Thursday, June 24, 2010

I think I'm turning Tel Avivi, I really think so...

That was to the tune of "I'm turning Japanese" in case you missed it.

With a little over three months left of my impromptu time here in Israel, I think I've crossed the barrier in terms of turning Tel Avivi. No that's not a typo, residents of Tel Aviv are called Tel Avivis. And I'll try refrain from saying Tel Aviv again for the next few sentences.

Just before I went to the UK I purchased a gorgeous, second-hand-but-almost-brand-new, Trek beach cruiser bicycle. I christened her Sandy for the following reasons; she's pink (metallic magenta to be specific), retro-looking and ridden by an Australian living in the very beachy city of Tel Aviv (oops, sorry). For those who don't get the logic, let me spell it out for you. Pink like the Pink Ladies, retro like Grease, Aussie like Olivia Newton John and finally, where there's a beach there has to be...you got it - sand. Et voila, Sandy.



Considering I hadn't really ridden a bike since my early teen years, this was bound to be a challenge. But I'd decided to get a bike and fully throw myself into proper Tel Aviv lifestyle. You see, along with cats, dogs, dog poo and cafes, this city is full of bicycles. It's the easiest way to get from A to B and you don't have to worry about parking (but you do need to watch out for bike thieves).

So when the opportunity presented itself to get Sandy at a better-than-bargain price, I couldn't turn back. After a few test laps around the park next to the seller's home and a few reassuring words from Doug on my program, I handed over the cash and became the proud owner of this beautiful specimen of machinery.

Riding her home was...hmm...interesting. It took me about an hour to ride the 6km route home. Lots of wobbles, lots of near-misses, lots of dirty looks and "tsks", and lots of jumping on and off when the path was deemed too narrow, or the kerb too high. Never mind the very literal pain I had in my behind once I finally made it back to the apartment. I was hot, sweaty and exhausted but I had done it. I'm not ashamed to admit I was also fairly proud of myself.

Nearly a month has passed and I ride Sandy to work and back almost daily. My confidence is building every day and I can negotiate tight spaces and pesky pedestrians like a pro. Well, most of the time - I haven't crashed into anyone or anything yet. I constantly get stopped on the street by people wanting to know where I bought her. They lavish her with compliments: "
!איזה אופניים יפה" which means "what a beautiful bike!" To which I smile and say "תודה" - thank you.

I've also developed a knack for giving drivers a lot of attitude when they fail to stop properly at crossings. Nothing bad, just a healthy amount of Israeli chutzpah ;) I could almost pass for an Israeli. Until I open my mouth, that is.

1 comment:

  1. Oy gevalt, you're not planning on coming home fully intact are you?

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