Summer Adventures ... (maybe only part 1)

Sorry to all of my people who have been missing my blog over the summer.  And thank you for not robbing my house.  I have been away (AKA, traveling the world) for the past month.  So I will attempt to fill everyone in on what has been going on with our aliyah adventure.  It might take a several part series, since we are such fascinating people.

I believe that I left off with the kids all headed to Israeli scout (tzofim) camp.  Which led to the hubby and I spending four nights eating out in various locations.  Israeli food tour!  I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say, they know how to make some good food here.  And beer.  And I usually don't like beer, but perhaps I am finally coming around.

Fast forward to the end of scout camp.  The kids came home on different days, but the last one to arrive home arrived home around 3pm on a Friday afternoon.  Said child was leaving for America approximately 36 hours later!  In case you were wondering, this was not my genius plan.  In the end though, it all worked out.  That is right.  The boys flew to NY by themselves (under the watchful eye of Claudio Epstein ( I heart his name), El Al flight attendant in charge of them).  I was so worried that someone would be sick, or something weird would happen.  But then I had to remind myself that my kids are not babies.  I was sending a teen (who is close to 6' tall) and a tween on the plane.  They have flown before, and they are on an El Al flight.  A plane load of Jews will not let them starve!

The boys arrived in NY in good condition, and were met  by my inlaws and driven for some food and then to friends in NJ who would then take them to American Boy Scout Camp.  Apparently they arrived safely at camp, since I heard nothing until  a few days later when elder child called from someone's phone (no phones allowed at camp) to ask where we packed something. Ha!  I said, oh good, you are alive!

The week of camp ended, and younger child went back to spend the week with his NY grandparents.  Elder child continued on to the Boy Scout Jamboree in West Virginia.  By the end of this summer, he had spent five weeks in a row sleeping outdoors.  Both boys had a great time at their various activities, grandparents, etc...  Everyone returned in one piece, despite the insane adventure activities that hubby approved for elder child.  This is why he called my husband for permission and did not call me.  I would have freaked out.

While the boys were at camp in the USA, the adults and the girls had a London adventure. Well, the hubby was working in London, but the girls tagged along because we had never been there before. We did a bit of a whirlwind tour. Tower of London, London Bridge, British Museum, St James Park (that was accidental while searching for a bathroom), Buckingham Palace x2 because the first time there weren't any guys with the fur hats, Hop on Hop off bus where we ran into friends, and lots of rides on the tube. Ps London, why is your public transportation so expensive???   We had a lot of fun.

After London, we headed to NYC to begin our American adventure. We landed in NYC, saw hubby's family, picked up our youngest child and headed down to Pennsylvania. Here is a summary of our American adventure.

Rented a minivan
Saw lots of family
Ate too much food
Returned minivan
Went to NYC for an adult getaway
Rented another minivan
Had fun vacationing with and without family
Did some shopping
Ate some more food
Bought 12 pairs of sneakers in an hour
Visited our landsmen in NJ
Ate too much food in NJ
Returned a minivan
Saw more family and friends
Did some shopping
Rented another minivan from the shadiest rental place
Family road trip to Niagara Falls
Almost every bathroom along the way was out of service
Used a port-a-potty at a house under construction
Stopped at my favorite Starbucks in Pennsylvania (their bathroom worked)
Drove all the way from PA to Niagara without paying one toll
Only 7 cars in the border lineup
Discovered our phones don't work in Canada
Ate expensive kosher pizza at Niagara
Had to drive without waze (no cell service)
Did the fun tourist stuff in Niagara
Saw a baseball game
Ate some more food
Back to the airport
Our luggage made weight!
Got delayed, were in Heathrow for way too long
Two weeks later, finally recovered from jetlag
So happy to be home!  Literally and Figuratively

Too many great pics to share!  Here are a few:

So I guess that is not much of an aliyah update.  My next blog will do just that.  We are here for just over a year now and haven't looked back.  Yes, it was fun shopping in Target.  And yes, I felt like an accomplish and intelligent human in America because I was able to communicate properly in English.  I am back now to trying to sort my brain into Hebrew and English.  Hopefully it starts to come back soon.  You guys know that I am already searching for a new Hebrew Ulpan.  I just cannot stay away!  PS-I bought a new latte machine in Duty Free in Israel.  Prepare yourself for coffee pics while I play with my new toy.

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.

School is more than just exams

Every good blog post should begin with yet another photo of an Israeli breakfast. The one below is from the day last week when I ditched class to spend the morning with my girls. Worth every second!

