While I have had the opportunity to be in Israel over the years many times, I have NEVER been here for 9 Av in my entire life. So, I decided that I needed to have "a plan" for the day of 9 Av in order to fully appreciate the day. Last night, I along with a few hundred others, sat on the floor of Pnei Shmuel (the "Down Shul"), in Maale Adumim for Maariv, Eicha and Kinnot. (It was strange for me to not be one of those reading part of Eicha and even stranger to know that the next morning, I would not be sitting and explaining all the Kinnot we would be saying. But, it is a new point in life and things move on!)
On 9 Av in the morning, I got up earlier than I had planned and decided to put my plan into action. I got on a bus here in Maale Adumim at 6:15am and headed to Yerushalayim. I felt that it was the "place to be" on the darkest day of the Jewish Calendar. I was not disappointed...the Kotel plaza was filled with people. Hundreds sat on the stone floor davening and reciting Kinnot. As I sat there and joined in reciting Kinnot as well, I paused to look around. I was looking at the Western Wall, the retaining wall of the mountain upon which stood the Bet HaMikdash, whose destruction we mourn today. Suddenly, I was filled with an overwhelming sense of both sadness and joy. Sadness, as I contemplated the loss of both the first and second Bet HaMikdash. But, I also felt a sense of joy to know that I was sitting at "Ground Zero" so-to-speak. HERE IS WHERE IT ALL HAPPENED! HERE IS THE PLACE FOR WHICH I AND THOUSANDS OF OTHER JEWS ARE RECITING KINNOT! And I felt this sense of peace to know I had the zechut to be HERE...
When I finished and headed back to the Central Bus Station, I paused for a moment near the Davidson Center, home to the Southern Wall Excavation site. I was disappointed that I could not GO to the Southern Wall. It actually is more significant archeologically than the Western Wall, and I wanted to stand THERE...but, at least I could stand nearby and look upon the area where centuries ago, tens of thousands of Jews passed through the (currently sealed) gates to the Temple Mount. I understood with much deeper insight the vast loss we have suffered for thousands of years without our ability to ascend Har haBayit and see a Bet HaMikdash standing there!
I am now back home in Maale Adumim, and I got a very quick reminder of what kind of Galut we still face: I went to change my profile on Facebook to Maale Adumim from Chicago. When I entered in the name, I was surprised to see it come up on a list of names that Facebook recognized. BUT...I was doubly surprised to see the default read: "Maale Adumimm, Palestine." I thought this issue had been resolved. Oh well.. yet another thing to deal with at some point!
Hope that your Tish'a B'Av is meaningful and that you will alll join me next year dancing at the rebuilt Bet HaMikdash!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
"There's a Cat in the House!" and SOME pics
(The pics above are just a small drop of the many I have. As soon as I can figure out how to post an album and also some video, I will do it. The pics (I believe should be self-explanatory). Once we are set up I will send more pics of the inside of what is shaping up to be a beautiful home BH!
It was 3:30am and all was peaceful in the Shandalov home in Maale Adumim on Motzae'i Shabbat. The cool summer breeze wafted through the windows and all were sleeping soundly. Suddenly, a shout was heard throughout the the house: THERE'S A CAT IN THE HOUSE! Now, if we OWNED a cat, that would not be cause for alarm. but, we do not (and never will) own a cat. Not only that, that meant that some STRAY cat carrying who-knows-what kind of diseases was running through our house. I jumped out of bed only to find the poor little animal running scared through the house. I chased him/her/it downstairs where it got cornered in the Security room. Andy opened the window and it jumped out. Truth is that (due to it being the middle of the night) I was more afraid than the cat, but I was not about to let the cat know that. I had to show him/her/it who was boss. How did he get in? I think that we had left open the door on our mirpesset in our bedroom a little bit and it was able to sneak on in. Won't be making THAT mistake again!
On Sunday (remember, it is a regular workday here), Andy and I went to Zvia to meet with the new Olot Chadashot who will be going to this school and to get a briefing about the upcoming year. This is a semi-private school...full tuition: (apprx) $2500 per year before any kind of scholarhsips etc. That is for High School...for the entire school YEAR...and that is not a typo! Yes, $2500 per year and that includes lunch every single day. (Does it sound like I am making more of a pitch for Aliya maybe!?!)
