The morning started off well, with (a) scrambled eggs and French toast for breakfast, followed immediately by (b) a real and beautiful nap. Take that, Baby Spiderman! I slept while you were awake! Haha! (It's OK, I still love you, and I'm super-glad that you like daycare so much.)
I then finished my Hebrew copy of A Thousand Splendid Suns. My review: meh. There are a few chapters that are very good, but as a whole, it was slow. Slow and slightly preachy.
As you may recall, Israel switched to Daylight Savings Time last Thursday night. Today, I finally changed the time on my watch. That's useful.
Tonight's excitement was that I got to go to the Rabbi's Pesach speech to the Ulpan group at 8:30pm, and I got to stay for the whole time. Thanks, Baby Spiderman. I'm sorry I teased you earlier about napping.
I'd say the most surprising thing I learned is that "בזרוע נטויה" ("with an outstretched arm") is referring to the upper arm. I have no idea why I always pictured the forearm with that phrase, but a forearm is an amah. The zroah is the upper arm.
The rabbi spoke a little about the haggadah, then got down to brass tacks: 1 seder or 2, 7 days or 8, etc etc. It's nice and easy for us: we are Israelis living in Israel. We have one seder and 7 days of Pesach. We knew this already, but there are plenty of people in the ulpan whose Pesach will be very, very confusing. Israelis in France, Americans in Israel, Undecideds somewhere... He also reminded us that we need to sell our chametz. Yeah, I knew that, too. We need to sell all of our chametz: that which we own in Israel and that which we own in America. Whoa. We do indeed have chametz in our storage unit in America. I totally forgot about it. We'll be in touch with our shul there about selling it. Thanks, Rabbi!
Monday, March 31, 2014
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Day 46 (uneventfully eventful)
I met with Keturah this morning for our second Hebrew lesson. I prepared the article before I came this time, and I feel that was much more effective. I also like Keturah. Did I mention that?
After lunch, Husbinator tricked me into asking the kibbutz's computer guy if I could work with him. He apologized, but there's just not enough work. I'm not shocked, since he works alone. If he could use help, he'd already have it, presumably, but I had to ask. Yay Husbinator for tricking me into getting that over with.
As a reward for doing such a Scary Thing, we went to the kibbutz library and opened an account. We now have four more books in our apartment. They didn't have To Kill a Mockingbird in Hebrew (I'm shocked and deeply saddened: what library doesn't have Mockingbird?), so I borrowed the Hebrew versions of a Stephen King book ("Bag of Bones" is the literal translation) and Asimov's The End of Eternity. I know, I know, I was going to take something out that I already knew well, but I don't remember reading The End of Eternity, and if there's an Asimov book I haven't read yet, it gets top priority.
In baby news (yes, I know why you're reading!), BSM continues to do both the "tushy hop" and the forward army crawl. With the army crawl, I'm not sure if he realizes how he is getting that thing that is just out of reach: does he realize that he is moving his body to approach his target, or does he think that if he just wishes hard enough good things happen? He also continues to play "catch," which I suppose I ough to call either "throw" or "hand-off," since that more accurately describes what happens in that game. Of course, he's super-cute: close to 15% of the time, he tried to put the toy directly in my mouth instead of in my hand. Y'know, save me a step. So considerate!
After lunch, Husbinator tricked me into asking the kibbutz's computer guy if I could work with him. He apologized, but there's just not enough work. I'm not shocked, since he works alone. If he could use help, he'd already have it, presumably, but I had to ask. Yay Husbinator for tricking me into getting that over with.
As a reward for doing such a Scary Thing, we went to the kibbutz library and opened an account. We now have four more books in our apartment. They didn't have To Kill a Mockingbird in Hebrew (I'm shocked and deeply saddened: what library doesn't have Mockingbird?), so I borrowed the Hebrew versions of a Stephen King book ("Bag of Bones" is the literal translation) and Asimov's The End of Eternity. I know, I know, I was going to take something out that I already knew well, but I don't remember reading The End of Eternity, and if there's an Asimov book I haven't read yet, it gets top priority.
In baby news (yes, I know why you're reading!), BSM continues to do both the "tushy hop" and the forward army crawl. With the army crawl, I'm not sure if he realizes how he is getting that thing that is just out of reach: does he realize that he is moving his body to approach his target, or does he think that if he just wishes hard enough good things happen? He also continues to play "catch," which I suppose I ough to call either "throw" or "hand-off," since that more accurately describes what happens in that game. Of course, he's super-cute: close to 15% of the time, he tried to put the toy directly in my mouth instead of in my hand. Y'know, save me a step. So considerate!
Day 45 (whoops)
Looks like I forgot to post last night. Whoops.
Shabbos was nice; we ate at home Friday night and in the dining hall Shabbos day. It's a good thing we figured out how the whole "eating at home" thing works last week: since the clocks changed, BSM actually went to sleep before Shabbat started.
Also, since Shabbos ends later now, I actually got to nap in the afternoon! The Husbinator napped immediately after lunch, then I woke him up and had my nap. The Babe-O decided not to nap at all, which was less than cool. On the bright side, he went to sleep nice and early that night!
Shabbos was nice; we ate at home Friday night and in the dining hall Shabbos day. It's a good thing we figured out how the whole "eating at home" thing works last week: since the clocks changed, BSM actually went to sleep before Shabbat started.
Also, since Shabbos ends later now, I actually got to nap in the afternoon! The Husbinator napped immediately after lunch, then I woke him up and had my nap. The Babe-O decided not to nap at all, which was less than cool. On the bright side, he went to sleep nice and early that night!
Friday, March 28, 2014
Day 44 (Erev Shabbos)
Eh... I dunno. Getting ready for Shabbos. Clocks changed last night, so Shabbos is an hour later, so that makes things easier in many ways. On the other hand, it means that BSM will be sleeping/ready to go to bed by the time Kabbalat Shabbat rolls around, so I doubt I'll be going to shul until the clocks change back. I am NOT complaining that my baby goes to bed early: that is glorious.
Shabbat Shalom to all, and to all a Shabbat Shalom!
Shabbat Shalom to all, and to all a Shabbat Shalom!
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Day 43 (fun)
I spoke with an employment counselor from Nefesh B'Nefesh this morning. Her advice isn't applicable just yet, but it's good for when I look for a job off of the kibbutz. One job search at a time, though.
After that was the day's real excitement: I made challah. Last Motzei Shabbos, the Husbinator found a tiny little oven. On Sunday, he found a shelf that fit inside (after he folded it, anyway), and we've been playing with it this week. Because, well, see the photos at the bottom of the entry. That's why.
After 3 pans of challah (2 small loaves and some little rolls), I felt comfortable enough with the oven to make Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake. Yum yum yum yum yum.
It's nice to be cooking for Shabbos again. Next time, I'll 1/8 the challah recipe (2c flour) instead of 1/4-ing it (4c flour) as I did this time. I don't have a freezer worth speaking of. And that's fine: less is more, ladies and gentlemen.
****
After that was the day's real excitement: I made challah. Last Motzei Shabbos, the Husbinator found a tiny little oven. On Sunday, he found a shelf that fit inside (after he folded it, anyway), and we've been playing with it this week. Because, well, see the photos at the bottom of the entry. That's why.
After 3 pans of challah (2 small loaves and some little rolls), I felt comfortable enough with the oven to make Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake. Yum yum yum yum yum.
It's nice to be cooking for Shabbos again. Next time, I'll 1/8 the challah recipe (2c flour) instead of 1/4-ing it (4c flour) as I did this time. I don't have a freezer worth speaking of. And that's fine: less is more, ladies and gentlemen.
****
Challah - Double Recipe Me as adapted from Ema as adapted from Zayda (Abba's father)
1½ C warm water
1 T + 1 t sugar
¼ C flour
6 T yeast powder
3 C hot water
¼ C kosher salt
1½ C sugar
1 C corn oil
8 eggs (OR 6 whole eggs + 4 egg whites, reserving yolks for glaze OR 4 yolks + 6 whole eggs)
5 lbs.(=16c) flour and a bit more as needed so the dough doesn’t stick to your hands
24 oz. raisins, optional OR chocolate chips OR spices
Combine warm water, sugar, flour, and yeast in tall jar. Mix and put in warm place for 10 minutes. In large mixer bowl combine hot water, salt, sugar, raisins, and oil. Stir to dissolve solids. In separate bowl, lightly mix eggs, then pour gently into yeast mixture. Pour eggs and yeast mixture into the mixer and stir. Add the flour in 2 – 3 batches and mix until dough is not too sticky. Grease large bowl and drop in dough. Cover with towel and place in warm spot for 45 minutes (the dough should double in size). Knead dough and put back to rise for another 45 minutes. Take Challah with a bracha (assuming you’ve made a full recipe). [At this point, you can freeze the dough for later use, though you need to use it within a month or so, or else the yeast in the dough will die. Bag the dough in 1 qt. bags and put in freezer. When you’re ready for the dough, either defrost in the fridge for a night or on the counter for a few hours. Continue as usual.] Shape challah and place on greased cookie sheets. Variation: before rolling each strand, use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into something like a rectangle. Sprinkle liberally with chocolate chips OR garlic/onion/chili power and roll up into a log. Pinch the dough together along the seam, then shape as usual. Allow loaves to rise for about 10 minutes. Paint challah with egg yolks. Bake at 325° for 13 minutes then rotate pans and bake for an additional 10 minutes. The challot are done when they sound hollow if you tap the bottom, and/or don't feel doughy when you poke where the strands meet. Allow to cool completely on cooling racks. Wrap well.
****
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
- "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING (recipe follows)
Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.
****
The oven. Note that the dial in the left corner is a thermometer, not a thermostat.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Day 42 (tiyul, taxes)
This morning, Shoshi and I went on (half) of an outing with the ulpan group. We got a guided tour of Beit Shean and the old Kibbutz Gesher, then drove back (in Shoshi's car) to our kibbutz to nurse our babies while the rest of the ulpan group went on to another hike. I had a very nice time (as did Shoshi): it's nice to get out and see the sights. Our minds were thoroughly blown: in the Roman period, our dinky little nothing of a Beit Shean was the trade and fashion center of the region. Huge, I tell you. It's crazy: today's "city" of 16,000 was a metropolis of 50,000. I'm still reeling. Also, it's beautiful.