The school year is winding down here and wow what a whirlwind. While my peeps back in the Motherland are struggling with their kids final exams, we here in Israel (Okay, maybe not the collective we, but we as in me) are handing out money left and right for class parties, sending snacks to school (AKA, my kids raid my cabinet daily) and attending school events.

It all started last week. My girls' school has been in a frenzy preparing for their first Evening of the Arts. This meant lots of practicing during the school day for my girls and every girl in the middle school. And frantic texts from my girls. "Mom, I need a white skirt, please get me one" (two  because you know, twins) Followed by me stopping at store on my way home, only to find that the store has a daily siesta which coincides with the time I'm actually driving. Well, it was fate because the next text was. "Mom, don't buy a white skirt. We are all wearing all black for the show." Ummm, okay. We don't have that either. So this precipitated me handing the girls more money to buy black shirts.

So finally, the big day arrives. I make several trips back and forth to the school because my girls are playing instruments, so we need to lug a bass guitar and a snare drum. (they did have to take those on the city bus when I was in class!) I drop them off for the final time of the day.

And then I take child #4 to baseball. Because who doesn't like a random weeknight baseball game? Watch baseball for a while, them head over to the school when the game ends.  (picture is from sunset at the field)

The Evening of Arts was really nice and surprisingly professional. We saw some skits, and especially enjoyed the ones poking fun at Americans who come to Israel for the year. (all in good fun) we saw some dances, songs and finally our girls and their band went on last. We had one sleeping child wearing a baseball uniform, two very happy girls and me, who then even survived speaking with two teachers who really just speak so quickly. By survived, I mean, they said a lot of stuff. I understood a fraction, due to the speed, the music blaring in the background, and the five hundred other people around. I did a lot of nodding and smiling and asking my  girls to fill me in on what I missed. So yay, that craziness was over.

Skip to two days later. I again give ride after ride to my eldest child. His school has their sixth annual Evening of the Arts. The other kids didn't know if they wanted to come or not. So I pulled a genius parenting move out of my bag of tricks. I just said, "guys, you don't have to come. But FYI, I am having dinner in the mall food court before the show, so anyone who comes is welcome to have dinner there."  Well, wouldn't you know it, the who family showed up! Also, the entire mall food court is kosher.

Moving along. The boy's show was also really well done. They did skits (which had the same themes as the skits from the girls'school, complete with "American tourists" showing up in the skit.) The skits were really well done and very funny. My Hebrew is ready for a few jokes, so that was exciting. And of course, la piece de resistance (French inspired by my many French ulpan friends) my kid and his school band. They are just so cute. I know that a bunch of fifteen year olds don't want to hear that, but they just are. They are also really good and have improved so much since the fall. I also just love his band because it has really helped him to adjust to life in Israel and it has given him a group of peers with similar interests.

We missed the beginning of the girls' school show because we were at baseball and they told me that they were going on last. So I missed the opening remarks about the evening. But at the boys school, we heard everything. We didn't understand everything, but we heard it. And I know that I've said this before, but it's worth repeating. The principal again mentioned how important the arts are, and that school is not just study study study. There is more to life than just passing your exams. You need art in your life.

We were told when we made aliyah, that the schools in Israel are really interested in developing the whole child and not just academically. They want you to be well rounded. And we have really found that to be true. There is so much going on in school, and you can really find your place and shine in the things that you love.

And now, to wrap this up, I shall give you a short run down of what else has been  going on.

#1 My ulpan is seriously never ending
#2 More baseball. We won and then we lost
#3 Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of the season
#4 Never fear, my neighborhood is still doing communal fun
#5 Communal fun=dessert and ice cream parties in the same week
#6 Now we are planning a trip abroad together (by we, I mean they)
#7 My fifth grader went on a field trip that started after school and ended at midnight
#8 He still had school the next day
#9 Oh yeah, field trips are included in the cost of school
#10 I'm not paying $75,000 in tuition
#11 Went shopping with a friend for teacher gifts. She said, we will ask for a volume discount. The American in me said no way. The Israeli sales clerk preempted us and gave me half off! #winning

From the North to the South!

So much going on, so little time to blog. Here are the main events that have occurred over the past few weeks:

#1 Neighborhood Shabbaton to the north 

#2 Eldest child's birthday
#3 Trip to Eilat

We begin with the trip up north. As you may remember, my awesome neighborhood takes trips together. I mean, not the entire neighborhood, but about ten families. In the fall, we all went to the Ein Gedi area, and a few weeks ago, we all went up north, to a place called Achziv. It is about two hours away, so we did a few stops on the way up (to Israelis, two hours is like a long road trip) We stopped to see an old cemetery which now is smack in the middle of a town. And then we went to a park  for a picnic and a short tiyul. 

