Arrival in Israel

I have completed the first leg of my long journey and now get to spend two weeks with my brother and his family in Jerusalem, Israel. Getting here involved a 14-hour nonstop flight from LAX and catching a ride on the "Nesher Sheirut" or shuttle service for Jerusalem. That in itself was a bit of an ordeal since the driver kept saying we were ready to go, and would then walk off for 20 minutes trying to fill up the shuttle with more people. At one point, me and some other women unloaded all of our stuff and were going to split a taxi, but then the driver came back and said we were ready to go (NOT!). The scenery on the drive over was just as I have become accustomed to. There's the rocky rolling hillsides covered in scrub brush and the pine tree that has been planted all over the country. The shuttle came the "back" route to Jerusalem, which to my surprise seemed to run in between Palestinian areas (note to self: look up route 443 on a map). Once you know what to look for, it's very easy to tell the difference between Israeli and Palestinian housing. Palestinian housing is usually cinder block construction with no windows (so it seems from a few hundred feet away), and ALWAYS has a satellite dish on the roof, which I find very fascinating. Another strong clue is the sight of minnerets used for the Muslim call to prayer. On the other hand, Israeli housing usually has a facade of Jerusalem stone and bars on the windows, and no satellite dishes (this is especially true in religious communities--they all look the same). And if you haven't picked up on those differences, there's always the infamous wall along certain parts of the road and checkpoints. Highlight of the ride was definitely when we turned a corner and there was a herd of sheep in the highway! Thus far I survived the standard crazy Israeli driving that includes speeding and driving over the lines rather than between them, and luckily mine was the first stop and I had no trouble finding my brother's place.

Once here, I was rewarded by getting to hold my baby niece Feyga. She is smaller than I imagined by this age, so I can't imagine how tiny she must have been two months ago when she was born. She is a very cute, animated little baby. Three times I waved at her and she waved right back!! Now, it's possible that she just moves her arm around periodically, but it was amazingly well-timed, so I interpreted the gestures as waves. My sister-in-law, Calanitte, is busy most of the day feeding her, but in between feedings I get glimpses of baby cuteness. Shortly after I got here, my other niece Avital (although not related by blood, just as loveable) who is five came home from school. I have been talking with her online regularly for the last year, helping to build a relationship which is good because she was a lot less shy when I got here this time. She even wanted me to sleep in the pull-out bed next to her's in her room, which I did although she fell asleep in another room. Apparently lice is really common amongst school-aged children here, so lice checks and shampooing are a way of life--I'm really hoping I don't get any! This morning Avital helped me pick out my clothes and advised me on which whould be better to wear for Shabbos since you're supposed to dress nicer for Shabbos, and apparently one of my sweaters has some "not so Shabbos-y buttons" whatever that means. I then got to walk her to gan (preschool).

Interesting note: This neighborhood has a bunch of specialized markets rather than one big supermarket. So there is the shop where they just sell produce, and one where they just sell fish, etc... I'm already enjoying the ridiculously cheap and delicious produce. For instance, the avocados are gorgeous and about $1 per kilo.

I can also tell that this is a very close-knit community. Susanne and Doug mentioned when they got back from their visit here last month that they felt like the little kids were staring at them when they first came. I definitely know what they mean now. I assume it's a combination of them not knowing us and us dressing differently. Whatever the reason, it's a little weird. But I figure I better get used to it because the fact is that I am going to stand out for the next six months. And so my adventures begin. Pictures to come soon!