- Last Tuesday after working at shalva, i went into town to the ministry of absorption , misrad haklita to give them my bank info so that they could put in'sal; haklita" the money that the government gives to all new olim. Of course there was a wait...but it was enjoyable as other people from my flight were there and we were able to shmooze....i was also supposed to get my voucher for ulpan, but as i wasn't sure which ulpan i wanted to go to...i have to go back for a voucher...now i'm still trying to contact the people in ulpana mitchell, on rechov sorotzkin to see if i can go there..i'll think i'll try and start after the chagim...(holidays)..
after that i went looking for cell phone stores, as i had my brother in laws, old big cell phone with a new pin card in it with my new number....of course i couldn't find the stores that i were told was there...so i asked a proprietress of a store if she knew where they were...she left her store to ask the neighboring store and when she still didn't get a decent answer, she went back to store to call her son that works in the cellular company that i'm using...he said yes, it's cheaper to do it this way, and told her where there are stores...after ward the lady directed me how to get there...as i had forgotten...as they say only in israel would a stranger be so helpful...and of course she wished me a shanah tova...(good year!)..only in israel do the buses also flash a shanah tova...on their revolving sign that says their root..
so i bought a not fancy cell phone...it wasn't cheap...and the guy inserted my card...advice for future olim...if you know of a phone that you really like, make sure it's "quad band" and get it unlocked and bring it with you, and then just get a new sim card here like i did...on my travels to get a phone, a guy brought in two phones and asked to have them unlocked...one was like 80 shekels and one was 100. shek...not too bad..however, another guy brought in a phone, it may have been an i-phone, and he said he couldn't unlock it...so make sure if you buy a phone in us and bring it..that all these conditions are met.. anyway, my phone is a cute nokia flip...but seems at little less advanced than my nokia flip was in usa that i bought 2-3 years ago...the camera is really bad...i could have gotten nicer phone at the fair that came together with a plan...but the plan only had 200 outgoing minutes for 135 shek...and add 100 shek for every extra 100 minutes and i was scared that it wouldn't be enough... so my card has 400 outgoing minutes at 135 shek, but nothing fancy like Internet...
anyway, after that there was this great nbn event in town that i rushed over too..."a toast with the mayor of Jerusalem" in the beautiful beit safra municipality building...it was on the 6th floor and first we went out to the porch to see a remarkable view of the old city during sunset...then we went into the meeting room which was like a large round table (king arthur) with about 35 seats around it...the mayor can out and he is a relatively young man...seems very refined and kind...we had a few speeches and the mayor warmly welcomed us and said he knows what we're going through as his wife came from south africa....anyway, i'll attach some pictures of the event...
the next day was work at sharei tzedek and in the am we had an ot staff meeting and of course it's over a lavish healthy breakfast that the staff prepared adn we discussed and agreed to go a 'paid tiyul " to the museum of the blind and deaf...it's supposed TO be very interesting and after i go...i will let you all know about it.. i was exhausted on wednesday nite and didn't do much else..i am still not sleeping that great here...
i think i need to get to my own room and settled before that will happen...Thursday was again work/orientation a sharei tzedek and very nice..
only in israel does everyone, religious or not, wish one a "shanah tova.." Thursday nite i made sauteed spinach "selek" for rosh hashanah..
friday am i went out to the main shopping drag in har nof to buy a "new fruit' for rosh hashannah and it was so nice to see all the flowers out and people shopping for the chag...
then i came back to help with the preparations.
my niece and nephew were coming for yom tov with kids and i hadn't seen them since i'm here and one family i hadn't seen in over a year, and another had a new baby named after my daughter who i hadn't seen...so i was eagerly awaiting their arrival...and helping with whatever i could in the kitchen to get ready for the chag...
as the kids were coming, i was farmed out to sleep at this divorced woman's apartment and she had a beautiful room for me to sleep in overlooking the jerusalem forest with two windows for air and a little porch as well.. I must admit, that for some reason, i slept very well there...maybe because it was only her and me in the apartment...so not too much extraneous noise...
she's a lovely person, we stayed up to 2 am the second nite of rosh hashannah talking and now i've made another nice friend in the neighborhood. rosh hashanah davening was okay..however, the baal koreh for musaf cannot compare to rabbi fund, who just has beautiful lyrical voice...so i did miss his tefillah a bit, i must admit..so all of you out there that can get to rabbi fund for yamim noraim, take advantage!!
i was falling asleep during musaf on the first day...i must have been very tired, cuz i usually can never nap in an upright position...the 2nd day, however, i was more alert and better able to daven with more kavana..b'h...may all of our prayers be answered l'tova..
monday i was at sharei tzedek by myself in peds...the woman who's place i was taking was already on her way to argentina...it went well b"h....i saw four little arab boys in dialysis, and one i actually was able to take to the therapy room...very cute..however the only problem is communication, cuz most of the parents that i'm working with don't speak hebrew or english...but there are some interpreters...that don't speak hebrew that well either..
i saw one little jewish baby boy on the 'floor" and it's so sad, cuz he's been hospitalized since he was born, he was a preemie and has all kinds of problems with his intestines..now we're working on having him reach his developmental milestones and eating without being tube fed...many premies that i've been seeing now in the hospital are tube fed through their nose, not having to go through the stoma in the stomach....it may be because they've had intestinal problems and therefore, it's just better this way for them!!
