Sunday, March 28, 2004
Bruchim ha-baim (welcome) to the madness that has been my life for the past week. To fill in those of you who haven't been witness to my many breakdowns since my last post...
-The madness that was the EIE Spring 2004 Parents Mission ended successfully with many tears (mostly from the parents, but I definitely saw some of the kids crying, too) and with me waving goodbye as the bus drove off towards the airport. Definitely a fun experience, and I really enjoyed getting to know the group (and letting them endlessly tease me for my constant headcounts and timing announcements), but I was EXHAUSTED by the time they finally left.
-My recovery began by hanging out in the Old City for a few hours with Karina and Sharon (two friends from the Haifa program) - kef me'od - and with a really nice shabbat at the Shaaltiel's (Kutz friends).
-Now comes the much sadder news in my life: last Sunday, my Bubbie died. Those of you familiar with my confusing family tree, that's Joe (my stepfather's) mom. It was a big shock, though she was old, and it's been very hard being so far away from my family. But I'm doing my best to find my own ways to honor her memory and I know she'll continue to be part of my life.
In any case, I've kind of been a wreck for about the last week and a half, mostly from putting these extra stresses (and others - for instance, the assasination of a major Hamas leader that's put us all on edge) on top of the many other crazy emotional ups and downs I've been going through. I'm taking lots of deep breaths, however, and trying to calm down enough to really enjoy every moment of my last month here.
I promise we're all being very careful and paying close attention to every warning we get. The mood here is tense, though slightly less so than the beginning of last week, and everyone is definitely enjoying the gorgeous spring weather and the approach of Pesach, as it means Spring Break for practically the entire country. My plans are pretty boring...I'll be spending a few days with my family in Nordyia, then just hanging out in Jerusalem. Zoe heads out for three weeks tomorrow, and Helayne and Jaimee leave next week for the Fomer Soviet Union where they'll be spending a week leading Passover seders in Jewish communities around Kiev and Odessa.
Happy almost April to all...more updates soon :)
-The madness that was the EIE Spring 2004 Parents Mission ended successfully with many tears (mostly from the parents, but I definitely saw some of the kids crying, too) and with me waving goodbye as the bus drove off towards the airport. Definitely a fun experience, and I really enjoyed getting to know the group (and letting them endlessly tease me for my constant headcounts and timing announcements), but I was EXHAUSTED by the time they finally left.
-My recovery began by hanging out in the Old City for a few hours with Karina and Sharon (two friends from the Haifa program) - kef me'od - and with a really nice shabbat at the Shaaltiel's (Kutz friends).
-Now comes the much sadder news in my life: last Sunday, my Bubbie died. Those of you familiar with my confusing family tree, that's Joe (my stepfather's) mom. It was a big shock, though she was old, and it's been very hard being so far away from my family. But I'm doing my best to find my own ways to honor her memory and I know she'll continue to be part of my life.
In any case, I've kind of been a wreck for about the last week and a half, mostly from putting these extra stresses (and others - for instance, the assasination of a major Hamas leader that's put us all on edge) on top of the many other crazy emotional ups and downs I've been going through. I'm taking lots of deep breaths, however, and trying to calm down enough to really enjoy every moment of my last month here.
I promise we're all being very careful and paying close attention to every warning we get. The mood here is tense, though slightly less so than the beginning of last week, and everyone is definitely enjoying the gorgeous spring weather and the approach of Pesach, as it means Spring Break for practically the entire country. My plans are pretty boring...I'll be spending a few days with my family in Nordyia, then just hanging out in Jerusalem. Zoe heads out for three weeks tomorrow, and Helayne and Jaimee leave next week for the Fomer Soviet Union where they'll be spending a week leading Passover seders in Jewish communities around Kiev and Odessa.
Happy almost April to all...more updates soon :)
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
Shalom, y'all!!
I'm taking a few hours of much-needed break from the madness that is the EIE Spring 2004 Parents Mission. In the last few days we've been at Massada, the Dead Sea, the Kinneret, Tzfat, a Crusader fortress and lots of bathrooms. This morning the parents are visiting their kids' Hebrew and Jewish History classes (which thrills the students to no end, I'm sure) and this afternoon we're heading off on a walking tour of the Old City (complete with lots of shopping...it got a bit ugly the other day when we rushed them through the Massada gift shop. Yikes.)
In general, things here are great. Spring is slowly starting to arrive, though the temperatures have been lower than normal in the last couple of weeks (boo). I've seen some really interesting weather/natural phenomena, especially over the last month or so, including the snowstorm and earthquake here in Jerusalem and, on Sunday, a thunderstorm in the desert (and the resulting short-lived waterfalls).
Sorry this entry is so short, but it's time to head back and make sure my group is happy...a full-time job if I ever saw one :) More after the madness ends on Thursday night!