After spending the day in Jerusalem for a couple of meetings and going out with my in-laws in the evening, it was back home to get a few things done. I left Andy and the girls in J'lem and headed back earlier than they did. As I approached the house, I got the sinking feeling...Hmmmm...I am locked out as THEY had taken keys and I had not! So, all good plans got sidetracked and I just went to the Bet Kenesset and learned for a while awaiting their return with the precious keys!
It is now Monday morning and lots to do. Time to get to work!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Aronot, Cabinets and Shabbat
Aronot...closets. Houses in Israel are notoriously built without closets. This means that if you are the first resident in NEW construction, as we are, you need to go and shop for Aronot/closets. We went to Talpiot on Thursday and the excursion was made shorter by the mere fact that back in May we did most of our "shopping around" for price, quality etc. We ended up for a number of hours in a very small store with one guy running it whose patience was excellent! We truly had a wonderful experience picking out, designing and ordering these closets. They will be delivered and installed (that was part of the deal as I have been doing ENOUGH building!!) on August 4th B'ezrat Hashem. After that point, we can actually stop living out of suitcases and boxes, as our clothing and much of our stuff will have homes in closets!
We also located Home Center, a quasi Home Depot type of facility. It was great to find that kind of store here!!
Friday was a chock-full day as I finished the bookcases (finally), organizing the rest of the Sefarim and a good percentage of the kitchen was unpacked. It also was a day with many people stopping in including a guy to fix our phone lines and install Shabbat clocks for the lights. The clocks work but along the way he disconnected the upstairs A/C, which, of course, I did not realize until an hour before Shabbat! Oh well, back to the drawing board on Sunday, I guess.
Shabbat...what a wonderful Shabbat it was. On Friday night, I had the opportunity to speak (in Ivrit of course) in the Bet Kenesset before Maariv. There were about 150 people there and the feedback was positive. I am VERY glad that I have been working on my Ivrit over these past few years! We ate by a family to whom I am indirectly related to, then it was off to home and much needed rest. Unfortunately, I did not sleep the greatest, but I did get up early for the first Minyan (6:30am). I came home, made Kiddush and learned/read until the afternoon, at which time we took a leisurely walk to Susie and Jeremy Ben David for lunch. They have been SO helpful to us along the way, as have SO many others as well.
One very nice event in the afternoon...Rav Noam and Racheli Balsam (who had spent a few years in Chicago) just had a baby girl. We were invited to their home for Seudah Shlisheet in honor of the new baby. Food, nice singing, a Dvar Torah...all combined to make up a beautiful end of Shabbat experience!
Tommorow, Andy and I go with our youngest, Eliana, to Zvia (the school she will be attending) for a get-to-know-you series of events and we are really looking forward to it! Both Andy and I have visited the school over the past few months and have been VERY impressed on many levels. Hard to believe that my youngest begins High School soon!!
There are some more random thoughts to share but I am tired and heading to sleep. More to come.
Shavua Tov from Maale Adumim, Israel
We also located Home Center, a quasi Home Depot type of facility. It was great to find that kind of store here!!
Friday was a chock-full day as I finished the bookcases (finally), organizing the rest of the Sefarim and a good percentage of the kitchen was unpacked. It also was a day with many people stopping in including a guy to fix our phone lines and install Shabbat clocks for the lights. The clocks work but along the way he disconnected the upstairs A/C, which, of course, I did not realize until an hour before Shabbat! Oh well, back to the drawing board on Sunday, I guess.
Shabbat...what a wonderful Shabbat it was. On Friday night, I had the opportunity to speak (in Ivrit of course) in the Bet Kenesset before Maariv. There were about 150 people there and the feedback was positive. I am VERY glad that I have been working on my Ivrit over these past few years! We ate by a family to whom I am indirectly related to, then it was off to home and much needed rest. Unfortunately, I did not sleep the greatest, but I did get up early for the first Minyan (6:30am). I came home, made Kiddush and learned/read until the afternoon, at which time we took a leisurely walk to Susie and Jeremy Ben David for lunch. They have been SO helpful to us along the way, as have SO many others as well.
One very nice event in the afternoon...Rav Noam and Racheli Balsam (who had spent a few years in Chicago) just had a baby girl. We were invited to their home for Seudah Shlisheet in honor of the new baby. Food, nice singing, a Dvar Torah...all combined to make up a beautiful end of Shabbat experience!
