From the department of “Did I just get Punk’d?”
Decisions, decisions. The aliyah process requires an oleh chadash to make many: Jerusalem or Tel Aviv? Orange or Cellcom? Keep going “yashar yashar…ad hasof” or ask another Israeli for directions? All major decisions (and in the case of the third, potentially frightening.) One decision I was confronted with in the months preceding my aliyah was PC vs. Mac. Which to buy? People warned me about bringing a Mac to Israel where support is limited but in the end, it came down to this: while most people on the planet simply use Windows-based systems, Apple users love their Macs, and swear by them. Have you been to an Apple store? Those sales reps have either drunk the Kool-aid or couldn’t be bigger believers in their computers. After doing a good amount of research, I decided to take a sip as well for a few reasons, not the least of which was the built-in “isight” camera which facilitates video-chatting with the family back at home.
Here it is…
While I’ve been happy with my purchase, I also have come to terms with the fact that many websites designed in Israel are not Mac-friendly. Mac users, has this happened to you? “Ok, let’s start the dreaded apartment search. One roommate (click)…non-smoking (click)…Central Tel Aviv (click)…(pause)…WHERE IN G-D’S NAME IS THE “SEARCH” BUTTON???? AAAAAAAAAUGH!!!!!!!!!” I’ve gotten used to things not working on the web; happens all the time. Sometimes though, what I initially think might be a design issue in this country is simply…well…not.
Fast forward: Nefesh B’Nefesh is offering a business course which I’m interested in taking. Only issue is that it’s in Modiin. I live in Tel Aviv. Fine-so I’ll go to Egged’s site and find a bus.
From: Tel Aviv. CLICK!
To: Modiin. CLICK!
Day: Thursday. CLICK!
Search: CLICK!
Ummm…what?
“There is no direct bus line between the required destinations”??? Hey, I’m not trying to get to Damascus! Modiin calls itself the city of the future! Hey, Egged! The future is now! Get me a freaking bus! What the hell?! No WAY this is a Mac issue.
Check out this road map (and the fancy editing work. Potential clients, you can purchase my crafty web design skills for a small fee of seven shekels an hour.)
What’s this, a 30 minute drive on a single road? EGGED! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOURSELVES!? Does McDonalds tell me they’re out of hamburgers at 2 o’clock on a Thursday??? YOU ARE A TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY!!! START TRANSPORTING!!!!!!! Or even better, fix your website.
Just for the hell of it, I just went to the site of the Dan company to see what they would tell me.
Somewhere, the Minister of Transportation is laughing. Somebody wake me up when this gets fixed. Time to start walking…
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