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!