The Blog Goes On

Saturday August 14, 2010

So many ideas are floating in my head.

I decided over the past few days that I was going to continue blogging even though I am no longer in Israel. Many people had written, telling me I shouldn’t stop but I wasn’t sure what I could write about. What would be so exciting, different or unique about my life here in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan in comparison to anyone else’s? For that matter, what is so exciting period about my life not in comparison to anyone else’s?

Well, I’ll let you in on something. When I started to even think about blogging here, I began to look at things differently.

For instance, this morning. I was driving to meet Caryn to walk the trail. To begin with, it was a struggle to get up and dressed since she walks fast and I doubted I could keep up with her. But I know walking keeps me limber so I packed my IPod in case I lagged behind and left. Then, on the way driving I stopped at a traffic light. I was thinking about blogging when I suddenly noticed this big tree with its leaves blowing and sparkling in the sun. It was so beautiful and for that moment I was suddenly back in Israel. I remembered the silver tree (of peace) that I photographed and how it too, sparkled. How crazy to see something that I probably have seen countless times before and to now be reminded of Israel. I need to have my camera for times like these.

Presenting My First Grandchild!

Very soon after I came home from Israel, a major, wonderful, incredible event happened! When I planned my trip to Israel, many people questioned me: "How can you go? When is Jenna due? When is the baby coming?" I assured them, just as Jenna assured me, that the baby was going to wait until I came home and she took her final exam. With those thoughts in mind, off I went, experienced and returned. Well G-d smiled on us. I returned home on Sunday afternoon and Jenna took her exam on Tuesday. Two days later on Thursday she went into labor! Friday afternoon at 4:40 pm, Zack and Jenna became parents and Jeff and I became grandparents!! I am Savta (grandmother) of the most beautiful, precious little girl. She was born August 6, 2010 and has changed my life in an indescribable way. The dictionary defines indescribable as "too extraordinary for description" and that is indeed what she is: too extraordinary for description. Kena hora, poo, poo, poo.

When I look at her, I marvel.
When I watch Zack hold her, I marvel.
When I listen to Jenna talk to her, I marvel.
Everything about this little bundle of love is a marvel and marvelous.

All I want for her is to be content.
I think I want so much for her, in part because I want so much for Jenna and Zack.
When I’m with her I remain awestruck and I talk to her about all kinds of things.
I tell her how dearly she is loved.
I tell her to listen to her parents because they love her and want only the best for her.
And I tell her that for all my days on earth, I will always be here for her.

I am finding that as usual, there's always something that needs to get done in my life, however given the opportunity, I can sit or walk with my granddaughter in my arms for as everlong as she wants or needs. She fills my heart with pure joy.

I know what I am thinking when I look at her.
I wonder what she is thinking when she looks at me?

Back in the USA...

Tuesday.

Yom Shelishi - Day Three ( of the week)

Yom Gimmel – In the Hebrew Alphabet, Aleph is the first letter, Bet the second and Gimmel the third.

I am back in the United States and it’s my third day at home. I’ve been running these past few days until 7 pm this evening when I could not keep my eyes open. Now it’s 9:40 and after a two hour nap, I’m good to go.

Now, a very quick catch up of what my last three days were like in Israel, since I was unable to connect to the Internet those days.

Thursday we had our final exam; prior to this we had a party and talked in Hebrew about the program and our future plans. Shortly after I began packing, hoping to fit everything back into my duffel bags. I left the university that day and returned to where I started - the Amoyals. I was home again. How do you put a feeling like that into words? The next day late Friday afternoon, Anat picked me up and we returned to Merchavia, my other home in Israel. We ate Shabbat dinner outside with friends and went to an outdoor concert to see Shemtov Levi, who wrote many songs for my all time favorite Israeli singer, Arik Einshtein. It was my last real night in Israel and the concert was phenomenal.

Shabbat morning I repacked, hopefully to not have to pay overweight fees. We headed to Tel Aviv to celebrate Anat’s birthday with Nitzan, Noa, Shahar and Sari at a wonderful restaurant overlooking the shore. Nitzan is one of the first Israeli kids we hosted back in 2002. He works for the army and has just completed his position of flying drone airplanes. Noa is his girlfriend; they met when she was teaching him how to fly the drones (you go girl!!). Shahar is Nitz’s brother. He is an artist in Tel Aviv and also writes poetry and prose. His second book is coming out this September. Sari is his wife and very talented agent. The Sarig’s two other sons could not join us; Tal is in Poland with his classmates, doing the March of the Living, and Amer, is in Australia with his family taking a special Master’s program.

Before we knew it, it was time for me to go to the airport. My dread of paying overweight fees was for nothing; when I approached to check my bags I was crying and the agent was more concerned with my wellbeing than anything else.