I'm taking a few hours of much-needed break from the madness that is the EIE Spring 2004 Parents Mission. In the last few days we've been at Massada, the Dead Sea, the Kinneret, Tzfat, a Crusader fortress and lots of bathrooms. This morning the parents are visiting their kids' Hebrew and Jewish History classes (which thrills the students to no end, I'm sure) and this afternoon we're heading off on a walking tour of the Old City (complete with lots of shopping...it got a bit ugly the other day when we rushed them through the Massada gift shop. Yikes.)
In general, things here are great. Spring is slowly starting to arrive, though the temperatures have been lower than normal in the last couple of weeks (boo). I've seen some really interesting weather/natural phenomena, especially over the last month or so, including the snowstorm and earthquake here in Jerusalem and, on Sunday, a thunderstorm in the desert (and the resulting short-lived waterfalls).
Sorry this entry is so short, but it's time to head back and make sure my group is happy...a full-time job if I ever saw one :) More after the madness ends on Thursday night!
Saturday, March 06, 2004
Happy March!! In honor of the Purim holiday that is upon us (note: for those of you who don't know, Purim celebrates the Jewish people's escape from destruction in ancient Persia...it's a really happy holiday where we are basically commanded to eat, drink and be merry, as they say), I'm proud to present more fun tidbits from my life in Israel!! I promise they're all true (shocking, I know :) )
-I'm in love...with a 6-month-old. I've finally found a semi-regular babysitting gig with a family that lives around the corner. The mother, Shana, is actually from Detroit, which only further proves the smallness of the Jewish world. Their son, the object of my affection, is named Gavriel; he is an adorable, well-behaved baby and we had a great time playing and walking up and down Derech Beit Lechem last week. I've been informed that he will be appearing in costume as an orange this Purim - too cute.
-Beginning in a few days, I'll be playing madricha (counselor) to the nearly 70 EIE family members who are coming to spend a week with their Israel-dwelling teenagers. It's sure to be an experience...
-As I said, Purim is just around the corner here (outside of Jerusalem, it's celebrated tonight and tomorrw; since Jerusalem is a walled city, we celebrate Sunday night to Monday. Fun fact.) and everyone is very into it. Kids have been wearing costumes in the streets for the last few days, there've been oznei haman (hamentashen, special Purim cookies shaped like Haman's - the villian of the Purim story - hat) on shelves for weeks, and there's a generally festive mood everywhere (which is always nice). My personal favorite of the holiday-themed foods in the supermarket: hamentashen-flavored Yoplait yogurt. Only in Israel :)
-On Monday Zoe and I spent some time with Chana Rothman, who'll be songleading at Kutz this summer. She's never been, so we wanted to give her a little "background" on the camp we just can't get enough of...don't worry, we left most of the really fun stories for her to find out once she's there.
I suppose that's about it for now. Our apartment is gearing up for Purim as well, and we're looking forward to celebrating with a bunch of friends at our Purim seu'dah/"let's invite fun people to hang out at our place" on Monday. Shavua Tov and Chag Purim Sameach to all!
-I'm in love...with a 6-month-old. I've finally found a semi-regular babysitting gig with a family that lives around the corner. The mother, Shana, is actually from Detroit, which only further proves the smallness of the Jewish world. Their son, the object of my affection, is named Gavriel; he is an adorable, well-behaved baby and we had a great time playing and walking up and down Derech Beit Lechem last week. I've been informed that he will be appearing in costume as an orange this Purim - too cute.
-Beginning in a few days, I'll be playing madricha (counselor) to the nearly 70 EIE family members who are coming to spend a week with their Israel-dwelling teenagers. It's sure to be an experience...
-As I said, Purim is just around the corner here (outside of Jerusalem, it's celebrated tonight and tomorrw; since Jerusalem is a walled city, we celebrate Sunday night to Monday. Fun fact.) and everyone is very into it. Kids have been wearing costumes in the streets for the last few days, there've been oznei haman (hamentashen, special Purim cookies shaped like Haman's - the villian of the Purim story - hat) on shelves for weeks, and there's a generally festive mood everywhere (which is always nice). My personal favorite of the holiday-themed foods in the supermarket: hamentashen-flavored Yoplait yogurt. Only in Israel :)
-On Monday Zoe and I spent some time with Chana Rothman, who'll be songleading at Kutz this summer. She's never been, so we wanted to give her a little "background" on the camp we just can't get enough of...don't worry, we left most of the really fun stories for her to find out once she's there.
I suppose that's about it for now. Our apartment is gearing up for Purim as well, and we're looking forward to celebrating with a bunch of friends at our Purim seu'dah/"let's invite fun people to hang out at our place" on Monday. Shavua Tov and Chag Purim Sameach to all!
