Aharon Akiva finally got his cast off on May 11th and then broke his arm again on the 15th. Actually, a classmate broke it while storming through Aharon Akiva's defenses in a game of Capture the Flag. This was a very frustrating setback, and since the force of the blow knocked the angle of the bone further off we got to learn all about the Emergency Room services at Shaarei Zedek hospital. I actually found the experience interesting, since the ER there has such a diverse group of doctors and patients: both religious and secular Jews, Arabs and the occasional tourist. Also, I know that the Shock and Trauma unit where AA was treated is usually the first place to receive terror victims for treatment and that they are very good at what they do. The lobby of the hospital has a picture and memorial tribute for Dr. David Applebaum who was the Chief of ER/ Trauma at Shaarei Zedek. I did not point it out to AA. We waited for a while but were finally seen by a middle aged doctor from Teaneck whose brother was in my sister-in-law's class in high school. Small world :) More self advocacy was required than in our ER experience in the US, but everyone was nice to us. When we were cleared to go, I needed to approach nurses in the hallway to find someone who would remove AA's hep-lock. The second or third nurse agreed and I think we finally got home around 1:30 am. He continues to handle the situation with great maturity and grace.
We had a run of very full Shabbatot with lots of guests, including a record breaking week with 15 sleepover guests and 27 people at lunch (including the Whitten-Viles which was really, really great and my MIL who was here for three weeks). We are now in a quieter time; Judah and AA are going to Tzfat with the Yeshiva this Thursday-Shabbat for their final trip of the year and the younger ones and I have planned a quiet Shabbat with playdates/ sleepovers Friday night and a woman and her triplets for Shabbat lunch. Next week my brother and sister will come with their families and then Judah, Tiferet and Shoshana will be in the US for three weeks, so another quiet set.
We spent Shavuot with the Yeshiva. The Old City was VERY full over the two day Yom Tov and as we walked out to the parking lot (no cars or parking in the residential part of the city) it felt like a mass exodus of religious families with all their luggage and all the children. In the parking lot while we waited for Judah to go get the car (aside: we arrived later than we had planned and the lots were packed. So Judah dropped us off and we started walking with the luggage and bedding while he went to find parking. He had parked on the sidewalk with a red curb along with three other cars since there was nowhere else to park and there was no ticket on Sunday night. The police know it's Shabbat and Yom Tov and that parking is tight so they didn't give out tickets :). In the parking lot there was a big white van with Rebbe Nachman graffiti/decoration blasting Breslov music as they loaded up their mattresses. A few people in the parking lot started dancing in a small circle with their kids (look on the left side of the screen early in the clip), it was like a party.
I responded to an email post from a woman who lives in Neve Daniel who said she was looking for someone to help with academic paper editing in English on two papers she had written as part of her PhD program but that were sent back to her for revision. This turned out to be a much more involved and lengthy process than I had anticipated and the amount of time it took was kind of frustrating. However: it got me excited again about academic writing, reminding me how much I like it and that I really can do it and can find the time when I am under a deadline. And, now I know all about implicit learning on the Artificial Grammar Learning task :)
A few mundane details I have been enjoying: I can hang my laundry here. I grew up hanging laundry when it was sunny out when we lived in Jerusalem and when we visited my grandmother in Southern California. I was schooled in hanging shirts upside down and ensuring that socks were matched and that their heels pointed in the same direction. I felt guilty for years putting my wet laundry in the dryer when it was sunny and warm outside. But in the US houses are not usually built for easy laundry hanging; our machines were in the basement and there was no setup for a line. Here, however, for a combination of economic and cultural reasons, having a small porch off of the laundry porch is standard and I have a few quiet minutes outdoors feeling good about saving the dryer for wet weather and being more green :) Plus, since my laundry porch faces the street, it can be a good people watching (listening? I put up a bamboo mat for privacy) spot, depending on the time of day. I can wave to the kids as they come in from the school bus or say hello to the neighbors. While there, I also hear the mourning doves and remember that sound from my years here. It's a lovely sound and I don't recall hearing it in CA, though I am sure they are around. As the weather gets warmer, I also remember the smell of summer here, especially early in the morning and in the evening. It's a clean smell, fresh from local flora, and I enjoy its sweetness and familiarity.
