Last Friday, the girls wrote their thoughts on slips of paper and placed them in the Western Wall.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Centipede
Despite their profound differences, I have to believe that Israelis and Palestinians would agree that this massive centipede is icky.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
"Are they Muslim?"
It's been a whirlwind week here in the Holy Land.
I had my first week of classes, which was a welcome change from orientation. The main focus of this 6 week summer session is an intensive Hebrew program, which meets 3 1/2 hours a day Sunday through Wednesday. I am in a great class, and happily, we all feel like we're stretching to understand, so no one's bored and no one is flailing. But since the class is just ahead of our skills, I have to pay attention every second to stay in the groove, and being on the edge of your seat for 4 hours is exhausting.
We also have a Biblical Archeology class, which is fascinating, and includes a field trip every week. This week, we went out to a lookout point to get a good topographical view of the city, and then went to an archeological site at Ramat Rachel. I feel so Indiana Jones. I can't believe I get to do this stuff for credit.
In apartment news, we saw a bunch more places this week, and ultimately decided to go with a gorgeous place that's a bit further out than we would have liked. It has a fantastic view, plenty of room to entertain, and a wonderful workspace for Josh. Plus a guest room, and 2 rooms for the girls. (Stay tuned for pushback when they are forced to share again 11 months from now). It's also a (longish) walking distance from their school, which should come in handy. It's basically the apartment we wish we had in NYC, and so is well worth the commute, I think. I just hope we can lure my friends out to visit us!
In some ways the most exciting news of the week was that we received our first Shabbat lunch invitation from people unrelated to my school. Viv has made a friend at camp, Noah, and his mom called out of the blue to invite us over. I was really excited to get the invite; it made me feel like we'd arrived, and showed off the hospitable side of Israeli life. Since the mom's name was Bracha, and the camp is modern orthodox, I was a bit flummoxed about what to bring, since I didn't know what brand of kashrut they followed. I settled on fruit, which is always kosher, and it turned out to be a hit.
The lunch was awkward and lovely at the same time. Josh borrowed a kippah (yarmulke) from their 3 year old till I arrived with his own, and there were lots of traditional practices that were new for the girls. When it came time to do the ritual handwashing, Cassie whispered, "Are they Muslim?" Since I'm barely used to the Reform version of the blessing after meals, I was a bit lost, but we all hung in there, and our hosts were very gracious about our cluelessness. After lunch, Viv and I went to the playground with her friend and his mom, and had a great time. All in all, even if we don't have so much in common with Noah's family, it was wonderful to be welcomed into the homes of strangers in our first month here.
Since the school week is Sunday through Thursday here, tonight's a school night (although I know many of the younger folks in my class will be partying late). Time to make thedonuts flashcards.
I had my first week of classes, which was a welcome change from orientation. The main focus of this 6 week summer session is an intensive Hebrew program, which meets 3 1/2 hours a day Sunday through Wednesday. I am in a great class, and happily, we all feel like we're stretching to understand, so no one's bored and no one is flailing. But since the class is just ahead of our skills, I have to pay attention every second to stay in the groove, and being on the edge of your seat for 4 hours is exhausting.
We also have a Biblical Archeology class, which is fascinating, and includes a field trip every week. This week, we went out to a lookout point to get a good topographical view of the city, and then went to an archeological site at Ramat Rachel. I feel so Indiana Jones. I can't believe I get to do this stuff for credit.
In apartment news, we saw a bunch more places this week, and ultimately decided to go with a gorgeous place that's a bit further out than we would have liked. It has a fantastic view, plenty of room to entertain, and a wonderful workspace for Josh. Plus a guest room, and 2 rooms for the girls. (Stay tuned for pushback when they are forced to share again 11 months from now). It's also a (longish) walking distance from their school, which should come in handy. It's basically the apartment we wish we had in NYC, and so is well worth the commute, I think. I just hope we can lure my friends out to visit us!
In some ways the most exciting news of the week was that we received our first Shabbat lunch invitation from people unrelated to my school. Viv has made a friend at camp, Noah, and his mom called out of the blue to invite us over. I was really excited to get the invite; it made me feel like we'd arrived, and showed off the hospitable side of Israeli life. Since the mom's name was Bracha, and the camp is modern orthodox, I was a bit flummoxed about what to bring, since I didn't know what brand of kashrut they followed. I settled on fruit, which is always kosher, and it turned out to be a hit.
