Today’s Hebrew lesson: עלי בייבי
Not a hard term to learn in Hebrew. It means ‘baby leaves’ - you know, those tiny bits of greenery you put in salad that cost more than the other vegetables combined?
It’s also a term I made up for a certain type of middle-aged Israeli woman - you know the one. [...]
Home, sweet Israel. Koala and I arrived back from my work trip to the States in two pieces.
Soon to be five years here and, oh, how the tables have turned.
Anyway, nothing says ‘welcome home to Israel, immigrant!’ like an Israeli marketing campaign.
Bezeq Parrot, eat your heart out:
Because the manliest men carry a tin of gum [...]
While I was pregnant, I found that I wasn’t getting too many invasive comments, suggestions and guesses from middle-aged to older Israeli women (as I had dreadfully expected). When I mentioned this to some, they said not to worry; the comments would come for sure once I had a baby to show for it.
“They’ll tell [...]
Something I’ve discovered - maybe now that I’m so obviously pregnant or that I’ve actually realized I’m so obviously pregnant (it took a while) - is that in Israel, or maybe just Jerusalem, everybody loves a pregnant lady.
The old guy scooping me ice cream? Big smiles and bigger scoops. “Have some more, it’s good for [...]
I like this. Especially since reading the Israeli news lately has been painful (then again, when is it not?). Look at Barkat being all cultural and whatnot:
Jerusalem streets to put a face to name
Capital’s municipality to replace all street signs named after famous people with new signs featuring personality’s image, story
You’re driving through the city [...]
When Israeliborns ask where I’m from ‘b’makor’ there are usually a few follow up questions that I get after I answer I’m from New York. Por example:
Ahhh, so you lived/you have been to Brooklyn?!
Are there a lot of Arabs there?
Have you been to Harlem? Is it really scary?
I wonder if you could analyze that and [...]
Last night I watched 3/4ths of Adam Sandler’s You Don’t Mess With the Zohan.
Really, it was like any other Adam Sandler character acting film; Little Nicky, Waterboy. His extreme characters are not his strongest point for me (I’m more of a Billy Madison/Happy Gilmore fan). I’m always able to enjoy the twisted nature of his [...]
Today I spent quite a bit of time in a Jerusalem hospital waiting room; no emergency, I just needed an x-ray. In the past few months, I’ve actually frequented Jerusalem hospital waiting rooms and have been fascinated by the faces I see and the languages I hear.
I think the true face of any city is [...]