In Chicago you get snow days (if you're lucky). In Israel, you get rain days. The country is largely desert, and praying for rain is the norm, but when we get it, we just aren't so great at dealing with it. For those living and working in the Mercaz (Center; Tel Aviv area), there was a rain day:
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| Highways and railways flooded. (From this site) |
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| Flooded highways. (From this site, but floating around elsewhere on the web) |
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| Highways and roads throughout the Mercaz are flooded. (From this site) |
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| The flooded railway station. (From this site) |
Tel Aviv and the surrounding areas may have had a rain day, but Jerusalem also had crazy weather of its own. The howling winds were unreal. Trees fell, buildings flooded, and roofs leaked. We have huge puddles in the lab from a leaky ceiling, and with the forecasted snow tomorrow night and the next day, we have no idea what to expect. It has been raining on and off (but mostly on) since Friday night, and the weather is starting to get chilly.
It isn't all bad news though. Yesterday, one of my classes was cancelled, so I got to stay in bed and watch the rain fall. When I did venture out (exactly ten minutes after the last bus went by and exactly ten minutes before the next one was due), I stepped out of my apartment, walked down the steps to the crosswalk, and saw my bus. I made a silly face at the driver--complete with hand gestures--took the right-of-way that pedestrians have, crossed in front of the bus, and sprinted in the rain to the bus stop about a block downhill. I saw the bus get to the stop before me. And then I saw that it wasn't leaving. I finished strong and got a compliment on my running from the bus driver as well as a couple smiles from the passengers. And I made it to campus safe, sound, and mostly dry.
What I discovered, though was not safe and sound: an upturned shade tree (the one we sit under to eat our lunches), puddles, mud, wet, cold cats, and other wintry sites. Below is a collection of Jerusalem pictures, both that I took and compiled from other sites. Not just Jerusalem and the Mercaz have been affected, though. The whole Middle East is under snow and water. Flooding, flash flooding, and snow piles are a common site this week. Regardless, it still isn't as horrible as the blustery winters of Chicago.
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| A felled tree on the Temple Mount. (From this site) |
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| A fallen tree in Jerusalem. (From this site) |
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| Yucky, rainy day! |
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| Our uprooted tree!! |
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| Guide dog in training...on the bus. |
It isn't all bad news though. Yesterday, one of my classes was cancelled, so I got to stay in bed and watch the rain fall. When I did venture out (exactly ten minutes after the last bus went by and exactly ten minutes before the next one was due), I stepped out of my apartment, walked down the steps to the crosswalk, and saw my bus. I made a silly face at the driver--complete with hand gestures--took the right-of-way that pedestrians have, crossed in front of the bus, and sprinted in the rain to the bus stop about a block downhill. I saw the bus get to the stop before me. And then I saw that it wasn't leaving. I finished strong and got a compliment on my running from the bus driver as well as a couple smiles from the passengers. And I made it to campus safe, sound, and mostly dry. 
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