The lunch was awkward and lovely at the same time. Josh borrowed a kippah (yarmulke) from their 3 year old till I arrived with his own, and there were lots of traditional practices that were new for the girls. When it came time to do the ritual handwashing, Cassie whispered, "Are they Muslim?" Since I'm barely used to the Reform version of the blessing after meals, I was a bit lost, but we all hung in there, and our hosts were very gracious about our cluelessness. After lunch, Viv and I went to the playground with her friend and his mom, and had a great time. All in all, even if we don't have so much in common with Noah's family, it was wonderful to be welcomed into the homes of strangers in our first month here.
Since the school week is Sunday through Thursday here, tonight's a school night (although I know many of the younger folks in my class will be partying late). Time to make the
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Moving on up
I bought a new vacuum cleaner today, as part of our commitment to being happy where we are instead of waiting and hoping for a chance to move. It replaces the vacuum cleaner that we owned for an hour or two on Friday and then lost.
As soon as I got the new vacuum home, we got an email from the landlord's lawyer saying he'd release us from the lease. We can move! I think Nicole would be content to stay, and the girls love the house, but it irritates me in a thousand ways and I can't wait to leave. (Yes, I'm the high-maintenance one here.) So, we're moving. There are two candidate apartments, both lovely, and I think we'll decide in the next couple days which we'll take.
I'll miss a few aspects of Yemin Moshe. It's a gorgeous neighborhood, and the quiet alleyways are magical at night. But I won't miss the 110 steps up to the parking lot, the loud concerts at the adjacent amphitheater, or the many irritations of our particular house. It's time to go.
Best moment of the day: taking the girls to deliver a can of tuna to one of the billion stray cats that live here. The night air was cool and clear and it felt wonderful to be outside. We sat on the steps, watched our adopted-for-the-moment cat quietly eat its dinner, and I felt at home.
As soon as I got the new vacuum home, we got an email from the landlord's lawyer saying he'd release us from the lease. We can move! I think Nicole would be content to stay, and the girls love the house, but it irritates me in a thousand ways and I can't wait to leave. (Yes, I'm the high-maintenance one here.) So, we're moving. There are two candidate apartments, both lovely, and I think we'll decide in the next couple days which we'll take.
I'll miss a few aspects of Yemin Moshe. It's a gorgeous neighborhood, and the quiet alleyways are magical at night. But I won't miss the 110 steps up to the parking lot, the loud concerts at the adjacent amphitheater, or the many irritations of our particular house. It's time to go.
Best moment of the day: taking the girls to deliver a can of tuna to one of the billion stray cats that live here. The night air was cool and clear and it felt wonderful to be outside. We sat on the steps, watched our adopted-for-the-moment cat quietly eat its dinner, and I felt at home.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Getting Oriented
"So, what's going on with the apartment," you ask? Well, our landlord has adopted the bold and creative negotiating tactic of simply ignoring our communications. As we say in our house, "la la la . . . kittens!" So, having lived here for two weeks refusing to fully unpack and rooting through 12 exploded suitcases every morning looking for clothes, we decided to unpack and be happy where we are.
We celebrated this decision by taking a field trip to the big retail hub of Jerusalem, Talpiyot. (The kids were off at the zoo -- Thank you Bubbe Cookie and Samantha!). In other words, we went to the mall! It was awesome. With the huge supermarket attached to the huge home supply store, it was like living in the America we don't live in at home, only we couldn't accurately identify 75% of the products around us. We came home with a microwave -- two weeks of heating up macaroni and cheese without one was more than enough -- a vacuum cleaner, a Brita, and lots of food. OK, so we kind of lost the vacuum cleaner somewhere between the mall and home, but we did own a vacuum cleaner for a good half hour, and it felt great. We're planning on owning one again tomorrow (hopefully for a longer period of time).
Our quads and lungs are getting used to the stairs, and we've found good shortcuts to the Old City and to school. So, life is slowly slowly getting easier here.
Moving on from the mundane, there have been many many highlights this week, which was our "orientation" week. It wasn't really an orientation to school as much as it was an introduction to our class and a kick in the pants to experience Jerusalem. Looking back, here are a few of my favorite moments:
(1) On Thursday afternoon, when Cassie had a long day at camp, Viv asked to go to the Old City to buy a bracelet. As Josh said, if your 3 year old asks to go to the Old City of Jerusalem and you can walk there, why not? So we took a walk at Vivian's pace. She bought her bracelet, had an ice cream, slid down the little slides in the stairs in the Arab shuk. It was magical. She asked if we could go see "the wall with the wishes in it" but we got turned around and tired before we got there. Good news is, we have lots of other chances.
