holocaust remembrance day

israelis can be hard to deal with. they are in your face, always in your business and never hesitate to tell you if you are doing something 'wrong'. there are moments living here that i just want to give up, to go back and hide in my safe house in america, and not worry or have to deal with israelis or israel.

but then there are moments. like today, yom hashoah. the siren goes off at 10am, and everyone stops. we were in the israelis version of babies-r-us, buying a new car seat, when the cashier says "its almost 10". I walked to the front door of the store as the siren went off... and everyone just stopped. cars stopped in the middle of the road, their drivers got out to pay their respects. we listened to the siren, each lost in our own thoughts. 65 years have passed, but to israelis, to israel, this is a real pain. as the siren faded away a lone car drove by, and those who had pulled over to pay their respects shouted at it. you dont interrupt remembrance.

all day the tv channels where either off the air or played world war II related movies and shows. this is a real part of israeli life, and i love it. in the states memorial day is filled with bbqs and shopping, here it is a real part of everyones day, everyone takes that time our to really remember what it costs to have a country, and the lives that are so easily given up. i love living in a country where the holidays are really meaningful, where people can appreciate the meaning behind the hallmark card.... even if it means dealing with the bad parts too.

house hunting

Even though we arent exactly sure where we want to settle down, the husband and I have been looking at some apartments and houses for sale, just to get an idea of what we like and dont like... and maybe more importantly what this city (and others) has to offer. It has already been a very interesting experience. Last night we went to see a "penthouse" apartment, on the 11th floor of a building. it was a nice apartment, but very Israeli in its layout. The kitchen was tiny, the rooms were narrow, but it had an amazing 80 square meter balcony looking out over the city. Too bad the rest of the apartment just seemed too small and crowded.

i am very american. I want a large kitchen, a separate (or partially separate) dining area, at least two (preferably two and a half) bathrooms and a "master" bedroom big enough for our American queen size bed. This seems a lot easier said than done.... and its not very israeli apparently

We also checked out a two story apartment... which was a pleasant surprise. the owner, a Russian woman, redid the whole inside herself. the outside was a typical 15 year old dirty building, but the inside was nice. there was even a separate dinning room! It wasnt perfect, but it was the first place we had seen that felt homey. we arent nearly ready to buy yet, but it really gave us some ideas as to the kind of place we want.

Being honest here...

Sometimes I just laugh at Israelis. They really do mean well, but something happens when you grow up in a small country with lots of neighbors who dont particularly like you... you begin to think that everyone who DOES like you (aka people who live or visit your country) are your friends. And being that everyone living near you is a friend, it is more than permissible to ask complete strangers whatever you want. take the following conversation I had while walking home from my in-laws house.

(I stop at a red light waiting to cross the street. An older couples walks up next to me, religious, with a girl of about six or seven- the following conversation is translated from the hebrew)
Woman: How old is your baby?
Me: six months
Woman: shes yours?
Me: Yes, she is mine
Woman: shes skinny for her age, did you know that? Did the doctors tell you? She looks small/
Me: Yes, we know, but she is healthy, thank g-d
Woman: Of course, thank g-d. May she be very healthy. Look how she looks at us! Shes very smart.
Me: Thank you
(we cross the street and turn in the same direction)
Woman: Do you live on Glickson Street?
Me: Nope, I live on ______ Street.
Woman: Oh. Are you selling your house?
Me (thinking I heard her wrong): Excuse me? Can you repeat? I am a new immigrant and my Hebrew isn't so good.
Woman: I know how that is. Are you selling your house?
Me: Um. No. We rent it.
Woman: Thats too bad. Are you English?
Me: No, American
Woman: Oh. Wow. well lots of health.

Now... I dont think I would have ever had a conversation like that in the states, with a complete stranger. And its not nearly the first time, something similar happens almost every day. I am getting used to it, but it can be hard telling who means well and who is trying to get something (like the guy who tried to ask me out about a month ago, and I thought maybe he was a friend of my husbands I didnt recognize...) It is amazing to live in a country where everyone really is your neighbor... but it still kind of freaks me out sometimes. maybe Ill get used to it one day.

what a start

Rosh Hashana was very nice and relaxing. With such a young baby I only made it to Friday night services, but the rest of it was also nice. it was very different from how I grew up celebrating, which was hard, but something to get used to.

Today I had an interview in Tel Aviv. On the way up we called our shipping company to check on our shipment, and they told us "still in customs, maybe at the end of the week". So we went to Tel Aviv, where I had an interview (which was fine, although I am not sure the job is for me), then looked for a dress for Ami's wedding.

We got home (after picking up the baby from daycare and grabbing dinner) around 7pm. When I checked my email at 730pm or so there was an EMAIL from our shipping company which said "We are trying to deliver your lift, what is your phone number?"- time stamped just 15 MINUTES or so after we had talked to them that morning. To add to my frustration, I just talked to my parents who said the shipping company called THEM at 2am California time looking for us! Honestly!

So for now, since it is too late to call them, I am just frustrated. And tmw I have another interview, meaning we will be out of the house most of the day. Heres to hoping we will be able to get our things, and sleep in a real bed within the next 24-48 hours!

connections

One thing that has always amazed me about Israel is how connected the people are. It doesn't seem to matter where you come from, who you are, how religious you are or anything. If you live in Israel, you are part of "us". This never ceases to amaze me.

Last night in Ulpan we were discussing a text on the H1N1 virus when my teacher got a phone call from her daughter. Her demeanor immediately changed, and the look on her face was pained. We all immediately thought there had been a terror attack or something of sort, but when she got off the phone she couldn't even talk. After a minute she composed herself, and told us that Assaf Ramon was rumored to have been killed in a plane crash.

I knew that Assaf Ramon was the son of the Israeli astronaut who was killed six years ago when the Columbia exploded, and the fact that now his mother had to deal with another sudden death was upsetting. But why was my teacher taking this so personally?

She explained to us, constantly repeating that she hoped this information was false, that Israel had stood by the Ramon family six years ago, and watched Assaf and the rest of his family take the news and honor their father. Assaf chose to follow his fathers footsteps, became a pilot and had passed the rigorous training of the IDF. He stood for the Israeli mindset of getting back up on your feet, always feeling pride for your country and being willing to put your life on the line for it. Though no one I talked to knew the Ramon family personally, they are all treating this death as a personal blow. And I love that about Israel.

israelis

for better or worse, marrying an israeli means learning from the very beginning the quirks and cultural differences between americans and israelis.  and this difference in only magnified when family and friends visit the US... especially if it is for the first time.  in the last month we have had 7 people stay by us, and 3 more will be coming after baby.  its been an interesting preparation for aliyah.

what i have discovered is that things i can laugh off in israel bother me here in the states.  For instance, israelis HATE to plan in advance.  out of the three groups that have come to visit only ONE did not change their plane flights, and this was a first for them too.  in Israel this doesnt bother me so much... because thats what everyone is doing.  here in the US, when its expected to plan dinner (not to mention its harder to find kosher food, so its needed in advance...) it drives me CRAZY when israelis push off making plans.  just decide already!  make your plans around it if you have to... but this seems to be impossible for a large percentage of Israelis.

there are many other things, but some I am hoping are just personality traits of these specific people.  at least its been a good practice with getting used to israelis 24/7...  its def something that takes time to get used to.  still, its fun in the end, once i learn to relax and let some of my 'american ways' go...