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The Children. The first thing you notice is the silence. Not that there is no noise. There is plenty of noise but it is the sound of machinery and not children.

The healthy children are quieter too. You rarely hear the screams of children demanding attention or treats. They do not "expect" like so many American children. They are happy too. Children in Israel get much love.

The People

They will give you the shirt off their back then try to rip it off you as you board the bus.

There is a dichotomy here. The security guard sits at her post reading her Bible and praying with a pistol strapped to her waist. Would she use it? Probably, but only in defense of the children. Young men and women are seen toting machine guns all over the country as casually as I would carry a purse.

I am amazed by the maturity of the young people. Is it because their childhood was shaped by the bombings of 2001-2003? Is it living in Jerusalem, a city of such contrasts?

I sometimes would sit in my yard watching the sunset over the hills of Jerusalem, ending Shabbat. I had a wonderful view. Surrounding me were the sounds of a community. Dogs barking, a baby crying, people greeting one another, the wind blowing. Contrasts exist side by side. The very secular taking out their trash on Shabbat seem to coexist peacefully with the very Orthodox hurrying to services.

Life is hard here. People work long hours. Conveniences we take for granted do not exist here. No big box stores on every corner.

I was given an opportunity to live freely and wander. I had time to ask myself what would happen if I turned left, I could do it, learn and explore. I was freed from all the things that suck away one's time. No trips to the dry cleaner, the grocery store, no banking, overdue library books or car trouble. Except for my 32 hours each week at the hospital, I had no responsibilities except to myself. It was wonderful.

What have I learned?

I have learned that there are no guarantees in life. Therefore in order to lead a self actualized life, one needs to take control. When the path before you forks, you can stay at the junction or choose a new road. Your happiness is in your control. Security is overrated and fictitious anyway.

People that I have loved for years did not let a court order stand in the way of their love for me. I am forever grateful for that and it has been a lesson for me. I have discovered that those who profess to be the most pious have chosen no contact which reconfirms my thoughts on structured religion and my definition of how one conducts oneself in the service of mankind and God.

I have learned that I am at peace by myself. I can be comfortable alone even though my preference is to seek the company of others. And I am grateful to those who have become my new friends. I have met truly remarkable people here and my life is richer for it.

I have learned that the Western Wall has power.

I have learned that, in order to really understand a culture, you must get on the bus.

I have learned that diversity is a wonderful thing.

I have learned that even the most compromised child has value in this world. They have taught me the meaning of unconditional love and what it means to have extraordinary strength in the face of adversity.

I have learned that Nescafe is really bad coffee and eating chicken legs for lunch every day for 6 months is very tiring.

As my time drew to an end I was often asked why I was returning to America. People come to Israel to live and could not imagine a better life. In many ways it is better. It is such a small country, that to live more then an hour from your family seems like a vast chasm. Yet the same pulls that exist for them exist for me. I need more then emails and grainy Skype images. I need to be able to hug the people I love and for this reason I must return. America is my home but part of my heart will always remain in Israel and with the children of Alyn. I am forever grateful for a country that was willing to embrace a battered soul and make it whole again. I have learned so many life lessons over the past several years. I have experienced the affirmation of love, support and extraordinary friendship. Would I have chosen this path? Never! But I do think I am a better person because of my experiences, a better parent (well ok, maybe I was already good at that) and a better friend. I surrendered all of my security in coming to Israel. I gave up my family, friends, home and job. I have much rebuilding to do but I look to the future expectantly and I am happy and excited.

Thank you all of my blog followers for keeping in touch and keeping me encouraged. I hope you enjoyed reading about my adventures. I love all my family and friends.

Starting my Goodbyes

It is hard to believe that almost 6 months have gone by and I am starting to say my goodbyes to new friends. My experiences here have been wonderful. I can honestly say that I did not have one bad day here. It really is a country of miracles.

I have been living and working with a number of girls in their early 20's. There is a large number of young people that come to Israel to volunteer from Germany. Basically they come here because of their country's history with the Jews. They are young, intelligent and ambitious people and it has been a pleasure to get to know them. One of the girls I have lived with the longest, Amalia, recently described me to her friend as "like the mother of the house without all the annoying stuff". It was such a compliment and I really love her for it!

So last night the girls decided to take me out. It is hard to find an evening when none of us is working or has other plans but we set our sights on the evening and it was great. I found myself out with 1 American, 2 South Africans, 1 Israeli, 1 German and 1 Yemenite. How long would I have to hang around Olney to gather such a diverse group of friends?

Our first event of the evening was a great discussion. Eliana has a friend that is Israeli and works for the Foreign Service. He is extremely knowledgeable on Middle East affairs and came to our home to talk to us. Eliana has a nice flair for hosting and we sat outside on our little patio with coffee and cake and spent 2 hours discussing and solving the problems of the Middle East. It was interesting and enlightening. Thank you Yossi!