Baby update of the day is that he plays catch (kind of). If I put him in a cardboard box with a bunch of plastic fruit/playpen balls (thanks, Grandama!), he will throw the balls out of the box, and--much to his delight--I will toss them back into the box. It's catch!
In other news, I filed my taxes in under 2 hours tonight. Yay, TurboTax, right? Well, they are still amazing (note the "I filed my taxes in under 2 hours"), but they changed the rules, and I had to pay $75 this year, instead of last year's $30, even though nothing changed on my end. (Before you say, "But you moved overseas!" I'd like to remind you that I moved in 2014.) Now they make you bump up a level if you have a 1099-SA form, and I do. Boo.
Also, this is no fault of TurboTax, but because of how my maternity leave pay was filed, I have to mail my return rather than e-filing it. Not technically a huge deal, but it means (a) finding a printer and (b) getting a real copy of one of my forms, rather than just knowing the value of every box. It also means I have to mail envelopes overseas. Fat envelopes.
So good news and bad news, but mostly good news. Oh, and Babe-O is crying. Incentive for me to get my tush toward bed!
Baby update of the day is that he plays catch (kind of). If I put him in a cardboard box with a bunch of plastic fruit/playpen balls (thanks, Grandama!), he will throw the balls out of the box, and--much to his delight--I will toss them back into the box. It's catch!
In other news, I filed my taxes in under 2 hours tonight. Yay, TurboTax, right? Well, they are still amazing (note the "I filed my taxes in under 2 hours"), but they changed the rules, and I had to pay $75 this year, instead of last year's $30, even though nothing changed on my end. (Before you say, "But you moved overseas!" I'd like to remind you that I moved in 2014.) Now they make you bump up a level if you have a 1099-SA form, and I do. Boo.
Also, this is no fault of TurboTax, but because of how my maternity leave pay was filed, I have to mail my return rather than e-filing it. Not technically a huge deal, but it means (a) finding a printer and (b) getting a real copy of one of my forms, rather than just knowing the value of every box. It also means I have to mail envelopes overseas. Fat envelopes.
So good news and bad news, but mostly good news. Oh, and Babe-O is crying. Incentive for me to get my tush toward bed!
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Day 41 (sleep)
Since Baby Spiderman was up teething for many much time last night, I took a two-hour nap today. It was almost as glorious as Baby Spidey initiating a game of peek-a-boo when he woke up this morning. I'm not making that up: when he finally had my attention, he raised a sheet with both hands and held it in front of his face. He then lowered the sheet and looked at me. Lather, rinse, repeat. What a clever baby.
We are also making good progress with "gimme five!" (We specifically don't call it "high five" because "hi" means waving. Not slapping hands. Not nice to confuse the poor kid.)
We are also making good progress with "gimme five!" (We specifically don't call it "high five" because "hi" means waving. Not slapping hands. Not nice to confuse the poor kid.)
Monday, March 24, 2014
Day 40 (incubation)
In Jewish thought, forty is an incubation period. Hence the flood of 40 days and nights, the 40 years that the Jews spent in the desert, the 40 days Moshe spent on Sinai, 40 se'ah (unit of volume) of water in a mikvah. I have now spent 40 days living on a permanent basis in Israel. This is a Big Deal.
I didn't really do anything special to celebrate, of course. The Husbinator and I took care of banking stuff in Beit Shean: hopefully automatic bill pay for our health care will be activated within the next two weeks. As long as we were out together, we walked around and shopped a bit before heading back. (Of course I had to sing אני הולך בבית שאן repeatedly as we walked. Thanks, Abbs! And yes, I know the song is really "I'm walking TO Beit Shean," but that's too far for me. I just walk IN Beit Shean.) Oh, the freedom! Oh, the joy of finding (good) toothbrushes for under a dollar apiece!
Speaking of travelling to Beit Shean, I think I misinterpreted the story of The Boy and the Golf Cart on Day 6. There is no Hebrew word with the connotation of the English hitchhike. In Israel, even if you're begging a ride with a stranger on the side of the road, you're still "hitching a ride" rather than "hitchhiking." Subtle, but I think I'm right.
Still speaking of tremping (the Hebrew word for hitching a ride) and Beit Shean, John told The Husbinator to write a sign with the name of our kibbutz when tremping back from Beit Shean. This is excellent advice: everyone who drove by us read our sign, and we ended up getting a ride with a man going to pick up his wife from the kibbutz, where she had been visiting her "kibbutz family" from 30 years ago.
I spoke with Paz again today. As per Ozzie's advice, since Paz still seemed very uncomfortable hiring me, I suggested that we start on a temporary basis: don't fill out any papers or anything, just let me work for a few days and we'll see how everyone feels. I also decided to directly address the fact that I'm a woman asking to work in an all-male group. He claimed it's not really an issue, but I think it was a useful conversation, anyway.
When I spoke with my husband, the recruiter, about the interview, he finally convinced me to talk to the computer guy on the kibbutz to see if I can work with him. Sigh. Job-seeking is less than fun.
In other news, El Babe-O is in the teeth of teething. as it were. He has a huge whitish lump where he will, please G-d, soon have a lower right incisor. The poor kid is not miserable, but when I gave him a frozen teether, this evening, he started crying: it's too hard for his poor tender gums, so I gave him a silicone spatula, which was much better.
More cheerful El Babe-O reports include the fact that he has very nearly mastered waving and clapping. He will often wave if you wave or say "Hi" and clap if you clap or say "Yay." Next project will be teaching him to give high-fives.
I didn't really do anything special to celebrate, of course. The Husbinator and I took care of banking stuff in Beit Shean: hopefully automatic bill pay for our health care will be activated within the next two weeks. As long as we were out together, we walked around and shopped a bit before heading back. (Of course I had to sing אני הולך בבית שאן repeatedly as we walked. Thanks, Abbs! And yes, I know the song is really "I'm walking TO Beit Shean," but that's too far for me. I just walk IN Beit Shean.) Oh, the freedom! Oh, the joy of finding (good) toothbrushes for under a dollar apiece!
Speaking of travelling to Beit Shean, I think I misinterpreted the story of The Boy and the Golf Cart on Day 6. There is no Hebrew word with the connotation of the English hitchhike. In Israel, even if you're begging a ride with a stranger on the side of the road, you're still "hitching a ride" rather than "hitchhiking." Subtle, but I think I'm right.
Still speaking of tremping (the Hebrew word for hitching a ride) and Beit Shean, John told The Husbinator to write a sign with the name of our kibbutz when tremping back from Beit Shean. This is excellent advice: everyone who drove by us read our sign, and we ended up getting a ride with a man going to pick up his wife from the kibbutz, where she had been visiting her "kibbutz family" from 30 years ago.
I spoke with Paz again today. As per Ozzie's advice, since Paz still seemed very uncomfortable hiring me, I suggested that we start on a temporary basis: don't fill out any papers or anything, just let me work for a few days and we'll see how everyone feels. I also decided to directly address the fact that I'm a woman asking to work in an all-male group. He claimed it's not really an issue, but I think it was a useful conversation, anyway.
When I spoke with my husband, the recruiter, about the interview, he finally convinced me to talk to the computer guy on the kibbutz to see if I can work with him. Sigh. Job-seeking is less than fun.
In other news, El Babe-O is in the teeth of teething. as it were. He has a huge whitish lump where he will, please G-d, soon have a lower right incisor. The poor kid is not miserable, but when I gave him a frozen teether, this evening, he started crying: it's too hard for his poor tender gums, so I gave him a silicone spatula, which was much better.
More cheerful El Babe-O reports include the fact that he has very nearly mastered waving and clapping. He will often wave if you wave or say "Hi" and clap if you clap or say "Yay." Next project will be teaching him to give high-fives.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Day 39 (quiet)
Well, I was going to bring BSM by the health clinic today, but there's nothing to see: thank G-d, his eyes look totally fine. I'll keep squirting milk in them for the next few days, and I'll definitely watch them closely, but the weird hedge-magic seems to work. Huh, waddaya know.
Today was a house-cleaning/skirt-sewing sort of a day, which was nice. I also filled out the automatic bill-pay forms that are the only way we can pay our co-pays at the health clinic. I had the woman in charge of the clinic office proof-read them for me, and now we're ready to go to the bank tomorrow to get them stamped. Because the bank has to approve it, that's why. Eh, it's a good way to get us over there to get Husbinator's debit card, anyway.
After daycare, I swung with the Babe-O on the glider again, and then Shoshie and Nosie-Boy joined us as we waited for our husbands to come back from Beit Shean errands. There is something deeply satisfying about sitting in a playground with a friend who's going through all the same stuff I'm dealing with. Also, swinging is just fun.
Today was a house-cleaning/skirt-sewing sort of a day, which was nice. I also filled out the automatic bill-pay forms that are the only way we can pay our co-pays at the health clinic. I had the woman in charge of the clinic office proof-read them for me, and now we're ready to go to the bank tomorrow to get them stamped. Because the bank has to approve it, that's why. Eh, it's a good way to get us over there to get Husbinator's debit card, anyway.
After daycare, I swung with the Babe-O on the glider again, and then Shoshie and Nosie-Boy joined us as we waited for our husbands to come back from Beit Shean errands. There is something deeply satisfying about sitting in a playground with a friend who's going through all the same stuff I'm dealing with. Also, swinging is just fun.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Day 38 (Shabbos)
We ate at home on Friday night, with our next-door neighbors. It was lovely to eat a Shabbos meal at home again. Most vividly, BSM was ready to go to sleep about 20 minutes before we were ready to eat, so I put him to bed. Done. No agonizing over the fact that he won't sleep in his stroller, no dealing with tired baby, no stress over not letting our poor kid get his healthy-rest. None of that: just bed, then eating. Lovely, I tell you, absolutely lovely. It was also just nice to be hosting a meal again: that was huge part of our routine in the US, I hadn't realized how much I missed it until last night. Also, it was nice to hang out with John, Shoshi, and Nosie-Boy.
So I think we'll be dong this more often.
So I think we'll be dong this more often.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Day 37 (Erev Shabbos)
This morning, BSM's right eye looked kind of red, with a little too much crustiness for my liking. So I took him to the health clinic, and the nurse said it's probably pink eye, but it's possible that he just scratched it or something. She told me to keep him home from daycare, and put breastmilk in his eyes (both of them: they eyes are very good friends; if one of them is sick, both of them are sick) every time he eats. She'll find me at lunch tomorrow, and if it still looks bad, she'll give me antibiotics for him. I was rather skeptical, but I didn't mind waiting a day, so I said okay. I went home, put some milk on a cotton ball and wiped his eyes with it. Wheeee. His eye continued to get worse, so the next time he ate, I put some drops of milk directly on his eye, sans cotton ball. Within a few hours, his eye looked a lot less red. So I'll keep going with this hedge-witchery, and show him to the nurse tomorrow. I am cautiously impressed.
