I've got the Yom Haaztmaut blues. It's actually a real condition that strikes the inhabitants of Israel after Independence Day celebrations have long gone, and it's supposed to last a few days. I'm hoping to get out of the duldrums by tomorrow, cause it's going to be a really busy weekend!
Let's backtrack a bit to Shabbos. Friday night was very nice, we ended up hosting 9 all together, and the food and conversation was very lively. I was able to crash by 1:00, after all the washing, and managed to wake up in time for shul. In fact, we got to shul during Shacharit, which was shocking since I don't think I've made it to davening that early in a very long time. Buggy got an aliyah, which was very nice and made him happy, and then we had a nice lunch. We decided to lay low on Saturday night since Shabbos ends so late, and we ended up renting a movie from Hot VOD (Pirates of the Carribean II) and turning in for the night. On Sunday morning, Buggy came back for breakfast and as we were sitting at the table, I heard the man calling. Now, this man has yelled outside of my window at various times in the mornings, saying the same thing over and over again. I thought he was calling his dog, and that what I couldn't decifer was a Hebrew name for the dog. So, there we were enjoying breakfast and the man starts shouting. I say to Buggy, "That guy is out there every day yelling for his damn dog. You'd think he would put him on a leash or something."
Buggy choked on her juice, and started laughing and coughing at the same time. Then he told me how much he loves me, which made me feel nice. Then he told me how cute I am, which made me feel even nicer. And then he told me that the man was not calling his dog but was actually yelling in Yiddish "Alte Zochen" which means old stuff. The guy was driving around the neighborhood in a pushcart with old crap on it, screaming in Yiddish for people to come and check out his wares.
Buggy thought this was the cutest thing even and has managed to tell almost every member of his family - and some of his friends - the story. Whatever, I don't feel the least bit dumb. OK, maybe a little stupid. But at least it was Yiddish and not Hebrew.
I got even though. I told Buggy we're getting a dog, and we're calling him "alte zochen". I'm serious too.
So, Buggy finally got on the road on Sunday and I was left to work, and boy did I have my work cut out for me. I had a story due on Tuesday night, and had barely begun! So, I got to work and wrote, and wrote, and wrote for hours on end. I finally got to a decent point in the story when I got stuck, and as usual, it was with an ending. So, I let it sit for the night and then woke up early on Monday to finish.
Now, Sunday night was Yom Hazikaron, which is really a sad holiday here in Israel. The siren ran at 8:00 p.m., and I stood silently in my apartment and then watched the Tekes (ceremony) on TV. There is no regular programming on Yom HaZikaron and instead, many channels show documentaries about fallen soldiers. I went to bed sad, and woke up feeling the heaviness of the country. Many stores are closed on Yom HaZikaron and the streets are pretty empty, a bit of a similar feeling like Yom Kippur but without the kids on bikes. At 11:00 a.m., the second siren sounded and I stood silently again and thought about the thousands of family members heading to military cemetaries throughout the country to pay tribute to their fallen loved one.
I got on a bus around 12:30 p.m. and headed to Jerusalem, to spend the rest of the day with Buggy and his family. We ended up doing some errands, and stopping by the apartment to put up new Mezuzot for when we move in after the wedding. Then, we went to Chovivei for the Yom HaZikaron/Yom Haaztmaut ceremony. It was very moving, they read out the names and stories of the shul members who lost loved ones in the various wars. Buggy's Great-Uncle, whom his father is named after, was one of the Lamed Heh and they honored his memory during the ceremony. And then, at sundown, the mood of the people changed from subdued to jubilant! We say Hallel with a Bracha and we sang the Hatikvah loudly. The children ran around with Israeli flags and shul set up a big Kiddish outside. Buggy and I went to his Aunt and Uncle's house for a barbecue, but we got there too late for the food. We ended up watching some of the Har Herzel ceremonies, including some incredible dance and singing routines, on the TV.
And then my stomach started growling as the scent of every Israeli barbecuing meat started filling the air. So, Buggy called around and found us another barbecue. We went to the apartment in Katamon where the spread was incredible, complete with kabobs and steak and grilled chicken. I overdid it on the meat, which kept me up and in the bathroom during the wee hours of the morning, but not before Buggy and I got a fabulous view of the fireworks. It was great, and I couldn't believe there was a full day in store for us!
The next morning, after I made sure my stomach was a bit better, Buggy and I went to visit his Great Uncle in the nursing home. It was a pretty depressing place, but Buggy's Uncle was very nice and I managed to hold my own with the conversation. After we wished him a Chag Sameach, we went to Buggy's apartment to get the meat out of his freezer and made our way to his best friend's apartment in Givat Zeev.
This settlement is absolutely gorgeous and even more beautiful in the daytime! We met Chanan and Naama's newest addition to the family, and we gave Hadas the present we bought her (an adorable pink bathrobe with her name on it in Aqua, and a hood that looks like a bears head). Three other couples, with their children, joined us for the barbecue and everyone chipped in to get the food ready! No one sat down and waited, everyone did something. Chanan and Buggy took care of firing up the grill, myself, Naama, her father and another one of the husbands got to work on the salads. Two of the other women prepared the meat and chicken, while Naama's mother put the baby back to sleep. Then, with the children helping, we all set the table and left one of the husbands to take care of the grill. At some point during the lunch, one of the husbands remarked that it was adorable Buggy and I still held hands, and that we should enjoy the moment now because it wouldn't last very long.
Is that what kids do to couples?
After we pigged out on more meat and chicken, Buggy and I headed back to his parents to rest before I had to catch another bus back to Tel Aviv. I should have stayed over because it took me over 2 hours to get home! It was the worst traffic I've ever been in! Now I know this never would have happened to my Dad, who would have started his grilling at 9:00 a.m. and had everyone back home before Noon! Oh well, we now know what to expect for next year. Hopefully, that won't include traveling between cities during Independence Day rush hour. I got home, checked some e-mails, and then crashed. I don't need to look at meat for a while.
This morning, I was thrilled that the student strike was still on because I had to finish my story. I spent the morning writing, in my pajamas, until the piece was in good enough shape to send out to the class. Still filling blue though, I got dressed and went for an hour and a half walk. This time, I decided to go to a place I haven't explored since moving to this City. That's right, I went to Kikar Hamidinah, which is Tel Aviv's version of Rodeo Drive.
It's huge and has some pretty decent stores. I felt right at home at Ralph Lauren, until the annoying saleswoman shadowed me throughout the store. Granted, I wasn't dressed in designer duds but I certainly wasn't going to steal anything either. As I walked along, I felt something tickle my bra. Thinking that maybe I was sweating from the walk - it IS hot outside, although the humidity is still at bare - I kept on going. When I went to the Cook Store though, I felt the tickle moving around to the other side of the bra and that's when I realized there was something moving underneath my shirt. Now, I couldn't exactly remove my shirt in the store, and fortunately, the little ladybug managed to crawl up my chest and around my neck so I could pluck her off me and flick her away.
That was about an hour and a half into the excursion and so I decided to come back home. It's good that I got the exercise in, and even better that I was able to do the walk at all. While in Jerusalem, I managed to get 5 mosquito bites. Three of which happen to be my foot! Two are on the bottom of my feet, on the soles, and one is on my big toe. Since Buggy and I are going on a hike on Friday with some of his friends, I wanted to make sure I could actually walk. Fortunately, I'm able to grin and bear it. Here's hoping the hike is pretty tame!
I have a new business conference call now, so I'm signing off! Hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather in both Israel and the US.
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