Well, we've been here over 10 months and other than, you know, move to a new country, new apartment, make new friends, find new work, learn how to live here, we haven't done much.
And by "doing" I refer to those images I had in my head before aliyah. You know, you see yourself going to the Kotel every week, climbing mountains in the Golan, jeeping in the Negev, visiting ancient ruins, etc.
So far, for us "doing" means food shopping, going to the Modiin mall for necessities like lunch, finding a good dry cleaner, and figuring out when the fruits we like are in season. I mean it, James Bond has nothing on us when it comes to pure adventure. Sometimes - hold on to your seats, my friends - we even go to ANOTHER mall!
See, we are still in the "deer in the headlights" phase of our aliyah which, from looking around at our neighbors, lasts about 5 years. Seriously. By this I mean we look out at our magnificent view of the Judean hills (I think that's what we're looking at, at least I'm pretty sure we're not looking at the Alps, Syria, or Jordan, so let's call them the Judean hills because it sounds so ancient and romantic) and think, "We actually LIVE here" but it does not sink in at all. In fact (and I've heard this from other olim) sometimes I say to myself, in shock, "When is our flight back again? Oh, right, we're not going back, we're staying here. Get it through your thick head, woman." Still can't believe we live here.
We have been saying the following to ourselves for about 6 months - "We really need to DO something." We just haven't been able to figure out what that is or get ourselves to do it.
Well, all that is over because as of two weeks ago, we are doers.
First, we took a short vacation to the Dead Sea. Let me tell you about the Dead Sea. People walk around there wearing bathrobes. OUTSIDE of the hotel. In the STREET. I felt like I was in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and Jack Nicholson was going to appear around the next corner (ooh, image deleted - every time I think of him I think of that scary Stephen King movie). Really, perfectly normal people are walking around outside, in the street, in the little white bathrobes that the hotels give you. But anyway the trip was restful - my husband decided to try out the massages in the spa. First day was great - second day not so much. On the second day he opted for an anti-stress massage. It's called anti-stress because when it's over you stop worrying about all the stuff going on in your life and begin worrying about he bruises that have already begun to blossom on your poor body after the masseuse is finished with you. I am not kidding. The man is now covered in bruises - even on his toes! Eww.
Next, we went to a concert in Jerusalem - yes! We drove there! Hooray for Waze - people, if you are coming to Israel, put Waze in your smartphone and you are all set. The concert was a benefit for Emunah and was wonderful. I looked around and congratulated us on doing something Israeli. The Jerusalem Symphony played and several chazzanim sang. But the highlight was at the end - everyone stood up and we sang Hatikvah.
That got to me - standing up with hundreds of other Israelis, singing Hatikvah, in Jerusalem. When I used to sing Hatikvah in America I always got emotional, but this was several hundred levels of emotion above that. Not something you can really put into words, but I almost felt worthy of calling myself an Israeli.
Last night we attended a comedy show put on by the Koby Mandell Foundation. Seth Mandell does the intros for these shows and as he's standing up there, smiling and joking around, you just wonder how he manages to do all of this. He talked about the summer camp that the foundation runs and how the kids who go love it because they can feel like it's OK to be sad, to feel lost, and to need to be with other kids who understand that.
Tomorrow we are scheduled to go on a tiyul around Modiin to learn about the history of the city.
So this was a jam-packed week of DOING. Hopefully this means our lives are getting into somewhat of a more normal routine.
However, we have yet to find a decent dry cleaner.
And by "doing" I refer to those images I had in my head before aliyah. You know, you see yourself going to the Kotel every week, climbing mountains in the Golan, jeeping in the Negev, visiting ancient ruins, etc.
So far, for us "doing" means food shopping, going to the Modiin mall for necessities like lunch, finding a good dry cleaner, and figuring out when the fruits we like are in season. I mean it, James Bond has nothing on us when it comes to pure adventure. Sometimes - hold on to your seats, my friends - we even go to ANOTHER mall!
See, we are still in the "deer in the headlights" phase of our aliyah which, from looking around at our neighbors, lasts about 5 years. Seriously. By this I mean we look out at our magnificent view of the Judean hills (I think that's what we're looking at, at least I'm pretty sure we're not looking at the Alps, Syria, or Jordan, so let's call them the Judean hills because it sounds so ancient and romantic) and think, "We actually LIVE here" but it does not sink in at all. In fact (and I've heard this from other olim) sometimes I say to myself, in shock, "When is our flight back again? Oh, right, we're not going back, we're staying here. Get it through your thick head, woman." Still can't believe we live here.
We have been saying the following to ourselves for about 6 months - "We really need to DO something." We just haven't been able to figure out what that is or get ourselves to do it.
Well, all that is over because as of two weeks ago, we are doers.
First, we took a short vacation to the Dead Sea. Let me tell you about the Dead Sea. People walk around there wearing bathrobes. OUTSIDE of the hotel. In the STREET. I felt like I was in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and Jack Nicholson was going to appear around the next corner (ooh, image deleted - every time I think of him I think of that scary Stephen King movie). Really, perfectly normal people are walking around outside, in the street, in the little white bathrobes that the hotels give you. But anyway the trip was restful - my husband decided to try out the massages in the spa. First day was great - second day not so much. On the second day he opted for an anti-stress massage. It's called anti-stress because when it's over you stop worrying about all the stuff going on in your life and begin worrying about he bruises that have already begun to blossom on your poor body after the masseuse is finished with you. I am not kidding. The man is now covered in bruises - even on his toes! Eww.
Next, we went to a concert in Jerusalem - yes! We drove there! Hooray for Waze - people, if you are coming to Israel, put Waze in your smartphone and you are all set. The concert was a benefit for Emunah and was wonderful. I looked around and congratulated us on doing something Israeli. The Jerusalem Symphony played and several chazzanim sang. But the highlight was at the end - everyone stood up and we sang Hatikvah.
That got to me - standing up with hundreds of other Israelis, singing Hatikvah, in Jerusalem. When I used to sing Hatikvah in America I always got emotional, but this was several hundred levels of emotion above that. Not something you can really put into words, but I almost felt worthy of calling myself an Israeli.
Last night we attended a comedy show put on by the Koby Mandell Foundation. Seth Mandell does the intros for these shows and as he's standing up there, smiling and joking around, you just wonder how he manages to do all of this. He talked about the summer camp that the foundation runs and how the kids who go love it because they can feel like it's OK to be sad, to feel lost, and to need to be with other kids who understand that.
Tomorrow we are scheduled to go on a tiyul around Modiin to learn about the history of the city.
So this was a jam-packed week of DOING. Hopefully this means our lives are getting into somewhat of a more normal routine.
However, we have yet to find a decent dry cleaner.
I hope that the walking tour of Modi'in includes a stop at the cheese store!
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