A Tale of Two Parks

We have a membership this year that gets us into many, many National Parks "for free". It has been such a worthwhile purchase, because a family the size of ours gets their money's worth within 4 park visits. And we've been to many more than four!

Our last two park visits were to the National Park at Cesearia, and to the National Park at Bet She'an. While both house ruins of ancient Roman cities, the two parks are so completely different.

Cesearia was spectacular because of the sea. The ruins - eh. But the sea. That was gorgeous, blue, the Mediterranean... there is something so calming and wonderful about the sea. It's different from the ocean. When we lived in Florida, we used to go to the beach and bask in the glory of the Atlantic Ocean, which is stormier, rougher, larger, more overwhelming than the Mediterranean Sea...

Bet She'an is in a very, very, low valley. Quite far from the sea. It is hot and muggy and a place I had planned to go to in winter, not once summer had unofficially arrived. But today wasn't supposed to be quite as hot, and we decided to go to Bet She'an when it would still be bearable...

Bet She'an's ruins were spectacular. The earthquake that destroyed the city so many centuries ago also managed to bury enough of the ruins that so much was still intact. The ampitheater. That was amazing. The columned streets. Incredible. Looking down below at the main columned road after climbing the Tel, you could really see that this city was something special. And we got to discuss that with the kids. That despite Rome's power, might, architectural feats, etc, all that marble and basalt stone couldn't withstand Hashem's earthquake. And Rome eventually crumbled, and yet... here we are today. Still here. In Israel. In the Land of the Jews. In our Land... It was truly spectacular.

Trains and Planes

Recently, we visited the historic train station at Kfar Yehoshua, which is a moshav that neighbors our pretty little town. The site is a small one, and it has old train station buildings (Ottoman period), some of which have been restored and are in use as the  museum, and some are crumbling ruins. It's really quite interesting. The train that ran through here connected Haifa to the line that ran through Jordan and Syria. However, the train stopped running once the War of Independence broke out, and it was never rebuilt.

Well - soon it will be. Israel Railways has announced a plan to rebuild the "Rakevet Ha'Emeq"! There will be a train running from Haifa to Bet She'an again in the next few years. But - why is Kfar Yehoshua still a stop? Why not Kiryat Tivon, Ramat Yishai, and Migdal Ha'emek?

I can only hope that they'll build a great shuttle system!

While we were at the train museum, we caught some up close glimpses of army fighter jets flying low overhead. Actually, we see these jets a lot. The other side of our town basically backs up to a very large airbase. The Air Force practices overhead a lot (although usually higher in the sky). My kids really think it's cool. It is such an impressive reminder of the strength and might of our Israeli Defense Forces. And we get to see it almost every day!

On Being Tired

At first, we made Aliyah and I thought I was so tired because of jetlag, too much to take care of, and anxiety.

Then, my husband went to America for a couple of weeks, and I stayed in Israel with the kids. I thought I was tired because it was a lot to do all by myself, and I wasn't sleeping well at night while he was away.

Then, I started having awful asthma attacks, but I was still in my Toshav Chozer waiting period to get back on Kupat Cholim ("returning citizens" - not new immigrants - sometimes have to wait 6 months to get back on a gov't sponsored health plan. Circumstances vary by individual) and my traveler's insurance plan wouldn't cover my asthma, so it wasn't being managed well. So I thought I was tired because I couldn't breathe.

That went on for about 8 months, even after I got onto Kupat Cholim. It took a while to get it under control. Once I could breathe again, we were getting ready to move to a different town. I thought I was tired because of all the work involved in moving.

Then we made a Bar Mitzvah right after the chagim. I thought I was tired because it's a lot of work to try to pull of a frugal Bar Mitzvah celebration, and we had lots of guests from overseas rotating through our house.

Then, life got back to normal, whatever that means, and I thought I was tired just because it's a lot of work to homeschool 4 kids and do everything that seems to fall on me.

Then I got shingles, and I thought I was tired because I was sick for a month.

But now, that's over. And my doctor sent me for bloodwork. And now we know, I'm tired because I have low iron and my thyroid isn't working right.

Now, I have to muster up the energy to go back to the doctor. But I am so tired...

Young Dancers

My girls are pretty young. They are 7 and 4, and they love to dance. They are so different though. My older daughter wanted to start dance class when she was 4, so she did. She LOVES ballet. She is disciplined. She has perfect posture. She practices for hours without anyone suggesting it... My 4 yr old is not as disciplined, although she is very creative and loves to dance. She is fascinated by ballet, but she is a little young and not coordinated enough to pull of the moves her older sister does...

The self discipline is amazing. My 7 yr old will go to dance class and dance the whole time, diligently practicing, perfecting, working hard. She gets annoyed with the other little girls who tend to fool around and not take it seriously. She comes home and works hard to perfect her dancing.

It struck me one day. Perhaps she takes it all too seriously. When dance class was over, she hobbled out of the room. She had pulled a muscle and was clearly in pain. Upon further questioning, she told me she hadn't said anything to the teacher about it. She didn't want to sit on the side. She just danced the rest of the class, ignoring the pain. But when class was over, she succumbed, and she could barely walk home - I ended up putting her in the stroller I had brought along in case my 4 yr old was too tired to walk.

Where does this obsession come from? I'm not so sure it is healthy. I was really taken aback that she hadn't stopped dancing when she got hurt... and it happened again a couple of weeks later. Perhaps I need to discuss this with her dance instructor? (But, if she doesn't say anything, how will the teacher know if she's in pain?)

