Lots Going on Here

Now that the Jewish holidays and school vacation are over, things here in Jerusalem are really picking up. There is even more construction (which I didn't think possible) going on in the city, and, starting at around 6:30 am or so, we hear all kind of trucks and equipment working. On the way to the boys' school, there are piles of tree limbs and yard waste on the sidewalks, waiting to be picked up by the trucks that then block the street for 15-20 minutes at a time. On more than one occasion, our cab fare has been exceedingly high as we waited behind garbage, yard waste or recycling vehicles.

Oh, speaking of recycling, Jerusalem does recycle, but not nearly to the extent we do in the States. Homes and dirot (plural of "dira") don't have individual recycling bins; instead, everyone carries bags of recycling (separated into paper, cardboard, and plastic) to recycling "cages" around the neighborhood. There is also metal (cans) recycling but those bins are fewer and far between. We haven't seen any recycle bins for non-deposit jars and bottles, e.g., pasta sauce bottles and jam jars.

Things at the boys' school have picked up as well. Everyone kept saying "wait until after the holidays" and they were right. Cheli, the principal, let us know last week that the boys will separately be receiving 2 additional hours a week of Hebrew tutoring during or right after school. There is another boy or two in both the CK's and the WK's sessions, which I think is good. The boys will likely learn more if they are not being tutored together, and having another boy in the session may help the tutoring feel more informal. When I asked Cheli if this were being done especially for them, she indicated that there are always "small group" lessons being given in a variety of subjects for lots of different kids in the school. We are so pleased, as we think this extra time will help the boys integrate Hebrew into their daily lives and make things a bit easier for them. We are not paying anything extra for these tutoring sessions, which is great, too! Because of the additional 2 hours of Hebrew each week, we have cut down the sessions the boys have with their private tutor at the dira after school.

Yesterday afternoon, the WK asked for permission to walk to school by himself extra early this morning, so that he could try out for the school soccer team. The WK set an alarm for 6:45 am to make sure he woke up in time, and he had a good breakfast before he left the house. The WK really had a great attitude about it - he said he knew that he was only going to be there until the end of December, but he wanted to try out for the team anyway. And, the WK said that if he didn't make the team, that would be okay, too. When I walked the CK to school, we saw some of the try-outs, and it looked like it was going well, but what do I know? As the CK and I sat near the soccer court, I heard the Coach (who is the upper grade Gym teacher) give a mini-speech (in Hebrew) at the end of try outs before the group broke up to go to class for the day. When I talked to the WK, I asked him when he would find out if he made the team, and the WK said he didn't know. I asked if he thought that was part of what the Coach said in his speech to the group, the WK said he thought so. The WK told me that he understood a lot of the words that the Coach had said, but that he didn't get any of the actual sentences and wasn't sure of the gist of it. I hope he makes the team - it would be good for the WK to feel involved and invested in school.

The CK seems to be adapting a bit more to school now that he's on a schedule without vacation breaks or travels with visiting family members from the States. It's still difficult in the morning, when there are some whines and complaints about going, but there hasn't been any sobbing or screaming in the past few days. The CK always wants me to walk him to school, but I think sometimes it's harder for him when I am with him. And, we don't want to get into a game of the CK playing Pentheus and me off each other about whom he wants to take him. The new deal is that Pentheus and I alternate days, so that the CK has to act the same for either of us. The CK was still kind of miserable that I didn't take him yesterday morning, but he knew that I would take him today. (And, in the spirit of full disclosure, we told the CK earlier in the week that if he cooperated better and didn't scream/cry about going to school all week, that we would have a family dinner at The Waffle Bar on the Emek Saturday night after Shabbat ended. The added incentive has definitely helped...)

In addition, the CK has been bringing "transitional objects" to school each day to help him get through the day. Sometimes the transitional objects are in concept only - e.g., the invisible squid stuffed animal that the CK and WK "trade" back and forth. (See my "An auspicious start to the new year?" post for more on the invisible squid stuffed animal.) Other times,the CK's transitional objects are more concrete. Here's a picture of some of his favorite transitional objects (not including the WK and me!):

The kids at the boys' school seem to be very warm and friendly. When we walk to school together, there are always numerous kids who come up to them to say "boker tov" (good morning) or, just as often, "goood mohrning" in English, said with an Israeli accent. The WK runs to the soccer court every morning and plays soccer with the other kids. I almost wrote with the other "boys" but then realized that wouldn't be accurate. There is one girl who plays with them (and she is really good). It's unclear to me how much the WK understands what the other kids are saying to him in Hebrew. I think he understands more than he lets on, but it's clear he knows the words related to soccer!

