שלום כולם Hello everyone, It has been a very productive and busy month in Israel (for me and the State of Israel), between the War in Gaza, Elections, Hebrew lessons, work and volunteering I barely had time to sit on the beach and read a book (which I did last Saturday). I have to admit I love wearing flip-flops in the middle of February and the sun is shining most of the days, however I am very appreciative of the little bit of rain that poured down in Jerusalem this very dry Winter (even when I get caught in it!). This is the driest Winter Israel has experienced in a very long time and it is scary because our water sources are getting lower and lower every year.
So even though I am enjoying my jobs and making a lot of friends in Jerusalem, I've decided that I need to step out of my comfort zone and be immersed in the Hebrew language and Israeli society more than I am now. Actually, I sometimes feel like I live in the Upper West Side or in Coolidge Corner. My plan is to move up to a Kibbutz in the Golan or Galil and work on a winery by the Summer. I've always wanted to learn the process of wine making and living in an area where English is rarely spoken is the only way I will become fluent in Hebrew. I am not ready to move to Tel Aviv but by improving my Hebrew I will eventually be able to get a job that suits my career ambitions which will most likely be in the Tel Aviv area. As for now, I am loving working and volunteering at PresenTense. This past Shabbat I chaired a very successful dinner at PresenTense with 70 people, which imitated a camp style feeling.
Ok- now my election experience...Most of you have read about the Elections in Israel so I will not recap the "still being decided" outcome. The one thing Israelis actually have an organized system for is the elections, probably because they do it so much. I get a card in the mail that states the location of where I vote, the hallway and even the exact booth number. However, I felt like I was voting for my Class President because I had to put a piece of paper with the party that I decided on into an envelop and the sealed envelop into a cardboard box. Even though Israelis are technology savvy they have not figured out how to make the election system modern. Also, Israelis do not understand the concept "mind your own business" (actually, I was told there are no words in Hebrew that translate this phrase) and even when I was in line to vote, the guy next to me asked me "who are you voting for?". I actually did not care that he asked and told him proudly "MIMAD" which is the Environmental party. He rolled his eyes at me and told me I was "throwing away my vote" which ended up being true because MIMAD did not get voted into the Knesset as a party (they were .3% shy of having only 1 seat). I was very excited and proud to be able to vote in these elections even if I did not vote for a big party. If you need explanation we can discuss in person or google "Knesset".
So as I was relaxing on this beautiful, sunny Shabbat day, I looked at my calender and saw that today was in fact Valentine's Day - I completely forgot about this holiday! What I love about living in Israel is that I did not see red boxes of chocolates everywhere, roses were no more expensive (I bought some for Shabbat), advertisements on TV are not geared to buying your "loved one" a present, and there was no pressure to be "on a date" today. To all my Friends and Family...Happy Valentine's Day and I hope you enjoy time spent with loved ones.
I am looking forward to visiting everyone when I come to Boston February 24- March 7. I will be in Boston most of the time but will travel to NY for a bit. I will have an American phone number so I will let people know once I get the SIM card. Have a good week and see you soon!
All my Love,
Esther
