More Random Reflection

We celebrated our first Rosh HaShanah here as citizens. It came and went sort of seamlessly as a continuation of normal life. It was really nice. We were invited to several homes for meals throughout the holiday. All of the little girls in our community got new white dresses for the new year. We missed a beat on that one, but Sidney was none the wiser and we'll know for next year. In truth, she probably would have refused to wear it anyway. On Thursday before the holiday they had a party at school. All of the kids were supposed to wear white t-shirts. Sidney didn't have one so Josh took her to the store the night before to get one. She asked where they were going, and Josh told her that they were going to buy her a new white shirt. She said, "Abba, I know what kind of white shirt I want...a pink white shirt."

On Friday, we saw a large number of soldiers heading home. I asked Sidney if she knew why there were so many soldiers traveling. She answered that it was because they were going home to be with their families for the holiday. Then she asked, "Are all of the soldiers kids?" We answered yes, that everyone is someone's kid. She said, "No. I mean, are all of the soldiers just big kids?" Oh...

Josh and I are enjoying our respective ulpan classes. Every morning we walk through the Mahane Yehuda market to get to our school. This morning we were there early, before many of the stalls opened. Just walking that one block, it was amazing to hear the variety of languages spoken: Hebrew, Russian, Amharic, French, Arabic, and Spanish.

Ulpan is this really interesting cultural phenomenon--state sponsored language acquisition course. Today two more students joined my class: one studying here for the year from Australia, the other a new immigrant from Iran. Also, today is the second day of the three-day Muslim holiday Eid ul-Fitr, marking the conclusion of the month of Ramadan. The Muslim students at ulpan brought food to make a party including traditional sweets served in their homes. It was really a wonderful instance of cultural sharing...I have been told that this kind of openness is rare outside of the ulpan setting. It was really cool, and the date filled cookies were especially good!

We are just about settled in terms of the apartment. Most of the pictures are up on the walls. We have even done a few loads of laundry. Unlike most Israeli households, we do not yet own a television. Not sure where we would put it if we did (and right now we have no plans to buy one). In fact, we haven't really had a TV since leaving Brockton. Kind of liberating. But Josh misses Sportscenter. At least we have high speed internet.

Learning the Language and a New Year

A word of advice to those considering aliyah: If you're planning to move to a town or city other than one of the largest (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, etc.), realize that you may not be able to take ulpan in your hometown. That's what we've learned this week. Modiin offers ulpan, and although we were promised that it would meet our level, we arrived on the first day to learn that they were going to be offering two levels, one for absolute beginners and one for everyone else. The "everyone else" encompassed too broad a spectrum, and frankly we were bored to tears, so we spent the last few days looking into our options. Yesterday we joined an ulpan in Jerusalem (in the big cities they can offer many levels because of the number of students enrolled) and were each placed into an appropriate class (Daled (4) for Sarah, Hey/Vav (5/6) for Josh). It was great--at least the first day. We are attending Ulpan Beit Haam which is in the Nachalaot section of Jerusalem about equidistant between Machane Yehuda and the city center. It's a diverse group of students. Sarah's class has eight students: three young American Olim learning Hebrew before enlisting in the army, one mother of college-aged children who also just made aliyah, an oleh from France, a Spanish student enrolling to study biology at Hebrew University, and one Arab student improving his Hebrew in order to matriculate to university as well. My class is rather small as the lower levels have many more students. The diversity of the student body is really fascinating--about evenly split between Arab students who need to improve their Hebrew in order to go to university and new immigrants. Yesterday, in honor of the Jewish new year, the entire student body came together for a party organized by the teachers. They explained the different customs and the symbolism of the foods eaten at this time of year. They also had apples and honey available for everyone. The teachers also recognized those who were fasting--it is now Ramadan, so Muslims do not eat during the day--and in addition to wishing everyone a "shana tova" (a good year) also wished the appropriate Arabic greeting for Ramadan, "Ramadan Kareem". One Arab student, who was making the rounds of talking with all of the young women in the room (glad I still fall into that category) engaged me in conversation. He was surprised, as many Israelis are, that we in the States also study Hebrew. I was tempted to pull out my Arabic, rusty as it may be, but thought it better to stick to one language for now--and Hebrew is the common language of expression for everyone in the room, as diverse a population as we are.
After we returned from Jerusalem, we picked up Sidney and did a 180 degree turn to head back to Jerusalem for an early celebration of Joshua's 37th birthday. We went to Stekiah Tzidkiyahu, a restaurant in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem that we frequented ten years ago when we lived here. It's a stekiyah, so they serve just about any kind of meat threaded onto a skewer and grilled over an open flame. It all comes with "salat aravi", a spread of 15 or so salads, some fresh and some cooked--cabbage salad, carrot salad, marinated tomatoes, eggplant with tomatoes, babganoush, parsley salad, olives, pickles, and more--as well as hummus, French fries, and fresh pita cooked in their Taboun oven. When we used to go there ten years ago, it was a real hole-in-the-wall kind of place where you ordered your food at the counter and had to scramble to get a table. A year or so after we left, the restaurant was destroyed by a suicide bombing...well they rebuilt in style. In fact that whole area, that used to be very industrial is becoming a trendy spot.
In the last few days, the impending new year has become a main focus of the country. On the bus marquis, the destination alternates with the message "shana tova". People on the street, in stores, on buses wish one another a good year. While in America, we thought of Rosh haShana as the beginning only of a religious new year, here the meaning is also secular. On TV, they were counting down the best videos of the year. Sidney and Josh just got back from some last minute shopping in the mall. The usual Friday throngs of people were multiplied ahead of the holiday, and they were greeted by students distributing apples and honey to bring a sweet new year.
So here's to a wonderful year, a year of peace, a year of new beginnings, a year of good health, happiness, and success. A year filled with love.