The local non-violence co-existence group has begun organizing local interfaith meetings but they are off to a frustratingly slow start. The first one had 6-7 Israelis and only one Palestinian came and he was about an hour late. Someone's father was in the hospital and they were all in the same van so they all had to go visit the man's father in the hospital. So, we talked with the one who came, an assistant professor of business at a university in Bet Lehem. The next meeting was supposed to be in Jerusalem and I was almost at the promenade meeting spot when I saw an email that it had been cancelled because of an attack that day and they were not comfortable coming in to Jerusalem. Frustrating but I understand, and I visited my mother and sister instead since I was already there.
Hodayah has started a business: She goes to homes of people in the yishuv and reads to their children or teaches them to read. Here is the ad we posted on our local email group:
Hodayah may only be turning eight but she is a strong, expressive reader in English and would be delighted to come to your house and read to your child (or you, if you like). She is happy to read your books or bring a selection of her favorites. She adds that not only can she read to your child but she can also help teach your child to read (she is hoping to be a teacher when she finishes college). She offers a free fifteen minute trial slot and is charging 1.50 shekel for a fifteen minute slot for further sessions. She is generally home from school by around 2:30 and needs to be home for dinner by 6:30. She can be reached at hodayah.dardik@gmail.com.
She now has five clients, Monday through Friday (she says she likes having Sundays off) and is having a great time. She can walk herself to and from all her jobs and I get great feedback from the moms. Sometimes she stays to play after she finishes working :)
One mom sent me a picture:
She also had a significant role in her class' Yom Ha'Atzmaut play. Apparently, some of the other teachers were skeptical about her ability to pull it off, since her lines were in Hebrew and she isnot yet fluent, but her teacher said that they don't know Hodayah and she can do it and she performed her part flawlessly. I unfortunately did not think to video her lines but here is a still shot and if her teacher uploads the video I will share a clip of her reciting her lines.
There are nine second grade classes in her school, this video shows the crowd of them on the stage as they start HaTikvah." Hodayah is in there somewhere but I can't find her.
I inadvertantly neglected to get our car registered. I had received an official looking document in the mail that said "Vehicle Registration" so I naively thought I was done. There was some fine print I noticed a few weeks ago that I had missed at the bottom of the page that explained that there were two steps I needed to take before the registration was actually valid. Ah. I finally finished taking care of that last week. I was able to pay the fee at a kiosk/ ATM like machine at the back of a pharmacy at the mall which was pretty cool. The "test" was like an assembly line of people shouting orders, "Move forward! Turn the wheels to the right! Put it in neutral! Engage the parking break!" while their machines ran various tests. I was greatly relieved when it was over (we passed :) and I love my nice 2015 sticker on my windshield.
I also finally got all my documents in at the equivalent of the Department of Social Services so I can be registered in their registry of social workers which is like the equivalent of getting licensed. I can also get certified by diferent organizations, like the Association for Family Therapy, etc. but this step (when it's done) will make it legal for me to work as a social worker. The (very nice) lady stamping copies of my diploma etc. warned me that it could take several monthsfor the process to be complete since the committee needs to approve my program but it's taken my nine months to even get myself to her office so I am just enjoying having that ball out of my court. Apparently I am their first applicant with an MSW from UCB. Someone else already got the BSW program on their approved list, but not the MSW program. I told her I was not worried and that it was okay...
Tonight we had dinner with Hedy and Yumi at Kibbutz Tzova and it was a real pleasure to see them. Sam Daffner ran into Yumi at the Kotel on the Friday night before Shavuot and they made the Oakland/ Dardik connection. A few days later they emailed us to arrange a dinner time and we had a delightful evening. B"H, they are doing very well and are running their second workshop this month here starting tomorrow with 38 couples! Perhaps we can join them next year.
Our banister is finally up! Well, most of it. The final piece is not in yet and I don't think they would have put it in at all if I hadn't pointed out that it looks unfinished. So, some day this month, our carpenter will probably surprise me by showing up with the final piece and put it in. I could also call him but he often doesn't answer and I notice that I avoid calling him or the contractor. I would like to get the windows on the third floor taken care of while Aharon Akiva can move into Shoshana's room while she's away, so I really have to get my ducks in a row on the planning of that project and call more often to nudge that along. Having the banister instead of a wall is a big improvement and I am happy with it. I am including the picture of what I had showed him that I wanted and a picture of what he put in. Initially I was very unsure about the carving on the pieces but taking it out and replacing it would be a real pain so I am working on learning to love it and am making progress.
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