ALEX'S ARRIVAL & YOM KIPPUR

Dad's here!

The kids back from school bathing in their Dad's attention

Our local fish monger preparing our salmon

Alex arrived late on Monday night.  It was so wonderful to see him and to enjoy the look of excitement on his face.  It was a beautiful reunion in the morning as the kids embraced their Dad.  They had so much to tell him ..... in fact, they had far more to tell than what they'd been telling me.

The children start school at 8am so Alex and I dropped them off and I took him to my favourite little pastisserie for croissants and coffee. It was heaven to be on our own and to just explore.  I can tell that it's going to take a while before Alex embraces my meandering :)

We were on a mission to get all of our supplies before 12 noon when everything closes in preparation for Yom Kippur.  I could hardly walk after my adventures from the day before (it's embarrassing how sore my body is from the increase in exercise) so we finally took the bikes out, which was a pleasant relief to walking in the heat.

We picked the kids up from school at 12 and they were full of stories.  It's such a huge cultural change for them.  They're friends are from all over the world with a number of locals who are either Israeli's or Arabs.  Brigid is in year 10 here, Marcus in year 9, Conor in year 7 and Dario in year 5.  They're not finding the work too challenging, except for the Hebrew and Arabic lessons :)  I've started learning Hebrew as I can't bear not being able to read the food packaging.  Conor is going to help me with it.  They all find the writing from right to left for Hebrew a challenge.  All of their exercise books and folders are the opposite way around, which they find amusing.  They're all enjoying being in a co-ed school and all seem to have made at least a couple of friends, with Marcus already having his own little group.

I'm the biggest fan of Yom Kippur.  I realise that to many in the modern world a day of enforced quiet, fasting and reflection may be seen as antiquated but personally I welcome it and embrace it.  As mentioned, Yom Kippur, is the holiest of days in the Jewish calendar. It is the last of ten days of penitence that begins with Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year).  Yom Kippur is a day of  atonement and for nearly 26 hours from Tuesday evening, sundown, to sundown last night, the Jews abstain from food and drink and many other practices, such as not wearing leather footwear.  EVERYTHING shuts down, including the airport.  We went to try and hire a bike yesterday and the machine was closed because no electrical goods can be used.  Not a single shop is open.  The hotels have very limited staff and just put food out for foreigners.

There is usually a lot of buzz around where we live with people walking up and down our lane all day but yesterday it was dead quiet.  We had the occassional Jewish couple, dressed in white to signify purity, walking to the Synagogue but it was as though the dogs and cats even observed Yom Kippur.  I for one greatly appreciated the opportunity to just stop.  My body collapsed for the first half of the day, which was much needed. The kids just read all morning or played games together. When you turn the TV on it has this message:

Because there are no cars allowed on the roads, many of the children and some adults, ride their bikes on the highways and roads.  Our Scottish neighbour took his two children, aged 13 and 10, on a train to Jerusalem on the eve of Yom Kippur and rode from Jerusalem back to Jaffa - 82kms!!!  Brave.

Alex and I rode our bikes into Tel Aviv, encountering many groups of children along the way.  It was a great way to  get a feel for the city without any cars to worry about.  We then called the children and got them to meet us down at the beach in Tel Aviv where we all went swimming.

Riding through Tel Aviv on Yom Kippur with a crowd of kids in front of me.

Riding down a main street into Tel Aviv 

Kids linking arms in the sea together - wish they were like this out of the water :) 

For dinner I prepared a traditional Jewish chicken soup with homemade stock.  Was delicious.  We then all played backgammon.  Alex is a master of the game so it's the kids' ambition to beat him.  It's so wonderful to have the time to just stop and play with the kids.  My ping pong skills are dramatically improving.

EXPLORING

Somethings are the same as home.

Thank goodness for the beach! A relief from the heat and from sibling fights.