In other news, when we defrosted our freezer earlier this week, the roast from the freezer thawed, so we invited John and Shoshi, and we're making Shabbos dinner at home this week. To clarify, "making Shabbos dinner" on the kibbutz means going to the dining hall after dinner on Thursday and getting soup, salads, rice, chicken, kugel, rolls, and fruit. Though we still made the roast, because that was the whole point, and Husbinator also made some potatoes and a cilantro/tomato salad and doctored some herring, because that is how he rolls.
In other news, when we defrosted our freezer earlier this week, the roast from the freezer thawed, so we invited John and Shoshi, and we're making Shabbos dinner at home this week. To clarify, "making Shabbos dinner" on the kibbutz means going to the dining hall after dinner on Thursday and getting soup, salads, rice, chicken, kugel, rolls, and fruit. Though we still made the roast, because that was the whole point, and Husbinator also made some potatoes and a cilantro/tomato salad and doctored some herring, because that is how he rolls.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Day 36 (so many words!)
Yesterday, I decided I was tired of waiting to get a job/figure out my permanent schedule before trying to get some formal Hebrew tutoring. So I spoke with Keturah, who will be tutoring me, and she asked if tomorrow morning was good for me? It was, and I went. Yay, being in Ulpan at last! We spent about an hour going through some articles about Daylight Savings Time, one of which was a newspaper article. For some reason, newspaper articles are ridiculously hard to read, so that was very educational.
We also discussed some tangents, like the fact that masculine words ending in vav-nun, vav-mem, or ah-nun generally have a feminine pluralization. Thus יתרון-יתרונות, חלום-חלומות, שולחן-שולחנות. Fascinating, isn't it? I think so. It doesn't always hold true, but it's a handy rule of thumb. Thanks, Keturah! I also learned that Israel does indeed have a Bill of Rights, and Keturah said she'd try to get me a copy. We are in agreement that it is a useful thing to be aware of.
After that, I sponja-ed. I enjoy sponja: like polishing silver, I feel that my effort effects a huge, nearly perfect difference in the object to which it is applied. Yeah, that's how I feel about cleaning my floor: you can quote me on that.
In other exciting news, there's a potential that Aunt Lizzy, Ari, and family will visit us for the Shabbat before Pesach! At this point, it's just contingent on us getting a place for them to stay. On a typical Shabbat, this wouldn't be much of an issue, but we're told that lots of people come for Pesach, and this would be two days before Pesach, so we shall see.
In much less cool news, I realized that I have to file taxes in the next three weeks. Less than fun. Though knowing I can use Turbo-Tax, it's not the dreadful task it would otherwise be, but still. Ugh.
Back to better news, I met John when we picked up our respective babies this afternoon, and he took me to the electrician's hut and introduced me to Paz, who is actually the head electrician. (Did I explain that yet? Eitan is the head member of the kibbutz in the electrical department, but Paz is the actual top guy.) We chatted for a few minutes, and Paz said he'd think about what I could do if I joined, and I should be in touch with him in a few days. And so we plod toward progress, or so I hope!
I spent a pleasant hour or so after that playing with The Babe-O in the little playground in front of our building. I swung him in a baby swing there for a while, then we swung together on a glider. BSM is fascinated by birdies.
OK, let's wrap this up! Chocolate leben has been showing up at dinner once a week over the past few weeks. It's kind of a cross between yogurt, sour cream, mousse, and pudding. Sounds gross, and my first spoonful was not the most cheerful thing I'd ever eaten, but it's grown on me. Soooo yummy. So so yummy. I think I'll have a couple more spoonfuls before heading to bed.
We also discussed some tangents, like the fact that masculine words ending in vav-nun, vav-mem, or ah-nun generally have a feminine pluralization. Thus יתרון-יתרונות, חלום-חלומות, שולחן-שולחנות. Fascinating, isn't it? I think so. It doesn't always hold true, but it's a handy rule of thumb. Thanks, Keturah! I also learned that Israel does indeed have a Bill of Rights, and Keturah said she'd try to get me a copy. We are in agreement that it is a useful thing to be aware of.
After that, I sponja-ed. I enjoy sponja: like polishing silver, I feel that my effort effects a huge, nearly perfect difference in the object to which it is applied. Yeah, that's how I feel about cleaning my floor: you can quote me on that.
In other exciting news, there's a potential that Aunt Lizzy, Ari, and family will visit us for the Shabbat before Pesach! At this point, it's just contingent on us getting a place for them to stay. On a typical Shabbat, this wouldn't be much of an issue, but we're told that lots of people come for Pesach, and this would be two days before Pesach, so we shall see.
In much less cool news, I realized that I have to file taxes in the next three weeks. Less than fun. Though knowing I can use Turbo-Tax, it's not the dreadful task it would otherwise be, but still. Ugh.
Back to better news, I met John when we picked up our respective babies this afternoon, and he took me to the electrician's hut and introduced me to Paz, who is actually the head electrician. (Did I explain that yet? Eitan is the head member of the kibbutz in the electrical department, but Paz is the actual top guy.) We chatted for a few minutes, and Paz said he'd think about what I could do if I joined, and I should be in touch with him in a few days. And so we plod toward progress, or so I hope!
I spent a pleasant hour or so after that playing with The Babe-O in the little playground in front of our building. I swung him in a baby swing there for a while, then we swung together on a glider. BSM is fascinated by birdies.
OK, let's wrap this up! Chocolate leben has been showing up at dinner once a week over the past few weeks. It's kind of a cross between yogurt, sour cream, mousse, and pudding. Sounds gross, and my first spoonful was not the most cheerful thing I'd ever eaten, but it's grown on me. Soooo yummy. So so yummy. I think I'll have a couple more spoonfuls before heading to bed.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Day 35 (nurse at last)
Today started off with defrosting our fridge: about once a month the freezer (which is a small box at the top of the fridge) grows so much ice that the fridge door doesn't close any more. Hence this morning's defrost.
This afternoon was slightly more exciting: I finally took Baby Spiderman to the health clinic! Devorah weighed and measured him, took his medical history, asked some basic development questions, and told me in no uncertain terms that as soon as I got home, I was to move all cleaning solutions up high. Because everyone keeps cleaning supplies under the sink, and that is unutterably dangerous. She also told me that we have to start giving him iron and vitamin D. Woops.
So we got home and did all that, and BSM also did lots of waving and clapping and it was very, very cute. He also pulled off his shirt when Husbinator put the little hood up. Turns out that if Babe-O pulls down on the front of the hood, the whole shirt slides off. Clever boy.
And to forestall the questions, I will tell you what you are all dancing to know: El Babo weighs 8.715kg and is 69.4cm long. Ha ha ha. (OK, that's 19lb 3oz, and 27.3in. You're welcome!)
This afternoon was slightly more exciting: I finally took Baby Spiderman to the health clinic! Devorah weighed and measured him, took his medical history, asked some basic development questions, and told me in no uncertain terms that as soon as I got home, I was to move all cleaning solutions up high. Because everyone keeps cleaning supplies under the sink, and that is unutterably dangerous. She also told me that we have to start giving him iron and vitamin D. Woops.
So we got home and did all that, and BSM also did lots of waving and clapping and it was very, very cute. He also pulled off his shirt when Husbinator put the little hood up. Turns out that if Babe-O pulls down on the front of the hood, the whole shirt slides off. Clever boy.
And to forestall the questions, I will tell you what you are all dancing to know: El Babo weighs 8.715kg and is 69.4cm long. Ha ha ha. (OK, that's 19lb 3oz, and 27.3in. You're welcome!)
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Day 34 (back)
Not much to tell. We took the bus back today, cleaned up a bit, unpacked, ate dinner, hemmed one more pant leg for Husbinator. Three more pant legs and I get to work on my skirt again. (Because his pants have pins in them, and my skirt doesn't. I like to limit the number of pins outside of my pin cushion at any given time.)
Monday, March 17, 2014
Day 33 ([Shushan] Purim)
Husbinator was right: Purim in the Old City really is an
experience. What he didn’t realize until the evening is that he did a pretty
good job replicating it back in the US of A, with our huge meal (last year was
our largest year, with an estimated 150 people throughout the day) and the friendly
hopping from one meal to the next, and constant kaleidoscope of song and dance
as we ran into more people.
Needless to say, I had a great time. Well, it isn’t needless
to say: we weren’t sure how things would be different with a baby. Other than
requiring coordination of who would go to which megillah reading, I didn’t notice
much of a difference. However, we gave mishloach manot to one person apiece, so
that cut down on a lot of the stress/moving around. A lot.
After this weekend, I have a much better sense of some of
the Husbinator’s driving forces. I am very glad that I saw his yeshiva and met
his Rabbanim: it gives a clearer perspective of why he feels so strongly about
certain things. Also, Shabbos and Purim (and shopping on Sunday) were just tons of fun.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Day 32 (excursion)
We went to Geulah/Me’ah Shearim today. I was mildly surprised: not only did we get things we needed, but I also had a nice time just being out and about. Since the sidewalks are far from wide and the stores can be just as narrow, I wore BSM in a sling rather than take the stroller. I saw plenty of strollers in Geulah/Me’ah Shearim, of course, and I just don’t know how those parents do it. I had enough difficulty navigating with my sling and backpack! Still, I felt freer than I have on outing with the stroller, so I am glad.
Since I have no idea where I could have nursed, even with a nursing cover, we fed El Babo banana for lunch. I’m telling you, he eats so much more nicely since he started daycare. Or as the Husbinator put it when I said that to him, “You mean since he actually started getting fed consistently?” Ouch. We had been feeding him… kind of… Really! In addition to banana, we also gave him water from a cup. Because I know better than to share my water bottle with him, that’s why. And sure enough, after he was done drinking, I was glad that the next time I wanted a drink, I wouldn’t have to choose between thirst and those floaters.
