March Madness

Well, it's official. The March round will be the death of us yet. We probably won't really die (and boy would that be bad if we did!), but we might be placed in an undisclosed location for an indeterminate period of time while we regain basic the life skills which have been put aside in order to get 200 people on flights.

For us, it's not even 10% of the population we brought this winter, but we're doing it in 10% of the time....

Austrian Airlines...

I flew Austrian Air home. Truth be told, the flights were excellent, if you could get beyond the green seats with yellow and red fabric where your head rests. It looked like a big circus tent. And all the flight attendents wear read from head to toe. Pants (or skirts with red tights), shoes, jackets and when I saw them getting their luggage (not all red, interestingly enough), they had red coats and briefcases. The pillows were good and I got a little bit of sleep and saw two and a half movies. And I also learned that Diet Coke (here, Coke Light) could be considered Halal, but there it was, the Halal hechsher. It was produced in Malaysia, which could explain why there was no OU on it, but I really didn't know that Coke had to be Halal....

4:45am - does it matter where?!

This hour should just not be allowed. I'm checked in for my flight, my bags will hopefully make it with me to DC. The airport is actually a pretty busy place at this hour. The road here was empty, until the last few kilometers when cabs magically appeared out of nowhere, all en route to the airport.

My two cents - every airport should have free wireless. I'm not sure what to do for the passengers without laptops, but I just can't worry about them right now.

And for the first time I have two very full bags checked. I usually check two bags back, but they usually have a good amount of extra room in them. This time, they're both stuffed. Between gifts for the rakazim (which I really hope don't break), a small container of rugelach for the IT team and two extra fleeces, there's really no extra space. And this means I have two carry-ons, which I hate. My backpack (with the computer) and my other bag with my binder and a few pita/hummus/eggplant sandwiches I made 12 hours ago but that I'm sure will be really tasty for breakfast in Vienna.

When I moved in to the apartment, there were 2 eggs, 1/2 a loaf of bread and the dregs of the last person's orange juice. All those things are still there, plus I left three apples, the rest of the hummus and eggplant, and two liters of Pepsi Max (aka diet pepsi). I guess it will be interesting to see how long it all collects there... Mostly, I regret leaving the Pepsi Max.

And, as crazy as it sounds, I need to go some cash. I think I have maybe 10 shekels to my name right now, which means I can't buy something to drink now, and have enough left to buy something when I come back. I tried to get money yesterday, but the machine was closed and the next bank didn't like my card.

4:45am - does it matter where?!

This hour should just not be allowed. I'm checked in for my flight, my bags will hopefully make it with me to DC. The airport is actually a pretty busy place at this hour. The road here was empty, until the last few kilometers when cabs magically appeared out of nowhere, all en route to the airport.

My two cents - every airport should have free wireless. I'm not sure what to do for the passengers without laptops, but I just can't worry about them right now.

And for the first time I have two very full bags checked. I usually check two bags back, but they usually have a good amount of extra room in them. This time, they're both stuffed. Between gifts for the rakazim (which I really hope don't break), a small container of rugelach for the IT team and two extra fleeces, there's really no extra space. And this means I have two carry-ons, which I hate. My backpack (with the computer) and my other bag with my binder and a few pita/hummus/eggplant sandwiches I made 12 hours ago but that I'm sure will be really tasty for breakfast in Vienna.

When I moved in to the apartment, there were 2 eggs, 1/2 a loaf of bread and the dregs of the last person's orange juice. All those things are still there, plus I left three apples, the rest of the hummus and eggplant, and two liters of Pepsi Max (aka diet pepsi). I guess it will be interesting to see how long it all collects there... Mostly, I regret leaving the Pepsi Max.

And, as crazy as it sounds, I need to go some cash. I think I have maybe 10 shekels to my name right now, which means I can't buy something to drink now, and have enough left to buy something when I come back. I tried to get money yesterday, but the machine was closed and the next bank didn't like my card.

