As I type this first paragraph, it is Sunday morning, and I am sitting in Café Duvshaneet with my natool and pastry. I am well aware that this time next week, I will be at Ben Gurion Airport in Lod (outside Tel Aviv), waiting to board the plane back to the States, back to reality. I figure that I will have a lot to write in the blog about our leaving, so I had better be current in here with our daily happenings before then.
The past week went okay and was pretty busy. On Monday the boys went back to school and I met Jessie for lunch. We ate at "Makom Shel Itzik" (Itzik's Place) [which is at 33 Beit Lechem, Mike Lasday] and I had awesome “harira” soup – it’s a Moroccan vegetable soup with a kind of sweet and sour flavor. It was fun, as always, to see Jessie, and I have loved seeing her and her family while we have been here. Before I leave, Jessie and I are squeezing in another lunch on Thursday.
Late afternoon, Pentheus and I picked up the boys from Park Hamoshava, and we tried to go out to the mall to get some gifts, do some errands, and eat dinner. We had a hard time getting much accomplished, and it ended up that Pentheus and the CK left, while the WK and I took care of some things. The WK and I ended up going to Aroma to grab dinner. The WK was unhappy because his French Toast wasn’t cooked enough, although I enjoyed my half of a goat cheese, tomato and lettuce sandwich. Israelis seem to want to put pesto on everything, but I ordered mine "blee pesto" (without pesto).
Tuesday morning my Ulpan resumed after the Chanukah break, and I was glad to be back. I had met with the Ulpan teacher twice for private sessions during the break, but I missed being with the rest of the group. I really have learned a lot at the Ulpan, and I have so enjoyed the company and camaraderie of the other women. I know that I would like to continue to learn Hebrew, and hope to take a class or find a tutor when we get back to Cambridge. I haven't yet figured out a way to use my Hebrew when we're in the States, but I am open to suggestions!
On Tuesday evening, Pentheus and I took our neighbor out to dinner in Machaneh Yehuda. Our neighbor has been so wonderful to us while we’ve been here – from school suggestions to making sure we were okay after the tseva adom, from offering rides to birthday parties and inviting us over to meals. We are really so appreciative of everything she and her family have done. We went to Topolino, a kosher Italian restaurant with about 10 tables. The food was delicious and we had a great time. We chose Topolino because although it is totally kosher in terms of food, ingredients and being closed on Shabbat, it does not have “supervision” by a rabbi from the Ultra-Orthodox government rabbinate authority to make sure that everything is done according to the laws of kashrut. Supervision by a rabbi is required in order to receive a certificate stating that an establishment is kosher (a “t’udaht kashrut”) and such supervision involves a significant cost. There is now a movement in Jerusalem whereby restaurants and cafes are intentionally not seeking certification because they don’t want to pay the fee and because they don't believe the government-run supervision process should be forced upon them. There have been many articles about this issue recently; here are few links - http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/11/30/165125939/some-restaurants-in-israel-declare-a-kosher-rebellion, http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-12-05/national/35625776_1_kosher-certification-restaurant-owners-supervisors-demand, and http://www.haaretz.com/misc/iphone-article/jerusalem-s-kashrut-rebels-unveil-new-ally-an-orthodox-rabbi-1.473870.
Before dinner, Pentheus and I went to a wine and cheese bar “Basher” near Machaneh Yehuda. Pentheus had a funky beer (St. Bernardus Prior 8) and I had Teperberg Reisling, and we both very much enjoyed having a drink before meeting our neighbor at Topolino. Pentheus and I really haven’t had many “date nights” in Israel, and it was great to sit there and talk knowing the boys were at home being taken care of by someone else:
On Wednesday, I went out to lunch with a good friend of a good friend of mine from Cambridge. We ate lunch at Caffit, a chain restaurant here in Israel. Caffit is right next to Jerusalem Botanical Gardens, less than 2 km from our dira. (Who knew?) We sat outside for the view, and both ordered hot soup because it was cool and breezy. Caffit always has a security guard at its door, and charged us 4 shekels as a “security fee.” There were tons of birds around – quite bold I must add – and when either of us got up to use the restroom, there were almost a dozen birds immediately trying to feast on the basket of bread! We also saw the Gazelle Park where, on many days but unfortunately not on that day, one can see numerous gazelles wandering around. Kind of amazing to have a botanical garden and gazelles so close to the busy city.