Floating on the Mediterranean Sea with the sound of the azan (Muslim call to prayer) coming from the miranet of the mosque on the hill is definitely an exotic experience.  The blending of religions and cultures here is both new and intriguing.  You hear the foreign call to prayer, interspersed with the bells tolling for a Mass to be said somewhere.  We've arrived at the most important time in the Jewish calendar, with Yom Kippur, the holiest of days in the Jewish calendar, falling on Wednesday.  The kids think it's great as they get to finish school on Tuesday at 12noon and have the whole of Wednesday off.  No one is allowed to drive a car on Yom Kippur.  Even the airport is closed!  Because there are no cars allowed supposedly everyone rides their bikes on the highways.  I'm hoping to take advantage of this to explore downtown Tel Aviv on bike without worrying about the crazy drivers.

Last night I imagined that the sound of the air-conditioning was rain falling, washing away the dust from the streets and cars.  They had an almighty sandstorm here a couple of weeks ago (thank God we missed it!) so all the cars are covered in dust . . .actually, everything seems to be covered in dust, although inside people's homes there is none to be seen. 

  http://www.theguardian.com/weather/gallery/2015/sep/08/sandstorm-engulfs-the-middle-east-in-pictures 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euSLCnqzPoU

The BBC reported that "even fighting in Syria was stopped due to the sandstorm."  The thought of all those poor refugees in Jordan and Syria, who are already living in squalor, having a blanket of dust descend upon them, is too devastating.

The children and I are questioning whether it ever rains here.  We wake up to the same weather every day - clear blue skies and a temperature of 31, or if we're lucky, 30 degrees.  Although I have such fair skin I already have a tan after only one week here.  It's impossible not to brown in this climate.

After the children left for school I went out on my own to explore the streets in the hope of finding more food.  I found myself meandering. . .. it seems so long since I last meandered, which is delightful.  Although I love to talk there's something refreshing about not understanding what the men on the streets are saying to you as you pass by.  Because I can't understand them I let go of any suspicions of crudity and just smile.  I sometimes find that people are talking to me yet I haven't noticed.  

It is all a bit of a sensory overload.  Add to that the miles of walking that we do each day and you have the perfect recipe for a good night's sleep.  My body melts into the bed at around 8.30/9pm.  If you want to get fit, don't have a car... my legs ache from the unfamiliar exercise that they get each day but you get to see and discover so much more by foot.  

Here are some photos from my walk this morning to find food.  I'm heading out again now to brave the heat and to find fresh bread.  Thanks to my beautiful neighbour, Ali, I now have an excellent green grocer and one of the best hummus cafes in Jaffa is around the corner.  Now I just need a car to get me to a bigger supermarket, which we will get after Yom Kippur.  While I was exploring I came across a green grocer where I bought some things. Kay, you would have been proud of my elbowing with the many Arab women who were trying to jump in front of me.  I just smiled and then pushed :)  The stores are all full today as not a single shop will be open between tomorrow afternoon and all Wednesday so everyone is preparing their meals.  

A new shopping area

Where I had my coffee & croissant this morning.  Looks lovely inside but you wouldn't be able to tell from the outside. 

A little mosque that I came across on my journey

FOOD

Can you imagine what Australians would think if they opened up their eggs to find chicken poo all over their eggs.  It really does highlight to me how far we have moved away from understanding and appreciating the source of our food.  It makes me wonder how they possibly get our vegetables and fruit back home to look so perfect.  We reject the slightest blemish.

There a whole stores dedicated to selling eggs!  Looks amazing.  I'll try and get a photo of one.  

As I'm here on my own with the kids my only opportunity to explore on my own was on Friday when the kids were at school so I really need to get out and buy some food.  It's still a bit daunting as the main supermarkets are too far for me to walk to.  When Alex gets here we will hire a car, which will make things easier.  Having said that, the prospect of driving here is also a little daunting, particularly since they drive on the opposite side of the road.

Our meals have been very simple to date - no Ottolenghi dishes to be seen. . .but that will all change when my 6 ft 7 husband arrives and requires more food than the four kids and I combined! 

Typical Israeli salad with capsicum (peppers), cucumber and pomegranate.

FIRST SHABBAT

Sweets shop on the way to beach

Today is our first Shabbat.  Although everyone warned us that most almost all thIe supermarkets and stores would be closed it's still unfamiliar to walk the streets with so few people out and with so many shops closed.  They pull shutters down in front of their stores/cafes, so places that I would normally recognised as beautiful little pattiseries are completely hidden by a metal shutter door. 