Tommorow, Andy and I go with our youngest, Eliana, to Zvia (the school she will be attending) for a get-to-know-you series of events and we are really looking forward to it! Both Andy and I have visited the school over the past few months and have been VERY impressed on many levels. Hard to believe that my youngest begins High School soon!!
There are some more random thoughts to share but I am tired and heading to sleep. More to come.
Shavua Tov from Maale Adumim, Israel
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The Saga Continues...
Bookcases...unpacking boxes...setting up the kitchen...ordering closets (aronot)...all are activities that have puncutated our past few days. I have never been so happy to be so sore in my life!
The weather here is easy to summarize: HOT. We live next to Midbar Yehuda which, as the name suggests, is in fact a desert. We are not crawling around seeing mirages, but it gets plenty hot here. One interesting thing is that on our side of the mountain it is much less windy and dusty, yet as soon as you walk around the curve near our house and go to the other side, the wind could be going at 30 miles per hour! This occurs every single day late-afternoon till early evening.
I found a short-cut today that saves me 10 minutes in walking to the Makolet (grocery store). Each day is a new experience, which is what has made the first two weeks (yes, two weeks, can you believe it??!!) so enjoyable. I actually wrote a short piece about our first two weeks thus far, and it is printed below.
Neighbors: We have such amazing neighbors both in our building and in the neighborhood in general. We feel that we are truly blessed to have found this community.
Not much time to write today as much to do...hope to check in again soon!
==================================================
(SENT VIA EMAIL TODAY)
Before we made Aliya, we heard all kinds of horror stories of how difficult the transition would be and how impossibly tough all of the red-tape would be to cut through. While it is now two full weeks since our arrival, I am writing to say that (thank G-d) these stories were GROSSLY exaggerated.
Even though there is a very long road ahead of us, our first two weeks have been MOSTLY incident-free and a pleasant experience. After going to all the requisite governmental agencies, getting appliances delivered and installed, starting to get the house set up, learning the ins and outs of the neighborhood, seeking employment and just trying to maintain day-to-day living, I could not be any happier! The visits to the Post Office (where it seems ALL "official" business is transacted), Misrad HaKlitah (Ministry of Absorption) and all other places in between, the response time of all places and the efficiency with which the work was done was outstanding. I had no (bli ayin hara) horror-story- type experiences at all. (This does not preclude them from happening in the future!)
I write this to encourage others. While many people feel the task at hand is too daunting, we are living proof that one CAN take the first few steps after Aliya with confidence that things do indeed work how they are supposed to (but, obviously, not always!) One of the greatest modes of help has been Nefesh B'Nefesh as their having taken care of many things on our behalf (Teudat Zehut etc) definitely smoothed the way! They are always ready, willing and able to help those of us who are post-Aliya and those of you who are PRE-Aliya!
Will everthing be this smooth from here on out? Certainly not! But if we go in with our eyes wide open (I always expect the worst and hope for the best) and not filled with naivete, then things can only get better. Life here is not simple or easy...but it is life in the Land that Hashem has given to US.
As always, I invite ANYONE considering aliya to contact me with any questions or comments. (It is very gratifying to have received FIVE emails since I am here from people telling me that they are now seriously considering aliya!! Keep those cards and letters coming).
Wishing you all a pleasant day and may this period of the Nine Days end with all of us joining in rejoicing ON TISHA B'AV dancing with the Melech HaMashiach in Yerushalyim!
Zev M Shandalov
Maale Adumim
ISRAEL
The weather here is easy to summarize: HOT. We live next to Midbar Yehuda which, as the name suggests, is in fact a desert. We are not crawling around seeing mirages, but it gets plenty hot here. One interesting thing is that on our side of the mountain it is much less windy and dusty, yet as soon as you walk around the curve near our house and go to the other side, the wind could be going at 30 miles per hour! This occurs every single day late-afternoon till early evening.
I found a short-cut today that saves me 10 minutes in walking to the Makolet (grocery store). Each day is a new experience, which is what has made the first two weeks (yes, two weeks, can you believe it??!!) so enjoyable. I actually wrote a short piece about our first two weeks thus far, and it is printed below.
Neighbors: We have such amazing neighbors both in our building and in the neighborhood in general. We feel that we are truly blessed to have found this community.