(2) The first night of orientation, after sunset, we went for a lesson right outside the walls of the Old City. To see the moon rise over the walls of the Old City and to be able to see my neighborhood at the same time . . . more magic.
(3) I finally got to go get my groove on with the hip young people in my program, and had a blast. Turns out I'm still fun sometimes.
(4) I have a favorite falafel place, which makes me feel like I live here. Even better, I discovered it with a new friend.
(5) I asked a lot of questions in Hebrew and understood some of the answers. I was also able to get across the idea of "air mattress" in Hebrew, of which I was particularly proud.
(6) I had someone ask me directions, and answered "yashar yashar yashar" (i.e. "keep going," which is the answer to all requests for directions here.). Another sign I'm getting used to the place.
(7) Both girls had fun their first week of camp. (Phew).
OK, so I'm rambling, but it's the first time I've had to sit down all week. More soon!
We celebrated this decision by taking a field trip to the big retail hub of Jerusalem, Talpiyot. (The kids were off at the zoo -- Thank you Bubbe Cookie and Samantha!). In other words, we went to the mall! It was awesome. With the huge supermarket attached to the huge home supply store, it was like living in the America we don't live in at home, only we couldn't accurately identify 75% of the products around us. We came home with a microwave -- two weeks of heating up macaroni and cheese without one was more than enough -- a vacuum cleaner, a Brita, and lots of food. OK, so we kind of lost the vacuum cleaner somewhere between the mall and home, but we did own a vacuum cleaner for a good half hour, and it felt great. We're planning on owning one again tomorrow (hopefully for a longer period of time).
Our quads and lungs are getting used to the stairs, and we've found good shortcuts to the Old City and to school. So, life is slowly slowly getting easier here.
Moving on from the mundane, there have been many many highlights this week, which was our "orientation" week. It wasn't really an orientation to school as much as it was an introduction to our class and a kick in the pants to experience Jerusalem. Looking back, here are a few of my favorite moments:
(1) On Thursday afternoon, when Cassie had a long day at camp, Viv asked to go to the Old City to buy a bracelet. As Josh said, if your 3 year old asks to go to the Old City of Jerusalem and you can walk there, why not? So we took a walk at Vivian's pace. She bought her bracelet, had an ice cream, slid down the little slides in the stairs in the Arab shuk. It was magical. She asked if we could go see "the wall with the wishes in it" but we got turned around and tired before we got there. Good news is, we have lots of other chances.
(2) The first night of orientation, after sunset, we went for a lesson right outside the walls of the Old City. To see the moon rise over the walls of the Old City and to be able to see my neighborhood at the same time . . . more magic.
(3) I finally got to go get my groove on with the hip young people in my program, and had a blast. Turns out I'm still fun sometimes.
(4) I have a favorite falafel place, which makes me feel like I live here. Even better, I discovered it with a new friend.
(5) I asked a lot of questions in Hebrew and understood some of the answers. I was also able to get across the idea of "air mattress" in Hebrew, of which I was particularly proud.
(6) I had someone ask me directions, and answered "yashar yashar yashar" (i.e. "keep going," which is the answer to all requests for directions here.). Another sign I'm getting used to the place.
(7) Both girls had fun their first week of camp. (Phew).
OK, so I'm rambling, but it's the first time I've had to sit down all week. More soon!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
A Bumpy Start
I've been reading with envy the blog posts of my fellow students, who are all so thrilled to be here and having such a blast exploring the city. For us, the beginning of our adventure has been a bit bumpier.
As advertized, our apartment is charming, has lots of character, and is in a very cool neighborhood. But when we arrived it was also filthy (but at least the cockroaches were dead!), and unairconditioned. Plus the hot water wasn't working. So we spent our first 2 days here not wanting to walk on the floors in bare feet, not willing to unpack, and very very smelly. We had also underestimated how much of a trek it would be from our place to shopping, etc. (Luckily, we've since learned about grocery delivery, so that should help.)
Then on Tuesday night, after we had pitched a fit and gotten our landlord to send someone to clean the apartment, there was a SMELL. Samantha noticed it first. She came up from downstairs and said, "Maybe it's me, but it kind of smells like a sewer downstairs." And she was right. So she moved her stuff upstairs. But the SMELL followed. Soon it had settled in the kitchen. Not ideal. By this time it was 10 PM. The girls were complaining that the house smelled like poop. Josh had a conference call in an hour. Officially creeped out and at the end of our ropes, we packed everyone up and walked to a hotel. Josh did his call from the lobby while I checked us in.