I'm relieved the children are enrolled in school here otherwise we may not have lasted the distance.  Being in a smaller home and not having the places to escape to is going to be testing for all of us.  I told the kids that we need to find a better way to communicate with each other if we're going to make this work.  They are still unsure about whether they want to be here so Alex and I will have to be incredibly patient and hope that the holiday spirit rubs off on us, providing us with the reserves necessary to deal with four kids in a foreign land.  

I like the idea of Shabbat - of a holy day of rest.  A day where everyone is forced to just be together.  We are always so busy and it leaves so little time for families to be together.  To honour this I've been playing table tennis and connect 4 with the kids today.  I notice that there's a part of me wondering whether I should be doing something else instead.  It's going to take some time I think to completely give over to just being with the kids but that's one of the reasons we're here so please God I can let go of that need to be "busy, busy, busy!"

I realised by mid morning that I'd have to get the kids out of the house so we walked down to the beaches in Tel Aviv.  They're wonderful - much better than Jaffa's beaches.  It felt like stepping into a bath with the water being no colder than 27 degrees (81 degrees F).  It's the kind of temperature that a Brissy girl enjoys :)  The kids loved it too and spent hours in the water. Here ares some photos of the trip along the way. 

Shop we passed on the way to the beach.  Where are you Kay Ishak???

Kids walking along the promenade.  My brother said that it looks like the Gold Coast, which it does.  Just with a big mosque behind it!

Our street

Al-Bahr Mosque overlooking the beach

House across the road from us and area where all the street cats congregate. A couple come out each night to feed the cats.  The sound of cat fights is common, followed by the barking of dogs.

Bouganvillias at the end of our street.  They're everywhere and provide such beautiful drapery to many a run down place.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

On Tuesday, our first day in Jaffa, we went into the school to organise our uniform, which basically consists of an $8 tshirt.  That's a nice change from the private schools of Sydney!  As long as it's just above the knees they're allowed to wear anything black or navy with the tshirt and sneakers for shoes.  Our children have been at four different schools so the thought of them all being at the one school is heaven. . . . and in walking distance! Here's a link to the school the children are attending http://tabeethaschool.org/english/

It's a very strange feeling being the "foreigner" for once and being the "new family."  I think it's a wonderful lesson for the children and us to understand how that feels.   The Tabeetha school community is amazing though so I have no concerns about not feeling welcome.

I decided not to start the kids on Wednesday as I felt they still needed a break after such a long flight and to give them a chance to acclimatise to the heat.  The boys were happy to play with the BB guns in the courtyard

The courtyard to our place. Boys with BB guns.

One of the greatest challenges for us here is that almost EVERYTHING is written in Hebrew.  Our Israeli friend, Nitzan, explained to us that almost all goods sold in Israel are produced here in order to protect the local market.  You can imagine what it's like trying to work out whether a product has gluten in it for Brigid!  I'm going to have to try and at least understand the Hebrew alphabet so that I can find those characters on gluten free products.  In desperation I asked our beautiful neighbour, Ali Rogers to take me to the supermarket with her.  She was so kind and generous with her time and advice.  It was a treat to be in a car as the supermarkets in walking distance are what we would consider corner stores.  I was like a little kid following her around and copying what she was buying.  My kids were very shocked to find that I had bought small packaged potato chips for them!  Ali and Kenny Rogers are Scottish and have three children at Tabeetha.  The Rogers live across the lane from us, which is a real blessing as the boys are already playing together and their daughter, Emily, took Brigid down to the "shook" last night, which is a very cool flea market in Jaffa.

I took the kids down to the beach at Jaffa for their first swim in the Mediterranean Sea.  The beaches in Tel Aviv are much nicer than the beaches in Jaffa and I've been told that I took them to the wrong area but they had a ball nonetheless.  I turned around to find a horse on the beach.  Not something you see every day.  It was quite a beautiful sight until it did a poo in the water while swimming!

Four children - one school! Love it.
This photo is taken in front of the door to our building - looks like fort knox.