4-peat

Well, I'm headed back to the Shalom hotel for the fourth Shabbat in a row. At least its predictable, and there is only one other bus there other than our four. I believe I can fairly accurately predict the menu for both dinner and lunch and where they will hide the vegetarian shnitzel so that it will sufficiently cool before anyone who actually wants it, will find it.

There are four elevators at the Shalom hotel. One is a service elevator that holds three people, max. The other three each hold about seven people, maybe 8. One of them, on Shabbat, is a Shabbat elevator that stops at every floor on the way up to 17, and every floor on the way back to the Lobby. Of the other two, one usually broken. The fun begins because you never know when the elevator is going to break and who will be in it when it does.

What this Shabbat also means though is that I'm due to leave Israel soon. As always happens, I'm inevitably caught between being ready to go back, and not ready to leave. I'm cramming in a few last meetings this morning and Sunday, and yesterday was pretty packed as well. Still left to do, buy rugelach to bring back to the office and deliver the plant that I was given for Shabbat a few weeks ago to Esther's parents.... And drop off my laundry so that I have something clean to wear tonight.

The good news is that I'll have 4 hours in the airport before I can even check my luggage in on Sunday night so I'll get a lot of work done in the off chance that I'll be able to keep my eyes open.

Lost in Mea She'arim

Yes, I finally got really lost in Jerusalem. And not just Jerusalem, but Mea She'arim. I needed to find the Prima Hotel. I had an address and a really good map. And at some point when I was only a little lost, I called someone who gave me great directions, but I got a little more lost trying to get out of where I was. I was only a few blocks from where I needed to be, but I wasn't dressed appropriately enough to walk the short distance (read: I was wearing pants). Plus, even if I'd been wearing a skirt, the only skirts I have here are short.

Plus, the streets there are very, very narrow, with cars parked on both sides. It's a little harrowing to drive there when there are people dressed in black running across the streets all the time. The streets aren't so well lit and it's incredible that more people aren't hit by cars. I was lucky in that I only slightly bruised two teenagers.

The end of the story - I gave up the search for the Prima. I'll look again tomorrow...

It's Raining Camels and Dogs

Camels: Yesterday on the way up North, I saw a camel and her baby camel. It was pretty cute and I'm not aware that I've ever seen a baby camel before. Someone told me that baby camels are born just at the right height to nurse from their mothers. I think that the reverse might also be true - that the mothers don't grow taller than their babies can reach.

Dogs: Today, for the second time, a dog attacked my car. I'd slowed to let the sheep cross the road (there's a joke here somewhere) and the dogs that were there came up and jumped at my car. Last Friday at Hebrew U, I was driving with someone and four wild dogs attacked my car. Strangely, the person who was in the car with me on Friday was on the phone with me this morning when the dogs attacked. Lesson learned - don't talk to Hal....

Our last bus arrived yesterday. That's 55 in six weeks. Only 9 days to go (I leave in 4...).

Al Weiner

Ronnie's father passed away Sunday and the funeral will be today. Ronnie was already in Chicago and will be headed back to DC, we're just not sure when. After many conversations and a lot of thought, it was decided that I'll be staying in Israel until next Monday when I was originally scheduled to return.

It's a bit surreal to be here and not there, with life basically going as normal here. But if I'm not going to be there, then it should be as normal as it can be here. I'm headed back up North today to stay at Ein Gev overnight with some groups. I don't think I'll make it to Tzfat this time, but we'll see.

Staff Ills

Well, I was back at the hospital. This time with a very, very sick staff person. What I hadn't realized until yesterday, is that Shaare Tzedek is a religious hospital. I've never been there on Shabbat, so if I did know, it just hadn't mattered. We actually drove down in two cars and I was in the second car. It turns out, that unless you are the sick person, or have them in the seat next to you, you cannot drive into the hospital on Shabbat. No amount of "she's my student and he's just the driver (he's not) would get me in. So I parked a few blocks away. Oh well.