Late Wednesday afternoon, the CK had a birthday party for a friend at the community center in Ba’aka, a neighborhood about 20 minutes from us. The CK had a good time at the party and enjoyed the cake, candy and goodie bag. Pentheus went with the CK, and afterwards they looked at the mall nearby for a “siddur” (prayer book) for the CK. The CK wants a siddur with English and Hebrew but couldn’t find one at any of the stores in the mall. Later this afternoon, I think we are going to look downtown for one. While Pentheus and the CK were together, the WK and I went to dinner at Café Katamon Hayeshana (the Old Katamon Café). We both really loved our meals – we started with focaccia, then I had lentil soup, and the WK had toast with yummy homemade jam. Café Katamon Hayeshana has become one of our favorite places to eat. (Note: I still love Café Duvshaneet but it doesn’t have meals, just pastries and snacks.)
Late Thursday afternoon, the CK and I went to the post office to mail a box to the States. I was very pleasantly surprised that there was almost no line! We’ve sent 4-5 boxes back so far – they are mostly filled with presents for others and things we’ve bought for our family. We don’t want to schlep heavy suitcases nor do we want to pay the airlines for extra bags, so shipping seems to be the best option. In case you are wondering, a 6+ kilo box (about 13 ½ pounds) costs 289 shekels (about $75) to ship and it takes 3-4 business days. That is cheaper and much easier than paying $100 an extra bag and having to drag it with us. It’s much cheaper to ship via “yam” (ship) – 89 shekels (about $23) but it takes up to 3 months. We did ship one via “yam”, but it contained summer clothes, no gifts, and things we won’t shouldn’t need until Spring.
I should also mention here that while we were at the post office, the CK said something to me about how the world was going to end on Friday. One of the postal clerks heard what the CK said and was totally freaked out. The CK had said it in English, but apparently the clerk understood enough of what the CK said to ask me about it. She asked me in Hebrew what time on Friday would it happen and was there anything she could do about it. She kept saying “ani mefachedet” (I am afraid) while the other postal clerk muttered “shtuyot” (nonsense, literally, but more commonly, bullshit). I was actually kind of proud of myself that I could explain to her in Hebrew how the Mayans though the world would end, etc, although I didn’t know how to say “Indians”. (I just checked and it’s “Indianim” according to my Hebrew-English translator. That doesn’t seem right to me. India – the country – is “Hodu” in Hebrew but I know it’s not the same.)
The CK and I went out to dinner after the post office and had a nice time. We played “Sentence Hangman” where one has to guess letters for an entire sentence instead of just a word or phrase. Surprisingly, it’s much easier to play that way, or maybe it was just that the CK didn’t choose a hard sentence. (He used “I hope the hamburger is good.”) I posted the picture of the CK with his kids’ hamburger and bowl of fries on Facebook. It was a lot of food for a 7-year old. The CK didn’t finish the burger because he was full (but somehow managed to eat the pareve vanilla ice-cream that came as his dessert), so we brought it back for Pentheus to have for lunch on Friday.
Thursday night and Friday, it poured here, although I don’t think I can come up with a synonym to convey just how hard it was raining. I have never seen or heard anything like that. Supposedly it was the heaviest rain Jerusalem has experienced in years. It really was a downpour. Of course, the first thing the CK said to me on Friday morning was, “Hey, Ima, maybe you shouldn’t have shipped your boots back yesterday via yam.” Yeah, thanks, CK for pointing that out!
I walked the boys to school and then did typical Friday morning errands and got some groceries needed for Shabbat dinner. Pentheus went to Machaneh Yehudah (before 7 am!) with our neighbor and did a lot of the shopping as well, including buying fresh salmon and chicken. (Pentheus joked about the chicken being so fresh that he saw the butcher cut off the head of the chicken he bought!) Friday night we had the Lasday family, old friends from Young Judaea, to Shabbat dinner. One of the Lasday kids is on a Young Judaea year-long program in Israel, and the rest of the family came to visit her over winter break. We had a great time with them – lots of laughing and telling stories. My boys were engaged in conversation and everyone got along very well, despite the fact that the Lasday kids are ages 18 and 15. (I think a lot of Young Judaea friends are like that – you can pick up right where you left off even after not seeing them for 20+ years.) The Lasdays are also our heroes because a.) they brought the boys Calvin and Hobbes and Foxtrot comics collections to read on the plane and b.) they are bringing over 8 1/2 pounds of gummy candy back to the States for us, so we don’t have to pack or ship them! (We’re hoping that at least 8 pounds of the candy actually makes it to Cambridge, - we’re worried a bit about the “Lasday tariff” that could involve the consumption of many grams of gummy eggs, watermelon, worms, and bananas.)