Yesterday was the children's first day of school.  Although it's a Christian school, there are Jews, Muslims and Christians attending so the school closes at 12.30pm on Fridays.  The kids love that part!  School starts at 8am though so it's an earlier start.  We've come at a time where there's lots of Jewish holidays with Yom Kippur being next Wednesday.  It means the children will finish school on Tuesday at 12 and then have the day off on Wednesday.

From the moment we stepped foot into the school we felt welcome.  People came from everywhere to guide the kids to their new classrooms.  It helped that Conor & Dario already knew a couple of the kids in their classes.  Brigid is in Year 10, Marcus in Year 9, Conor in Year 7 and Dario in Year 5.  Dario will have to study both Hebrew and Arabic.  Conor is studying Spanish, which is perfect as that's what he was studying at Grammar.  I'll have to check what languages Brigid and Marcus are studying.  It may be that they only have to do English as it is a second language to many of the children in the school.

After drop off I joined a group of women for a coffee.  I told Ali Rogers that she should have the title of "Diplomat of Jaffa" as she is wonderful at bringing people together and is a source of great advice on the area.  I met Sylvia, from Perugia, Italy; Iroo (not sure of spelling) from Taiwan (diplomats), Elisabeth, from Denmark whose husband is a pastor here; Jane, from Texas, whose husband works for Intel; Vicki, from Chicago and her husband Joel, who are Jewish and sold their house to move here for 10 months - now that's courageous!  It's wonderful having the inside knowledge of a local who can take you to places that you would be unlikely to discover on your own.

Vicki and I then went a bought some fish from the local fish monger. The way food is prepared, presented, sold is so different to back home.  It makes me realise how sanitised our food has become.  Everything in Australia is presented so beautifully but it makes you realise how much wastage there must be of "not quite right" produce.  I guess I knew that already from my time at Foodbank but everything looks so clean and neat in food stores back home compared to here.  The fish monger's shop is just a large room with large refrigerators either side.  You let them know what you want and they prepare in front of you.  The fellow serving us was horrified when Vicki asked for the skin to be cut off and encouraged her to keep it in on.

It was great to have some time to myself with the kids at school.  Around the corner there's a shop that sells only hummus, fresh pita bread and two other dips.  That's it and there is always a line of people.  I ventured in to buy my first lot of hummus.  The smell from the fresh pita bread was divine.  I then headed off to buy vegetables and fruit from a little place that Ali told me about.  It would be unlikely to find these places on your own and if you judged them from the outside you would never go in.

I picked the kids up from school at 12.30pm and they all were smiling so thumbs up for the first day.  It's going to be a very different experience for them, even by virtue of being co-ed for the three older children, although the boys went to co-ed primary schools.   Brigid was shocked by how noisy some of the students are in the classroom and had lots of tales to tell.

Dario walking home from school with his new friend, Benjamin.

First week in Israel

I have no idea how this blog site works but here goes ....

I'm doing this as a record for our family of our stay here so you'll just have to skim through the unnecessary detail.

FIRST NIGHT

We arrived into Ben Gurion Tel Aviv airport on Monday night.  Dario was pleasantly surprised to find that not EVERYONE was carrying a gun as he feared may be the case.  Ben Gurion is such an amazing airport and the children were surprised to see how modern it is. 

It's hot here! Most days are around 30/31.  The poor kids must be sick of hearing me tell them to drink more water.

The children are attending an English speaking school here in Jaffa, run by the Church of Scotland.  It is a small community of 330 children from K to 12 with 40 different nationalities represented in the study body.  Initially we only had Brigid and Marcus with confirmed places and then one week before we left I received an email to say Dario has a place in Year 5.  The thought of poor Conor being left at home with his Mum and Dad was too much so I just remained hopeful that we would somehow get him in.  The afternoon of our first day I got a call to say that there is a spot in Year 7 for Conor but that, because it's two years above his age group, he would have to come in for a "test."  Conor was quite nervous but the "test" turned out to be him writing about himself just to check on his handwriting, grammar and English ability.  They were able to immediately confirm a place for him, which was such a relief.  For many of the children at school English is their second or third language so I don't see the children having any problems keeping up at school.

A typical street in our area

Boganvillias line almost every street