The good news about being at Shaare Tzedek in the emergency room, is that based on my last trip there, I know where things are. Which means that when she needed another blanket, and a pillow, I could go to the supply closet and get them. The bad news, is that never having been there on Shabbat, I didn't know where the Shabbat elevators are.

I left for about an hour in the afternoon and when I got back, she was on the 7th floor. By the time I got up there, she was already back down on the 2nd floor. They released her as soon as Shabbat ended with a really, really bad virus. Thankfully she's got family here and they picked her up and she'll recuperate there.

The three times I've been in the hospitals this round have all been with staff people - one gastrointestinal, one with mono or Epstein-Barr (I don't know if they ever figured it out). And we've had a few others that weren't "hospital-worthy" but who were also very sick.

And one staff person's grandparent died on the 2nd day of the trip, and another's grandmother is not looking long for this world either. I'm not sure what it is this round....

Seasonal changes

This past summer in Israel, I was able to watch coverage of the first few stages of the Tour de France coverage in Hebrew, and last night I had the opportunity to watch the Paris-Dakar rally coverage. Only this year they're leaving from Lisbon before heading to Dakar. It's pretty cool, although I'm not sure why. I forget that this is the only place that I really ever see coverage....

There's s no food in my apartment. I'm leaving to go up North for three days, so it doesn't make sense to buy any, but eating dry granola is just bad and causes choking. There are two eggs left from the last tenant, but for all I know they could be left from the tenant a few months ago. Needless to say, I'm going to leave them for my successor as well, along with the 1/2 loaf of bread in the back of the fridge.

The third and final mega-event was last night. There's really just not much more to say than that. It's always loud, full of screaming students and lots of VIPs. The Prime Minister came so secruity was pretty tight. The swabbed and tested all of our hands and cell phones. I'm not sure for what, or if they also swabbed all the students as well. The best part was the ability to check our coats.

5am this morning, no hospitals involved

The flight that is supposed to arrive at 12:40pm today took off from JFK last night, and turned around because of engine trouble. They're hoping to get out tomorrow night. When I mentioned to someone that I was alerted to all of this at 5am, they didn't understand why I had been called. Their exact response, "What, did they think that you could fix the plane?" I responded that I have many skills that while not used in my everyday job, could be called on should the timing be right....

I then went to the shuk at about 8am to buy rugelach, because gd forbid there should be a staff oneg without rugelach from Marzipan. It's good, but the chocolate ones are over-rated, in my opinion. The cinnamon ones are definitely better. In any case, I walked out without having showered, and wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt previously stained with amba, a sort of curried mustard sauce that can be put on falafel (and in my case, was also put on my shirt). I was really hoping I didn't see anyone I know. Which I didn't. But the boys at Marzipan still laughed at me. I'm not sure if it was my completely disheveled hair, the fact that I have no voice, or the fact that I handed them a list of what I wanted because I knew I wouldn't be able to actually tell them in a voice they could hear.

I have no voice. And when I do, it's very squeaky. For all the talking on the phone that's required, it's a bit of a problem. Some of it might have to do with the fact that I've only slept about 4 hours a night for the last 3 nights. Probably on Pluto, or some other fast-spinning planet, that would be a full night's sleep.

11:30pm at Shaare Tzedek, yesterday

I actually only got the hospital for the closing act. Someone else went at 8:30pm with a student and a staff person, both of whom had different presenting issues. By the time I got there, my primary role was to find water for the student, and then to find pants for him. He hurt his knee and it was bandaged up so much, that he couldn't put his jeans back on. So the nurse sent me to look through their closets. It was only strange in that no one asked me what I was doing rummaging through piles of smocks, shirts, laundry bags (I really should have taken one of those) and sheets, before someone finally helped me find a pair of xxl pajama bottoms.

4:30am at Poriya hospital two days ago

Ok, I got the call at 4:30 and we didn't get to the hospital until 5:30am, but still...

