Thursday, June 25, 2009

TA in NY?!

I forgot-- this past Sunday there was a "Tel Aviv Beach" in Central Park. It was a "beach" (read: large sandbox) with chairs, umbrellas, and matkot. There was a DJ and some live music, info about Israel and TA, and free popsicles!

The NY --> Israel group had out monthly meeting there instead of Starbucks.

Look-- pictures!



On the way to the "beach"-- lots of people already

The sun trying to come out, sort of. The rain held off until the event was pretty much over. Thanks, G-d!


Dana and Ilana posing by the giant arrow (it was right before you entered the event...in case you missed the people or music or got lost between there and the entrance 10 feet away)


The skyline


Obligatory NY protesters-- at least there were no Neturei Karta this time


A small version of the plane I will be on when I make aliyah


The Tel Aviv sandbox beach in Central Park


In case you thought you might actually be in TA (you know, with the skyline and beach), they put up a sign to let you know where you are


One of the early bands


Classic photo-- middle-aged Israeli woman sitting in a beach chair under an umbrella, holding a cigarette


they had no chocolate-banana anything :(


The girls-- Me, Dana, Ilana, and Vered


This was cute-- my popsicle dripped in the shape of a smiley face. Could not have done it if I wanted to or had tried.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Spoke to NBN today. They said that they won't have the NBN December flight date until after the chagim.
I also checked my NBN application status and there are still a few things pending JA approval. I emailed Shai to see what's going on with that and Etzion.

Monday, June 22, 2009

סיכום, המשך מ-04.06.09, ועדכון

סיכום מלפני: דברתי עם הסופרויזר שלי--מארי-ג'ו--

המשך: ואמרתי משהו בקשר ללימודים לתואר שלישי-- שיש לי פקרופסור שרוצה שאני אעשה את התואר איתו, אבל הוא בארץ. והיא ענתה, אבל זה לא בעיה בשבילך, נכון? אמרתי לה שאני צריכה לעשות קורס אינטנסיבי בעברית לפני הלימודים-- נסיתי להכנס לקורס שבקיץ הזה אבל לא הצלחתי, והקורס הבא בחורף אבל אני לא יודעת אם יקבלו אותי. היא אמרה אוקיי, ולעדכן אותה מתי שיש לי עוד אינפורמציה.

עדכון: אני מחליפה בתי-ספר. יש בעיות עם הטיב של האויר ובגלל זה יש לי (ולאחרים) כאבי-ראש שנעלמים שעה אחרי שאני יוצאת מהבית-ספר. נסיתי מאפריל להחליף לבית-ספר אחר לכמה ימים. לא נתנו לי. אבל במאי שלחו הסופרויזרים פירסום של מקומות פתוחים, בחרתי כמה מהם והיו לי ראיונים. התקבלתי ל4 בתי-ספר אבל קבלתי כאב-ראש מאחד, יש הרבה לחץ באחד, ויש עוד שנים שאני רוצה. יש לי עוד ראיון ביום שלישי-- אבל זה לא קשור לנקודה של הפוסט הזה.
אמרתי לסופרויזר שלי שיש אפשרות שאתקבל לקורס האינטנסיבי בעברית-- ואם מקבלים אותי, אני עוזבת באמצע השנה. היא שאלה אותי מתי אני מדברת לעזוב, עניתי לה שבקורס מתחיל בינואר, אז אחרי החופש בחורף, אבל לא אשמעה עד הסתו. והיא אמרה שזה בסדר, כי יש מרפאים חדשים שבאים בינואר, ולעדכן אותה כאני יודעת.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

real quick note before I type up the posts that I have to continue...

from A Soldier's Mother: beautifully written post about what Israel is really like...for those of you who think Israel is this horrible, war-torn country with people waiting to blow themselves up and constant rocket sirens-- it's not: http://israelisoldiersmother.blogspot.com/2009/06/whats-it-actually-like-in-israel.html

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Warning: Emotional Girl Ahead...

This sucks.
As it gets closer to when I planned on leaving, it gets harder to be here...I had wanted to go at the beginning of July-- about a week before Etzion starts the summer session. That would have been the July 6 flight. And now I'm not.
I miss it...6 more months, that what I keep telling myself...but it feels like it's been 6 months for ages and ages...which it has...since I decided to push it off by 6 months! That doesn't change!
I don't get it...why do I miss it so much? I never missed NY this much when I was in Israel-- and I'm from NY!
I was interviewing somebody yesterday, and he said something about Israelis being tough. I said Americans aren't always so easy to deal with either. But then I said, "But Israelis will help you." And that's what it is. I miss the sense of family, of caring, of everybody looking out for you and being willing to help you.
One of the amazing things that I am discovering is that the second I identify myself as in the process of making aliyah, it's like-- "Mazal tov, when?" And then I ask a question and get answers and references...I mean, I went to get stuff translated and notarized. I was talking to the lawyer who did them (because in Israel only lawyers are notaries-- and the fees are insane, but that's another story) gave me the name and number of her friend who is a veteran olah and also an occupational therapist. I have somewhere around 10 occupational therapists that I am in touch with. I have met most of them once or maybe twice. And all of them, both the native Israelis and olim, are willing to answer any questions I have and give me other people to contact-- even the lawyer I went to for document translation and notarization says, "Oh, I have a friend who's an olah vatikah [veteran immigrant] who's an OT-- here's her name and number, call her." Really? That's amazing. It's a country made up of immigrants that did not exist 62 years ago.
People say, "You're making aliyah? From America? You crazy?"-- and they say this in English. Translated it means, "You're crazy-- welcome home, you'll fit right in to this place. When are you coming for dinner? [if you're single, this next sentence applies as well] I have a boy/girl for you."

It's a jumbled mix of emotions...hang on

Monday, June 8, 2009

I know, I have to continue my last post...it's on my to-do list.

But before that, a couple quick sentences about where I will be living: Beit Canada. It sounds like a shithole in the middle of nowhere...really. Everything ends with, "...but you deal." Not so optimistic...oh, Ulpan Etzion, I wish you were still in Baka...but I'll deal...יהיה בסדר...oh Israel...how I wish I was there.
ששה חודשים!

Friday, June 5, 2009

SQUEEEEE!

Sorry, this one needs to go in Hebrew...if you want a translation, let me know.
דברתי עם הסופרויזר שלי היום-- היה לכל הבתי-ספר בעיר ניו יורק יום ל"התפתחות פרופסיונלי" --אז הסופרויזרות (?) לברונקס עשו פגישה למראפים בעישוק-- היה ארוכת בוקר, נתנו לנו הערכות לבתי-ספר שלנו-- היה סתם פגישה רגוע לסוף השנה-- ממש נעים, ואלף-אחוז יותר טוב מלהיות בבית-ספר מ0810 עד 1520-- התחלנו ב0900 ויצאנו ב1200 -- איזה יופי , נכון?

to be continued...