From there, we went downtown to a hummus restaurant. The weather could not have been ordered better. We schlepped tables and chair to the sidewalk and sat sharing hummus and mugging for the camera. The food was delicious and we had a great time. We then took a short walk to an outdoor jazz club and had dessert while sitting outside enjoying the music. It was a completely perfect evening and I will miss my new friends. I found myself looking up at the sky and just savoring the evening. I want to keep it embedded in my mind forever- it was that good. I hope they will all come visit me when I get settled in my new home.

Next week the hospital is planning a goodbye for me and I am sure a few tears will be shed but it will be bittersweet. While I have loved every minute here I am starting to really miss everyone at home and I am ready to return.

Pictures: Me with (left to right Lina (Germany), Bat El (Yemen) and Amalia (US). Next, me with my roommate Eliana (South Africa) followed by Eliana and Anneri (also from South Africa). Next myslef and Amalia, followed by the group at the jazz club (L to R- Lina, Bat El, Cipi (Israeli), Amalia, me, Anneri and Eliana. The next picture is Amalia's camera case which I thought was a riot and lastly our little group at the hummus restaurant.

Sue the tour guide

Wow! What a whirlwind week. I met my friend Robin when we were both working at Washington Adventist Hospital and pregnant with our first children. We gave birth within 5 days of each other and have been friends ever since. Robin decided to brave international travel alone, leaving Chuck behind to watch the dog and hopped on a plane to visit me. She arrived by sherut Thursday evening, right to my door. I had gone to the market and bought a great bread and made soup, figuring that she would be tired. We ate a nice dinner in my home and caught up a bit.

The next day we got up early and started touring. Since it was Friday, I was in a hurry to get going before things started closing down for Shabbat, plus, because of a scheduling mix up, I had to work from 3pm to 8pm. So by 8:30 we were on the road to Yad Vashem and were one of the first tourists of the day. We spent several hours there then rushed over to the kotel since I had made a reservation for her to tour the tunnels under the wall. It is a great tour, one I encourage everyone to do. It gives a great history of the second temple and is the area of the holiest spot for Jews. We gulped a sandwich sitting on the steps and she joined the tour while I sat outside and enjoyed some quiet solitude at the wall. It would be the last quiet moments for a few days.

We then went back to my place where she rested and I went off to work. Robin later joined me to meet my children at the hospital and visit. When I got off from work, we walked down a dark and windy road (making a couple of mistakes along the way) to En Kerem, where there are some good restaurants open on Shabbat. We had great salads, fish and wine, ending her first full day in Israel.

The next morning we were up bright and early again for a tour to Masada and the Dead Sea. We took a bus tour. First we stopped at the Ahava skin care outlet at the Dead Sea and stocked up on lotions and potions. Then we toured Masada, a site where Jews defended themselves against Roman conquerors and rather then be taken, a group of 10 men were chosen to kill all the others (937) and then one was chosen to kill the other 9 then he jumped from the mountain. Grizzly story but they chose freedom. It is also the site of Adam Goldstone's bar mitzvah. It was fun to see the place where we held the service. Hard to believe that it was almost 16 years ago. After Masada we went floating in the Dead Sea. What a hoot! We returned home, rested a few minutes, then when Shabbat ended, took the bus to Ben Yehuda street to wander and eat shwarma. We stopped at a coffee shop and sat and solved all the problems of the world, sipping coffee and eating pastry for several hours.

Sunday, busy again. We started off at Hadassah Hospital to see the Chagall windows. From there we went to the Israel Museum to see the Dead Sea scrolls and other sights. Lastly. we ended up at the kotel and then the market. We bought some goodies for dinner and brought it home to share with my roommates. It was a nice evening together with everyone.

Monday we were up early (once again) and rented a car. This was my first experience driving in Israel, but thanks to a GPS, it was fine. We drove straight to Abu Goosh for an early lunch. It is a small Arab village outside of Jerusalem, famous for it's hummus. We were treated like royalty as the owner wanted us to try various items. We left stuffed. We then continued to Haifa. We wanted to see the Bahai Gardens but had missed the public tour. We saw a group approaching for a private tour, and being shy like I am, I went up to the guide and asked if we could join them. They readily said yes so we got to tag along. As it turned out, they were a group of American nurses and paramedics in Israel, studying Israel's emergency response systems (which unfortunately they are good at). So we fit in perfectly since I am a nurse and Robin is a respiratory therapist. The gardens were beautiful and we got to learn about their faith. By then it was after 7 so we walked directly to the German Colony and had a nice leisurely dinner.

But no rest for us! The next morning we were up early again. We went to visit the port of Caesaria and toured Herrod's ruins there. We then went on to Tel Aviv, had lunch in an outdoor cafe and got on Segway's! We had so much fun (ok, we each crashed once). We zipped up and down the Jaffa Port, learning history and having a great time. We crawled back to our hotel, showered and went out for pizza and salad and ended a great week. The next morning I dropped Robin at the airport and drove back to Jerusalem.