Since I have no idea where I could have nursed, even with a nursing cover, we fed El Babo banana for lunch. I’m telling you, he eats so much more nicely since he started daycare. Or as the Husbinator put it when I said that to him, “You mean since he actually started getting fed consistently?” Ouch. We had been feeding him… kind of… Really! In addition to banana, we also gave him water from a cup. Because I know better than to share my water bottle with him, that’s why. And sure enough, after he was done drinking, I was glad that the next time I wanted a drink, I wouldn’t have to choose between thirst and those floaters.
I went to the fastest megillah reading I have ever been to this evening: 40 minutes, with every dagesh enunciated.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Day 31 (what a Shabbos!)
Spent Shabbos in the Old City (of Jerusalem). This meant that as I davened Kabblas Shabbos on a balcony overlooking the Kotel, I got to watch the city's blazing whites and tans fade to a softly glowing pink which revealed the underlying blues and purple. This is the city I fell in love with ten years ago.
We ate all meals with Husbinator's yeshiva (from back in the day). I was blown away with how polite and chivalrous the boys are. Such mentchen! They independently made sure there were enough chairs (on both sides of the mechitza) during davening, picked things up that people were likely to trip on, help clean up meals, etc etc etc. This is not to say that they aren't a large group of boys between 18 and 21: they are. We are in a large room with a tile floor and stone walls, and this, my friends, is the classic "pirates booming a sea shanty in a tavern" image that I have never quite internalized. The noise was overwhelming, but not quite unpleasant. Very nice, in fact, although it felt like the walls were attacking my eardrums. Baby Spidey loved it.
Also, the Husbinator has not been exaggerating when he has described how close he and his yeshiva are. Over the course of Shabbos, they had him made kiddush Friday night, gave him the aliyah of zachor, had him lead lunch, speak at shalosh seudos, lead shalosh seduos bentching, and make havdala. Apparently, they told him on Friday that they'd like him to speak at dinner today, so he prepared a very nice speech about Purim.
As the Rosh Yeshiva was about to get up to introduce the Husbinator, he (the head of the yeshiva) let him (Husbinator) know that he (Husbinator) was to speak about himself (still the Husbinator). The Rosh Yeshiva felt that the Husbinator's life story was inspiring, so tell it. Surprise! The speech was very, very good. Husbinator opened with, "I'm going to start by addressing my appearance, because that's what you see, and I'm sure you're all wondering about it. Specifically, you're all asking yourselves, 'How is he so attractive?'" Much laughter from the crowd. Husbinator let it die down, paused, and confided, "It's the fur. Everyone looks good in fur." But yes, his life story is a good lesson. I was a little surprised, and very flattered that the Rosh Yeshiva asked him to tell it.
We ate all meals with Husbinator's yeshiva (from back in the day). I was blown away with how polite and chivalrous the boys are. Such mentchen! They independently made sure there were enough chairs (on both sides of the mechitza) during davening, picked things up that people were likely to trip on, help clean up meals, etc etc etc. This is not to say that they aren't a large group of boys between 18 and 21: they are. We are in a large room with a tile floor and stone walls, and this, my friends, is the classic "pirates booming a sea shanty in a tavern" image that I have never quite internalized. The noise was overwhelming, but not quite unpleasant. Very nice, in fact, although it felt like the walls were attacking my eardrums. Baby Spidey loved it.
Also, the Husbinator has not been exaggerating when he has described how close he and his yeshiva are. Over the course of Shabbos, they had him made kiddush Friday night, gave him the aliyah of zachor, had him lead lunch, speak at shalosh seudos, lead shalosh seduos bentching, and make havdala. Apparently, they told him on Friday that they'd like him to speak at dinner today, so he prepared a very nice speech about Purim.
As the Rosh Yeshiva was about to get up to introduce the Husbinator, he (the head of the yeshiva) let him (Husbinator) know that he (Husbinator) was to speak about himself (still the Husbinator). The Rosh Yeshiva felt that the Husbinator's life story was inspiring, so tell it. Surprise! The speech was very, very good. Husbinator opened with, "I'm going to start by addressing my appearance, because that's what you see, and I'm sure you're all wondering about it. Specifically, you're all asking yourselves, 'How is he so attractive?'" Much laughter from the crowd. Husbinator let it die down, paused, and confided, "It's the fur. Everyone looks good in fur." But yes, his life story is a good lesson. I was a little surprised, and very flattered that the Rosh Yeshiva asked him to tell it.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Day 30 (30!)
Made it to the Old City pretty uneventfully. Since we are here through Purim, we opted to take the bus rather than drive. I think it was easier. Though I must say I'm shocked by how small the central bus station is in Beit Shean. I remember it being next to a small mall, but not that small.
Anyway, I'm posting from my phone. I plan to open my laptop after Shabbos.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Day 29 (cleaning)
I've discovered a problem with being madly productive: the apartment gets really messy. Moving seems to have (temporarily, perhaps) used up all of my tolerance for (tendency toward? living in a mess, so after my nap this morning (ah, yes: another drawback of extreme productivity can be lack of sleep), I washed dishes, put stuff away, and swept up a little mountain of dirt from each room. Feels good!
Since we're going to Yerushalayim tomorrow morning and I've just caught up on my sleep, this is going to be a super-short post.
I will also take this opportunity to finish responding to Aunt L80 (pen name subject to change). Yesterday's post is stamped March 13, because I posted after midnight. Because I stayed up super-late finishing The Lies of Locke Lamora. I think it was worth it. Especially because I got a nap today.
Speaking of responding to Aunts, I love you Aunt West! (I think you can figure out who you are.) I will respond properly, and this blog will NOT turn into a weird one-way email chain.
Glad you-all are reading!
But really, I do need to go to sleep, right after I tell you that BSM played peek-a-boo fully for the first time today: he didn't just pull the towel/blanket/etc off of his face when I put it on, he pulled the hat over his eyes, too. Repeatedly. It's nice to have two-way communication.
Since we're going to Yerushalayim tomorrow morning and I've just caught up on my sleep, this is going to be a super-short post.
I will also take this opportunity to finish responding to Aunt L80 (pen name subject to change). Yesterday's post is stamped March 13, because I posted after midnight. Because I stayed up super-late finishing The Lies of Locke Lamora. I think it was worth it. Especially because I got a nap today.
Speaking of responding to Aunts, I love you Aunt West! (I think you can figure out who you are.) I will respond properly, and this blog will NOT turn into a weird one-way email chain.
Glad you-all are reading!
But really, I do need to go to sleep, right after I tell you that BSM played peek-a-boo fully for the first time today: he didn't just pull the towel/blanket/etc off of his face when I put it on, he pulled the hat over his eyes, too. Repeatedly. It's nice to have two-way communication.
Day 28 (Afula)
This morning, we went to Afula. Having been on the kibbutz for the past month, with one visit to Yerushalayim and one visit to Beit Shean (which feels like a city when compared to kibbutz, but is still a tiny nothing of a town), Afula seemed appropriately huge. (Hint: it's not. Feel free to look up statistics and let me know.) We spent 5 hours in a shopping center, admiring the grocery store, and spending way too long in Home Center.
We did a very good job there: we didn't overbuy at all, but we did get lots of stuff we've been doing without. I think I'm most excited about the clothespins. Ah, clothespins! You let me hang our smallclothes (which don't go through the dryer) out on the line without my having to stick a straight-pin through each and every sock. Clip! Secured! Clip! Secured! The bliss. I mean, the dish-drying-rack is also very nice, as are the sink inserts, and the tablecloth to cover my rusty desk for Shabbat will be lovely, and the immersion-blender/food processor/whisk thingy will be quite useful, and I might even use the iron, but Gosh! Clothespins! The one thing we bought that we don't have an immediate use for was WD-40. What can we say? It was next to the cash register, and was an impulse purchase. I'm sure it'll come in handy...
Happily, the one optician in our entire region who gives out "green forms" for drivers' licenses is in the same shopping center as Home Center. We stopped by there, each got a form, and took a quick eye exam. I'd like to say that eye exams in a foreign language get a bit tricky: reading off 16 digits with quick confidence is slightly harder in not-English. As is answering the question, "What do you see?" The first time I managed, "Three balls, with a red one on top, then a white one, then a blue one on the bottom," and was suitably pleased with my descriptive skills, though I wish I'd said "circles." The next picture was much, much tricker. "What do you see?" "Uuummmm..." Stymied, I held up my hands with the tips of my pointers and thumbs respictively touching each other and all other fingers pointed down. "I don't know the word." I learned that the Hebrew word is "משולש" and the optician politely asked me for the English word. Triangle. I was able to confidently answer his question and declare that the triangle was red, though!
Other excitement of the day involved buying plastic fruit for BSM, whose favorite toy has been oranges for these past few weeks. The problem with oranges is that eventually they get either mushy, or turn strange colors, or both. Hopefully the plastic fruit will last longer. BSM seems to like it even more than the real thing, possibly because I've never put him in a cardboard box filled with real fruit before. I've never seen him play so vigorously.
We did a very good job there: we didn't overbuy at all, but we did get lots of stuff we've been doing without. I think I'm most excited about the clothespins. Ah, clothespins! You let me hang our smallclothes (which don't go through the dryer) out on the line without my having to stick a straight-pin through each and every sock. Clip! Secured! Clip! Secured! The bliss. I mean, the dish-drying-rack is also very nice, as are the sink inserts, and the tablecloth to cover my rusty desk for Shabbat will be lovely, and the immersion-blender/food processor/whisk thingy will be quite useful, and I might even use the iron, but Gosh! Clothespins! The one thing we bought that we don't have an immediate use for was WD-40. What can we say? It was next to the cash register, and was an impulse purchase. I'm sure it'll come in handy...
Happily, the one optician in our entire region who gives out "green forms" for drivers' licenses is in the same shopping center as Home Center. We stopped by there, each got a form, and took a quick eye exam. I'd like to say that eye exams in a foreign language get a bit tricky: reading off 16 digits with quick confidence is slightly harder in not-English. As is answering the question, "What do you see?" The first time I managed, "Three balls, with a red one on top, then a white one, then a blue one on the bottom," and was suitably pleased with my descriptive skills, though I wish I'd said "circles." The next picture was much, much tricker. "What do you see?" "Uuummmm..." Stymied, I held up my hands with the tips of my pointers and thumbs respictively touching each other and all other fingers pointed down. "I don't know the word." I learned that the Hebrew word is "משולש" and the optician politely asked me for the English word. Triangle. I was able to confidently answer his question and declare that the triangle was red, though!