anyway, i don't think anything else to exciting happened on monday...i took a nap when i got home...sharei tzedek is long days...from 8-4...and i usually don't get home till 5:15 cuz of the transportation and until i leave sharei tzedek it's later...
on tuesday i was in shalva and thankfully able to complete two more "beginning evaluations" ..i call the kids "my little downies" they are just sooo cute..some of the older ones, (not the ones in my class are really cute and give you hugs and wave and smile!"..i'm working with around 11 months to two year olds...the next class up from the babies...i must admit shalva is a wonderful place, becuz the kids are really worked with, and are much more developed than the kids in bi-y...this is because from the time they're born, they go to mommy and me, where the parents come once a week for learning what to do with with there children and they get 4 different sessions with providers...(all the kids get hydro-therapy) i believe, in shalva's adapted pool, which i have yet to see...hopefully, when i finish all my evals...i think i have two more, i'll go and take a peek...then in what's called the "maon" daycare where i work, the children are all in classrooms with a teacher, two or three para's and related services, all 3 plus a hydro-therapist...i think they all get group music therapy... the children really get worked with...so that's why i think there is so much advancement...it's the ultimate early intervention program!! the kids are there till 4: 00 or so..although i believe after lunch it's more nap time and baby sitting for the chidren...i'll ask the teachers if any instruction goes on in the afternoon...
on tuesday i after work, i had to run to town and then i walked to the kotel...it was quite crowded there..but at the very end i was able to get to the wall..i left the wall at 6pm and with the bus didn't get home till 7:15...needless to say i was very exhausted...which is my alma mata lately!!
wednesday i was back at sharei tzedek with the other two pediatric ot's and it was a very back and forth kind of day...i was exhausted by the end of day...and then i took my standard nap and then had to run out to nbn head quarters for a psycho-social meeting...we were all recent olim from the summer and all...and first went around introducing ourselves, then they put toys on the table and everyone took one to describe how their aliyah has been...i of course took a soft squeeze ball...and when it was turn, said i took it becuz, i've had a soft landing and i'm an ot...and this is a sensory ball.
so i met a few more people there and reconnected with some others..and it was a nice evening.
thurdsday was shalva, and i must say that it was the first time that when writing my evals the words were flowing and i didn't have to stop and think of every word (we're talking about writing in hebrew here folks!) so it was good day..
after work i had to go to my local bank to sign up here...things with banking work very different here, so let me relay my education for you all..
first of all, when you sign up with a bank...that particular location of bank...becomes your bank...so if you need anything...checks..etc..it all has to come from that bank...it's not like usa, where you open an account with lets say citi bank and then you can perform all transactions and get any service you need at any branch...here it's pretty branch specific...i'll relate to you what happened to me...i opened with a branch in beit shemesh cuz there was a very nice, british woman at the fair from that branch that promised to help us...
now my transfer won't go through until october 15 and i need checks to pay for my upcoming rent...i don't think i'll get them till october 7th...and there's a fee for checks too...it's not like usa, you walk into a bank, open an account and they give you a starter pack of checks for free...so now i actually have to call the branch in beit shemesh and order a starter pack of checks (for money) and wait until i get them...and when my account is transfered over to my local branch..i get a new account number and have to order checks all over again...this part is quite primitive, however, other part are quite cool, like when you make a check deposit...into a machine...you see you check on the screen and write away you get a full print out of the checks... i'll let you know more after i do it...you get a full size paper, not like in usa where you get these tiny paper for your records..
anyway, i'll keep you posted with the next bank things...as i go through them...you should also know that you pay for each line on your statement here...so the less lines the cheaper...the less transactions in other words...
now for my last only in israel story ....at the bank there was this young lady kind of like a welcomer...(it's a brand new branch..about two months old)..so we start talking of course and it turns out she's a balat t'shuvah and lives with her father who's not religious in maalei adumim...she can't really eat there or keep shabbos there...so right away we exchange numbers i tell her that i'll invite her to my sisters..her mom is canadian, religious, but lives about one hour away from jerusalem ...farther than her father...
so where else do you end up exchanging telephone numbers with bank personal and hopefully inviting them to your house and vowing to spend time with them...also all the bank personnel call me by my first name and and vice versa...it's so great to be here..
i keep walking the streets and telling myself I'M SO HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO LIVE HERE!!!1 THE ONE ABOVE HAS REALLY GIVEN ME A GIFT TO BE ABLE TO LIVE HERE!!! AND NOT HAVE TO GO BACK LIKE I ALWAYS DID BEFORE...I KEEP THANKING THE ONE ABOVE FOR THIS GIFT!!!
so that's where i am now...i walked back from the bank and went to visit my mom who was quite responsive!!! not talking..but non-verbally acknowledged me!!
this shabbat i'm going to beitar with my last married nephew and wife to eat with my niece and stay at my other nieces place who is going to tel stone for shabbat...
so that's it for my blog for now...
love and kisses from the holy land..
forgot to add that it rained on rosh hashanah!@! since then it's been beautiful..hot in the middle of the day but always beautiful in the shade and not humid..sometimes damp at night and in the am...love and kisses
dina
everyone has to come here...it's GREAT!!
