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

The Daily Show

I feel so proud when I see the flag of Israel waving!

I have a few moments here and thought I'd give you all a little pictorial view of what happens when I leave my apartment in the morning. This is outside my front door :

This is the front of the building I live in:

This is where I walk on the way home from classes (it looks a little different on the way to class but the distance is the same!)

This is Doobie. I don't think he quite knew what to make of me the first time we met. He is the guard I see daily on the way to classes. We are now friends and he frequently teaches me how to say things in Hebrew. It's funny cause he also often speaks very slowly and a bit louder than necessary, as if that will help me understand :)

This is the first building I need to get to after I pass the guard's booth.

I walk up three flights of stairs to get to the second building pictured here - I then walk up the last two flights of stairs! WHEW!

Finally I am on a flat surface to get to the third building where I will climb more stairs!
This is also the area where we hang out during breaks.

This is Ayellet, my teacher. She is amazing. We have so much fun in her class. I am truly going to miss her and the class. Also, I want to find a good man for her here in Israel so if any of you know that person, let me know ASAP!

And finally, here are a few of my friends from the Ulpan. From left is Marie, who is from Germany. She has graduated from med school and wants to convert to Judaism and make Aliyah. That's me in the middle. Maya is from Sweden. speaks great Hebrew and is learning how to read and write better and she thinks she wants to make Aliyah. And now I can't remember where Rosa is from, but know it's in the U.S. She started our fan page for the Ulpan.

All in all, the routine to class is pretty much the same everyday. I often walk with someone or alone. Alone is good because I get a chance to think about being here, my life and what I'm going to do next.. The last subject has yet to be determined!

At this time I'm trying very hard to stay present. The other day on the way to class I thought, "School is so hard; I don't know if I can do this for two more weeks" and then when I got to class and sat down, I immediately thought, "I can't believe in less than two weeks I'm not going to be able to come to class anymore" and that was it. Off and on, during the whole class period my eyes teared up. It was like I breathed in one thought and breathed out the other.

And now here's something funny: Today I looked around the class and it came to me that I was older than everyone! Of course I know and knew this, but I think for the past two weeks I forgot, even though I talk about Jeff and the kids, I still forgot. Pretty crazy and made me smile inside. I wonder if anyone else forgot...yeah, right!

Ok. I'm off to do laundry! Nothing like laundry to get you present again!

Love and miss you all.

Love Israel.

Love, Debbie