Looks like we made it

Well, as I sit here on my sofa, blogging away, I can't believe that I am here. Today (okay, well, two days ago because I got distracted) marks the final day of the  school year for my youngest child. My three older kids have been done and bored for a week and a half. So that's it. We made it. We survived the first school year in Israel.  Everyone told us that the first year of aliyah is the hardest, and we just have to hang in for the first year and then it gets easier. Well, if this was the hardest year, then we say, Bring It On!

But first, we share a photo. Because here in Israel, you never know what you might see. After a few hours in Jerusalem visiting cousins who are here on a trip, we put waze on, to get us home. And what street do we need to turn on? Schneur Zalman, aka my father's Hebrew name, that he is slightly obsessed with! This one is for you dad!

My sister in law suggested that I write a blog looking back on the year, so here we go.

Friends :
You might remember that when we made aliyah, we knew exactly one family in this city. So we moved as close to them as we could. Little did we know that we were moving to the best block in town!

So far, we have had a weekly shabbat gathering, every shabbat afternoon, right outside of our house. We have gone away for shabbat twice with the group. We have attended numerous communal shabbat meals in one person's garden. We have been invited to too many people's homes for shabbat meals, that I can't even keep track. It will take me most of next year to reciprocate. We have had our questions answered, listened to more Hebrew than ever before, and then asked more questions (and they tell me that I don't ask enough questions).  And just the feeling of community that we have, is something that we did not expect. And yes  this is in addition to the one family that we knew, and who we see fairly often. Still working on that.

Then there are all of the friends I made in my first ulpan.  I bug them through WhatsApp, we meet for coffee or food when we can, and help each other out. For example, they are the ones who will pick two of my kids up from the airport when I can't. A real friend does the airport run!

Hebrew :
We arrived here and the only confident Hebrew speaker was the hubby. He is one of those super annoying people who remembers stuff from twenty years ago, but can't remember what he ate for breakfast. (love you)!, and it was probably three types of cereal)  But in this case, it worked out. He was the main navigator around Israel.

Now here we are at the end of the school year and everyone can speak Hebrew. Some are more confident than others (eldest child) some prefer to listen rather than to speak (me), some have really awesome accents (not me), and some have made their first Hebrew phone call (also me!!!) I mean, the first Hebrew phone call that I initiated. I've had conversation with the supermarket before and let's just say it didn't end well. Unless you consider three kilos of red peppers and no eggs, ending well.

My next goal is to work on speaking Hebrew. I always worry about making mistakes and it stops me from trying. I know that I need to get over that. Slowly I'm working on it. But my reading and writing and grammar are light years away from where they were last summer. Just a few days left of my current medical Hebrew course.

School :
We arrived here last summer  a few weeks before school began. We attended several meetings, and while I got the gist of the Hebrew, I really didn't understand what the teachers were saying. I did a lot of nodding, and they tried to use really easy words. I didn't ask many questions.

Fast forward to the end of the year. I attended three meetings for the kids, all in Hebrew. Missed some words here and there, but overall I felt fairly confident.  I even asked them questions, inserting a few English words here and there when necessary. And I've sent many a Hebrew text to teachers.  I feel fairly accomplished and I'm hoping that it will only improve during the coming school years.

Oh wait. Maybe you were actually interested in how the kids are doing in school. Silly me. We think that the year was a major success. Many people told us that the first year is a wash. That they will basically fail and they will restart the following year. Well, don't let those people scare you.  Sure,  it's hard. We came here with three high school kids and an upper elementary child. They all did so much better than we expected.  Most importantly, they are all happy. They all speak Hebrew. They all made friends.   And they all get themselves to and from school! I definitely call that a success. But kids, if you're reading this, we expect you to do even better next year! Last day of school pics below.

And finally, a list of what perplexed me last year and how or if I've improved. And some new things

#1 How to get out of the mall parking lot. I have it figured out, but I still say a prayer every single time.
#2 I can order coffee like no ones business!
#3 I rarely convert shekels to dollars in my head. I just know how much I usually pay for stuff
#4 Was semi successful while clothes shopping with one teenage girl. That's a miracle in any country.
#5 I've had Israeli breakfasts at many locations. The fun hasn't worn off.
#6 Remember when I went to the train station for the first time and I had no idea why the security guard was asking me to do? Well, after a few weeks of avoiding him, I'm happy to say that I went in his line again, with success!
#6 Baseball has ended. Goodbye American sport that ate up every single Friday! We had fun, but we're moving on.
#7 And finally, this didn't perplex me, but it is my new discovery of the month. The word for silverware /flatware is a combination of the first letters from knife, spoon and fork. Mind blowing!!!


Really end of the year stuff :
You are all probably familiar with my eldest and his love of the electric guitar and Rock. We found him this great guitar teacher here and last week was the end of the year concert. One of my child's favorite songs is Crazy Train. So below, you can hear him in all of his glory!!

School has ended. 3/4 kids are at Israeli scout camp. #4 goes tomorrow.

You might remember that it's basically a law that on any field trip in Israel, you must pack several things.
Hat
3 liters of water
Closed shoes
Snacks

What would happen if we didn't pack said snacks. I'll tell you. Your kids wouldn't fit in, and possibly they would have a hard time finding someone to marry one day. So go to the store, buy a bunch of junk food that you'd never normally serve your kids, and just fit in!!! Then take a picture of it so you can stare in horror! And check it out. Kosher doritos and skittles!

As I finish up this blog, the last one before official summer vacation (okay, so I'm a bit late) I'd like to just express how thankful I am. Thankful that we made it to Israel after a short 14 year delay. Thankful that our kids are integrating. Thankful for our awesome neighborhood and new friends. Thankful that one of us (not me) is employed. I am just thankful everyday that I get to live here. I'm even thankful when I'm complaining about my commute.