The staff person I went with is fine. Here's what the hospital is likeat 5:30am. Really, really quiet. No one was there. So things went rather quickly, at least at first. And then they slowed down, but not so much.

Around 6:30, more patients started to arrive. One was wearing leopard print slippers, and blue and pink flowered socks. There was no visible blood, and so I mistakenly thought that barring a real, urgent, dire emergency, no one would have otherwise put that combination together.

The doctors there were nice, and by 10:30am, we were on our way back to Ramot to sleep for an hour and shower, before driving back to Jerusalem. The drive back on the Bika road was stunning, as always.

Fluffy white towels

I drove up to Ramot today. It overlooks the Kinneret, and is sort of just across the Kinneret from Tiberius. And I only got just a little lost on my way here. Driving up the Bikaa road was beautiful as always, and as desolate as always, which is nice, until you find yourself behind the only truck for miles on curvy roads unsuitable for passing.

I checked in and was put into a chalet. This is not your regular hotel room. It's a stand-alone little wooden house, kind of like, well, a chalet. With a jacuzzi. And a sauna. And a big bowl of fruit. And big fluffy white towels. And a robe and slippers and fancy shampoos and conditioners that I've already taken. And a cappucino machine. And a DVD player. And too many remotes that I will never understand how to use (The one that has the most buttons, is only used to turn on and off the television. Go figure.) And the windows aren't drafty and there's a lot of heat. And I'm pretty sure that in the morning I'll see a small deck in the back with a table and chairs. All in all, I think it's completely unreasonable for them to put me in this room and then expect me to work for the next few days.

I think I'm headed to Tzfat tomorrow, which will be great. We've got a lot of groups there, and I'm interested to see the work that's been done since this summer.

Portuguese?

This Shabbat, we had a Hillel group from Rio in the hotel with us, also on Taglit program. They had three girls who wanted to have a Bat Mitzvah (one each, not one for all three) and the staff only knew how to ask for help and wasn't really prepared to help plan the service or ceremony. So we helped them, and had some of our Shabbat scholars lead the service and read Torah. And each of the girls spoke after their aliyah. But the entire thing was in Portuguese. I'm sure they spoke beautifully, but I didn't understand one single word....

It's still pretty cold here in Jerusalem. I definitely didn't bring enough long sleeve shirts. That was a strategic packing error on my part. And at some point, I have to do laundry. But I've got a new fleece and a new sweatshirt, long underwear and heavy socks. And this year, I remembered to bring an umbrella.

Yesterday on the radio I heard them announce a song called "Shir Ha-Mitria" or the Umbrella Song. I couldn't imagine what it was going to be, but sure enough, it was all about rain, and definitely appropriate for the way the weather has been around here.

Yes, Israel needs the rain. But it would be nicer if it was a warm rain...

A new Saturday night program

Well, it's finally happened. A Saturday night in Israel that did not involve the Campus Club. I think we have a group there next week, but that's at least 7 days away, and at least for now, we can honestly say that we had a season without Campus. Instead, we were at the Israel Museum to view the mini-model of Jerusalem, the Dead Sea Scrolls, to hear Avraham (only the second time this trip for me), and to hear a band called Shine.

It should be noted that the lead singer in the band dresses badly. Not just strangely, but badly. And he only has 1/2 a mustache for reasons that are not readily apparent.

And now, it's way too late with an early morning to follow....

implications of snow in jerusalem on students

Of the 40 students who flew in from Berkeley yesterday, most were wearing shorts, t-shirts and flip flops when they got off the bus in Jerusalem for their first time, where it had just stopped snowing, at least for a few minutes. Needless to say it was a really quick shehechiyanu ceremony.

One student got off the bus wearing a colorful Taglit scarf that was part of the swag from the first round of birthright. Being of suspicious nature, I approached her and said, "great scarf, where'd you get it?". My fear was that somehow she had also participated in the first round. She didn't look old enough, but you never know.... It turns out, she got it for $5 at at a thriftstore in San Francisco!