So when you picnic in Israel, you can't just bring some lame sandwiches. We are Jews and we are serious about food.  You need to bring some salads, perhaps some home baked goods, etc.... Slowly We are fitting  in and managing. And our neighbors are there if we forget something. (Which is always, so they share their treats with us.)

Next stop on the way north is to a place called the Rainbow Cave. No idea what this is, but why not? Well, it's a lovely little tiyul, on a nice path that takes you to a totally insane looking cave.  You can just gaze at the cave, like our group did, or, you can rapell through the opening in the rainbow cave. This is where I saw the coolest (aka, guy with no fear) looking guy ever. Sure, just hanging out here in the edge if the cliff, waiting to rapell. No biggie!

After the tiyul, we head to the Field School at Achziv. A field school is similar to a youth hostel, but they also run programs about the nature in the area and work to care for what is in nature. Also, they have very affordable accommodations. We had a lovely time there. We go to go to the beach before shabbat, relax in the porch chairs and just have an enjoyable shabbat that didn't include cooking or cleaning. 

Skip ahead to eldest child's birthday.  His friends planned a surprise party in our house. Without embarrassing him too much  let me just say this:

His adjustment to Israel has been the biggest surprise in our aliyah journey. He has always been a friendly guy, but he has really blossomed here in Israel. He might not know how to turn off his bedroom light or know where his hamper is located, but he knows how to meet people.  He makes friends with everyone and he started speaking Hebrew the moment we landed. And this surprise party was a testament to how he has made a whole new group of friends here.  They were seriously adorable setting up the food, blowing up balloons, dancing and doing a quiz game about the birthday boy. I was definitely kvelling, in between bringing out more and more food. It's hard to feed a group of teenage boys. They are vacuum cleaners! 

And finally, skipping ahead again to our trip to Eilat. Yes, we went to Eilat, all the way in the south of Israel. Modiin has a fabulous absorption department, and they arrange subsidized trips for any new olim, within the first ten years in Israel.  So, when I heard they were headed to Eilat, I rallied some friends and we signed up. I shall explain the short  version, because you're likely bored by now. 

#1 Bus rides are endless 

#2 Eilat is really far 

#3 The road to Eilat is scary, so I'm just glad we weren't the drivers 

#4 Timna Park near Eilat is a must see 

#5 The desert is really big and hot 

#6 Eilat is the only place where you can see four countries at once 

#7 Israeli hotel breakfast is not normal 

#8 Drinks have hilarious names (I might have had one called 'Pornitini Star' 

Thus ends my tale of traveling from the north to the south. I highly recommend that you come to Israel and stay in some of the hotels and then invite me for breakfast. 

And a final hilarious moment. In between the chaos, we went to IKEA to get some better storage furniture for the kids' rooms. Now remember, most Israelis have very small cars. I captured this moment while waiting for the hubby to pull our  AR around. Picture watching this, while other Israelis are helping load it into the car, saying, 'no problem, don't worry.'  I was worried. Lol. 

P. S. , this isn't my car. 

All of the Yom ha.....s

Let me begin by saying that no one does a tekes (ceremony) like Israelis. They really know how to pull these programs together. From school programs to holidays they know what is going on. And for Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day) and Yom HaAtzmaut (Independence Day) they really know how to make you feel all of the feels.

Yom HaShoah :
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this day. Growing up, I spent many years of Hebrew school hearing survivors speak to us. I watched many many many (too many for a kid) movies about the holocaust. And then I've spent the past number of  years trying not to watch any movies or read any more holocaust books. It was just too much. But then a few years back, my kids started asking questions and so we had to start discussing it with them. And some of my kids had to do family interviews for various projects and they got to ask questions to the Great Aunt Lillian, who was our only link to that era in Europe.

Back to the present. Here in Israel, the while country celebrates together and mourns together. In the schools, there are programs for every event. So for Yom HaShoah, the kids all had various school programs to learn and to remember. And we had our first Yom HaShoah siren. In case you aren't familiar with it, it is a siren that rings out throughout the entire country. It is for a moment of silence for all of those that have passed away. In this case, in memory of those who perished in the Holocaust.  I was at ulpan where they had a ceremony.