Not much time to write today as much to do...hope to check in again soon!
==================================================
(SENT VIA EMAIL TODAY)
Before we made Aliya, we heard all kinds of horror stories of how difficult the transition would be and how impossibly tough all of the red-tape would be to cut through. While it is now two full weeks since our arrival, I am writing to say that (thank G-d) these stories were GROSSLY exaggerated.
Even though there is a very long road ahead of us, our first two weeks have been MOSTLY incident-free and a pleasant experience. After going to all the requisite governmental agencies, getting appliances delivered and installed, starting to get the house set up, learning the ins and outs of the neighborhood, seeking employment and just trying to maintain day-to-day living, I could not be any happier! The visits to the Post Office (where it seems ALL "official" business is transacted), Misrad HaKlitah (Ministry of Absorption) and all other places in between, the response time of all places and the efficiency with which the work was done was outstanding. I had no (bli ayin hara) horror-story- type experiences at all. (This does not preclude them from happening in the future!)
I write this to encourage others. While many people feel the task at hand is too daunting, we are living proof that one CAN take the first few steps after Aliya with confidence that things do indeed work how they are supposed to (but, obviously, not always!) One of the greatest modes of help has been Nefesh B'Nefesh as their having taken care of many things on our behalf (Teudat Zehut etc) definitely smoothed the way! They are always ready, willing and able to help those of us who are post-Aliya and those of you who are PRE-Aliya!
Will everthing be this smooth from here on out? Certainly not! But if we go in with our eyes wide open (I always expect the worst and hope for the best) and not filled with naivete, then things can only get better. Life here is not simple or easy...but it is life in the Land that Hashem has given to US.
As always, I invite ANYONE considering aliya to contact me with any questions or comments. (It is very gratifying to have received FIVE emails since I am here from people telling me that they are now seriously considering aliya!! Keep those cards and letters coming).
Wishing you all a pleasant day and may this period of the Nine Days end with all of us joining in rejoicing ON TISHA B'AV dancing with the Melech HaMashiach in Yerushalyim!
Zev M Shandalov
Maale Adumim
ISRAEL
Monday, July 20, 2009
It's Been a Few Days...
...since I have written, but I have a good excuse! It has been SOOOO busy, BH, that I have been collapsing at about midnight every night and just too tired to write by that point. So, I am taking the time to write, first thing this morning (Monday) about the past couple of days.
Shabbat...another beautiful Shabbat here in Maale Adumim! Besides the gorgeous weather in the evening and the scrumptious meals we ate out, there were a couple of things that really struck me over Shabbat. In the afternoon, just before Mincha, I went a little early to go sit and learn in the Shul. On my way, I was struck by how many dozens and dozens of young children there are here! It was such a beautiful sight to behold. I actually said to myself, outloud, I wish President Obama were here to see this! (And my next thought was that I wish all of you reading this were here to see it, as well!)
The next thing that struck me was the scene I saw upon entering the Bet Kenesset. One hour before Mincha, there was a father-son learning session. I KNEW this was going on and (wrongly) assumed that I would see a handful of fathers and sons. Imagine my shock when I walked in to see at least 100 fathers/sons learning in Bet Midrash style learning. The ages ranged from 3 years old to teenage years. I was amazed at was a Torah-basd community we had joined, BH!
Every Friday night between Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv, there is a speaker. The speaker is chosen the week before from the members or attendees. This coming Friday night (Shabbat Chazon) will be my turn already. I am looking forward to sharing a (brief) Dvar Torah and will let you know how it goes (obviously, it will be in Ivrit).
SUNDAY...a VERY busy day. Both Andy and I had busy days for different reasons. I traveled to a city near the airport called Or Yehuda for a job interview. The trip was VERY long, but apparently worthwhile, as I will soon find out, I hope. More on that possibility in the near future. But to get there, I had to go to Yerushalayim, then to Tel Aviv then to Or Yehudah. We lost about 30 minutes on the way to T.A. due to a car accident.
In the house, Andy had the guy from the stove company out to hook up our stove. It got all hooked up, and then he when he went to put in the grates/shelves. Hmmmm...no grates/shelves. Where are they?? Long story short, they are sitting in the Mall here in Maale Adumim in one of the branches of the stores where we bought the stove! So...we will get those today. The gas (for the stove top) will not be turned on till Thursday...Hey, we are getting closer every day!!!
