bugs, birds, beasts and blossoms

This squid was a little less than a meter long and let me get about 3 meters from it before it darted off.

Some of the jelly fish that covered the beach last summer.

I found Dante trying to play with this praying mantis who was as big as his head!

We get tons of snails after the rain. Alejandro likes the slime trails they leave.

These little geckos have been using our house as a hotel as it has gotten cooler at night.

A Bedouin hard at work. (Hot, dirty and smelly work I must say!)

This little bird just glows in the sun. I never got a decent picture even though they come to our garden every day. This bird is the Israeli national bird, the Hoopoe. It's not kosher ("abhorrent and not to be eaten" according to Leviticus) but the eagle isn't kosher either.

what a crazy year!

Quite a bit has transpired since the last post. I'll start with the good stuff first and see how far I get. My emotional endurance has been tested as of late and coupled with my usual procrastination -- well, just don't expect too much here!

Alejandro was delighted with the wonder of Christmas. He'd been so excited the whole month. His expression coming down the stairs to discover the presents and empty cookie plate was priceless. It's such a precious age. Dante was so happy with the bubbles that he found in his stocking, it took a bit of coaxing to get him to open anything else. (Yes, the picture below is from Christmas and not Halloween -- grandma and grandpa had sent a tub full of dress up clothes.)
I had made a lot of effort to make it feel like Christmas despite the lack of spirit, music and decorations in Israel but I didn't realize how much was lacking until we stepped off the plane in Frankfurt for a layover on Dec 27th. Alejandro was awestruck. He had stepped into a Christmas wonderland. He grabbed my hand and was literally dragging me around the airport to inspect all the decorations. We couldn't get him to stand still to take a picture, he was so excited. He had similar reactions in Venice and Amsterdam on our whirlwind world tour of airports. Detroit and Akron airports were bare as the US Christmas season ends on Dec26th instead of Jan 6th like the rest of the Christian world. There was the mad dash across the altar at my parents' church to inspect the nativity scene though.
We left for the airport on our way to Italy unaware of the situation in Gaza/Israel. The uncertainty and a bout of the flu put a small damper on our vacation but we still really enjoyed our visit with family. Alfonso's cousin had recently moved with his family to a NATO base and were living in the town of Maniago at the base of the Alps. It was very beautiful but a bit on the cold side coming straight from the Middle East.
We saw a dog sled team on our failed attempt to go sledding. The boys were too cold to even try out the sled. Alfonso saved the day by buying them hot chocolate which was closer to pudding than liquid. The boys couldn't spoon it to their faces fast enough!



Talk about teamwork! The kids played really well together the whole time. Well, Dante swiped a toy from the baby the first day. So after that she screamed any time he came within a five foot radius of her.



We cut our visit a little bit short so Alfonso could fly me and the boys back to Ohio. He stuck around for a week and headed back to Israel. He's been there alone and miserable ever since.

I don't really want to get into the politics or anything. But pretty much everything on the news with the graphic and devastating pictures of death and destruction are from Gaza, not Israel. The rockets that are being fired into Israel are unguided -- Hamas just fires in a general direction and hopes that they hit something. The rockets are not bombs; if they hit a house, it would destroy a room -- not the whole building. Hamas has been firing rockets the whole time we were there into border towns even though it was quieter during the six month cease fire that ended in December. The biggest change for us is that these terrorists acquired longer range rockets capable of reaching our town.

Our house (as every house in Israel is required) has a bomb shelter called a "safe room." The boys call it the "toy room." There are warning sirens that go off and you head to the room and wait for the boom. The likelihood of anything happening is very slim. The two other American families on the street just toughed it out with the Israelis (even though Intel would pay for tickets home or for hotel rooms in Tel Aviv out of rocket range.) The whole "duck and cover" is not something I want to put the kids through. So we've been hanging out, waiting and waiting and waiting.
The kids are enjoying time with the grandparents even though they are homesick and miss Alfonso terribly. Alejandro loves all of grandpa's stories and puppets (and stories with puppets and puppets that tell stories.) While Dante has to get "cozy" every night with grandma.
In the mean time, because of economic reasons, Intel said that all Americans would end their assignments in Israel by June and were welcome to leave ASAP. So we tried to get on that boat and Alfonso had a tentative position lined up. Unfortunately before anything got finalized, Intel announced a "redeployment process" a.k.a. "layoffs" and New Mexico refused to give him a start date until they go through this process which promises to take a couple months. So Alfonso is on his way back to Ohio to take me and the boys back to Israel. We are leaving for Israel Friday night and should be back in Albuquerque by the beginning of April give or take a couple weeks.

I can't say I'm thrilled about heading back to Israel but we'll be together and hopefully Alejandro will get a little closure as this month has been the hardest on him. Soon we will be back in the land of enchantment.