We had an amazing time travelling together. She got to see the country I love and we got to visit. I realized how much I miss my friends. I am in the last couple of weeks of my adventure. I am now looking forward to seeing my family and friends again at home. I return in several weeks. Aside from work, I will be attending an Yemenite Seder with Brinda and Ami which should be interesting. I hope to see my nephews again too before I leave. I will keep everyone posted.

Interesting observation: Israeli's use their car horns freely. I was beeped at once/day. Not bad for driving in the country for the first time!

Pictures from top: On the Segways in Tel Aviv, At Caesaria, the Bahai Gardens, dinner with the girls, floating in the Dead Sea, mud bath at the Dead Sea, site of Adam's Bar Mitzvah on Masada, view of the Dead Sea. Enjoy!

Family and friends

Well I barely had time to do my laundry and I was out and running again with family and friends.

Jerusalme hosted it's first ever food festival in the old city. I went to 2 friends from the hospital and we had such a nice time. The weather was perfect and there is nothing as beautiful as the old city at night. There were food vendors outside the Jaffa Gate as well as in all the quarters within the old city walls. We walked around and tasted different cheeses and breads, lemonade and granolas. We also tried some fresh almonds from the trees. The almond (as we are used to seeing them) were encased in a crunchy green covering. It was served with sprinkled salt on it. We quickly decided that it tasted like eating a tree but I am always up for a food adventure so I am glad we tried it. We ended the evening at a cafe hearing about Cipi's bad date. We had a great time together and I am thankful for my young friends!

Two days later I got to meet some of my cousins who were visiting Jerusalem. They had taken a trip with their synagogue to Budapest then Israel. Brinda and Ami picked me up and took me to meet them in the old city where we shopped in the Arab shuk. From there we went out to dinner near the German Colony. I had a great evening and appreciate having them all in my life.

The very next day Donna's parents (my daughter-in-law) came to Jerusalem. They came to my home and I was able to show them where I work and live. As I have mentioned, it is important to me that others bear witness to what I am doing and to meet the children that I have come to love. We went to lunch near the hospital and then on to the Menachem Begin musuem which was very interesting. From there we took a ride north of Tel Aviv to see their homes, one in Ramat HaSharon and the other at the sea in Hertzilleya (spelled entirely wrong). We had a fun ride up there and I really enjoy their company. We went out to dinner at the marina and then they dropped me at Brinda's home to sleep for the night. It was a great day spent with great people.

I am now back in Jerusalem and working for a couple of days until my friend Robin arrives in Israel. I will post again after my adventures with her. All is well here and I am having the time of my life!

Pictures from top: Me with Donna's family: Ruth, Avi, Romy and Shelly. Next me with the cousins Rance, Sheryl, Josh and Gary and lastly me with the girlfriends Amalia and Cipi!

Europe!

Back to blogging! Sit back and relax because this is a long posting. I have had a wonderful vacation with Zach and have met my match for travelling adventures. Zach flew to Israel and we began our trip in Jerusalem. We walked around the old city and went to the kotel. From there we met Brinda and Ami for dinner at a nice fish restaurant. It was a cold evening in Jerusalem, hopefully one of the last for the winter. The next morning we got up and drove to Kfar Malal to see the family there. Zach had rented a car when he arrived in Israel which made travel on Shabbat wonderful! No standing around waiting for a sherut for us. He also downloaded a map of Israel onto his GPS so no getting lost either. It was a pleasure. We spent the day there. Zach had rented a car when he arrived in Israel which made travel on Shabbat wonderful! No standing around waiting for a sherut for us. He also downloaded a map of Israel onto his GPS so no getting lost either. It was a pleasure. We spent the afternoon visiting with Tal and his family, Shai and Yaacov. We had a great lunch served by Natalie who is a wonderful cook. We were entertained by the children and we got to see the new store that Tal and Yaacov are opening. They sell hot tubs, trampolines, play ground equipment and saunas. It was such a nice day and I enjoyed introducing Zach to all of the children and we got to see the new store that Tal and Yaacov are opening.

That evening we returned to Jerusalem and strolled along Ben Yehuda Street. Sunday we went to visit Yad Vashem. To me, it explains in ways which words cannot, why Israel is so important. We spent several hours there. After our visit, we went to the hospital where I am volunteering. It was also important to me to show Zach where I am working and introduce him to my children. Even though I am just a volunteer, I feel my work is of value and that I am contributing to the country and the hospital. Zach can now understand first hand, why this is important to me and why I feel the need to see my commitment through to the end. After visiting the hospital we went back to the old city with my roommate Eliana and had lunch at a wonderful hummus restaurant (Lena’s) in the Arab shuk. I made reservations for Zach to tour the tunnels under the wall and he was able to enjoy seeing the kotel at night which is an amazing sight.