Someone also came to measure for our shower and bathtub doors and was in and out in a jiffy (Hope he measure right).
WE HAVE AIR CONDITIONING!! In what was yet another group of people trapsing through our home, we got both the upstairs and downstairs fixed, and we are good to go!
After returning from Or Yehuda, I proceeded to finish the first 5 (of 12) bookcases, setting them up and putting Sefarim on them. Once I have emptied the area of boxes of Sefarim, I will build the next set of cases and put THEM where the boxes of Sefarim were before. It truly is like one giant jigsaw puzzle.
So, off to begin my day and write a proposal for the job possibilty I have. Then, back to the bookcases and loading of Sefarim. By the way, before you pity me too much for all of this work, consider where I am while writing this: I am sitting on the baclony/mirpesset outside my bedroom looking at some of the most beautiful mountains AND in the direction where I see the area where the Jews waited to cross the Jordan when coming in to Israel. Not bad, eh?
Shabbat...another beautiful Shabbat here in Maale Adumim! Besides the gorgeous weather in the evening and the scrumptious meals we ate out, there were a couple of things that really struck me over Shabbat. In the afternoon, just before Mincha, I went a little early to go sit and learn in the Shul. On my way, I was struck by how many dozens and dozens of young children there are here! It was such a beautiful sight to behold. I actually said to myself, outloud, I wish President Obama were here to see this! (And my next thought was that I wish all of you reading this were here to see it, as well!)
The next thing that struck me was the scene I saw upon entering the Bet Kenesset. One hour before Mincha, there was a father-son learning session. I KNEW this was going on and (wrongly) assumed that I would see a handful of fathers and sons. Imagine my shock when I walked in to see at least 100 fathers/sons learning in Bet Midrash style learning. The ages ranged from 3 years old to teenage years. I was amazed at was a Torah-basd community we had joined, BH!
Every Friday night between Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv, there is a speaker. The speaker is chosen the week before from the members or attendees. This coming Friday night (Shabbat Chazon) will be my turn already. I am looking forward to sharing a (brief) Dvar Torah and will let you know how it goes (obviously, it will be in Ivrit).
SUNDAY...a VERY busy day. Both Andy and I had busy days for different reasons. I traveled to a city near the airport called Or Yehuda for a job interview. The trip was VERY long, but apparently worthwhile, as I will soon find out, I hope. More on that possibility in the near future. But to get there, I had to go to Yerushalayim, then to Tel Aviv then to Or Yehudah. We lost about 30 minutes on the way to T.A. due to a car accident.
In the house, Andy had the guy from the stove company out to hook up our stove. It got all hooked up, and then he when he went to put in the grates/shelves. Hmmmm...no grates/shelves. Where are they?? Long story short, they are sitting in the Mall here in Maale Adumim in one of the branches of the stores where we bought the stove! So...we will get those today. The gas (for the stove top) will not be turned on till Thursday...Hey, we are getting closer every day!!!
Someone also came to measure for our shower and bathtub doors and was in and out in a jiffy (Hope he measure right).
WE HAVE AIR CONDITIONING!! In what was yet another group of people trapsing through our home, we got both the upstairs and downstairs fixed, and we are good to go!
After returning from Or Yehuda, I proceeded to finish the first 5 (of 12) bookcases, setting them up and putting Sefarim on them. Once I have emptied the area of boxes of Sefarim, I will build the next set of cases and put THEM where the boxes of Sefarim were before. It truly is like one giant jigsaw puzzle.
So, off to begin my day and write a proposal for the job possibilty I have. Then, back to the bookcases and loading of Sefarim. By the way, before you pity me too much for all of this work, consider where I am while writing this: I am sitting on the baclony/mirpesset outside my bedroom looking at some of the most beautiful mountains AND in the direction where I see the area where the Jews waited to cross the Jordan when coming in to Israel. Not bad, eh?
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Is it Shabbat Yet???
Is it Shabbat Yet??