Accidental Siren

When you live in Israel, whether you like it or not, you will become familiar with the unmistakable wail of an air-raid siren. Some places (in the South, right now) regularly have air-raid sirens due to the very real missile attacks from Gaza. Those of us in the North only know these sirens from the occasional Pikud HaOref drill.

Until today. I was in my kitchen, trying desperately to pull together lunch in our very poorly stocked kitchen this week before Pesach. (Some people call it the "pre-Pesach famine" and I loved that name so much, I may just have to appropriate it!) This was after we had a close encounter with a bee. My 4 yr old had spent her morning crying, snuggling, and finally sleeping a bit. Then she woke up hungry and in need of the bathroom.

My kids were in various places around the house - one at the table, one on his computer, one playing with toys, and one on the toilet...

Suddenly, we heard the unmistakable wail of an air raid siren.

I hadn't heard of any drill going on today (they do have those, as they regularly test the siren system to be sure it is working). My heart stopped for a second. Then very calmly, I said, "Everyone run down to the miklat (bomb shelter)." Three children went. My 4 yr old calls out, "But Eema, I'm on the toilet!". I ran into the bathroom and said, "It's ok, let's just go down to the miklat." "But", she says, "I just made poopy!" Ok. Quickly, I grabbed a wipe and cleaned her up. Scooped her and the package of wipes from the bathroom, and we joined the other kids in the miklat, all before the siren had stopped its wailing.

At this point, I was pretty sure that there had been some mistake. We didn't hear any sirens or booms, although from the safety of our miklat, I'm not 100% sure what we would hear from outside. I told the kids we should stay put for a few minutes and then we'll assume it's all clear and go back to eating lunch. My 4 yr old (who had been cold, as she was only a little bit dressed, having shed most of her clothing in the bathroom, so she was now wearing my sweater and her tights...) starting singing "Eliyahu HaNavi" - one of her favorite songs to sing on Motsaei Shabbat. So we joined her, I figured it must be calming for her, and we could all follow her cue.

When we were done, we ventured out. I had a list in my head of all the things we need to stock the miklat with (my 7 yr old asked if we had any water or food in there, 9 yr old wanted to know what to do if we were in there and we needed the toilet, my 13 yr old and I had been discussing flashlights and a battery-powered radio...). And we went back upstairs and ate lunch, grateful for the news that it had merely been a system error - an accidental siren.

More musings on family

I have been mulling over the theme of family and belonging lately, and I started writing about it last week.

There are so many ways to define family. Most of us think of family as our closest relatives - spouse, children, parents, siblings. Then, there are some families who are very much enmeshed with a larger circle of relatives - aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. Some, and I have been lucky enough at times to enjoy this, even embrace second cousins and beyond. I have second cousins and second cousins once removed dotting this country up and down. MOST are in the Jerusalem area, but some are even here in the North. I have first cousins here in the North too. All of this is great. Sometimes we'll be out somewhere and bump into one of those 100 or so cousins (first or second, no matter), and then the country feels like one big family to me.

Other days, we feel like we're all alone. And that's where the other "family" comes in. Those people whom you adopt as your family. We have a small group of homeschooling families, from all around, 1/2 an hour or so in every direction, who get together regularly. In a way, we have become family.

How can I say this? No, it's not that I take the definition of family lightly. But let me explain. When I first made Aliyah (yes, I've done this twice), I really really wanted my sister to do so with me. She didn't. (This was about 20 yrs ago.) So, I went to university here, and made friends with the other olim (there were quite a few, even 20 yrs ago), and we all took care of each other, like family. We didn't have a "home" to go to like our Sabra counterparts, when we were sick, or on vacation, or just to rest on Shabbat. So we made our own little homes, and carved out our own little groups who acted as family.

So when one of our homeschooling friends told us she was pregnant, and worried about feeling all alone right after the birth, we all decided to pitch in. Some people live really close to her, and have been able to help out with her older kids. Some of us cooked up a storm and are storing food in our freezers for her, which will be delivered later in the week... We all call, and sent gifts, and we're all trying to fill in for her absent family. I truly hope that she, and other olim, no longer have to feel alone. We can all support each other, even just emotionally...

Family and Belonging

My cousins finally made it here for a visit! To be honest, it is not their fault that it took so long. I have been delaying the invitation, hoping for the day that my house is guest worthy and I'm not too tired to make guest worthy food. My cousins and I grew up 6000 miles apart, and I wanted to be sure they enjoy coming to my house!

Making aliyah does strange things, like taking these cousins who are your blood relatives but you hardly ever got to know in the earlier years of your life, and puts them within driving distance of your new home (of course, the flip side of that is that many other relatives are now 6000 miles away. But while we were in the States, we spent many years living between 900 and 1500 miles from our families. So although 6000 miles is further, but I think I have seen my younger sister MORE often since making aliyah than I did in the 3+ yrs prior to that. And she lives in the NY area. Go figure.).

So, Purim day, we tried to spiff up our house, the weather was gorgeous, our Rakafot are in bloom, cascading down the rocky area in front of our house, our lemon tree is still full with lemons (not sure we will manage to use them all), and I think I made guest-worthy food (to find out more about THAT, you'll have to check out my other blog here, although I haven't written up our Purim menu yet)!

And 2 of my cousins with various delegations from their families, came to visit! How amazing to have relatives who live within 1/2 an hour of my home. Now that we are all grown up, we can get to know each other in a way that is different if we had been cousins who played together throughout our childhood. Most of our conversations are in Hebrew (my second language, their first), although from time to time they try out their English on us. Usually they are forgiving of my mistakes...

This visit really made our family's day. It's good to feel like we belong.