Monday morning we walked to the market in the old city and shopped for our lunch. We then got in the car and drove to Caesara. Caesara is a beautiful Roman settlement on the Mediterranean Sea. It has been excavated and we roamed around the cisterns, coliseum and baths admiring the mosaics. We ate our picnic lunch on the beach which consisted of olives, cheese, dates, humantashen, stuffed grape leaves and wine. We ended the day in Haifa, a beautiful port city north of Tel Aviv.

Tuesday we got up and decided to explore northern Israel. Our first stop was Tiberias. I remember this town as an exciting port filled with shops and restaurants. When we got there, it was pretty closed down. I don’t know if it was too early in the day or too early in the season but it was quiet so we decided to hop in the car and continue north to Sefad. You may remember from an earlier post that I spent a night in Sefad where I bought Adam and Donna their wedding present. We had lunch overlooking the city and explored the ancient streets. Zach bought himself a kippa and necklaces for his daughters. We returned to Haifa and had dinner at a great Swiss/French restaurant near the hotel. The next morning we wandered the Bahai Gardens and then headed for Tel Aviv. Zach had a meeting and I took the opportunity to shop for a bathing suit (or 2) and to spend some time at the beach soaking up a little sun. We ended our time in Israel strolling the streets of Tel Aviv, eating ice cream.

The next morning we hoped a flight to Basel Switzerland for a quick stopover. The airport was interesting because it was located within 2 countries. We spent some time traversing Switzerland and France until we got our bearings and made it to the hotel. We went in to the little town for dinner. Switzerland is crazy expensive. We had dinner in a cafeteria style Thai restaurant where I had a bowl of soup for $30. There was nothing special about the soup except for the price. Friday morning we caught an early flight to Lisbon Portugal. What a wonderful city! We checked in to a quaint hotel in the center of town with a sweeping staircase, stained glass windows and beautiful fresco ceilings. We dropped our bags and began exploring this great city. Our first order of business was lunch. We quickly came across a restaurant which was packed with locals which was all the endorsement we needed. We discovered that not a word of English was spoken by the staff. We pointed to a dish and asked what it was (seafood stew) which apparently was taken as an order by us. We were seated in the middle of a long table with people on either side of us. There was one waiter and he kept hurrying by us. We were captivated by the commotion and the strangers on either side of us and were wondering when we would be given menus. After about 15 minutes, we then discovered that the stew was being prepared and they were wondering why we would want menus since we had already ordered. Anyway, lucky for us, the food we had inadvertently ordered was delicious. It was such a fun experience.

We spent the remainder of the day walking around the city. The buildings are exquisite and people in Lisbon seem to take their leisure time seriously. Every few feet (literally), there was a pastry shop. For the price of a cup of coffee, you could spend the day sitting and watching the world go by. We became hooked on a specialty pastry, a flaky shell filled with custard (de Nato….not a good thing to be hooked on, but we were on vacation). Saturday morning we took Tram 28 to the thieves market. The thieves market is a giant flea market filled with every imaginable thing from clothing to old electronics. If you want to be able to listen to your old 8 track tapes, this is the place to get a “new” 8 track tape player. It was fun to wander.

Sunday we found a pedestrian mall by the sea and wandered, ate and shopped. We sat looking out at the sea surrounded by beautiful statues and archways dating back to the 1700’s. We went into a church from 900 AD. History takes on a new meaning here. We sat outside for a lunch of lamb chops and were entertained by the parade of people and street vendors nearby. Monday we hopped back on a plane to Madrid Spain. Again we were dazzled by the buildings, people and food. We wandered through the botanical gardens and rented a row boat. We floated around and enjoyed the sights. Ask Zach why my oar was not in the water.

We stopped in the Ritz hotel, which was amazing, and had some coffee. We listened to a man and a woman in the lobby of the hotel interviewing families for a boarding school in New England. For the low price of $14,000/month you could send your prodigy to live and study there. Shipping the polo pony would be extra. Tuesday morning we got up and went to the Royal Palace (Placio Del Real). This 3,000 room palace was amazing to see. Obviously we were only allowed to see a few of the rooms, one more gilded then the next. We roamed the apothecary and the armory. It was definitely worth seeing.

The afternoon was spent window shopping and seeing the sights of the city. For dinner we went to a paella restaurant (Paella De Reine) which was wonderful. We had such a nice meal. Wednesday we woke to rainy weather so decided to go to the Prado museum for the morning. We wandered around works of art by Rembrandt and Reubens. For dinner we went for sushi and then tapas hopping. The food is fresh and delicious and the tapas allow you to try a variety of different things.