Today was yet again a chock full day with a lot accomplished! Let’s begin at the beginning…
Our day began with a sojourn to Yerushalayim and a visit to Misrad HaKlitah. Since we arrived early, I figured we could be productive in the meantime, so we sat on a bench on Ben Yehuda to make some calls. As you may recall, we received our appliances yesterday. Unlike most places, here you get your appliances delivered by one company and installed by another. But wait, there’s more! We received 4 appliances plus a stove top. Each one needs a technician from a different place…so, while waiting for the meeting at Misrad Haklitah, I sat there and made all the appointments for them to show up both on Friday and on Sunday.
Then, it was on to Misrad HaKlitah. I expected the worst and hoped for the best. I got the best! We were in and out in 15 minutes flat. There, we filled out the paperwork for money that will be automatically deposited into our bank account over the next few months. It is yet an additional benefit we receive as Olim. In addition, we got the information regarding the free Ulpan available, the free education that Daniella is entitled to (a FREE Bachelor’s degree. For those of you reading this while filling out the paperwork for college tuition in the States, please pause for a moment and ask yourselves why you are paying that kind of money vs FREE in Israel as Olim)
From there, we went to Ace Hardware to buy some bulbs. Sounds crazy, but we have been making do with 3 bulbs and moving as needed. We now have a house full of light.
Andy and I split up (oh, calm down…just for a few hours!) and I went to Bezeq, the phone company. Funny, when I told them that I had made an appointment with someone from their company to come out and hook up our phone and internet, they told me that I do not exist. After a series of comical conversations, it turns out that not only is a technician not coming out Friday as planned, but that he had already been here and we had phone service (we do not have an actual PHONE but one thing at a time). Once we get all hooked up, I will have our VoIP line to call and get calls from America for one low flat rate.
Back to the house to get busy building more…this time it is bookcases. I have 12 to build along with A LOT of other stuff. Remember the visits to IKEA many weeks ago? Well, I now need to actually build the items I bought in Dante’s Inferno!
So that is the daily wrap-up. Tomorrow evening brings a much needed rest on Shabbat. By the way, this will be the first time in over 20 years that I will be in Israel for 2 Shabbatot in a row! All those trips over the years were all 10 days or less.
Hope to write again before Shabbat…
Today was yet again a chock full day with a lot accomplished! Let’s begin at the beginning…
Our day began with a sojourn to Yerushalayim and a visit to Misrad HaKlitah. Since we arrived early, I figured we could be productive in the meantime, so we sat on a bench on Ben Yehuda to make some calls. As you may recall, we received our appliances yesterday. Unlike most places, here you get your appliances delivered by one company and installed by another. But wait, there’s more! We received 4 appliances plus a stove top. Each one needs a technician from a different place…so, while waiting for the meeting at Misrad Haklitah, I sat there and made all the appointments for them to show up both on Friday and on Sunday.
Then, it was on to Misrad HaKlitah. I expected the worst and hoped for the best. I got the best! We were in and out in 15 minutes flat. There, we filled out the paperwork for money that will be automatically deposited into our bank account over the next few months. It is yet an additional benefit we receive as Olim. In addition, we got the information regarding the free Ulpan available, the free education that Daniella is entitled to (a FREE Bachelor’s degree. For those of you reading this while filling out the paperwork for college tuition in the States, please pause for a moment and ask yourselves why you are paying that kind of money vs FREE in Israel as Olim)
From there, we went to Ace Hardware to buy some bulbs. Sounds crazy, but we have been making do with 3 bulbs and moving as needed. We now have a house full of light.
Andy and I split up (oh, calm down…just for a few hours!) and I went to Bezeq, the phone company. Funny, when I told them that I had made an appointment with someone from their company to come out and hook up our phone and internet, they told me that I do not exist. After a series of comical conversations, it turns out that not only is a technician not coming out Friday as planned, but that he had already been here and we had phone service (we do not have an actual PHONE but one thing at a time). Once we get all hooked up, I will have our VoIP line to call and get calls from America for one low flat rate.
Back to the house to get busy building more…this time it is bookcases. I have 12 to build along with A LOT of other stuff. Remember the visits to IKEA many weeks ago? Well, I now need to actually build the items I bought in Dante’s Inferno!
So that is the daily wrap-up. Tomorrow evening brings a much needed rest on Shabbat. By the way, this will be the first time in over 20 years that I will be in Israel for 2 Shabbatot in a row! All those trips over the years were all 10 days or less.
Hope to write again before Shabbat…
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Exhaustion...