Rain on Strike day and other thoughts

We awoke Sunday morning to the smell of freshly fallen rain. Somehow even the small amount of rain that we got felt like a miracle. The only problem was that all of our extra stuff for which we haven't found a space (like file cabinets, a rug, a loveseat, etc.) are now making their home (temporary!) on one of our two porches. So everything got a tad bit wet, but in this country where water is an extreme shortage, we must always hope for rain. It was such a little bit and the sun came out so strong that everything was dry in no time.

It turns out that the municipal workers, most importantly to our story the assistant preschool teachers, did strike on Sunday. Luckily, one of our fellow parents agreed to step in to assist so that the school could open. Our turn will certainly come, but this time the strike only lasted one day.

After dropping Sidney off at gan, we headed to our first day of school--our ulpan or Hebrew language immersion class. We had been assured that they would offer our level; however, we have found that not to be true--the level is too low right now. So, tomorrow we will be true Israelis and march ourselves over to the office to find out how they intend to meet our needs. We have been told that Israelis don't take no for an answer, so we'll need to practice that.
Today was another important milestone in Sidney's life. She got her first two wheel bicycle and practiced riding it with the training wheels. She was so excited. We sneaked the bike into our shipment so that she would have a surprise when our stuff arrived. Granted it has taken us this long to put it together, but still...
In other news, I finally got myself to my first yoga class last night. Jen was nice to be my chaperone, and I went to the studio where she is a regular. It took me a long time to get myself to a class both because we have been so busy and because of fear, but I'm so glad that I went. It was a great class. The teacher was certainly knowledgeable and had a wonderful way of expressing himself. The truth is that in the beginning I pretty much had no idea what he was saying until he said "ujjayi" and then I knew I was home. I found that I understood more than I thought that I would, and he was incredibly kind about translating; I even learned a few words along the way. The sound of the language that he was using was also incredible. First of all, the way the Hebrew language is built makes it so that words end up rhyming, not in a greeting card sort of way, but it really sounds poetic. Secondly, the word for breathing is neshima which comes from the same root as the word neshama (soul)...the connection in the language is very yogic.
Finally, I have been wondering something. Does the American press cover things going on here in Israel? I remember in the months before Operation Cast Lead in Gaza reading in Israeli newspapers online everyday about the numerous rockets being fired into Israel from Gaza. Each day, for months, as I read this, I remember thinking that the American press was not covering this and that when Israel finally decided to respond with force it would seem to most people that their attack had been unprovoked. Well months later, Israel did respond and that was the reaction of the world. So now I wonder. Do people know about the katyushas from Lebanon that fell in northern Israel on Shabbat (thankfully not injuring anyone--reportedly linked to independent Sunni radicals, not Hizbullah)? Perhaps less internationally significant, do Americans know that Israelis yesterday and today mourned for Asaf Ramon, the son of Ilan Ramon the astronaut (who died on the Columbia spacecraft in 2003)? He was killed yesterday in a air force training exercise. Of course, his death was the headline of every paper, but also regular people are acting as if he was their own. A friend told us that his office had planned a meeting for today to include a celebration of the new year. They had the meeting but felt it appropriate to cancel the celebration...If only every soldier in the world were so treasured.

So this morning was difficult. Sidney woke up early but then didn't want to get out of bed. She kept repeating, "I don't want to go school. I don't want to go to school." Things is this respect have gotten increasingly difficult over the last few days. We finally got her to tell us why--the Hebrew. After some coaxing, commiserating, and an agreement that Eemah rather than Abba would take her to gan, Sidney finally agreed to go. We walked up the stairs happily together and when we got to gan she was excited to play...but the lead up wasn't easy.