Love always,
Debi

Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,
We don't have a chimney at our house in Israel so we will leave the door unlocked for you. (This is a slightly edited version of what he wanted me to write. He prattled on about this item for a while. Very concerned with logistics -- which door we'd unlock, where to park the sleigh if he's not using the chimney: driveway vs.backyard, etc.. He had to be coaxed to get to the crux of the letter.)
Please put some fruit in my stocking. Santa, will you give me a toy?
"I want Santa to come and cook for me."
"Cook for you? What are you talking about? He's got to fly around the world delivering toys. He doesn't have time to hang out in the kitchen and cook."
"Okay, I want some vegetables."
"Vegetables?"
"You know ... strawberries, mangoes, pomegranates."
"Those are fruits not vegetables."
"Oh. Which ones are the vegetables again?"
"Carrots, broccoli, corn."
"Okay, those are good. Write this down: "
I would like some vegetables on my desk.
"On your desk? Santa leaves presents under the tree. Not in your room."
"The other presents he can put in under the tree. I want the vegetables on my desk."
I also want a trampoline to bounce on. Santa, please bring Dante a small trampoline but I want a big one. Thank you.
Alejandro


The pic above is from Alejandro's Hanukkah party at school (that he didn't end up staying for but that's another story.) Hanukkah is a relatively minor holiday here -- no days off work. They eat a special kind of jelly doughnut called a Sufganiyot (not nearly as good as Presti's from my college days.) The kids play with the dredels (tops) and get money and candy (or candy shaped as coins) as well as some small toys.

Alfonso and the boys made it to Bethlehem. (I bailed on this trip. Not that I'm not in the holiday spirit -- I just preferred a few hours without the kids in hopes of regaining my sanity.) The star that all the kids are gathered around below is supposed to mark where Jesus was born inside of the Church of the Nativity. The other kids are the friends from across the street -- there are never any kids at these religious sites (besides ours.) For some crazy reason all these tourists that come to visit think it would be more enjoyable without toddlers. Go figure.

Anyhow, we are having a cozy little Christmas season despite the lack of snow as well as the shortage of other Christians. While we are looking forward to the big birthday bash we have for Jesus, we are anxiously awaiting the 27th when we head to Italy to be with family! That is assuming Alfonso can wrestle away from Intel's claws. The kids have seen him an average of ~15 minutes for the past four days. That number decreases drastically if you subtract the time that he's on the phone/computer with work!

Here's our attempt at a family photo at the sand dunes at the end of the block. We'll have to try again and hopefully get the kids to look at the camera and smile at the same time. Somehow I think we'd have better luck getting our kosher neighbors to try bacon!

Merry Christmas!

December: the perfect time for ... a picnic?

I've gotten so far behind in writing an update that I don't know where to start. On top of my procrastination, I've had technical difficulties posting the pictures and can't seem to get them to stay in the right order but I'm too frustrated to care anymore. Let's just pretend that the randomness is really by design of some fancy flash back/flash forward writing technique.

Anyhow, we've had lovely weather. We had our Thanksgiving celebration outside on picnic tables with the two other American families on our street. Apart from the Israeli landscape, we had a traditional dinner. The pumpkin had to be steamed and pureed, no cans of Libby around here. (I didn't get in on that fun and just mooched some off others that went through the trouble.)

Two of the three kings are all ready for Christmas. They still haven't made it to Bethlehem yet and probably won't before Christmas -- maybe for Epiphany. My mom made the capes while the homemade hobby horses were a group effort. The kids are just loving the authentic garb for dress up and don't need to steal my broom and mop anymore (although they still try to on occasion.)

My parents were here for a quick trip. We only did a mini tour of Israel instead of the full throttle marathon. They were just happy to see the kids and I was thrilled to have a break from craft duty! We did a little sight seeing and hit a few new places along with the old favorites. The caves at Bet Guvrin below are always a hit with the kids.

We got a personal moonlit tour of Emmaus, where Jesus appeared to some disciples after the resurrection. Br. Anton is part of the Community of the Beatitudes that takes care of the site at Emmaus and also helps to translate mass with a nearby Russian community for us. (We gave up on mass in Tel Aviv a while ago.) It's not everyday our tour guide offers to give Alejandro a piggy back ride.

On our way to Galille, we finally took the time to stop at Tel Meggido which is to be the site of Armageddon. It was first inhabited 3500 BC (which is mind boggling in itself) and has 26 levels of occupation including that of the Egyptians. The history there is so extensive, it's a bit much to digest in a quick pit stop. The kids enjoyed the tunnel from the Iron Age which is 25 meters deep and 70 meters long once used for waterworks.

At Galilee, we stopped at Caupernaum as always and Mount Tabor this trip where it was believed the Transfiguration took place that was marked by yet another church. While each church is unique and impressive somehow they all start to look the same after a while. Alfonso and boys had been to Jordan River at Yardenit but it was a first for me. While we didn't participate in any full immersion baptisms that were going on, we did stick our feet in the water (well, Dante stuck his knees in.)