Thursday we flew to Milan Italy and planned to take a train to Lake Como. We got on the wrong train but a kind conductor took pity on us hapless American’s and when the train stopped, escorted us to the right one and spoke to the conductor on our behalf. This was done without a word of English being spoken, just a lot of waving hands and tickets. It ended up being a good mistake and we arrived at Lake Como about an hour earlier than we would otherwise have. We checked into a beautiful old hotel in the center of town. We had a pizza lunch (the authentic kind) and then took the funicular (cable car) to a small hamlet which overlooked the lake. We wandered the streets, looked in on an amazing old church and sat down on a bench outside the church enjoying the quiet and sunshine. In fact, we were so relaxed that we both feel asleep on the bench. We were surprised when we awoke, that nobody had dropped some Euros in our laps. We stopped at a local restaurant/pub for some mineral water and I somehow got talked into trying limoncello, a lemon flavored liquor- really good!

We had so much fun on our return trip down the funicular. We found ourselves packed in with many local octogenarians heading into town. They tried talking to us but they spoke no English and we no Italian so they entertained us by singing. It was so much fun- a real slice of life. People in Italy just seem so happy! Friday we tried a new experience and got up at the crack of dawn to take a high speed boat and then a ferry to another city along the lake to take a cooking class. We were met by the chef who picked us up at the dock and drove us through hairpin turns up the side of the Alps to his restaurant where we joined 5 other couples for a day long class. We learned how to make several kinds of pasta and sauces. Wine flowed freely and a great time was had by all. Of course we got to eat what we cooked and left the town happy and stuffed. During the course of the afternoon, the chef’s 86 year old father stopped by on his motorcycle. Italy definitely seems like the place to retire! Saturday was another beautiful day so we decided to go city hopping along the lake. We stopped to see a hotel that my aunt and uncle used to frequent and met some old friends of theirs. From here we went to several other villages on the lake, had lunch at a beautiful outdoor café and spent the day seeing which way the wind would blow us. It was a great way to end our trip.

For dinner we took the funicular back up to the hamlet for dinner in the local restaurant. Zach wanted me to taste Grappa which is a liquor made from the leftover grapes after wine is made. When Zach ordered 2 grappa’s the waiter gave him a dubious look, indicating that he didn’t think the lady would enjoy it. Well he was right! I took one taste of Zach’s grappa and elected to have another limoncello instead. I guess the singing octogenarians were asleep because we had a quiet and uneventful trip down the mountain. Sunday we took the train (the right one this time) to Geneva, enjoying the sights of the Alps along the way. We knew we were back in Switzerland when we paid 4 Euros (about $6) for an 8 oz bottle of seltzer water. The trip will end tomorrow when Zach returns to the US and I to Israel. I have another 5 weeks to my adventure and hope to make the most of each day with family and friends.

I hope I was able to convey the essence of this trip. We really had a wonderful time together and enjoy exploring the same way. We got to mingle with the locals and beat our own path. We have wonderful memories of our time together and of some amazing cities and experiences. I am now heading back to Israel, and no doubt, heightened security in the wake of a recent terrorist bombing in Jerusalem. It took place at a bus stop that I have stood at and I pray for the woman who lost her life and the others that were injured. I will however fulfill my commitment to the children of Alyn Hospital and the people of Israel. Thank you for your patience as you read this long posting. I hope all my family and friends at home are well. I miss everyone and look forward to seeing everyone in May.

My pictures are from bottom to top as follows: The market in Jerusalem, Caseareas, lunch in Lisbon, thieves market in Lisbon, with Zach in Caseareas, the communications building in Lisbon, gardens, the Royal Palace in Madrid, tea at the Ritz in Madrid, flying over the Alps, the funicular at Lake Como, the church at the top of the lake.

This and that

Well I have been busy again. Today I went back to Hadassah Hospital for a private tour which was wonderful. I got to see the Emergency Dept and the critical care areas. It is interesting. The hospital is in the process of building a new wing for the 100 year anniversary. If anyone has a spare $250 million, they could use it. The new tower will hold the surgical suites an an additional 500 beds, giving it 1800 beds in total. They have a new mother and child tower too. I was told that they have 20 births/day there. Judging by the number of pregnant women I see here, I would have thought there would be more births so I am thinking there are other hospitals for this too. The entire emergency area can be closed off in the event of a bombing or chemical attack. Air and water supplies will last 3 weeks.

I also have gone out with some of my new friends several times recently. My new friends are 20 year old girls. I think it is so sweet that they want to include me in their adventures. They are all younger then my youngest child! We have a great time together. Last week Amalia and I decided to explore Mea Sherim, an untra orthodox area of Jerusalem. We dressed for the occasion, both in long skirts and long sleeve tops. The rule is no knees, elbows or collarbones showing. We wandered up and down the street and we both bought skirts. It is the place to buy skirts but if you want slacks- fergetaboutit! We then went into a pizza place for a bite to eat. Typically the ultra orthodox have large families so we entered this restaurant to a huge balagon (commotion). There was a room off to the side, with a sign announcing "for men only" where men sat quietly eating their dinners undisturbed. The main area was packed with women and children. It seemed that each woman had 6 children and so eating there was quite an experience. The place was not particularly clean, the pizza was not so great but the experience- priceless.