We fretted all morning. When I went to pick her up, she was all smiles, proud to bring home a new bag that contained her work for the week. She even described all the fun she had with her new friend Limor and ran back to give Limor a hug before leaving. They are looking forward to playing together at shul tomorrow. When we got home, I asked Sidney if she was glad that she went to school today. She answered with an emphatic yes.

It's always interesting how fast kids can change direction. Sidney is already talking to me about what she wants for aruchat esser on Sunday. Aruchat esser is the 10 o'clock meal. Meals are a little different here, at least in traditional Israeli culture. Breakfast is light--a yogurt, maybe a coffee for adults. Then at 10 am is aruchat esser, a meal of a sandwich of some kind and a piece of fruit and/or a vegetable. Lunch is the main event--heavy protein (usually meat, poultry, or fish), vegetable, starch, and salad. Dinner is the light meal of the day. It's a pretty healthy way to eat. Sidney has been taking grilled cheese sandwiches for aruchat esser along with her fruit or veg. Today she changed pace and took peanut butter. She has informed me that on Sunday she wants pita and hummus. It's good to see she has a plan--that means she is planning to go back:>.

We just received an email from one of the parent on the parents' council of the gan that there is word that the assistant teachers in the gans may go on strike starting Sunday. They are in a different union than the head teachers. Strikes are a fact of life in schools here, particularly in the beginning of the school year. Many people have said that we were lucky to come in a year when school actually began on time. That luck may run out on Sunday. As long as one parent volunteers to fill-in for the assistant, the school will open. Josh and I begin uplan on Sunday, our Hebrew language immersion, so that won't be our day. We start Sunday with a test to see what level we are...wish us luck!

In the meantime, yesterday we began our preparations for Shabbat with a trip to Jerusalem. After taking care of some business, we headed to Mahane Yehuda, the shuk or market, to do some shopping. Got lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Sarah even came home with a few nice scarves. We were thrilled to run into our friend Rob there doing his Shabbat shopping. That's one of the amazing things about Israel and Jerusalem: Sometimes it feels so small. Being in the area, we took the opportunity to stop in at an old favorite in honor of our friends Michael and Ari--we dined at Sami's, an institution in Jerusalem restaurants.

We are about to begin Shabbat. As we clean the apartment and finish the last of our cooking, it's amazing to notice how the streets have quieted. When we leave for shul in a little while, some people will be heading the same direction and many families will be heading to the park to take advantage of the cool early evening. Not everyone here observes Shabbat the way we do, but everyone has a day of rest, a day of family, a day separate from the rest of the week. That's probably one of my favorite parts about Israel. Even with all of the publicized strife between religious and non-religious, the truth is that here being Jewish is many things and all of them have a place here.

Food, Glorious Food

OK. So I'm not sure if it seems like it to you, but it seems to me that I am always writing about food. And in this posting, that's not going to change. I guess that food is just one of those keys to culture, so...
Friday night, we cooked our first Shabbat meal in this apartment. It was the first time we had cooked for Shabbat in over three months, since moving out of our house in Brockton on Memorial Day. Sidney has made a new friend at shul: Yehuda, 6 feet tall, mid-forties--the candy man.
Sunday was Sidney's first full day of gan. In the states, she was used to going to a full day, but there that meant 9-3. Here a full day is 8-4:30, so we weren't sure how she would handle it. She got dropped off fine, but I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked her up. When I walked in, she was all smiles and had a certain brown something on her face...could it be chocolate? Hmmm. The afternoon teacher said that again she was "maxima," and we left. So I asked her how the afternoon was. She told me about what they had for lunch: tomatoes and cucumbers, carrots ("I tried them, but they were too sweet."), cous cous, and schnitzel. She loved it, and I sighed a huge sigh of relief. "Eemah, do you know how to say schnitzel in Hebrew? Schneetzel!" Already speaking like a true Israeli. And what about the chocolate face? Oh yes. That was from afternoon snack--a sandwich of chocolate spread. If you've never had Nutella, you can find it in the States--definitely a cultural icon, worth a try.
So a return trip to school has not been difficult to persuade. While Sidney has been at school, Josh and I have been unpacking boxes. On Monday we needed a break, so we headed out to Tel Aviv for a little while. Lunched at Yotvata on the beach and then walked a bit in the water. So great!
That night we had a parent's meeting at Sidney's school. It was good--long. Parents are parents wherever you are. It was good to hear Sigal's (that's the teacher) philosophy. The focus is really on play, on developing social, motor, problem solving, etc. skills. She does some work on counting and letters, but that is really secondary and according to the child's pace. She described the theme of the year as well as the post office project that they will be doing. By the way, there are 29 kids in Sidney's class, average for a municipal preschool. There is one ganenet, the head teacher, and one sayaat, the assistant teacher. These women keep those 29 kids in line--as well as their parents. Sidney is in pre-K and since 1st grade is really the start of school here, there is much less pressure than is perhaps felt in States--it's really preschool. With exception of language, length of day, and the sheer number of classmates, Sidney has found this school to be a wonderful continuation of the excellent experience that she had at the Striar Hebrew Academy of Sharon. By the way, when we mention SHAS here we do get strange looks...most people think: Shas, the ultra-religious, powerful political party not the preschool in Sharon, MA.