Other excitement of the day involved buying plastic fruit for BSM, whose favorite toy has been oranges for these past few weeks. The problem with oranges is that eventually they get either mushy, or turn strange colors, or both. Hopefully the plastic fruit will last longer. BSM seems to like it even more than the real thing, possibly because I've never put him in a cardboard box filled with real fruit before. I've never seen him play so vigorously.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Day 27 (continued)
A new couple moved in to the apartment across the hall from us. That means that we keep finding boxes/furniture piled outside. Is this stuff that they are bringing in or moving out? Not sure how to tell. This morning, though, I passed a small bookshelf next to a clearly abandoned couch near the bottom of our steps. My first thought was, "Oo! I think this is really up for grabs!" This was followed immediately by, "But what would we do with it?" I considered, and concluded that we have absolutely no need for another storage unit. Thank G-d, everything in our apartment has a home. This is a vastly new feeling, and quite a nice one. I am not tripping all over our stuff; I don't feel weighted down by "golden fetters." I'll savor it until we ship our container over, eh?
I attended today's meeting about various installation considerations for the kibbutz's PV system. Disclaimer: I only understood about half of what was said. Disclaimer's disclaimer: I generally understand closer to 70%-90% of what's said (depending on the conversation); this outlier was due to mumbling, excessively fast talking, multiple people talking at once, and jargon. However, even with the language barrier, my mind was blown. I know that Israelis are often aggressive, especially in negotiations. Very, very aggressive. By American standards, Israelis are downright rude (but I strongly maintain that that is silly: you can't judge one culture by another culture's norms). Nevertheless, I somehow thought that a professional meeting would be, well, professional. By American standards. Or at least somewhat professional.
As you may have guessed by now, the meeting did not remotely resemble an American business meeting. Somehow, I wasn't tipped off by the casual invitation of one of the five participants that I just sit in on a decision-making meeting where the fates of hundreds of thousands of shekalim are being decided. I still wasn't prepared for how different this would be when two of the participants called five minutes after the meeting was to have started and mentioned they'd be 20 minutes late. It wasn't until they showed up 35 minutes later and all hell broke loose that I realized that Israelis are Israelis, both in the bazaar and in the business meeting.
The yelling! The passion! The guy walking out in the middle of yelling as the other guy was getting ready to respond! The fact that no one was upset that the guy was walking out: they just wanted to know why he wasn't offering to bring anyone else a glass of water. The fact that the guy he kept accusing of "being on the wrong side" nonchalantly asked for a cup of water, and the first guy nonchalantly brought it, just to resume yelling at him less than a minute later. The fact that with all the yelling, they were using endearing nicknames for each other. The complete lack of indication that a conclusion had been reached for any of the myriad of points they were yelling about before moving on to the next topic. The fact that everyone seemed to feel that it had been an incredibly productive meeting, and let's sign the contract by Sunday. The, "Wait, Sunday's Purim. Let's say next Wednesday, then." Mind. Blown.
After the meeting, I thanked Eitan for inviting me and asked when I could start working with the electricians. He said it's not up to him, it's up to a guy named Zev. This didn't come as the complete shock that it could have, because John told me a few days ago that while Eitan is the top kibbtuznik electrician, there's someone named Zev who comes in 2-3 days per week who is the actual Head Electrician. Still, less than cool, and I didn't have time to pursue it because I had to run to take BSM to the appointment I scheduled yesterday.
Unfortunately, my mind was so blown by the PV meeting which started half an hour late that I missed BSM's medical checkup again. Granted, we had set it for "this afternoon" and I was there by 3:30, but the clinic does close at 4 on Tuesdays, not 5 like I had thought. I feel terrible for standing up Devorah twice now. Luckily, I met her at the daycare as I was picking up BSM, so I could apologize profusely in person. I also told her that he last had shots at 6 months old, and she said that's fine then, because he's not due for more until he's a year old. She'd still like to weigh him and have a look at him, though. We'll be in touch next week. Siiiiiigh... I still had a productive day yesterday, and even today, but it really bums me out that I missed an appointment with Devorah twice, now.
At dinner, Tamara asked how my Work Quest is going, so I told her. I hope she works some of her magic and tells me to go somewhere and suddenly it will All be Worked Out. I like it when that happens. If not, I'll keep harassing Eitan, and maybe find the person in charge of doling out work assignments, too.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Day 26 (what comfort zone?)
Today was a day of great productivity and bursting forth from comfort zones.
For starters, I went All By Myself to Beit Shean (the nearest town). Due to various considerations, I went sans bus schedule, sans map, and even sans addresses of some of the places I wanted to go. We don't (yet) have a car, Beit Shean is about 5 miles away, and the bus runs twice a day. That leaves the kibbutz shuttle and hitchhiking as the only two viable options, and unfortunately the kibbutz shuttle runs only slightly more frequently than the bus.
I now am thrown up against the fact that this blog is a combination journal and letter to everyone I know, including concerned relatives. I therefore will take this opportunity to explain Why Hitchhiking is Not Foolhardy. Abba, I was told to hitchhike by Brett, who's been living here (with children) for the past 20 years or so. See? The natives say it's safe. Ema, are you listening? Really listening? OK, I'll settle for narrowed eyes and continued reading.
To hitchhike toward Beit Shean, I wait within the gates of the kibbutz. This means that my ride is someone that I live with, eat with, pray with. Ah, the joys of living in a truly small town where everyone knows everyone else! As far as hitchhiking back from Beit Shean goes, I'll be honest: I'm not 100% sure why it's 100% safe. I can only reiterate that Brett says it's fine, and assume that your average psycho prefers large cities to small towns. Please be assured at this stage that (a) I'M FINE and (b) I didn't quite end up hitchhiking back. Keep reading for the exciting twist!
So lo, I bravely prepared to hitchhike all alone and handle the social interaction all by myselfsies. And so I did! I got a ride with a family of 5 that was going to a destination less than two blocks from where I wanted to start off. When we parked, the father very kindly gave me directions in a mixture of Hebrew and English to the bank.
And lo! I very bravely walked as he directed, and confirmed with a nice lady that I was not lost, and went into the bank all by my selfsies, and punched through the Hebrew "client-sorter-machine" thingy, and got a number, and sat down and listened and watched the board, and talked to an Israeli banker all by my selfsies, and lo! I did get my debit card that's been sitting in the bank for the past two weeks or so. But low, I did not get Husbinator's debit card, because of course, there are Rules and Regulation about Paperwork, and he has to show up at the bank live and in person and no, we can't mail it. Nice try, though. I even asked the lady about fees for using the debit card at various ATM's and stores before I left. Look at me socially interacting!
I then wandered in the vague direction that I remembered seeing some stores, and lo! I found them! (I'm still shocked by that.) OK, that's enough lo's, people. I wandered around the stores; I tried to buy an extension cord from an electronics store, but the owner directed me to a hardware store nearby. Get ready for shock #2: I got distracted by a Judaica store on the way (oh, the bliss of having a printed English-Hebrew/Hebrew-English dictionary once more!), but... I found the hardware store! I was two for two, people.
I wandered happily around the small hardware store a few times, and bought some badly-needed extension cords. I priced out a few other items, but Husbinator was at the market on kibbutz and on the phone with me, and everything was cheaper at the market than at the hardware store. Shoshi had assured us that the market generally beats local prices, but it was still shocking to see with my own eyes. (On further reflection, this really does make sense: the market serves the members of the kibbutz. The members of the kibbutz own the market. There is no reason to make more profit than is necessary to run the store: the kibbutz wants to make money from off-kibbutz, not on-kibbutz! In fact, most things in the market have two prices: non-members pay, on average, 25% more than members. And since the kibbutz is kind, we pay member prices.)
As I wandered out the hardware store and tried to figure out how I was going to get to the grocery store I had seen on the way into town, I hear someone call my name. It's the family I got a ride with two hours earlier! They offered me a ride back, I say yes please and thank you, and with thanks to G-d, and only the tiniest regret over the grocery store, I head back. (Yes, the kibbutz gives us three meals a day. I was hoping for clothespins that neither the kibbutz market nor the hardware store have in stock.)
Flush with the success of my outing, I approached Eitan when I saw him at lunch. He didn't answer my question of when (if?) I start work, but he did invite me to a meeting with the PV contractor tomorrow.
On our way back from lunch, "we" (i.e., the Husbinator) stopped by the bike guy's hut and left a note asking to rent a bike, and arranged a ride to Afula with Shoshi (again, the Husbinator). We've seen signs that for two days this week, there's a no-tax sale at the Home-Center there for kibbutz-dwellers. (Remember that store? Brett took us there the day we went to Misrad HaKlita?) So we'll go and price more things out, and while we're there, I hope that we can both take the first step toward getting Israeli drivers' licenses. (Yes, Afula is the closest place to us that has a government-approved eye-examiner.)
I then went to the health clinic and made a well-visit appointment for BSM. While there, I arranged auto-payment (the only way to make our co-payments) and got a perfunctory exam that allows me to use the exercise room. EKG's are silly, with all those electrode clamps.
I then pinned up four pairs of Husbinator's pants for later hemming, paid February's rent (the kibbtuz will take a check from our American bank in USD! Oh, joy!), paid a security deposit so we can use the library, and picked up El Babo from daycare. Speaking of which, he had a really great day. I can only assume that while he's eaten and slept nicely there this past week, he's only played halfheartedly. When I came to nurse him before my lunch, Daphna told me that he can move backwards. (I know, he's been doing that for weeks now: he sees a toy in front of him, and wiggles with all of his might and main, getting progressively further from the toy and less happy. It's only a little bit funny; poor kid.) After nursing, I put him down next to a partially-deflated bump-covered ball, and for the first time, I didn't sneak out. BSM knew I was leaving, and he was OK with that. He had a ballie, and it had bumps. What more did he need?
For starters, I went All By Myself to Beit Shean (the nearest town). Due to various considerations, I went sans bus schedule, sans map, and even sans addresses of some of the places I wanted to go. We don't (yet) have a car, Beit Shean is about 5 miles away, and the bus runs twice a day. That leaves the kibbutz shuttle and hitchhiking as the only two viable options, and unfortunately the kibbutz shuttle runs only slightly more frequently than the bus.