But let me dial it back to the night before. We attended a city ceremony at a nearby high school.  We chose this one because all of our kids were attending it with their scout groups. I was blown away by how amazing this program was. It was all done by teenagers, 12th graders. They spoke, they sang, they played music. Really just so talented and poised. And serious. Teenagers here,  overall, are just so mature. I realize that they have to be, given that they are all about to he drafted into the army. But it's really incredible to see.

Now let's skip ahead one week. Now we are at Yom HaZikaron, the memorial day for all those who have fallen in the military, in wars, and those who have been killed in  terror attacks. During the night, our kids were attending the main town memorial ceremony with the scouts. So we walked down to the town amphitheater to attend the same ceremony.  Let me just say, wow. Imagine thousands of people (I have no idea how many people, but a lot) all sitting and tons of groups of children sitting on the grass. And yet everyone is silent for the entire program.

This program was again done mostly by teenagers. They spoke and sang and played music.  The Chief Rabbi of Israel (aka, my neighbor) spoke and told a really amazing story. He speaks so well and his Hebrew is very slow and clear. Suddenly I realized, wow, I understood almost everything that he said. The mayor (my bestie) was there, as were many others, to pay their respects to those who paved the way for us to live in safety and freedom.

Now the next day, my ulpan took a trip for Yom HaZikaron. We went on walk a few blocks through Tel Aviv, where I am studying, and we stood outside for the siren. This was my first time experiencing the siren outside during what was a fairly normal and bustling day in the city. When, just like I've always been told, everyone and everything stops while the siren sounds. You really need to see it to believe it.

Siren in Tel Aviv for Yom HaZikaron

Then, we did a tour of Independence Hall, where Ben Gurion declared Israel's statehood 69 years ago. I've been there before but it's always a great tour. And this time it was in Hebrew. Well, it was in Hebrew until there was arguing amongst the ulpan teachers and guide and then it was done half in English. Long story. But our guide was great, and I highly recommend it to everyone.

And off to the final leg of our journey: Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel's Independence Day!  So many choices of what to do and where to go. Luckily, our children are here to guide our choices.  Our eldest child's band was playing at one of the schools, so we headed there to hear him.  And yay for us, because they were playing at a school very close by, because who wants to drive during the chaos of Yom HaAtzmaut??? Not me!!!

So we go, and we wait and wait and wait. There was some confusion as to which band was going on first. During our waiting, we were amused by the hordes of children in full Yom HaAtzmaut gear. Including my own children with bubble machines and gigantic blow up hammers.

And finally, after a school choir, a school band and one of the main entertainers for the night, my child's school band goes on.  I'll have to embarrass him and say that they are just so adorable. They were so cute preparing to go on, with their matching shirts and all. And they were actually great, in my totally unbiased opinion.

Yom HaAtzmaut band video. CLICK ME!

But let's move onto the real miracle. One of the moms of a band mate comes over to me to introduce herself.  And suddenly I hear myself speaking Hebrew to her, no problem. Okay, not exactly no problem, but it was good enough that she understood me and I didn't have a panic that someone was speaking to me. And of course, being Israeli, she wanted to make sure I had somewhere to celebrate Yom HaAtzmaut, or else she was going to invite me. Ahhhhh, Israel.

And the partying didn't end after the concert. No, then we joined our neighbors for a backyard BBQ extravaganza.  Special hamburgers, kebabs, chicken, salads, fries, Israelis know how to throw a BBQ. But not just a BBQ. A BBQ where there is also a quiz show a with all questions from the Torah. Kids and adults alike were jumping to answer, some with more success than others. And the winners walked away with fabulous Yom HaAtzmaut swag.  The party was still going strong after midnight when I finally had to leave. I can't keep up with the Israelis and their partying spirit. I need sleep!

The next day, I had big plans to go to an Air Force base. But to do that, you need to leave your house by 7am. Long story short, no one was awake before 9:30am. So instead, we stayed home, did our own little BBQ and has friends over to roast marshmallows over the fire pit that we finally unpacked.  And I got oddly addicted to watching the real Tanach quiz on television. Those kids are really amazing. And two hailed from Teaneck, the place where we never wanted to live, but always wanted to take advantage of the amenities.

Let me sum it up. Israelis know how to commemorate and celebrate. They take things seriously, because life here isn't like life anywhere else. They seem to really appreciate the sacrifices and struggles of those who helped to build this country and of those who died before their time. And then,  they know how to celebrate. The sheer number of flags is awesome. It seems like on Yom HaAtzmaut, the country is filled with the sound of flapping car flags and the small of campfires from all of the bbqing.