And now I am home. Jeff and Ben picked me up from the airport; I saw the rest of my family throughout the day. Everyday since Sunday I have been welcomed home with strong, warm hugs from friends and family. I’m slowly readjusting to being home. I lost five pounds in the month I was gone – I’m thinking about marketing the Hebrew Immersion Diet! I miss so much of Israel. The past three days have been an adjustment: I keep looking to flush the toilet on either the top or opposite side of the tank or wall, have had to figure out where I am when I awake in the middle of the night and think twice about whether the word I am using is the correct word, among many other things. One thing that remains a constant between both continents is the love I feel for and from family and friends. I really missed my family and friends here and now I miss my Israeli family and friends.

I’m ending this blog now with an explanation of the sole (soul) picture featured above.
It was painted on a wall inside Café Café, a great breakfast/coffee shop.

“Take Your Time”
My mind immediately tells me to slow down when I first read those words.
But on second thought, the emphasis is more on “your”.
Take YOUR time.
Take time for yourself.
Take time to nourish what it is that feeds your soul.
Take time to take care of yourself.
My trip to Israel was all of this and more.
I can honestly look back and know that what I gained was so much more than a language.
I lived, breathed and inhaled Israel and grew stronger - physically, emotionally and spiritually.
I remain forever grateful for taking my time and making this dream come true.
And I thank all of you for your support and sharing this dream with me!

Yours always with love ~ Debbie

I am going to miss.....

A few things I will miss not being in Israel....

1. Waking up and going to sleep in Israel

2. Walking up and down 173 stairs plus all the other steps to get to them to get to class. Somehow I always felt that if I didn't work out, I got some cardio in!

3. Reading Hebrew all around me

4. Hearing Hebrew all around me

5. Seeing Hebrew all around me

6. Seeing the Israeli flag

7. Being in a Jewish country

8. Walking to the bus stop




9. I will miss having a sherut come before the bus comes, thus saving time and having more time to shop!


10. The Egged Bus will be missed too. I was once able to give up my seat to an older Jewish woman who was so appreciative. Where else but in Israel could I do that...and not have some kid give up his seat for me?!

11. I will miss looking out the windows and seeing how different the homes are built here in Haifa (picture taken from a moving bus).

12. I'll miss, believe it or not, having my purse/bags checked before entering the mall or grocery stores. Somehow knowing there is someone who sees everyone who comes in and out of the store makes me feel very secure. On the other hand, when the guard would look at me and let me pass without checking out everything, that made me feel like I fit right in. You can see the guard in the far left side; the rest of the entrance way is blocked off and you have to go through him to get in.

13. The closest mall to us, Mercaz Horaf . This is where I found the best hair salon -let me know if you are coming here and I'll give you Prosper's number. Also other fun shops and great food :)

14. I'll miss the SuperSol. Actually this sign says "My SuperSol". I swear, there must be a Jewish mother somewhere who is trying to make everyone feel good here! I take that back - there are tons of them here!

15. omg. The dairy products I will miss SOOOOOOOOOOO much! There are none elsewhere like the ones you will find here. I can only imagine what Israelis think the first time they eat our cottage cheese, yoghurt etc!

16. Did someone say hummos? Ummm...let's see if I can find a brand you will like! And these are just the commercial ones! Oh how much fun it has been buying different brands of hummos!

17. I will miss seeing all the different people come together to learn......

This is Gila. Everyday she shries to buy her newspapers. Some people buy them; others pretty much ignore her. One day I started talking to her and heard her story. I became Motek (sweetie) to her, just for listening.

There are many soldiers here studying so seeing them is not unusual. Besides, I had to have at least one picture in the blog of Israeli soldiers!

18. And I will really miss my classmates! We had a lot of fun learning, especially with our teacher, Ayellet. I had to laugh sometimes when she did the same things with us as I did with my students at Temple! Hmmm...wonder what that says! I choose to believe I had very mature students!! Pictured below is Juan from Germany, originally from Spain. When I asked him why he was here he told me he wasn't sure if I'd understand. He just loves the country, the people and the language and everything about Israel. I had a very hard time understanding..yeah, right! He would like to make Aliyah but isn't Jewish so is considering converting. He told me an intersting fact about studies done in Spain that say that one out of every three men in Spain are Jewish or have Jewish ancestry. Suzanne is from Germany and is studying Aramaic languages. Marie is from Germany and just graduated from medical school. She has known since she was 13 that she wanted to be Jewish and wants to make aliyah if she can communicate well enough in Hebrew. Channa is from England and is majoring in Jewish studies.

19. David has watched out for me, and says that one day Ben and Zack will maybe be able to do this for another mom out there. That's how it works. He's from CA, originally from CO. Shavonne is from North Carolina and is considering Rabbinical school but what she really wants is to do peace work, bringing Jews and Palestinians closer together. She's done some amazing work. David has made Aliya and Andra has also made Aliyah. Andra had an interview today in Tel Aviv with a newspaper. They wanted to do an article on her because she is going into the army. Kol HaKavod!

