53 Days and Counting

I meant to start documenting our preparations for our year in Jerusalem earlier, but it is probably for the best that I spared everyone the insane anxiety of my Jerusalem apartment search.  Given the 7-hour time difference, the Jerusalem real estate day occurs between 2 AM and 10 AM New York time.  This is not good news if you're already hopped up on free-floating anxiety and prone to insomnia of the racing thoughts variety.  It was a very tiring few weeks.

But thanks to some very patient brokers and a saintly future colleague of mine, who very kindly offered to go check out places for me (and meant it!), I believe, knock on wood, ptu ptu ptu, that we have found our home for the next year.  It is a small house in Yemin Moshe, a beautiful historic neighborhood across from the Old City.  And only a 10 minute walk to school!  It is a pedestrian neighborhood with lots of steps, so we may come out of our year more fit, but we're willing to take that chance. 

Now we just have to find someone to rent our New York apartment for the year so I can stop living in a showcase and reclaim my clothes chair.

The real estate search was a very good introduction to our year, actually.  On Thursdays, I would get anxious as Shabbat approached in Jerusalem, eager to get all my emails out and answered.  Then, radio silence for 24 hours as Jerusalem shut down.  It was frustrating, but liberating, since I knew there was nothing I could do, and that no one was answering anyone else's emails either.  Everything was just paused for a day.  As Shabbat should be.  I'm sure there will be times when the ubiquity of Shabbat observance in Jerusalem is maddening, but I admit I'm looking forward to an enforced day of rest.

Another introduction to the differences between New York and Jerusalem has been my efforts to sign the girls up for camp.  I've been frantically calling and emailing the YMCA for the past 2 months, trying to make sure they can go to the summer camp there.  I finally heard back yesterday, and registration starts next week.  In New York, there were lotteries in February for summer camp, so this more laid-back approach to the all-important question of where your kids will play kickball for the summer was startling and refreshing. 

There's still lots to do before we go (visas, physicals, packing) but it feels like we're on the downward slope.  We're all anxious, but also eager for the adventure to begin.