Though Hebrew is the language of Israel, I primarily have been studying Arabic in my classes. To practice, I go on a regular basis to East Jerusalem, which is an area where predominantly Arabic-speaking people live.That way I can speak Arabic on a daily basis while grocery shopping, eating out and adventuring with friends.
The New Israeli Shekel (NIS) is used through all of Israel. There are a variety of bills and coins that make up the NIS. One US dollar is equal to about 3.66 NIS. Though this conversion rate might make the average person assume that things in Israel are cheaper than in the United States, this is unfortunately not the case. Things in Israel, except for some groceries, are just as expensive, if not more expensive, than in the U.S.
A two-liter bottle of water costs about eight shekels, which is about two US dollars. Most of the drinking water in Israel is safe to drink, but people still buy water bottles. Water filters, like Britas, can be fairly expensive, but overtime are worth the investment, rather than continuing to buy plastic water bottles.