It is now the day after the arrival of our lift. I would have written yesterday, but it is hard to do that when not a single bone in my body did not ache and I am mentally exhausted! So…I waited until today (Wednesday) to update the blog. It is actually NIGHT time already as today was also so busy that I am finally NOW getting to the writing.
The LIFT…It was our first real Israel experience that was not only exhausting, rewarding and time-consuming, it also was our first real encounter with dealing with a different culture that we are becoming accustomed to. (Poor English syntax, but I am tired and not something I am too concerned with. Oops, did it again!) Because there are MANY stairs to get down to our home (off the side of a mountain) and because we had SO much stuff to offload from the lift to our home, we needed to come up with a way to have our goods delivered in a more efficient method than down all the flights of stairs. AHA! At the side of our home outside, there is a drop of about 10 meters (about 30 feet) and then there is a security/work road. It was suggested that they bring the container to that road and then, using an electric crane, send the items up the crane and then bring them straight into our home. Brilliant idea! The crane operator showed up on time at 8am. The lift arrived at about 9:15am…yay, good to go. But wait, there’s a catch…in order to do this, the truck with the container needs to make a strange S-turn (remember the one on Lake Shore Drive??) and sadly, that was just not going to happen. What to do, what to do? The truck with the lift was brought back up to the main road, a smaller truck was brought in and they offloaded to this smaller truck, driven around to the back, offloaded in small chunks, craned up to the top, offloaded and repeat the process. Repeat the process, repeat the process…well, you get the idea! It took from 1pm to 9pm…8 hours!! They (Sonigo) were great and really did a wonderful job. I would say that 95% of our stuff ended up in the right spots. We had planned in advance where things would go, and that helped the organizational part very much.
Our house now looks filled with boxes and items but at least we are not under a deadline to UNPACK like we were to pack up again. Bli Neder…never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever again. This is it! We are staying put. It was so exhausting, even though we did not do the actual schlepping, we had to oversee every step and be vigilant at every step!
During the day and in the evening, our new neighbors, Aaron and Judy Lewin were So gracious, bringing us tea, water and MAKING US DINNER! The day ended with Andy and me sitting in the back yard looking at a million stars, looking at the lights of the nearby communities and thanking Hashem for this awesome opportunity.
Andy and I spent the first night in the house, while the girls spent the night at the Goldenbergs (yet another PERFECT example of what chessed is all about! As a matter of fact, I can not count the amount of offers to help us that we have received, cakes people have brought, Shabbat invitations, etc etc. Incredible amounts of chessed here! I am looking forward to reciprocating one day…once we recuperate!!)
Today, Wednesday, we began the arduous task of unpacking. We made the beds, put together a desk, a mirror/dresser combo, re-arranged some of the furniture and waited…for the air conditioning guy, the appliances to be delivered…the air conditioning guy, the appliances to be delivered…9 am on the dot…or not…or maybe 6pm. Time…it is fluid and relative. VERY relative. We are learning that 9am may be ISRAEL time or possibly Denver time or even LA time…relax, they will get here. Well, the appliances (being delivered between 1-3pm) did show up right on time at 6:10pm! Not too bad! A/C…nope, no can do. But, first thing in the morning, for sure…maybe. We shall see soon, I guess. But in another show of instant chessed, a neighbor across the street whom we do not even know, gave us a fan last night! The weather tonight is actually gorgeous!
Earlier this evening, there was a pizza and salad meal hosted for the new Olim to Maale Adumim…it was a nice break! We took a walk to the Goldenbergs to thank them from the bottom of our hearts for their hosting us and then it was back to the house to finish putting up mezzuzot and finish unpacking a few more items.
Tomorrow…off to Yerushalayim for some “business” that needs to be taken care of. We are going to Misrad HaKlita (Absorption Ministry) for a noon appointment, to the municipality of Maale Adumim for some other business, Bezeq phone company to finalize a phone installation, etc etc etc. Lots to do and I can not wait until Shabbat!!!!
Off to bed, if I can make it all the way up the set of stairs to my bed. (Last night I made it to a plain mattress thrown onto my bed and collapsed in about 5 nanoseconds. Wait…I need to go to 11pm Maariv…ok…back SOON to fall asleep.)
