Lizrael Update: babbling about the expat life since 2004
-
My new wheels – or – Dream cars are relative.
In the past month I’ve driven half a dozen different cars. It started with the Ford Focus, which I’m borrowing from a friend who has been abroad for a while. The goal there was to get through the move and then get back and forth from the new home. I thought I’d see what leasing…
-
Those foggy nights…
The weather went back to bla over the last day, and on the way home tonight a fog descended over the Jerusalem hills like I haven’t seen since my days in upstate New York. If you’ve ever lived there, you know the what I mean: You can’t see past your own hood and your fog…
-
Lizrael, princess of the rood.
My commute has become significantly more interesting. Not much longer, thankfully, but definitely more interesting. It now involves driving through a few kilometers of the West Bank; I can hear some of you cursing me out while some of you are cheering me on. I’ll choose to ignore both reactions for now. I don’t think…
-
Israeli beef cuts explained; no more freezing hands.
Finally! After all the guessing and examining and asking and hand-freezing while trying to figure out, I just received an email with a few ways to figure out the Israeli meat-cut system. A Yahoo group called Israel Food compiled a list as seen below. The blogger at Israel Easy took it a step further here.…
-
Feeling the home land.
After almost a week of driving back and forth to work through trees and hills (the way God intended, no doubt) I have to say that it’s as if I’m only just now settling into my Israeli life. Jerusalem is more international, more global… in importance, position, people. It was a very different Israel, if…
-
Volunteer to help Sudanese refugees in Israel.
UPDATE: New info posted for volunteer opportunities to help African asylum seekers in Israel. I’m passing this along for those of us who have time and resources to partake. It’s best that we Israelis act the part of good hosts while we are entangled in the Sudanese refugee mess. After all, we know what it’s like to be…
-
Live, from Tzur Hadassah.
The move went surprisingly well on Sunday. We’re here, unpacked and spoiled in this young building with its (existent) heating system and modern tiles. Katamo-who? Alas, I am still exhausted from the last three days of little sleep, zero nutrition and inevitable fatigue, so I will post some gorgeous views from my kumah bet apartment…
-
Last words for Katamonim.
Well, it’s pretty much the eve of our moving from Jerusalem to Tzur Hadassah. It hit me the other night that I’m leaving the convenience and culture of living in a city; a friend of mine came over to me as we left a party to wish us a good last Shabbat in Jerusalem… And…
-
My reactions to the Winograd report.
No, I haven’t written any thoughts on the Winograd report given the other night. So what do I think, you ask? I think the question – at this point – is how have I reacted to the Winograd report? I knew what my response would be whether or not I agreed with the outcome. It’s…
-
Getting around town.
Now that I’ve been getting around on only four wheels (as opposed to 4386524 wheels on a bus), I’ve totally forgotten what it’s like to use public transportation. Yes, it’s only been a couple weeks, but somehow, I’ve completely lost the former public transportation patriotism I held so dear. So, for everyone I’ve left behind…
-
Attempting snow in Israel.
Just went for a drive… sort of. I guess I underestimated the snow; we tried driving to a friend’s and although we didn’t make it far, I did get a dose of nostalgia for snowy days back in upstate New York. Yep, stuck in the house all day, playing in the snow by night… I…
-
Moving update.
We’ve been hitting snags in the moving process. Like the fact that we didn’t move last week so that we could be cozy in Tzur Hadassah for this snowstorm. Our current landlords are giving us issues and because of the snow, the tenants at our future apartment are having issues getting their kablan to finish…
Questions? Comments? Advice?