Both boys seem to be more social than before. The WK was invited to a birthday party on Tuesday, and he went to the party. (The WK had been invited to a party for another boy about 2 weeks ago, but he had refused to attend.) The WK had a great time and loved the "goody bag" party favors.

The CK has a birthday party Friday afternoon. From what we can tell, the party is at a gym-time type of place with balls, trampolines, etc. The CK is excited about the party, even thought it's for a girl in his class. I hope he has a good time.

The job of buying gifts for the birthday kids fell to me, and it was harder than I had thought it would be. First, I had to get a sense of what people spend on birthday gifts in Israel. Pentheus had suggested a 100 shekel (about $25) gift card to a bookstore, but we were told by friends that 100 shekels was way too much to spend. The right amount seems to be between 40-50 shekels ($10-12). I bought a puzzle game for the WK's friend, and a cow stuffed animal/pencil holder for the girl who invited the CK to his party.

The boys have also really gotten into "SuperGoal" cards, a kind of trading card game with players from Israeli and other nations' professional soccer teams. A set of five cards cost 5 shekels ($1.25) at the "makolet"  (neighborhood convenience store). With each set, you can "win" another set, or, if you're lucky and buy enough of them, you can trade them in for soccer prizes from the SuperGoal company store in Tel Aviv. It's addictive for the kids, and, to be honest, the game drives me crazy. If I were the principal, I wouldn't allow the SuperGoal cards to be brought to school.

I guess I have been (or will be, soon enough) more social, too. My Ulpan starts next Tuesday, 10/30, and I am psyched about that. It meets twice a week for 90 minutes in Ba'aka, a neighborhood near the Emek. There will be up to 8 other women in the Ulpan. The level is "Daled/Hei" which technically ttranslates to level 4-5, but I don't have a clue as to what that actually means. Guess I will find out next week.

Also, I have been asked by my friend, Jessie Montell (the one who is the head of B'Tselem) to join her book club for the remaining time I am here in Jerusalem. I'm excited to go and to meet with the other women, all of whom speak English. We are reading "Super Sad True Love Story: A Novel" - hope I like the book.

Starting this Monday, Pentheus will be taking a weekly class at Shir Chadash: "CONVERSATIONS ON ISRAEL" This 5-week mini-course will study modern Israeli poets, contemporary philosophers, and traditional Jewish commentators in order to explore different aspects of challenges and dilemmas facing Israel in the 21st Century.  The conversation will include Nachman Bialik and the Netziv, Shaul Tchernikovsky and Rabbi Akiva, the Ohr HaChayim and Amos Oz as well as others. While it's not exactly the type of class Pentheus had initially wanted to take, he is looking forward to it nonetheless.

We were just invited by our friends Dror and Daniella Keller (Uri's parents, the family we had over to dinner in the sukkah when Dad was here) to Shabbat dinner tomorrow night at their house. We are glad to be invited and glad that they feel comfortable enough with us to offer the last-minute invitation. I felt like we were close enough with them to let them know that none of us likes "peetreeoht" (mushrooms), which could have likely been served, especially because Daniella is a vegetarian.

Yesterday, I got my first haircut in Israel. (Actually, to be honest, my very first haircut in Israel was given to me around 27 years ago this month, and it was by Jessie while we were on Kibbutz Ketura. Luckily, enough time and therapy have passed since then that it only took until October 2012 for me to get enough courage to get it cut in Israel again.) My neighbor had recommended "Roberto" who has a solo salon on Emek Refaim. When I called Roberto to make the appointment, I wanted to make sure he spoke English, too, so that there wouldn't be any mistranslation, just in case. Turned out that Roberto and I spoke almost entirely in Hebrew, and I learned a very important new word, "nehfach" (volume, as in, "Wow, your hair has a lot of nehfach!"). I very much like the haircut. With the haircut, I think I look a LOT like my Mom, but as my sister (who is right, yet again) said, "Mom was pretty" so I can't complain!