The holiday season. In America, we have Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Christian, Jewish, or whatever, things slow down in the office and in general. The phone rings less at work, people are off, school’s out so there’s less traffic. Here,...
Two comments regarding this recent post: 1) Kibbutz Galuyot is not a kibbutz. It’s a phrase which means “ingathering of the exiles”. 2) About my roommate yelling “die!”: I remember hearing stories years ago about Israeli mothers in the States yelling that at...
Tonight begins Rosh Hashana, the new year. I’m excited for my first holiday here, for a relaxing break from work, and to “feel” the holiday here. Yesterday at work, the office got together for a “Ramat Koseet”, literally a “raising of the glass”...
Two days after move-in and a long road lies ahead. Dirty floors, not much furniture, and no time to address either. Work is way too busy (a topic I won’t address here), and I was exhausted and in a rotten mood when I...
I guess I should begin with the most interesting news...
In just a few hours, 437ish teenagers will be landing at Ben-Gurion airport to spend the next 9 months living in Israel on Year Course. (insert screaming sound) (resume breathing) We’re all going directly to tiyul (a hike) where I should smell really nice 3 days...
How do you have stereotypes about Jewish mothers in a country where everyone is Jewish? Something I learned from my friend Ossy this past year is that here, they’re called “Polish mothers” (eema Polania?), describing the “classic” Jewish mother who lived in Poland a...
As I wrote a couple of weeks back, the work week is different here. Off Fridays, on Sundays. So Thursday night is a big going-out night. Check that-every night is a big-going out night, although I have yet to see it for...
Much as I enjoy speaking Hebrew, having to speak another language all the time can be mentally grueling, especially late at night when you’re tired. I have a new appreciation for all my Israeli co-workers over the last few years who had to speak...
After being “on vacation” for a few days with no responsibility, real life began yesterday. I woke up ready to begin all my errands to register for health insurance, open a bank account, sign up for an Ulpan (Hebrew classes), etc. Anyone who...