Global Girl: Israel

Hi! This is Charlotte, and I just chatted with my new friend Luli! She's 11 years old and has lived in Israel most of her life. This tiny country is only the size of New Jersey, but the history of the land goes back to when the earliest human civilizations invented writing and the wheel!

Charlotte Ramsey: Hi Luli! That's such a cool nickname. How did you get it?

Luli: Thanks! My real name is Yael (yah-ell), but when I was born, my grandmother couldn't say that, so everyone started calling me Luli.

Charlotte: Have you always lived in Israel?

Luli: I've lived in many places around the U.S. We usually live in California in the summers and we used to live in New York state and even in Brookline, Mass. where the Beacon Street Girls live! I like having two homes and friends in two countries, but moving and leaving my friends behind is always hard and sad.

Charlotte: I know how that feels! Tell me a little about one of your best friends.

Luli: Here's a picture of me and Angela. I got to be friends with Angela last year when we lived in Brookline. We both moved away around the same time. She speaks Chinese.

Israel

Charlotte: Are you two anything like the BSG?

Luli: She loves writing like Charlotte, but two Halloweens ago, her costume was of Isabel! I'm most like Avery. I like sports and animals.

Charlotte: Where are most of your friends from?

Luli: Most of my friends are from Israel.

Charlotte: Can you teach me some Hebrew?

Luli: Sure! Here's a hint: you read it right to left -- אני יהיה החבר הכי טוב שלך (ani ihiye hahaver hahi tov shelha) means "I'll be your best friend" and תהנה (tehane) means "have fun!" I go to a school that teaches in Hebrew.

Charlotte: What kinds of clothes do kids wear at your school?

Luli: We all have to wear school shirts that are plain T-shirts with the school symbol. most kids wear either blue jeans or sporty pants and sneakers or Crocs.

Charlotte: What are some of your after school activies?

Luli: Basketball, piano, drama, photography, and English!

Charlotte: Wow, that's a lot! What do you when you have time to just hang out?

Luli: My friends and I like to get together at a place we found by the bottom entrance of our school. We built two swings from ropes and we put up this log we like to walk on from one tree to another.

Charlotte: That place sounds kind of like the BSG's Tower! If I came to Israel, what are three places I definitely have to see?

Israel

Luli: Check out my photo album at the end of the interview! This picture is my brother Tom at Bet Guvrin, a field with billions of flowers in many different colors. The Dead Sea has many salty beaches and nice hotels. At the beach, you can find big chunks of salt! In Golan Heights, almost everyone is a farmer, and there are a lot of good hiking places by volcanoes there.

Charlotte: Tell me about the biggest and most fun holiday in Israel!

Luli: The best holiday in Israel is Purim. It's like Halloween but without trick-or-treating. Every year the sixth graders make haunted houses out of the rooms at school and the other kids buy tickets to go inside! You wear costumes and eat candy and these cookies called Haman's Ears, which is fried dough filled with nuts and dried fruit.

Charlotte: Sounds delish! What do you think is the best Israeli food?

Luli: Shlook! It's flavored ice and you squeeze it out of a wrapping, sort of like a slushee or snow-cone. it's especially nice on a hot day.

Charlotte: Speaking of celebrations, You have a special birthday coming up, don't you?

Luli: Yeah! I'm having my Bat Mitzvah when I turn 12 in September. At school I'm making a special album where I write about myself and my parashat hashavua which is the part of the Bible I'll read in the synagogue the Saturday after my Bat Mitzvah.

Charlotte: A Bat Mitzvah is a coming of age celebration for a Jewish girl -- boys have a Bar Mitzvah. What is this special day like?
Luli: It's a party with food and dancing and games. At one, there was a slide show of pictures and a big poster we all signed.

Israel

Charlotte: Cool! What TV shows do kids your age like to watch?

Luli: Ha Ei ("The Island") is one of the most popular TV shows in Israel. It's about four people who time travel from 2009 to 1909 and they have to save a village from destruction.

Charlotte: If you could time travel to your future, what would you want to be?

Luli: A doctor or a vet!

Charlotte: Do you have any pets?

Luli: This is my cat, Tuli. Maybe you can't see it in the picture but he has only three legs!

Charlotte: Oh no! Come to think of it, your cat reminds me a little of Orangina! Thanks for chatting, Luli.

Luli's Photo Album