Israel is not Toronto

If i ever doubted that living in Israel would be very different from living in Toronto, the past few days have completely abolished such doubt. There are three particular facets of Israeli living that have us thinking fondly of Canada.

1. Internet
   
   As a computer scientist, the doctor loves all things technology, including the internet. Over the years, I too have come to love these things. Fast internet has always been an important consideration wherever we have lived, Israel being no exception. Unfortunately, the Technion WiFi has left much to be desired. With frequent drops/reconnects and ping times up to 400ms (50ms is good, 100ms is okay, 150ms is poor), connecting online with friends & family or even just loading a YouTube video has been frustrating to say the least.
2. Food
   
   Often, one of the perks of visiting another country is delighting in their cuisine. Unfortunately, food in Israel is not only expensive but hard to come by. As an example of the former, a 4-pack of 100g Yoplait yogurt containers costs nearly $6, while an 8-pack of 100g Activia yogurt in Toronto will only set you back around $5. Many products are twice as expensive, even when buying off brand!
   As an example of the latter issue with food in Israel, one only has to look at Israeli traditions, customs, and religion. From the Ten Commandments of the Bible, you are told to remember/observe the sabbath. What does this mean in practice? From Friday afternoon to Saturday evening the entire country basically shuts down. Buses stop running, many don't use electricity, and most important to us, restaurants and stores close up shop. This compounded with the fact that grocery stores are far away, meant that we had pasta too many times to count in two days (it was 4 times). We are definitely missing the 24-hour nature, close proximity of stores, and cheaper food options that Toronto has to offer.
3. Housing
   
   On Sunday morning, we checked out of our second hotel in 4 days and got the keys to our on campus housing. A colleague in the department and our to-be neighbour spoke well of the units and offered to drive us to the large supermarket in town that evening. We were ready and excited to start putting down roots rather than living out of our suitcases and eating pasta endlessly. After our stay in the very nice on campus hotel, we had high hopes for what the on campus dorms would provide. Unfortunately, what we walked into was almost right out of a horror movie - all that was missing was flickering fluorescent lighting and smears of blood.
   
   All dramatics aside, it was not what we were expecting or willing to live with. The Technion staff were shocked as well, took our concerns very seriously, and hastily helped us find other accommodations. We are temporarily set up in the short-term medical student dormitories located across town and actively looking for a place to live over the next 6 months.
   
   
   To be continued...