Yesterday I got up at 6:00am and went to work. I then came home and soon turned around and went out with the girls again. We went down to the Western Wall. I have been there a number of times since I've come to Israel but never at night. It was a beautiful evening with a warm breeze. The area is lit up and magical. Because it was the start of a new month, there was a celebration going on with hundreds of people singing and dancing. It was special. From there we walked outside the old city and had a bite to eat in a cafe then headed home. It was terrific but this old lady was exhausted when I finally climbed into bed at around 10:30. We are now in the process of planning a Yemen dinner. One of the girls that works at the Bayit Cham with me (one of the paid staff) is from Yemen and we decided it would be fun to try to re-create some of their native dishes so I will let you know how it goes. From the little research I've done, it seems to be close to Ethiopian food which I've had and enjoyed.

Pictures from the top- One of the trauma bays in the ED at Hadassah Hospital, the next 3 pictures are from last night at the wall with the girls and the bottom 2 pictures are of my evening with Amalia at Mea Sherim.

Hadassah Hospital

Today I decided to visit Hadassah Hospital and see the synagogue with the Chagall windows. Hadassah Hospital is located in Jerusalem and is a world renowned center for treatment and research. When I look out my bedroom window I can see it. It is not far from me but I am separated from it by a deep valley. I am on one side of a mountain and the hospital is on another mountainside across from me. It is large, beautiful and imposing. It is a labyrinth of buildings with 850 beds. In 1962, when Israel was a fledgling state, Marc Chagall was commissioned to create 12 stained glass windows for the synagogue. It is truly a beautiful sight.

So I walked about a mile to a bus stop that took me directly to the hospital. Along the way I saw almond trees in bloom which smell so nice. The Israeli version of forsythia is also in bloom now so spring must be on it's way. Actually it was about 60 degrees today so a great day for a walk. I got off the bus and entered the hospital through the wrong doors and got completely lost in the hospital. As often works out though, it was in my best interest. I passed right by the Henrietta Szold School of Nursing. For my 40th birthday, my mother had bought me a life membership with the Woman's Zionist Organization, Hadassah, which supports, among other things, the hospital. I, in turn, joined the Hadassah Nurses Council in Maryland. Part of our fundraising activities goes specifically to the education of nurses here. So I was very glad that I stumbled upon it. I went in and took some pictures. I eventually made my way to the synagogue and opened the door to come face-to-face with an orthodox service in progress. A sea of Orthodox Jewish men stared up at me and I quickly shut the door and went around to the women's section. I stayed for the last 30 minutes of the service which was a nice thing to do.

I got to enjoy seeing the windows and hearing about what each pane depicts. In the 1967 war four of the windows were shattered when a bomb landed nearby. Chagall was notified and wrote to the prime minister that he should take care of the war and Chagall would take care of the windows. In one of the replaced windows, he placed a piece of shrapnel from the bombing which I thought was quite poignant. After the tour of the synsgogue I was talking to one of the tour guides and I told her about my affiliation with the Hadassah Nurses Council and how I would love a tour of the hospital. She is arranging it for me next week and I am very excited. I hope to be able to see the ED and the ICU's.

I feel like I am really running out of time here which is a little sad. There is so much to do, see and experience. This coming week I hope to go to Mea Shearim to see the ultra orthodox sect that lives there. I plan to go with my roommate friend Amalia. We both need to dress in long conservative skirts and long sleeve shirts. It should be an experience. I may also take a quick run up to Tel Aviv to buy a new bathing suit. I forgot to pack one to come here. When Robin visits we are going to the Dead Sea so I need something. I also got a call from a cousin (actually one of Roy's) who is coming to Israel with his family and wants to get together. They arrive the very day that I return from my Europe trip. Three days after they leave, Robin and her daughter come for a week and Donna's parents will also be here for 2 weeks. So as you can see, I will be very busy starting next week and continuing for 5 weeks. I will try to be good about posting though. I hope all is well with my friends and family at home. I miss you!

My interesting observation: The people of Israel are very laid back and easy going. It is rare that you see anyone in a shirt and tie and everything is informal. Yet they become sticklers with stupid (in my opinion of course) things, like admission to a museusm. I stopped at the Hertzl museum last week and could not go in because I did not have a reservation! Craziness.

My pics: The top ones are, obviously, the Chagall windows, followed by some shots of the School of Nursing and lastly, some of the flowers that are in bloom at the moment. Enjoy!