Layla tov…by the way…at NO time, not even for a brief second, have I or Andy thought that we made a mistake in coming here. While it has been physically difficult and mentally taxing…we are fulfilling a dream and a Mitzva at the same time.
The LIFT…It was our first real Israel experience that was not only exhausting, rewarding and time-consuming, it also was our first real encounter with dealing with a different culture that we are becoming accustomed to. (Poor English syntax, but I am tired and not something I am too concerned with. Oops, did it again!) Because there are MANY stairs to get down to our home (off the side of a mountain) and because we had SO much stuff to offload from the lift to our home, we needed to come up with a way to have our goods delivered in a more efficient method than down all the flights of stairs. AHA! At the side of our home outside, there is a drop of about 10 meters (about 30 feet) and then there is a security/work road. It was suggested that they bring the container to that road and then, using an electric crane, send the items up the crane and then bring them straight into our home. Brilliant idea! The crane operator showed up on time at 8am. The lift arrived at about 9:15am…yay, good to go. But wait, there’s a catch…in order to do this, the truck with the container needs to make a strange S-turn (remember the one on Lake Shore Drive??) and sadly, that was just not going to happen. What to do, what to do? The truck with the lift was brought back up to the main road, a smaller truck was brought in and they offloaded to this smaller truck, driven around to the back, offloaded in small chunks, craned up to the top, offloaded and repeat the process. Repeat the process, repeat the process…well, you get the idea! It took from 1pm to 9pm…8 hours!! They (Sonigo) were great and really did a wonderful job. I would say that 95% of our stuff ended up in the right spots. We had planned in advance where things would go, and that helped the organizational part very much.
Our house now looks filled with boxes and items but at least we are not under a deadline to UNPACK like we were to pack up again. Bli Neder…never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever again. This is it! We are staying put. It was so exhausting, even though we did not do the actual schlepping, we had to oversee every step and be vigilant at every step!
During the day and in the evening, our new neighbors, Aaron and Judy Lewin were So gracious, bringing us tea, water and MAKING US DINNER! The day ended with Andy and me sitting in the back yard looking at a million stars, looking at the lights of the nearby communities and thanking Hashem for this awesome opportunity.
Andy and I spent the first night in the house, while the girls spent the night at the Goldenbergs (yet another PERFECT example of what chessed is all about! As a matter of fact, I can not count the amount of offers to help us that we have received, cakes people have brought, Shabbat invitations, etc etc. Incredible amounts of chessed here! I am looking forward to reciprocating one day…once we recuperate!!)
Today, Wednesday, we began the arduous task of unpacking. We made the beds, put together a desk, a mirror/dresser combo, re-arranged some of the furniture and waited…for the air conditioning guy, the appliances to be delivered…the air conditioning guy, the appliances to be delivered…9 am on the dot…or not…or maybe 6pm. Time…it is fluid and relative. VERY relative. We are learning that 9am may be ISRAEL time or possibly Denver time or even LA time…relax, they will get here. Well, the appliances (being delivered between 1-3pm) did show up right on time at 6:10pm! Not too bad! A/C…nope, no can do. But, first thing in the morning, for sure…maybe. We shall see soon, I guess. But in another show of instant chessed, a neighbor across the street whom we do not even know, gave us a fan last night! The weather tonight is actually gorgeous!
Earlier this evening, there was a pizza and salad meal hosted for the new Olim to Maale Adumim…it was a nice break! We took a walk to the Goldenbergs to thank them from the bottom of our hearts for their hosting us and then it was back to the house to finish putting up mezzuzot and finish unpacking a few more items.
Tomorrow…off to Yerushalayim for some “business” that needs to be taken care of. We are going to Misrad HaKlita (Absorption Ministry) for a noon appointment, to the municipality of Maale Adumim for some other business, Bezeq phone company to finalize a phone installation, etc etc etc. Lots to do and I can not wait until Shabbat!!!!
Off to bed, if I can make it all the way up the set of stairs to my bed. (Last night I made it to a plain mattress thrown onto my bed and collapsed in about 5 nanoseconds. Wait…I need to go to 11pm Maariv…ok…back SOON to fall asleep.)
Layla tov…by the way…at NO time, not even for a brief second, have I or Andy thought that we made a mistake in coming here. While it has been physically difficult and mentally taxing…we are fulfilling a dream and a Mitzva at the same time.
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