I now am thrown up against the fact that this blog is a combination journal and letter to everyone I know, including concerned relatives. I therefore will take this opportunity to explain Why Hitchhiking is Not Foolhardy. Abba, I was told to hitchhike by Brett, who's been living here (with children) for the past 20 years or so. See? The natives say it's safe. Ema, are you listening? Really listening? OK, I'll settle for narrowed eyes and continued reading.
To hitchhike toward Beit Shean, I wait within the gates of the kibbutz. This means that my ride is someone that I live with, eat with, pray with. Ah, the joys of living in a truly small town where everyone knows everyone else! As far as hitchhiking back from Beit Shean goes, I'll be honest: I'm not 100% sure why it's 100% safe. I can only reiterate that Brett says it's fine, and assume that your average psycho prefers large cities to small towns. Please be assured at this stage that (a) I'M FINE and (b) I didn't quite end up hitchhiking back. Keep reading for the exciting twist!
So lo, I bravely prepared to hitchhike all alone and handle the social interaction all by myselfsies. And so I did! I got a ride with a family of 5 that was going to a destination less than two blocks from where I wanted to start off. When we parked, the father very kindly gave me directions in a mixture of Hebrew and English to the bank.
And lo! I very bravely walked as he directed, and confirmed with a nice lady that I was not lost, and went into the bank all by my selfsies, and punched through the Hebrew "client-sorter-machine" thingy, and got a number, and sat down and listened and watched the board, and talked to an Israeli banker all by my selfsies, and lo! I did get my debit card that's been sitting in the bank for the past two weeks or so. But low, I did not get Husbinator's debit card, because of course, there are Rules and Regulation about Paperwork, and he has to show up at the bank live and in person and no, we can't mail it. Nice try, though. I even asked the lady about fees for using the debit card at various ATM's and stores before I left. Look at me socially interacting!
I then wandered in the vague direction that I remembered seeing some stores, and lo! I found them! (I'm still shocked by that.) OK, that's enough lo's, people. I wandered around the stores; I tried to buy an extension cord from an electronics store, but the owner directed me to a hardware store nearby. Get ready for shock #2: I got distracted by a Judaica store on the way (oh, the bliss of having a printed English-Hebrew/Hebrew-English dictionary once more!), but... I found the hardware store! I was two for two, people.
I wandered happily around the small hardware store a few times, and bought some badly-needed extension cords. I priced out a few other items, but Husbinator was at the market on kibbutz and on the phone with me, and everything was cheaper at the market than at the hardware store. Shoshi had assured us that the market generally beats local prices, but it was still shocking to see with my own eyes. (On further reflection, this really does make sense: the market serves the members of the kibbutz. The members of the kibbutz own the market. There is no reason to make more profit than is necessary to run the store: the kibbutz wants to make money from off-kibbutz, not on-kibbutz! In fact, most things in the market have two prices: non-members pay, on average, 25% more than members. And since the kibbutz is kind, we pay member prices.)
As I wandered out the hardware store and tried to figure out how I was going to get to the grocery store I had seen on the way into town, I hear someone call my name. It's the family I got a ride with two hours earlier! They offered me a ride back, I say yes please and thank you, and with thanks to G-d, and only the tiniest regret over the grocery store, I head back. (Yes, the kibbutz gives us three meals a day. I was hoping for clothespins that neither the kibbutz market nor the hardware store have in stock.)
Flush with the success of my outing, I approached Eitan when I saw him at lunch. He didn't answer my question of when (if?) I start work, but he did invite me to a meeting with the PV contractor tomorrow.
On our way back from lunch, "we" (i.e., the Husbinator) stopped by the bike guy's hut and left a note asking to rent a bike, and arranged a ride to Afula with Shoshi (again, the Husbinator). We've seen signs that for two days this week, there's a no-tax sale at the Home-Center there for kibbutz-dwellers. (Remember that store? Brett took us there the day we went to Misrad HaKlita?) So we'll go and price more things out, and while we're there, I hope that we can both take the first step toward getting Israeli drivers' licenses. (Yes, Afula is the closest place to us that has a government-approved eye-examiner.)
I then went to the health clinic and made a well-visit appointment for BSM. While there, I arranged auto-payment (the only way to make our co-payments) and got a perfunctory exam that allows me to use the exercise room. EKG's are silly, with all those electrode clamps.
I then pinned up four pairs of Husbinator's pants for later hemming, paid February's rent (the kibbtuz will take a check from our American bank in USD! Oh, joy!), paid a security deposit so we can use the library, and picked up El Babo from daycare. Speaking of which, he had a really great day. I can only assume that while he's eaten and slept nicely there this past week, he's only played halfheartedly. When I came to nurse him before my lunch, Daphna told me that he can move backwards. (I know, he's been doing that for weeks now: he sees a toy in front of him, and wiggles with all of his might and main, getting progressively further from the toy and less happy. It's only a little bit funny; poor kid.) After nursing, I put him down next to a partially-deflated bump-covered ball, and for the first time, I didn't sneak out. BSM knew I was leaving, and he was OK with that. He had a ballie, and it had bumps. What more did he need?
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Day 25 (rain!)
This morning, as I was putting my breakfast dishes on the appropriate conveyor belt, I accidentally dropped my fork in the garbage. Luckily, it fell on a reasonably clean plastic baggie. Unluckily, someone saw it happen. Luckily, she joked with me about it, though she did keep saying, "לא נאים" (that's not pleasant). Though, she conceded, it's also "לא נורא" (not terrible). Did I know, she asked, that there's a song in Israel that goes, "לא נאים--לא נורא"? Thank you, Abba, I do know that! In fact, I was able to respond, "Oh, that's actually a song? I thought it was an advertisement!" The lady was duly impressed, and I was happy because I got to think about my Abba. Thanks, Abbs! Question for the group: does anyone know where I can watch said advertisement? I tried looking it up on the interweb, but it pre-dates YouTube.
This afternoon, we finally wandered into the library. Oh, to be surrounded by books once more! They have a very impressive Hebrew collection for such a small community, and they even have 2 or 3 rows of English books. Before we can borrow books, we need to leave a 100NIS deposit at the main office. But also before I personally borrow books, I need to finish reading the Hebrew translation of A Thousand Splendid Suns. I understand about 80% of the words, and I think I'm understanding the story fully. For my next Hebrew book, though, I'd like to pick something I've not only read before, but know practically by heart. Heck, it's been well over my usual six months since I read To Kill a Mockingbird: time to get cracking! What's really slowing up my Thousand Suns reading is that I'm listening to The Lies of Lock Lamora as I sew myself a new (and rather needed) Shabbos skirt.
Baruch Hashem, it's been raining steadily since about an hour before sunset. Not much to say about that, but it warrants mentioning. Thank G-d.
This afternoon, we finally wandered into the library. Oh, to be surrounded by books once more! They have a very impressive Hebrew collection for such a small community, and they even have 2 or 3 rows of English books. Before we can borrow books, we need to leave a 100NIS deposit at the main office. But also before I personally borrow books, I need to finish reading the Hebrew translation of A Thousand Splendid Suns. I understand about 80% of the words, and I think I'm understanding the story fully. For my next Hebrew book, though, I'd like to pick something I've not only read before, but know practically by heart. Heck, it's been well over my usual six months since I read To Kill a Mockingbird: time to get cracking! What's really slowing up my Thousand Suns reading is that I'm listening to The Lies of Lock Lamora as I sew myself a new (and rather needed) Shabbos skirt.
Baruch Hashem, it's been raining steadily since about an hour before sunset. Not much to say about that, but it warrants mentioning. Thank G-d.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Day 24 (Shabbat once again)
At Friday night dinner, there was a slight power struggle between the kibbutznikim and the ulpan kids. Being young and foreign, they (we?) were appropriately boisterous, and as a group were unable to quiet down for more than about half a minute at a stretch. This understandably irritated the kibbutznikim, who have lived here all their lives and were up to "quiet singing" in their routine. Rather than yelling at the tables of ulpan students, one of the kibbutznikim came over to sit with us (them?) and encourage us to join in the singing. While it didn't work perfectly, it definitely got most of the way there, and the kibbutznikim sang more than usual, branching out of the traditional Shabbat songs with a welcoming rendition of "וקרב פזורינו" ("And gather our scattered ones from among the nations, and our smithereens bring in from the ends of the earth"). It was very sweet, and things are going to be just fine.
Shabbos afternoon consisted of pleasant alternations of dozing and playing with Baby Spiderman. And lo, it is time to doze once more!
Shabbos afternoon consisted of pleasant alternations of dozing and playing with Baby Spiderman. And lo, it is time to doze once more!
Day 23 (forgot to hit "Publish" before Shabbos)
This morning was an exciting sort of a morning. After last night's laborious but ultimately successful communication with Tamara (the lady who's really been helping us settle in; she's the non-English-speaking head of new member absorption [this is not as silly as I initally thought: most new members are Israeli]), I knew how to tell the plumber that our shower drain was clogged. This morning, with the help of not one, not two, but three whole kibbutzniks, I found the box where repair requests are submitted. In my defense, the box is camouflaged as a utility box on the side of a building that may or may not be in use. About an hour later, the plumber was at my apartment. (Interestingly, I had described my location as follows: "The second floor of the young-couples apartments. There's no number on our door, but we're next to #5, and diagonally across from #8." [Oh no! Now everyone on the internet knows my house number as well as I do!]) Less than 10 minutes after that, my drains were clear.
The next excitement was one we'd been waiting for, and had given up all hope of ever occurring: we found Gold Bond powder, baby nail clippers, peach iced tea powder, warm socks, small scissor, and a flask of bourbon. We knew we had packed these things, but we didn't find them when we unpacked. After going through the suitcases three times, we concluded that they fell out when TSA inspected our bags, and we shook our fists at TSA with great indignation. What we hadn't realized is that we neglected to go through the side pocket of the broken duffel bag that we're using to store the baby clothes that are too big for Baby Spiderman. This morning, I went through those clothes, and found our stuff. Happiness at last.
In less thrilling news, The Urinator made his first bathtub-poop. I will leave the details to your imaginations. I will say, however, that the bidet-hose on the side of the toilet has risen mightily in my esteem today.
And back to more thrilling news, we finally hooked up the baby monitor last night. I think I see why so many people use these things: we can hear when BSM starts to yench, and catch him before he becomes full-blown hysterically awake. It also gives me a sort of a two-minute warning: "Hey! Don't pour yourself a bowl of soup right now--the kid will need nursing in less than three minutes!"
