Pomegranates

I have eaten so many pomegranates since arriving to Israel because I know that their season is coming to an end. Pomegranates make me happy. It brings back memories of my childhood on the kibbutz. There used to be a pomegranate tree outside the mesek chai, where all the animals were kept but to me it was an oasis where I could ride ponies, pet rabbits, feed hamsters or watch the flamingos. I distinctly remember one day at the beginning of the new year, the high season for rimonim, when my brother and I rode our bikes to the tree and each picked our very own. We sat outside the pool of the kibbutz and giggled as we ate our pomegranates. We didn't care that our faces were covered in its juice or that we had stained yet another shirt, we were just so happy and carefree.

The other day a girl no older than 8 rode her bike past me- one hand on the handlebars, the other holding her cell phone. What a different world we live in now.

"Who does this donkey belong to?"

I decided to spend this week in Jerusalem. Side note: one of the perks of my job is that I can do my work from anywhere as long as I have access to the internet... be it Tel Aviv or the middle of the desert. I love my job!

So back to my story: My cousin Maya, her boyfriend Liron and I decided we need a little vacation at the Dead Sea. So along with two friends, we packed the car full of water and food to make al a esh (which literally translates to "on the fire" but is really just a better version of the American B-B-Q). Within 30 minutes we were already there. One of the best aspects of Israel is that even though it is a tiny country, roughly the size of New Jersey, there is so much variation with respect to the landscape and topography. In the north there is a mountain called Mount Hermon where people actually ski (I didn't ski in Minnesota so why would I ski in Israel?!), in the south a desert and the resort town of Eilat, the Dead Sea (the lowest point on earth) is in the East and the Mediterranean Sea is on the West. And a whole lot of historical places in the middle. Imagine if there was that much to do in New Jersey?!

Anyway, we decided to rough it and so rather than going to an actual beach, we went down the side of the mountain to get to the water. I was surprised to see other people there and even a donkey tied to a tree. Some lady felt bad for this donkey and kept asking, "Shel me a chamor?" (meaning "who does this donkey belong to?") because she wanted to give it water. I couldn't stop laughing that this was a legitimate question that you would only hear it in the Middle East.... America felt so far away at that moment :)

So at 1,378 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea is a salt deposit, nine times saltier than the ocean. You can leave the air mattress at home, because the concentration of salt makes you float naturally, even if you aren't trying. Besides the stinging sensation in every cut and orifice, it is so relaxing! People usually rub the mineral-filled mud all over their bodies but since there weren't any showers in our makeshift beach, we skipped the mud this time. We then made our delicious meal.... topped off with black coffee and biscuits.

As the sun was setting, the Dead Sea looked pink and the view into Jordan was beautiful. I couldn't help but think maybe there is someone sitting on the other side wondering what Israel is like... but I will skip politics for now. We stayed late enough to see the stars come out and I have to say that there is nothing like star-gazing in the desert. The lack of light pollution makes them shine even brighter... Laying on the ground and staring up, I felt sheer bliss at being back in the desert.

My new title ... Aunt

At 4:57 am, my niece Gal was born. I think my sister would disown me if I got into the details of the labor but it was an incredible experience to be in the room with her when she was giving birth. I was flooded with emotions when I first laid eyes on this beautiful little girl, but suffice it to say that I was just so glad that both Maayan and Gal were healthy and that the labor passed relatively easily. I am so excited to be an aunt... I already told Maayan that I will spoil her child, but that's what aunts are good for. That and to be super nanny. My brother-in-law already has visions of me changing diapers in return for my free room and board in their apartment.... I think I got the better end of the deal!



Name: Gal Engel
Gal means "wave" in hebrew... like the waves in an ocean
Date/Time of Birth: October 18, 2007
4:57 am
Weight: 3.920 kilos (the biggest baby on the block)

Getting my Israeli Identity- the cell phone!

When it comes to efficiency, Israel falls happily between America and Cuba.... not as bad as a communist nation with few incentives to be productive and never quite meeting American standards of customer service.

I had the pleasure of spending three hours in misrad hapnim (ministry of interior) in order to get my teudat zeut (identity card). Truthfully, I didn't care to have a teudat zeut since I anyway have an Israeli passport but it turns out that in order have an Israeli cell phone, you need to have an Israeli bank account and in order to open up a bank account, you have to have a teudat zeut. It was quite the process just to get the one thing I wanted- a cell phone... the Israeli lifeline.

I didn't think that it could get worse then the ministry of interior where two 65-year-old men got into a screaming match about who was next in line (that's right... welcome to Israel!). But then I had the pleasure of opening my bank account at Bank Leumi. It is unimaginable for anyone that has ever lived in the U.S. that a bank could operate like the shuk (Explanation: the shuk is an open air market in every major Israeli city that sells fruit, vegetables, meat, nuts, olives, spices, and household odds and ends. It is always utter chaos, especially on Friday morning when everyone is trying to get ready for Shabbat. A successful trip to the shuk is when you managed to convince the vendor to cut the price in half!). The bank, a national institution, was the exact same!!! It was full of commotion, hooting and hollering, and major bartering. My dad was negotiating for lower rates on transactions, higher interest rates, a better exchange rate for the dollar, a free credit card, etc. etc. I honestly thought he was going to ask them to throw in a puppy before we sign on the dotted line!

After spending two hours in the bank and another two hours negotiating with the Orange representative, who swore that I would never find a better cell phone deal , plus the three hours in misrad hapanim, I finally got my brand new phone... a measly seven hours of inefficiency. My memories of Cuba are quickly coming back to me :)

I will e-mail my cell phone number later!