20. Casia is from Poland and she needed this course of Hebrew for her major. Ditmar (white shirt) is from Germany and he took the Ulpan because he has a short term job waiting for him in Tel Aviv. I'm not sure why Karl is taking the class; maybe I can update the blog if I find out. And of course Ayellet. I will truly miss her enthusiam, sense of humor (today she was calling the United States the United Steaks - maybe you had to be there but we got a good laugh out of that especially cause we thought she wasn't saying United States right and she was pullin our legs!)

Not pictured is Daniel, who was absent.

There are so many other things I'm going to miss here....I've been taken care of so lovingly by so many people - I will miss them dearly. I'll miss the sights, signs, smells, people, laughter, food, transportation, culture, Jewish pride, Israeli dancing, music (so many people, men and women love to sing!), strength, intelligence, and the wonderful feeling of being in a country that belongs to my people.

The best thing about leaving is knowing I'll be back. I now know why people here don't say shalom, but rather L'hitraot - See you soon. And that, is a promise I make to myself and you.

Can't wait to see you all when I come back.

This truly has been one incredible dream, and it isn't over yet!!

xoxoxoxo

Debbie

Haifa, Chaplin, Falafel and friends

This is a picture I took while we were driving. In the distant left you can see the water, but I'm not sure how well. Everyday I wake up to the incredible views that Haifa boasts of. I remember being so disappointed when I learned Ulpan Akiva in Netanya closed this year. Come on, I only waited ~15 years to go to it! But as usual, things once again turned out for the best. I am closer to most of my friends here in Haifa, the city is great and very easy to learn, and the program has been superb.

I have put a few miscellaneous pictures together for your pleasure. I hope you enjoy them and my explanations...


I had to take this picture for Jeff! I have no idea what Chaplin is doing in the Druze village or what kind of store it is!!

If you look in almost the center of this picture, you will see the new dental office I am going to be working at. NOT! But it wouldn't be bad because it's right next door to the best falafel restaurant in Israel, which is the following picture.

The all time best falafel in Israel is found in the nearby Druze village. Shwarma too.

Sorry Zack-I only got the falafel when I was went there!

Mmmmmmmmmm! What can I say? Freshly made falafel is the best! Crisp on the outside, tender inside and hot. Lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, hummos, cabbage, cucumbers, tehini....

Diet? What diet?! This picture is going to do me in when I am back in the States!

Gloria Silver Mazor and me. Gloria and I have been friends since we were 15. We pick up where we left off whenever she comes in town or I come here. It's a special relationship that has stood up to the years and distance apart. And, she's got me beat! She has 5 grandchildren, kena hora!

This is from the outside courtyard of the Castra Mall that Gloria took me to for lunch. It's a mall that has a lot of art in it as well as a fascinating exhibit of dolls, portraying Jewish history from the Torah onwards up to present day. The lighting did not allow for pictures :(

This is my roommate Lisa. She was born in Germany and now lives in Belgium with her Israeli husband and five children. One of the interesting things about her is the way she speaks. Everything is spoken in such a grand manner! Things are "mahvelous" or "brillant!" When she got upset about the way we were told that we needed to clean our rooms before we leave or we'll be fined, her reaction was "It's absolutely scandalous!" and continued saying that numerous times. I mean really, how mad can you sound when you're walking around calling the action scandalous!?

Now this was no small feat for me to tackle when I first started to go online. Forget about learning how to blog! How the heck do you type in your name and password on the right side of the screen? Doing this was small compared with FaceBook. Aside from signing in with only Hebrew on the page, they keep asking if I want to have all of your posts translated into Hebrew (I should say not! How do they even know that I'm in Ulpan??) Then with my blog, I had to read all the Hebrew words to find out where to click to log in without deleting everything.

Yes, merely being in Israel has made me think and breathe Hebrew. Two of the weirdest things lately are 1) I often start to write English on the right side of the paper and 2) There have been times where I write a Hebrew word transliterated when I'm writing totally in English. Talk about confusion! I think I better go rest now :)

staying present once again

This is a statue that I see daily on my walk to class. Funny thing is, several people who I spoke to about it hadn't even noticed it, even though it is right there. I finally went up to see what was written about it and there wasn't anything; however I did see the word Shalom written several times on its trunk and roots. So maybe it's the tree of life, but I decided to me its the tree of peace.

The days are getting shorter here and as my days in Israel dwindle down, I'm reminded of so many things I've become aware of and learned. These are just a few of those things and in no particular order....

1. Staying present

The more present I am, the more I appreciate where I am and who I'm with.