The next excitement was one we'd been waiting for, and had given up all hope of ever occurring: we found Gold Bond powder, baby nail clippers, peach iced tea powder, warm socks, small scissor, and a flask of bourbon. We knew we had packed these things, but we didn't find them when we unpacked. After going through the suitcases three times, we concluded that they fell out when TSA inspected our bags, and we shook our fists at TSA with great indignation. What we hadn't realized is that we neglected to go through the side pocket of the broken duffel bag that we're using to store the baby clothes that are too big for Baby Spiderman. This morning, I went through those clothes, and found our stuff. Happiness at last.
In less thrilling news, The Urinator made his first bathtub-poop. I will leave the details to your imaginations. I will say, however, that the bidet-hose on the side of the toilet has risen mightily in my esteem today.
And back to more thrilling news, we finally hooked up the baby monitor last night. I think I see why so many people use these things: we can hear when BSM starts to yench, and catch him before he becomes full-blown hysterically awake. It also gives me a sort of a two-minute warning: "Hey! Don't pour yourself a bowl of soup right now--the kid will need nursing in less than three minutes!"
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Day 22
Oh man, today at breakfast Eitan stopped by my table to check which AutoCAD software I use. Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later... Sigh. Amazing how deflated I feel after explaining to him that, well, actually, um, it's like this: my bachelor's is in physics, so I only have, like, a year-and-a-half of electrical engineering per se, and, um, so... In PV we use PC1D, but it only models solar cells. Not solar panels, not anything else. I neglected to mention that I am not exactly fluent even in PC1D. I need to check this wild excitement and crushing deflatement, and just center myself. It's not really crushing, just a super-bummer. It's OK: I have sponja to lift my spirits!
I can't say that every single floor in Israel is tiled, but I can say that I've never seen an Israeli floor made of anything other than tile. Since that's the case, the national floor-washing method, "sponja," is the method used to clean industrial kitchen floors in the US: an impressive amount of water is spilled on the floor, a long-handled scrubber scrubs the floor (optional), and a long-handled squeegee ("sponja stick") shoves all the water down the ubiquitous drain ("sponja hole"). I think it is the near-universal custom to then throw a dry rag over the sponja stick and dry the floor, but by that point, I'm done, and the floor can full-well dry itself. Oh, man, my floors are so gloriously clean.
It was a productive sort of a day: after sponja, I went to the daycare to help fill out some forms. Still not 100% sure what the forms are for, but that's OK. At least some of them are for a new-immigrant refund. If that comes through, it would be pretty nifty, but John and Shoshi are still filing for their refund after 5 months. Good thing it's retroactive, eh?
After lunch, we finally signed our apartment contract! As those of you who successfully did the math yesterday already know, we've been living here for three weeks, so it's good to have that done.
In other news, today was Baby Spiderman's first full day at daycare! I missed him mightily. When I picked him up this afternoon I was informed that (a) he drinks water from a bottle very nicely, indeed and (b) he even holds the bottle himself. I was not aware of that at all. In fact, I tried giving him a bottle of water within the last week or two, and neither of those facts was born out. Sneaky kid, showing off for ladies who won't nurse him.
I can't say that every single floor in Israel is tiled, but I can say that I've never seen an Israeli floor made of anything other than tile. Since that's the case, the national floor-washing method, "sponja," is the method used to clean industrial kitchen floors in the US: an impressive amount of water is spilled on the floor, a long-handled scrubber scrubs the floor (optional), and a long-handled squeegee ("sponja stick") shoves all the water down the ubiquitous drain ("sponja hole"). I think it is the near-universal custom to then throw a dry rag over the sponja stick and dry the floor, but by that point, I'm done, and the floor can full-well dry itself. Oh, man, my floors are so gloriously clean.
It was a productive sort of a day: after sponja, I went to the daycare to help fill out some forms. Still not 100% sure what the forms are for, but that's OK. At least some of them are for a new-immigrant refund. If that comes through, it would be pretty nifty, but John and Shoshi are still filing for their refund after 5 months. Good thing it's retroactive, eh?
After lunch, we finally signed our apartment contract! As those of you who successfully did the math yesterday already know, we've been living here for three weeks, so it's good to have that done.
In other news, today was Baby Spiderman's first full day at daycare! I missed him mightily. When I picked him up this afternoon I was informed that (a) he drinks water from a bottle very nicely, indeed and (b) he even holds the bottle himself. I was not aware of that at all. In fact, I tried giving him a bottle of water within the last week or two, and neither of those facts was born out. Sneaky kid, showing off for ladies who won't nurse him.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Day 21 (do the math...)
This morning's epiphany was brought by Daphna, one of the ladies who takes care of BSM at daycare. We were talking about What to Expect from The Baby Spidey this fine day, and she asked how long he usually stays awake before his morning nap. Ah. I thought Baby Spiderman likes to go in for a nap every morning between 10 and 10:30, except when he doesn't. With a little prodding from Daphna, I experienced a gestalt-shift: Baby Spiderman likes to go in for a nap about three hours after he wakes up in the morning. I can feel my world changing for the better already.
While he was in daycare this morning, I did dishes, straightened up, sorted laundry, sewed on more laundry tags, dropped off laundry, and, most excitingly, bought the necessary ingredients to make peanut butter bars. Clearly, I won't be baking hamentaschen this Purim season, as I don't have an oven, but I have to bake something for mishloach manot! My Bubby's peanut butter bars won (recipe below), and I'm psyched to make them next week.
Since the market is re-stocking, I wandered around to see if anything terribly exciting came in. The answer was not really (they're still out of extension cords; guess who conveniently forgot to ask Eitan about those), but I learned a fun Hebrew word. The style of undershirt that I call a "tank top" and my friends call a "wifebeater" is known in Hebrew as a "grandfather undershirt." Now ya know!
***
Peanut Butter Bars
1 2/3 C graham cracker crumbs (1 sleeve crushed graham crackers) [Graham crackers are rare to non-existent in Israel, so I bought tea-biscuit like crackers]
2 C confectioners’ sugar
1 C crunchy peanut butter
1 C margarine
6 oz. (1 C) chocolate chips
Combine graham cracker crumbs & sugar. In heavy pot, melt peanut butter & margarine. Stir in crumbs & sugar. Blend thoroughly. Press firmly into 9” x 13” pan. Chill. In double boiler, melt chips. Spread over dough. Cut into bars. Freeze in airtight container.
While he was in daycare this morning, I did dishes, straightened up, sorted laundry, sewed on more laundry tags, dropped off laundry, and, most excitingly, bought the necessary ingredients to make peanut butter bars. Clearly, I won't be baking hamentaschen this Purim season, as I don't have an oven, but I have to bake something for mishloach manot! My Bubby's peanut butter bars won (recipe below), and I'm psyched to make them next week.
Since the market is re-stocking, I wandered around to see if anything terribly exciting came in. The answer was not really (they're still out of extension cords; guess who conveniently forgot to ask Eitan about those), but I learned a fun Hebrew word. The style of undershirt that I call a "tank top" and my friends call a "wifebeater" is known in Hebrew as a "grandfather undershirt." Now ya know!
***
Peanut Butter Bars
1 2/3 C graham cracker crumbs (1 sleeve crushed graham crackers) [Graham crackers are rare to non-existent in Israel, so I bought tea-biscuit like crackers]
2 C confectioners’ sugar
1 C crunchy peanut butter
1 C margarine
6 oz. (1 C) chocolate chips
Combine graham cracker crumbs & sugar. In heavy pot, melt peanut butter & margarine. Stir in crumbs & sugar. Blend thoroughly. Press firmly into 9” x 13” pan. Chill. In double boiler, melt chips. Spread over dough. Cut into bars. Freeze in airtight container.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Day 20 (ready for bed)
So I shall be brief!
Also, being "ready for bed" is a lie. My head is ready for bed, but my body would like its contacts taken out and pajamas put on and teeth brushed etc etc etc. So demanding. Sheesh!
This morning involved El Babo being in daycare for four whole hours, and me getting a golf-cart tour of the kibbutz from Eitan. The hour I spent with him totally confirmed yesterday's conclusion that he is a wonderful person. It also reinforced something I realized last night: I keep saying that I'm an electrical engineer who knows nothing about circuits, but that's not entirely true. I can follow about 90-95% of a conversation about circuits by experts. I might not be able to contribute anything, but I can follow what's being said. I think that's more than the average layman can do, so points for me!
Ha ha. Speaking of not really being ready for bed, Baby Spidey is crying. T.O.
Okay, T.I.
So Eitan showed me where they are going to be installing the solar panels, and more than that, he showed me how they were going to wire the inverters, voltage-steppers, transformers, and main station. I was genuinely fascinated. He also showed me, as long as we were passing them, the huge water tanks that are cooled each night so the water can be used in chillers the next day. Super-cool. I'm not sure if it's everywhere in Israel, or just large customers, but the kibbutz has at least 3 or 4 different electricity rates, depending on the time of day. Since the middle of the night is cheapest and the middle of the day is most expensive, they do everything they can to shift their electricity usage to the middle of the night.
This afternoon was spent setting up my new phone. The phone I brought from the US will not hold a charge for more than two hours (assuming I don't actually try to place a call during that time), but luckily, Husbinator brought a "phablet" to play with. It's uncomfortably large for a cell phone, but it does hold a charge, so it wins!
This afternoon was not spent sewing on more laundry tags; the phone was more urgent. I am starting to get the feeling that by the time I finish tagging every single piece of our clothing, we'll be about to leave the kibbutz.
Remember when I promised brevity? I do. G'night!
Also, being "ready for bed" is a lie. My head is ready for bed, but my body would like its contacts taken out and pajamas put on and teeth brushed etc etc etc. So demanding. Sheesh!
This morning involved El Babo being in daycare for four whole hours, and me getting a golf-cart tour of the kibbutz from Eitan. The hour I spent with him totally confirmed yesterday's conclusion that he is a wonderful person. It also reinforced something I realized last night: I keep saying that I'm an electrical engineer who knows nothing about circuits, but that's not entirely true. I can follow about 90-95% of a conversation about circuits by experts. I might not be able to contribute anything, but I can follow what's being said. I think that's more than the average layman can do, so points for me!
Ha ha. Speaking of not really being ready for bed, Baby Spidey is crying. T.O.
Okay, T.I.