The next morning, I came back to supervise the workers who had come to investigate the SMELL and air conditioning. There was much disagreement over the source and nature of the SMELL. Was it a dead animal? Gas leaking from a hole in the floor? Who knew? Soon the workers had fixed the A/C (kind of) and sealed the hole in the floor. After a day with the A/C on and the windows open, the SMELL seems to have departed.
Today we are going to look at alternative apartments. We figure that even if we stay, it should be based on knowing our alternatives. Where will we land? Will all those self-addressed stamped envelopes be for naught? Who can say?
Not to be forgotten is the adventure of the potty seat. Somehow, between the airport and here, we lost Viv's potty seat. She will not go without it. So for several days, during the roach/SMELL adventures, she was reverting to asking for a pullup when she needed to go. Turns out you can't buy potty seats in pharmacies here. You need a "children's store." But given our apartment adventures (and the fact that everyone has been sleeping till noon) we had no time to find such a place. Finally, I broke down and posted a plea on Facebook, asking my fellow students to go on a potty quest. And guess what?! They totally came through. Huge points to our new friends. Never have I been so happy to hear someone else pee.
On a brighter note:
(1) The girls have not tired of all the cats here.
(2) My fellow students seem wonderful.
(3) Vivian found trees she can climb ALL BY HERSELF.
(4) We had a great time at the HUC 4th of July BBQ, during which Cassie threw a football. (Perhaps an Auerbach first).
(5) After a stressful time picking out presents in the Old City (Viv: "There are so many beautiful things I can't choose") we came home with appropriately sparkly items.
(6) We have found a yogurt/chocolate item combo that Viv can live on.
(7) Cassie has new favorite foods: schawarma (a new entry into her favorite category of "salty meat") and pear tarts from Aroma.
(8) Viv approves of the falafel and hummus here.
Onward!
As advertized, our apartment is charming, has lots of character, and is in a very cool neighborhood. But when we arrived it was also filthy (but at least the cockroaches were dead!), and unairconditioned. Plus the hot water wasn't working. So we spent our first 2 days here not wanting to walk on the floors in bare feet, not willing to unpack, and very very smelly. We had also underestimated how much of a trek it would be from our place to shopping, etc. (Luckily, we've since learned about grocery delivery, so that should help.)
Then on Tuesday night, after we had pitched a fit and gotten our landlord to send someone to clean the apartment, there was a SMELL. Samantha noticed it first. She came up from downstairs and said, "Maybe it's me, but it kind of smells like a sewer downstairs." And she was right. So she moved her stuff upstairs. But the SMELL followed. Soon it had settled in the kitchen. Not ideal. By this time it was 10 PM. The girls were complaining that the house smelled like poop. Josh had a conference call in an hour. Officially creeped out and at the end of our ropes, we packed everyone up and walked to a hotel. Josh did his call from the lobby while I checked us in.
The next morning, I came back to supervise the workers who had come to investigate the SMELL and air conditioning. There was much disagreement over the source and nature of the SMELL. Was it a dead animal? Gas leaking from a hole in the floor? Who knew? Soon the workers had fixed the A/C (kind of) and sealed the hole in the floor. After a day with the A/C on and the windows open, the SMELL seems to have departed.
Today we are going to look at alternative apartments. We figure that even if we stay, it should be based on knowing our alternatives. Where will we land? Will all those self-addressed stamped envelopes be for naught? Who can say?
Not to be forgotten is the adventure of the potty seat. Somehow, between the airport and here, we lost Viv's potty seat. She will not go without it. So for several days, during the roach/SMELL adventures, she was reverting to asking for a pullup when she needed to go. Turns out you can't buy potty seats in pharmacies here. You need a "children's store." But given our apartment adventures (and the fact that everyone has been sleeping till noon) we had no time to find such a place. Finally, I broke down and posted a plea on Facebook, asking my fellow students to go on a potty quest. And guess what?! They totally came through. Huge points to our new friends. Never have I been so happy to hear someone else pee.
On a brighter note:
(1) The girls have not tired of all the cats here.
(2) My fellow students seem wonderful.
(3) Vivian found trees she can climb ALL BY HERSELF.
(4) We had a great time at the HUC 4th of July BBQ, during which Cassie threw a football. (Perhaps an Auerbach first).
(5) After a stressful time picking out presents in the Old City (Viv: "There are so many beautiful things I can't choose") we came home with appropriately sparkly items.
(6) We have found a yogurt/chocolate item combo that Viv can live on.
(7) Cassie has new favorite foods: schawarma (a new entry into her favorite category of "salty meat") and pear tarts from Aroma.
(8) Viv approves of the falafel and hummus here.
Onward!
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