2. My brain really works.

I have been so concerned with my memory since my mom had TIA's and then developed Alzheimer's. This month I have grown by leaps and bounds and in so many ways. But best of all, I know that I am totally and mentally right on target.

3. Fulfilling a dream is awesome.

I won't stop dreaming of what I want in life; I just need to remember to believe in it too.

4. Sometimes it has to be uncomfortable in order for things to change but change can bring wonderful and gratifying rewards.

5. The 25 year old playful woman inside me is still alive!

6. The wealth of wisdom from my years makes it worth getting older.

7. I am exactly where I should be.

8. There are so many Jews in so many places of the world who don't look Jewish, or not how I think Jewish people look!

9. Seeing and hearing from people back home brings me great emotional satisfaction, along with feelings of love and gratitude.

10. There's no place like home but I sure did learn a lot by leaving it for a short while. Or maybe it was the act of leaving my comfort zone. Either way, it was really worth it.

One of my workout friends once told us about a man she met who when she asked how he was, he replied "This is one of the best days of my life". When she asked why, he said there was no special reason. How beautiful is that?

Today, simply is, one of the best days of my life.

Shabbat Nefliah (wonderful shabbat)

Hi Everyone!
My computer battery is running low and these two pictures are out of sequence with the others but there was no way I was going to leave them out! So without further delay, it's on with the blog!

Laura Langberg

Jake Seigle

WARNING: This blog post contains many pictures! If you have someone who is on the

Michigan Teen Mission 2010 you may well find him/her in one of the photos ahead.

Each Shabbat here is so special and is over way too soon. This Shabbat was no exception. Ziv's sister, Noa was home from the army and she and her boyfriend Gili picked me up Friday morning. We went back to the Amoyal home which is the same home I went to when I arrived three weeks ago. I can hardly believe it's been three weeks but alas, and yes I use the word alas, it has been three weeks.

After a short while we went to pick up Itzik (Ziv's dad) from work. Then Itzik and I went shopping for my Naot sandals - but no can do. They were out of my size and on top of that, they don't have nearly the selection of colors as they do in the U.S. There were only two colors here as opposed to 5 or 6 back home. That was quite a surprise! After shopping, we went to the fruit market and the Super (as in Supermarket).

Here's Itzik picking out some candy for his grandchildren, Aliya, Aviv and Yuval.

After, we came home and started getting ready for Shabbat dinner. Well, being the photographer I wasn't as much of a help....(pictured grandaughter Aviv, Noa, Itzik, Adi (Aviv's mom) and Ruti

This is Yuval, Aviv's brother....another beautiful face of the future of Israel...and a head full of curls!

We all cleaned up and are now ready for our scrumptious dinner. OY! It was so wonderful and so plentiful. I think Ruti and Itzik thought Noa was bringing the army home with her!

Saturday morning Aviv was all ready for her cousin Aliya to come play with her. Itzik dropped me off at Kibbutz HaOn and took the girls to the beach for a little while.

And now it was time for me to see some beautiful faces from Michigan! It was wonderful to be at Shabbat services and be a part of the Mission for a short while. Everyone looked GREAT! And I gave a big hug to everyone pictured here for all of you moms and dads. Your kids look fantastically happy (I don't know if that's gramatically correct but that is how they looked!). What a wonderful gift you've given them.

Enjoy the following pictures....

Cousins Rachel and Eric Berlin (madrich). Mishpocha :)

Madricha Tara Forman

Our shaliach from Michigan, Yoav Rabin!

My patient, Alana Karbal

My American cousin, Eric and my Israeli son, Ziv - Madrichim!

Two very lucky American women who help make Teen Mission 2010 succesful: Amy Niestein and Beth Margolin

Rabbi Daniel Schwartz

As usual, it was very hard to catch Rabbi Josh alone, although maybe it was for the better as he told me that every week he does something different with his facial hair, although you may not be able to tell in this photo. Needless to say, it was still wonderful to see him!

Shortly before I left, Harel came back to see me with his girlfriend, Adi, who is a sweetheart. It was wonderful to meet her and we had a great visit.

Now I am back at the dorms, very much like a university student who has returned from home. Ruti packed me food to bring back; Harel and Adi brought me wonderful gifts. I find that when I go away for the weekend, I continually come back with more than I brought. I am touched by the warmth, love and generosity of my family of friends here. It is overwhelming to be taken care of so lovingly and by so many people here.

I cried when Harel and Adi left.

I cried saying good bye to Ruti and Itzik and their family.

And I'm trying very hard not to cry now, thinking about having to leave a week from today.

I miss my family and friends and it will be really wonderful to be home - but leaving Israel really, really, for lack of a more mature word, sucks.

So...it looks like I have to start saving my money again! And I'm looking for someone(s) to join me next time!!!!!

xoxoxo