This time of year in the Jewish calendar is one of reflection. The focus is on spiritual reflection but I find that I do more personal reflection. And as I walk the hills of Haifa I think a lot about being here: the ups and downs of the past 3 months and what the next 3 will hold.
Lately, before I get Aviva from gan, I take a few minutes to sit in this spot (which is basically across the way from her gan) and appreciate the view of the water, the boats, the sky that always seems to be blue and the fact that we are here. I know that I have shared the hard times we have had but I am glad we are in Israel. And even though we are only half way through our adventure, I already feel a tightness inside knowing that we will be leaving and I will no longer get to sit in this spot or walk the streets that were once so foreign but are now familiar and comfortable. I want to make the most of the next 3 months – and internalize as much as I can so that when I am back in Champaign I can close my eyes and be transported back to Haifa, even for a moment.
A little catch up
School for Millie and Aviva seems to be going well. Aviva is adjusting better to gan and she is doing some great activities. Her teachers are very kind and they tell us she is starting to say some things in Hebrew. Last Friday she was the Shabbat Queen (“She’s your shabbat queen to be…..” – comment if you get that reference!), and she has been learning about Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. She is also very excited for her gan sukkah that they are decorating. Here are some photos from her gan (we get pictures nearly everyday of the kids, via the WhatsApp group).
Millie likes her school and I think she enjoys all of the different subjects and activities. She is in the after school program, which for now she is either on a computer or running around outside. But starting October they have specific activities that the kids signed up for. There was a big fair at school last Friday for signing up, and it was quite the event with music, snacks, face painting. Millie chose fencing and learning about life in the sea as her two activities. She also had a beautiful Rosh Hashana celebration.
Speaking of Rosh Hashana, we spent the first day with my relatives in a neighborhood called Kirkur, about 45 minutes from Haifa. It was great. I met a few cousins for the first time, got to talk to Michal (who is my mom’s first cousin) about her mom who came to Israel in 1934.
Now, it is just about time for Yom Kippur, (the day of atonement). It is quiet. Tomorrow, we have been told, that because there will be virtually no cars on the road, that kids play/people walk in the street (there is no school and most things are closed). I will walk to a synagogue about 35 minutes away, but I think I will still stick to the sidewalks.
Keeping It Israel 