So Eitan showed me where they are going to be installing the solar panels, and more than that, he showed me how they were going to wire the inverters, voltage-steppers, transformers, and main station. I was genuinely fascinated. He also showed me, as long as we were passing them, the huge water tanks that are cooled each night so the water can be used in chillers the next day. Super-cool. I'm not sure if it's everywhere in Israel, or just large customers, but the kibbutz has at least 3 or 4 different electricity rates, depending on the time of day. Since the middle of the night is cheapest and the middle of the day is most expensive, they do everything they can to shift their electricity usage to the middle of the night.
This afternoon was spent setting up my new phone. The phone I brought from the US will not hold a charge for more than two hours (assuming I don't actually try to place a call during that time), but luckily, Husbinator brought a "phablet" to play with. It's uncomfortably large for a cell phone, but it does hold a charge, so it wins!
This afternoon was not spent sewing on more laundry tags; the phone was more urgent. I am starting to get the feeling that by the time I finish tagging every single piece of our clothing, we'll be about to leave the kibbutz.
Remember when I promised brevity? I do. G'night!
Monday, March 3, 2014
Day 19 (happy)
This morning, BSM spent another hour at daycare. But it turns out that in honor of Rosh Chodesh Adar, the entire pre-school had a parade. Long story short, I went with The Babe-o on said parade, and enjoyed every one of the ensuing 40 minutes. Oh. My. Gosh. Children aged 6 months through 4 or 5 years did march around the kibbutz singing loudly. (In the spirit of accuracy, those children too young to march were pushed in the very-Israeli playpens-on-wheels. Except BSM, who is still kind of a visitor, so he, poor thing, was pushed in his stroller,which had many fewer commas than this sentence. More oranges though. BSM loves playin with oranges.) Each grade was dressed up as something different, with the babies being dressed up as "people." I thought the 2-year-olds were pumpkins (probably Halloween overstock), but it turns out that they were carrots. Silly of me: their costumes were belted at the waist, so clearly not pumpkins!
One of the beautiful parts of Kibbutz life is that the youngest children can go celebrate with the oldest members as part of a quick jaunt. (They went to the old-age home and made lots of noise.) A bunch of kids also picked up their parents as they marched through various buildings. It was also great seeing the older kids wandering over to say hi to their younger siblings. Anywho, I was smiling the whole time, it was totally glorious, but as I don't feel like writing a poem to explain why, you'll just have to take my word for it.
Brett translated 2 of the 3 paragraphs I didn't understand from our residential contract: the 3rd paragraph was pure legalese, and he was stumped. Ha-ha! If I can't translate it, it may be because it's the sort of paragraph I would't understand in English, either! I am feeling better and better about my Hebrew skills.
But wait! There's more! Ever since I met with Ari about working on PV, and he told me to talk to the head electrician, Eitan, I've been procrastinating masterfully. Cleaning the house, emailing other people to warm up my Hebrew emailing skills, leaving a draft open in my email... you know. the productive kind of procrastination. This morning, I bit the bullet and sent Eitan a 3-line email (+3 lines for salutation and sign-off, and another 3 lines for my contact info at the bottom) explaining who I am and that I want a job.
This afternoon, a man sat down next to us at lunch, asked if I was an electrical engineer, and, with a huge smile at my affirmative, asked why I hadn't been to see him yet. At this point (30 seconds into the conversation), he had put me enough at ease that I was able to smile back, "Who are you in the first place?" I had a sneaking suspicion who he was, but I felt it had to be said. We had a great conversation, in which it unfolded that as desperate as I am to work both on the kibbutz and somewhat in my field, Eitan is desperate for more people to work in his group. Yayness and jubilosity! We arranged to meet tomorrow morning for him to give me an electrifying tour of the kibbutz, and lo I am filled with joy.
Husbinator allowed me to celebrate for maybe two minutes before he started raining on my parade. Since we need an extension cord and the kibbutz market is currently out of extension cords, I am to try to get one from Eitan. Granted (a) that's a good idea and (b) I'm the one who really wants the extension cord... Well, granted nothing! I still don't want to do it. Boo Husbinator for being reasonable. His second damper was to inform me that I am to discuss my salary and I am most emphatically not to accept minimum wage. Ah! Scary stuff!
Neither of these things sound remotely fun, but I am still joyful. So there!
One of the beautiful parts of Kibbutz life is that the youngest children can go celebrate with the oldest members as part of a quick jaunt. (They went to the old-age home and made lots of noise.) A bunch of kids also picked up their parents as they marched through various buildings. It was also great seeing the older kids wandering over to say hi to their younger siblings. Anywho, I was smiling the whole time, it was totally glorious, but as I don't feel like writing a poem to explain why, you'll just have to take my word for it.
Brett translated 2 of the 3 paragraphs I didn't understand from our residential contract: the 3rd paragraph was pure legalese, and he was stumped. Ha-ha! If I can't translate it, it may be because it's the sort of paragraph I would't understand in English, either! I am feeling better and better about my Hebrew skills.
But wait! There's more! Ever since I met with Ari about working on PV, and he told me to talk to the head electrician, Eitan, I've been procrastinating masterfully. Cleaning the house, emailing other people to warm up my Hebrew emailing skills, leaving a draft open in my email... you know. the productive kind of procrastination. This morning, I bit the bullet and sent Eitan a 3-line email (+3 lines for salutation and sign-off, and another 3 lines for my contact info at the bottom) explaining who I am and that I want a job.
This afternoon, a man sat down next to us at lunch, asked if I was an electrical engineer, and, with a huge smile at my affirmative, asked why I hadn't been to see him yet. At this point (30 seconds into the conversation), he had put me enough at ease that I was able to smile back, "Who are you in the first place?" I had a sneaking suspicion who he was, but I felt it had to be said. We had a great conversation, in which it unfolded that as desperate as I am to work both on the kibbutz and somewhat in my field, Eitan is desperate for more people to work in his group. Yayness and jubilosity! We arranged to meet tomorrow morning for him to give me an electrifying tour of the kibbutz, and lo I am filled with joy.
Husbinator allowed me to celebrate for maybe two minutes before he started raining on my parade. Since we need an extension cord and the kibbutz market is currently out of extension cords, I am to try to get one from Eitan. Granted (a) that's a good idea and (b) I'm the one who really wants the extension cord... Well, granted nothing! I still don't want to do it. Boo Husbinator for being reasonable. His second damper was to inform me that I am to discuss my salary and I am most emphatically not to accept minimum wage. Ah! Scary stuff!
Neither of these things sound remotely fun, but I am still joyful. So there!
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Day 18 (email success)
El Babo spent two hours at daycare today: slowly, slowly, he's going to get used to it. Starting daycare for baby before I have scheduled obligations is totally the way to go.
Major excitement of the day was sending emails in Hebrew, and getting responses. Did the recipients be horrified at the not grammar words therein? Did they do like me and go, "What??? Oh. Second language. Gosh, I hope they pick up English soon." Or were they kind and less judgmental? Either way, it matters not: communication happened, even if I still have no idea how to say "looking forward" in Hebrew. I mean, I can translate it, especially with the help of a dictionary, but I don't know what connotation "mitzapah" has. I've seen it used both as "eagerly awaiting" and as more of foresight/planning thingy, and literally as gazing out from a high place to see what's coming from the distance. None of those uses work in "I'm looking forward to meeting with you." I'll learn, though, and meanwhile, my emails will be unpolished. But clear enough to get results, and that's what counts!
Major excitement of the day was sending emails in Hebrew, and getting responses. Did the recipients be horrified at the not grammar words therein? Did they do like me and go, "What??? Oh. Second language. Gosh, I hope they pick up English soon." Or were they kind and less judgmental? Either way, it matters not: communication happened, even if I still have no idea how to say "looking forward" in Hebrew. I mean, I can translate it, especially with the help of a dictionary, but I don't know what connotation "mitzapah" has. I've seen it used both as "eagerly awaiting" and as more of foresight/planning thingy, and literally as gazing out from a high place to see what's coming from the distance. None of those uses work in "I'm looking forward to meeting with you." I'll learn, though, and meanwhile, my emails will be unpolished. But clear enough to get results, and that's what counts!
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Day 17 (I'm siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick)
One of the less cool parts about my illness is that I can't even complain about it too much. Woop-dee-doo, I have a cold, and am therefore experiencing the world through a haze of mucus with a dollop of tired smeared all over my windshield. Big deal. My sister-in-law, Decaying Tonsils (will come up with a real nickname for her later), has mono. Siiiiiiiigh. Refuah Shelaimah, Decaying Tonsils! (The sooner you get better, the sooner I can complain about minor ailments. Also, the sooner you get better, the sooner you get a not-terrible nom de plume.)
We ate with the "ulpan kids," as the 30-or-so 18-28 year-olds (my, that's a lot of hyphens!) who come to the kibbutz for five months to work and learn, are affectionately known. I met about 8 of them, so I am well on my way toward being social. Take that, Roz and Ozzie!
Speaking of Roz and Ozzie, we ate Shalosh Seudot with them. Roz didn't do a great job of masking her shock that the ulpan teachers said my Hebrew was too advanced to make this ulpan worthwhile. Thanks, tired mucus haze! Way to mess with my language skills.
In non-mucus related news, I'm reading A Thousand Shining Suns in Hebrew! I have not read it in English, and I only understand about 75% of the words, but I'm fairly certain I'm following the plot fully. My thought is that I honed my keen English skills through reading, so why not do the same for Hebrew? I meant to read Hebrew Wikipedia, focusing on electrical engineering, but novels are so much more interesting.
We ate with the "ulpan kids," as the 30-or-so 18-28 year-olds (my, that's a lot of hyphens!) who come to the kibbutz for five months to work and learn, are affectionately known. I met about 8 of them, so I am well on my way toward being social. Take that, Roz and Ozzie!
Speaking of Roz and Ozzie, we ate Shalosh Seudot with them. Roz didn't do a great job of masking her shock that the ulpan teachers said my Hebrew was too advanced to make this ulpan worthwhile. Thanks, tired mucus haze! Way to mess with my language skills.
In non-mucus related news, I'm reading A Thousand Shining Suns in Hebrew! I have not read it in English, and I only understand about 75% of the words, but I'm fairly certain I'm following the plot fully. My thought is that I honed my keen English skills through reading, so why not do the same for Hebrew? I meant to read Hebrew Wikipedia, focusing on electrical engineering, but novels are so much more interesting.
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