Wandering

Well I've been a bad girl and hae not been keeping up my blog. Part of the reason is because I have been staying close to home and saving my shekels for my next Europe trip. I still have been getting out though and I have been enjoying my time.

One of the great things about being here, in general, is the fact that I have free time to explore. When not at the hospital, I am not bogged down with the day to day stuff of life. No real grocery shopping, dry cleaning stops, overdue library books, banking etc etc that suck away time. All I have to take care of is myself and that is easy. So on some of my days off I start out in one direction and end up in a totally different place. Last week I decided that I was going to catch one of the rampart walks in the Old City. So I was standing at the bus stop to go exploring, when one of my co-workers at the hospital was driving by. He stopped and asked me if I wanted a ride someplace. I told him where I was going and he dropped me at the central bus station. From there I could have taken one of several buses to the area I needed. I decided instead to walk and, although I never made it to the ramparts, I did have a great day. I walked by the market place but did not go in because I didn't want to be tempted and end up schlepping stuff all over the place. It was nice to go by though. It had rained the day before and the smells were so crisp and wonderful. I passed Ben Yehuda street and kept going. From there I got lost but kept walking until I found the German Colony. I walked up and down the streets there which were filled with shops and restaurants. I stopped in a sushi restaurant and enjoyed that for the first time since I came to Israel. Yum! I ended up walking for over 6 hours. I never got to the ramparts but I did get to see much of the city on foot and enjoyed the day tremendously.

I went out with Brinda and Ami on two different Shabbats. One weekend they picked me up in Jerusalem and took me to the Islamic Museum. It was interesting to learn a little bit about a religion that has 1 billion followers. Also housed within this museum was a clock museum. It was amazing- filled with clocks and watches that were one of a kind. Such jewels on them and such interesting histories. One watch was commissioned for Marie Antoinette. Unfortunately for her, she died before it was finished. From there we went for a nice lunch in the city. There are a few restaurants open of Shabbat in Jerusalem but not many and they were doing a brisk business.

This past week I decided to go once again to Yad Vashem. I found a path behind the hospital that took me along a rode that I had never travelled. It overlooked some of the hills of the city. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed the walk. I stopped at the military cemetary nearby. It is Israel's version of Arlington. While Arlington is beautiful in it's starkness, Israel's cemetary is beautiful in the opposite way. All the graves are built above ground (I guess the stone is too hard to dig through) and each grave has a planter in front of it. It is traditional in Judiasm to light a memorial candle on the anniversary of a death and each grave has a little lantern by it to put a candle in. People also leave momentos to decorate the graves. I noticed that there were 7 or 8 graves with the same date of death on them, February 25, 1996. I went home and looked up the date and discovered that there had been a terrorist bombing on a bus that day and 45 people were killed including a number of soldiers. This Friday is the 15th anniversary of the bombing. Maybe I will take a walk up there to pay my respects.

Once again, this Shabbat I went to Brinda and Ami's home. On Saturday morning we got up leisurely and had a nice breakfast. We then took a ride to Givat Harakafot (Hill of Cyclamit). It is a nature preserve. We approached a grove of trees and within the grove, there was a ground cover of little pink flowers. We walked the entire perimeter of the grove and it was so nice. We then stopped in Zecharon Yaacov, a little town nearby. There was a pedestrian mall with shops and restaurants. In the area was the home of Sarah Aaronson, a young woman who spied for the British against the Turks and ended up commiting suicide rather then be captured. We ate in a restaurant that had formerly been the home on a farm. Ami's father worked on the farm when he first immigrated to Israel back in 1926 so that was pretty interesting.

We had a little Valentine's Day party at the house last week. It was for all the girls without boyfriends (Josh take note!). I was allowed to come since my boyfriend is 6000 miles away :-) Anyway, the girls are sweet and we dined on the floor with wine and strawberries, oranges and apples dipped in chocolate. It is fun hanging with the 20 year old girls. They are so nice to include an old lady.

Work at the hospital is going well however we have a new wave of illness going through the unit. When one child gets sick, it seems that they all do and some of them are pretty fragile. I am worried about my little buddy Raphael who is very compromised with his breathing on a good day. He is really struggling. It puts all other problems in perspective. I am getting another cold thanks to the kids but I am strong enough to fight it off easily. It is them I worry about.

So in 2 weeks Zach comes to Isreal and we begin our vacation through Israel, Lisbon, Madrid and Lake Como Italy. I am looking forward to the adventure and we have been emailing and skyping to get it planned which is something I love to do. After that, my friend Robin and her daughter are spending a week with me so I am busy planning that trip too. Life is an adventure and I am so glad I "surrendered security " to do this.

My observation for this week: some things are crazy expensive and some things unbelieveably cheap and there doesn't seem to be a pattern. A drugstore mascara is $30 but boots are only $20. Guess what I've bought?