I feel like I need to say something about how the boys have been acting. Their behavior has really been terrible at times, at least when they are with Pentheus and me. They have been super back-talky (okay, so I made up that word), quick to yell at us and each other, and generally uncooperative. I don’t know whether it’s because they, too, are aware that we’re leaving soon and this is their extra “acting out” but regardless of the cause, it is driving Pentheus and me nuts. For example, we can’t seem to get it together to go out to dinner as a family – one or both boys typically throws a fit about where we’re going, who’s going, and when we’re going. Pentheus and I know that this whole thing is hard and emotional (and I feel like we are being extra patient and understanding), but I wish they could get it together. I know that sounds terrible, but it’s how I am feeling. These last couple of weeks could have been much more fun for all of us if we could have pulled it together.
As I look back over the past 4 ½ months, I know the boys haven’t had such terrific behavior. When we first arrived and before school started, they were bored and trying to get used to being here. Then they started school, and that was understandably difficult for them. Remember the “reset” that didn’t really happen? Then after my Dad and sister left, and after our tiyulim, we did settle in and, for a while, we had a pretty good routine going. Then things started to go south again. To be sure, we have had lots of good times and we’re still so glad we came on this adventure, but I think it would have been better. I know that “it is what it is” and again, we wouldn’t give back the overall experience if we had the chance, but the behavior has affected us in terms of what we’ve done here and, more importantly, how we’ve felt. I guess I didn’t think about that when I set my expectations for the trip. They have only acted that way around us mainly, so it makes sense to me that it has something to do with feeling insecure and unsettled in Israel. People tell me that we should feel comforted by the fact that “after keeping it together during the day at school and around others, the boys feel safe enough to lose it with us.” Yeah, that was only comforting for a short while…
I don’t really want to end on such a negative note, so I’ll add a few random stories. Remember how I have written several times in the blog (and even in this blog post) about Aroma, a coffee place and eatery – kind of like Au Bon Pain? Well, I stop at Aroma for natool before every Ulpan session. I’ve always walked in to Aroma and gone to the counter to order. You have to order either “l’shevet” (to sit) or “l’kachat” (take away), which makes sense. Well, today, I stopped here at the take-out window to order my coffee:
When I finished my order, the server asked “l’shevet?” which made me laugh. Seriously, asking someone who stands outside to order from the take-out window if the coffee is for “l’shevet”!?!
Time for our regular edition of "Explain the Israeli bumper sticker" - here's this week's sticker:
The sticker reads in Hebrew "Yehuda v'shomron: hasipur shel kol yehudi" (Judea and Samaria: the story of every Jew). Judea and Samaria are the Occupied Territories in the West Bank, and the sticker expresses the opinion that the Territories are Jewish (and not Palestinian) land and should be annexed as part of Israel. Certainly, the people who organized our tour of Beit Lechem and Hebron during the boys' Chanukah break believe this as well. I see this bumper sticker in and around our neighborhood in Jerusalem every once in a while, but it doesn't seem that prevalent to me.
And, finally, here's a picture of the menu - complete with prices in Israeli currency - that the boys presented to Pentheus and me when we wanted breakfast the other day:
Yes, you read that correctly. The boys were charging Pentheus and me to eat the food in our dira. You know, the food that Pentheus and I bought and paid for. The boys' plan was to sell us breakfast and use the money to buy more Supergoal cards. (Well, actually, it was the WK's plan for us to pay him for the food, but then the CK convinced the WK that we should also give the CK a percentage of the bill.) Pentheus and I ordered breakfast, and I paid the boys 4 1/2 shekels for our meals. I figure they deserved something if only for their initiative - and I was going to have the two cups of natool anyway.
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