playing with Shusha the Wolf in her cage last week.

+ Thirteen year olds at school shouting that they love me because “love” and “like” share a word in Hebrew.

+ Drinking in public is legal.

+ BBQs in Gan Meir.

- The failure of the beach BBQ.

+ Having to carry a metal box full of fire all the way back from the beach because it was hilarious not only to me but to passers by who offered comments such as, “Now thats what I call take out!”

+ Friday dog adoption events in front of Gan Meir.

- Not being able to take home every available dog.

- Pitbulls are illegal in Israel.

+ People have pitbulls anyway!

+ The homeless people in Israel (they are often extra-crazy and extra-homeless with grotesque limbs that they insist are “Beseder!” even when we try to help them to a hospital.)

+ Having conversations in 10% broken Hebrew and 90% wild gestures, sharades, drawings, and Google Translate.

- Creepy old men sitting next to me on mostly empty buses.

+ Being considered exotic because Im American.

+ Being mistaken for an Israeli.

- Having to constantly (and embarassingly) request things in English.

+ Surprising myself when I dont have to request things in English.

+ Learning how to cook entire meals with multiple dishes using only one hot plate.

+ Learning how to cook. Period.

- There is only one semi-legitimate Mexican restraunt in all of Israel.

+ Bamba, even though its gross at first.

- Peanut butter Cheetos.

- There are no doughnuts in Israel - Sufganiot are not doughnuts.

- The way I feel when I see religous women covered head to toe in 90 degree weather.

+ Orange Crocs worn with complete Hassidic attire.

- Arak.

+ XL.

+ The abundance of clothing available for 30 shek that, in the states, would cost upwards of 30 dollars at American Apparel.

+ The girls here are, as a whole, far hotter and dressed far better than girls in the United States.

- The girls here are, as a whole, far hotter and dressed far better than girls in the United States.