My pictures are a bit out of order. The bottom and top are the Valentine's party. The picture in the middle is my day at the preserve with Brinda and Ami. I will try to be better about posting. Thanks for your patience and I miss everyone!

Istanbul!

Another wonderful trip. I was a little worried about getting to the airport for the trip. My plane left from the airport in Tel Aviv at 6:15am on Saturday morning. As you know from my previous blog, getting around without a car on Shabbat in this country can be tricky. I was going to have to leave my house at about 3:15am in order to be at the airport 2 hours in advance of the flight. I thought about renting a car or about staying at a hotel near the airport because I did not want to rely on a taxi or a sherut. In an extraordinary stroke of luck, I found out that Tal and Yaacov were leaving on a business trip and their plane was taking off from the same airport 5 minutes after mine! So, I left work Friday at about 2:00pm and was able to take the bus to their home before it stopped running for Shabbat. I felt like I started my vacation a day early. I spent the evening with Tal and his family. Dan and Tanya came over for dinner and we had a great time. I slept in Bar and Nofar's room and Tal woke me up at 3:00 and the 3 of us hopped in the car and went to the airport- no drama, worry or expense!

Unfortunately for Zach his travel was not as easy. He ended up at a lousy hotel the night before because of a pending snow storm. He travelled 9 hours one way, through 7 time zones and 11 hours back and into another snow storm. I kept reminding him to be wary of women he meets on the Internet. There was also a bomb scare on his plane that required them to go back to the gate and claim all their carryone luggage while the plane was searched.

So we both arrived in Istanbul within 90 minutes of each other and took a taxi to the old city where the hotel was located. I was very much surprised at how modern Istanbul really is. I had expected to see camels and and goats on the runway but all was clean, modern and efficient. The hotel was ideally situated, about a 5 minute walk to the blue mosque. We awoke every morning to the sound of the first of 5 calls to prayer which is broadcast throughout the city. We got to the hotel at about 10:00am and had breakfast then set out to see the city. We went to the Grand Bazaar. It is huge, encompasing about 60 city blocks filled with all kinds of crafts, jewelry and clothing. We wandered around and bought a few things. After a while all the things started looking the same. The merchants were not very aggressive which was nice. You could really shop without being too bombarded. From there we went to the spice market which sold spices (of course) along with cheeses, olives, fresh fish, meat and produce. To me it was similar to the shuk here in Israel. It was crowded with Turks doing their shopping.

The next day we went to the Blue Mosque, about 400 years old and a beautiful centerpiece to the city. Then we went to the Hagia Sofia museum which was quite an experience. First of all, it was massive. There were different buildings on the grounds of the museum so we wandered in and out of them. We saw jewels (an 86 carot necklace), the footprint of Muhamed and, to me, the most amazing thing- the staff of Moses. I know this sounds hard to believe but according to legend, there was a clear lineage for the staff until there was a fire in one of the places where it was being kept. It resurfaced eventually and is in this museum. It really captured my imagination thinking that this was the exact staff held high as the Red Sea parted. Whether true or not I found it fascinating to see. There were also the buildings where the sultans lived as well as his harems. I think that captured Zach's imagination!

We toured a church that was built 1500 years ago- that's history! The church eventually was converted to a mosque and is now open to the public for tours. Lastly we took a ride across the Bosphorus River to the new section of Istanbul. When you cross the river you are on the continent of Asia so I can now say I have been there too. This area has the Jewish quarter and we tracked down the synagogue that was bombed about 10-15 years ago. Zach's grandfather spent several years in Istanbul (then Constantinople) on his way to the US from Russia. It was nice for him to think that he was strolling the same streets that his family walked. On several occasions he was mistaken for a Turk. His daughters refer to him as the "universal ethnic" which I think is true. We also strolled along a modern shopping pedestrian mall looking at the stores and sights. We went up the Galata Tower and I discovered Zach's fear of heights when I saw him plastered against the wall. It was 1500 years old also and so the floor was not exactly level but it did have beautiful views of the city.

We found the food to be delicious and reasonably priced. We ate kebabs (although they call it kebap), eggplant, stuffed vine leaves, baklava and Turkish delight (a delicious gelatin dessert). We also drank strong Turkish tea and coffee and great Turkish wine. We found the people to be extremely nice. Service was great and accomodations good. The only problem was the weather which was a bit cold and rainy but we came prepared (at least I did) and we did fine. When we got cold we simply ducked into the 4 Seasons Hotel for a cup of tea and some ambiance. Not a bad place to fritter away some time.

I think we would both recommend travel to Turkey. It really was a great few days in a very interesting city.

The pictures are of the Hagia Sofia museum, the synagogue in the Jewish quarters, me in the Grand Bazaar, a view of the city from the museum, us (sideways sorry), me with Turkish tea and Turkish delight and the Blue Mosque. Enjoy!