And of the 40 students from Central Florida who arrived yesterday, 10 of them did not bring coats with them. Why? Because they don't own them! Evidently it's never cold in Orlando, or wherever else they're from.

Cold and rainy in the orange room

Well, I moved into my apartment. In the rain. And the cold. From a parking spot two blocks away. With an empty fridge. Well, the last part was taken care of at 11pm last night, but only because I was hungry then and knew that by breakfast time, if it was still cold and rainy, that I was going to be in trouble. The good news, I didn't get lost finding my way. Strange, very strange, but true. I basically just had to remember that once I found Efraim, I needed to just figure out where Menashe went wrong (see my last post for explanation).

I actually got the keys earlier yesterday, but didn't really get back until late last night. Why, because it was time once again to hear about Avraham Infeld's 5-legged table. They haven't changed, in case anyone was wondering.

Back to the apartment. The walls are very orange. And when I picked up the keys yesterday, Aviad (the landlord's son) was wearing an orange sweatshirt. I'm pretty sure it's not a political statement at this point, but you never know around here. The apartment is furnished in Ikea. Much of which is familiar from our house in DC, including the kitchen table and counter. And living room lamp. And chair. And probably some kitchen items I haven't explored yet.

But it's a nice space, and while it's much smaller than the apartment I was in this summer, it's plenty big for one person, and once I figure out how to keep the windows closed in the cold, blowing (did I mention cold?) rain, it should be perfect.

Efraim and Menashe

I learned something about the streets in Jerusalem last night. It turns out, that if you know Jewish history, then it's easier to find your way around. The twelve tribe streets are in Baka, and the sites given up in the War of Independence have streets named for them in Talpiyot.

My apartment is on Menashe street, so I figured he would be near Efrayim (his brother). He is, but around the corner. Maybe he was a little twisted? I don't know. I also found it once, parked, and then made my way to the coffeeshop (named, appropriately, Coffee Shop), and I'll be able to walk back, but I'm really not sure if I'll ever find it again driving. It's too many one way streets, many of which I think I drove down incorrectly to find it the first time.

It's cold here (and summer-like by Milwaukee standards) and it might even snow tomorrow. And me without a camera. It's already snowing on the Hermon - and they're expecting 4 or 5 feet!

Dulles, the Haaj and Afula

I hate Dulles airport. It's far away, the lines are always long, and there just has to be a better way to start a trip, even erev Christmas eve, than their disorganization. I got the airport 2.5 hours before my flight. Which turned out to be good, because I waited in line for an hour just to check in. And then to drop your bags off to check, you had to weave in and out of all the other people checking in to get to the x-ray machine. And then there was security, and then the shuttle to the terminal, and then really, really long lines at all the places I wanted to stop and get a drink. oh well.

I got on the plane, found that might seat was thankfully much closer to the door than I expected, and sat down in my window seat. There was already someone in the aisle and no one yet in the middle seat. And by the time the plane took off, we realized we had the only empty seat on the plane, next to us. So we started talking. I was headed off to birthright, and he was heading to Jedda for the Haaj. We figured between my trip to Israel and his for the Haaj, someone either figured we needed the space between us, or deserved the space between us. And I got an invitation to his family's kabob restaurant in Faifax when I get back....

I changed planes in Frankfurt, and really, they just shouldn't tell you that you're going to be delayed while they de-ice the wings, you know!? So I said T'filat Haderech again figuring it couldn't hurt.

Landed in Israel, handed off a laptop and a big check to the person meeting me (I'm not sure I'm allowed to name her here, but for those that know her - she's the one that meets all of the Hillel groups), met my cousin Ayelet, picked up a car and drove to Afula.

It was nice to catch up with Steve, Galit, Or, Nadav and Ayelet now, because starting today, the craziness hits. Plus, they have a new cute puppy (who did not pee on my stuff).