Random reflections

Dogs here don't bark as much as in the U.S. Not sure why. Kind of creepy. Kind of nice. Sidney isn't afraid of them anymore.

To get to gan, we walk up 107 stairs in our building to the elevator which takes us up the last three flights. (Our building is built into the side of a hill--like all of Modiin--so the elevator can't come down all of the way.) We then walk up another 123 stairs on the public walkway. 230 stairs up the hills of Modiin means no need for a gym--at least that's what I tell myself.

On September 1st, the first day of school for all Israeli children, a police helicopter was circling above our house for a long time. Got us wondering. Probably not military action since that would not leave them circling Modiin, so...? Turns out Bibi Netanyahu (prime minister) was visiting schools in Modiin for the first day of school--no, not Gan Tzabar (Sidney's). Oh well, maybe next year.

Something to get used to: Light switches for bathrooms in Israel are on the outside of the rooms. It's dark if you forget.

Went to the doctor yesterday. I was very early because I wanted to be sure that I would be able to find it. The receptionist told me, "The doctor's office is around the corner. You're after Maya." Maya? Who is Maya? And what about HIPAA? Oh, yeah. They don't have that here.

At the park the other afternoon, after the first day of school, Sidney came running over to us crying hysterically that a boy was yelling at her. She pointed out who is was--a boy about her age--and we redirected her to playing something else. A few minutes later, the boy approached her again. He started asking her "Korim lach Sidney?" (Is your name Sidney?) She didn't understand, and as he continued asking over and over again, his voice began to rise in frustration. We interceded to say that yes she is Sidney and who was he. Turns out that Yonatan is a boy in Sidney's gan. She didn't recognize him but he did recognize her and just wanted to say hi.

Went to Jerusalem Wednesday. Ate gelato. Sidney basically swam in it. Had dinner at Ronnie and Minda's and got to hear about their daughter, Yaela's, adventures as a security liaison for visiting Canadian supreme court justices.

Yesterday we went to the store to buy our groceries for Shabbat. Josh was mesmerized as the butcher cut up the chicken. Guess he had come to believe that kosher chicken comes shrink wrapped. He even translated for some Americans who couldn't communicate with the butcher.

Today we'll pick up Sidney at 12:45. Fridays are short. Then we plan to head over the mall where Fridays bring special things, almost like a NYC street fair on a Sunday. So we're planning for dim sum. Yum!

First day of school

It's September 1st, and in Israel, that means the first day of school. Sidney went to her gan this morning for the first time as a student. On Sunday evening, there was an open house for kids and parents to meet one another and the teachers, but today was her first day there alone. She did great. She was so excited to go and when Sarah picked her up afterward, she literally cried because she didn't want to leave. Today was a short day for Sidney and all of the new students. At Israeli preschools they sort of ease kids in by slowly elongating the day. So tomorrow will be a bit longer and then Thursday she'll stay for the full morning. Friday is always a short day for her, and finally on Sunday she'll stay the full day. Sidney said it was fun, her teacher was nice, she had fun making the floor puzzle with Eitan, but story time wasn't so much fun because she didn't understand the story. Not bad for a first day in a language she barely understands. Her teacher, Sigal, said that she was "maxima" (awesome). So a good start all in all. After picking up Sidney from her short morning, we returned home to receive a call from my cousin, Ravit, that she had taken off a day of work and was coming over to help us. She arrived not long after with a box full of homemade food (shnitzel, fish, pickled vegetables, pasta salad, potatoes, tabouleh, cake, fruit, and more), and we were thrilled to share a wonderful lunch together. Afterward she stayed to help us unpack boxes and is now playing with Sidney as we await the arrival of the technician who is supposed to finally install our appliances. Hopefully there is enough electrical power in the apartment to run them. Hopefully he is prepared to deal with the fact that they are 240 while Israel runs on 220--as we have been assured. Hopefully he can figure out a way to get our 27" washer and dryer through the 26" door of the laundry room. They said he would be here between 12 and 4. It's now 3:38. At least not everything is different here.