After our fifth trip to Caesrea, we finally made it to the part of the park with the aqueducts -- quite impressive. The boys also took a chariot ride in the hippodrome. We never get tired of going there.

Who wants cake when Grandma will make birthday pie? Yup, Alejandro is four! He had a little party at his school (which he is quite fond of now) which Dante and I got to attend. Unfortunately I didn't have the cam camcorder to capture all the little songs and games for the festivities. I just couldn't believe Dante went and sat in a little chair with the rest of the kids for over an hour.

In the mean time, we are busy getting ready for Christmas. Our pathetic little Christmas tree makes Charlie Brown's tree look the one in Rockefeller Center. But it still works for hanging ornaments that the kids make on a daily basis which is all that really matters. Alejandro slunk downstairs in the dark of night to inspect if St Nick came to fill his shoes. It's really sweet to see how excited he is for Christmas. Dante doesn't quite get it but is elated with all the Christmas cookies to eat.

Well, hopefully my next post won't be so delinquent but I'm not making any promises. Honestly, it's more wishful thinking than anything. But who knows? Christmas is the season for miracles!

Love always,

Debi

Why wait for Halloween?

Everyday is dress up day at our house. Blankets become capes, mops and brooms transform into horses, the dining room chairs have a part time job as a train, and our trash is recycled into helmets, crowns, shields, swords, and masks. The boys play school, "animal doctor", chef, pirates and house. Alejandro does get a bit upset when Dante's imagination doesn't follow the same story line that he had in mind or if Dante doesn't like the pretend food that Alejandro made him. Pretend is a dirty word in our house though. "I'm not a pretend fish, I'm a really fish." Alejandro and his friend, Ella, got into a physical fight over an imaginary treasure they found at the park with both bawling not wanting to share something that wasn't even there -- except in their minds. Dante fancies himself Tarzan as he stands from his bed, grabs the curtains and swings across the room. I have no idea how he hasn't pulled the rod off the wall yet.

I don't have much of a life outside the kids these days but, they manage to keep life interesting. I found a dozen cookies with one bite out of each one. "Dante did it!" Dante proudly tells on himself with a smile. I never would have noticed if he'd eaten 2 or 3 whole cookies. He also finished off half a can of pringles, leaving the empty container and crumbs in the cupboard for me to find. While Dante lives for junk food, Alejandro passes on offers on cookies from people on the beach. Instead, he finds people with watermelon or mango and stands by their beach blanket until they'd offer him some. Then he'll take Dante over to get some too. (I really try to keep my kids from mooching off of strangers but they are faster than I am and people here love to dote on kids. So it just keeps getting reinforced.) Alejandro is a chocoholic like a true Conrad though. Once Alfonso bought vanilla pudding instead of the chocolate that I buy. When I tried to feed it to Alejandro, he took one bite before declaring "Vanilla is nasty stuff for grown ups like beer and coffee."

After a month of Jewish Holidays (Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot), Alejandro was so excited for Halloween when we got to celebrate one of "our" holidays. At school, they had been making crafts associated with the holiday so I'd have to keep getting on-line to see what bumble bees, apples dipped in honey, pomegranates, fish heads, chickens on sticks, and some lemon-looking-citrus fruit had to do with anything. In the mean time, we did our own month of craft projects at home with bats, spider, pumpkins, ghosts and witches. With only three American houses on the street, we had the kids knock on both the front and back doors to double the trick-or-treating fun. The pumpkins were closer to white than orange and the rinds very thick as they are for cooking not decorating. But the Jack-o-lanterns turned out just fine.

Two American families had their little boys baptized at Yardenit, the site where John baptized Jesus where the Jordan River flows out of the Sea of Galilee. Alfonso took the boys as I was sick (again) and said it was absolutely beautiful. He was standing up above taking pictures for our friends so there was no one to pull Alejandro out of the way. So he stood right next to the babies while they were getting doused with water -- wearing a paper crown made from a cereal box. I hope they are able to crop him out of their family photos!

Alfonso is getting bored with his guitar so he's taking up the Oud instead. Really he just went and made small talk until the owner let him try. (My little guys learned to mooch from the best!)

Not much else is new. Right now we are just counting the days until Mom and Dad come!

Love always,

Debi

school days

Alejandro started school on September 1st. In Israel, (outside of ultra religious families) it is the norm for kids to be put in "school" at six months. While most women also work outside the home, even those who don't work still put the kids in school. (They insist it is school and not day care -- that the play is educational. Whatever.) So anytime we meet new Israelis, they always grill me on why I would keep the kids at home. School goes Sun-Thurs plus a half day on Friday. Alejandro is enrolled for half day school -- which is five hours.

There are public schools as well as private schools -- public means it is run by the state but doesn't mean it is not religious. The school walking distance from our house happens to be religious. So our Catholic, uncircumcised, English speaking boy is going to a Jewish school where the teacher and the aide only speak Hebrew. At this age, it means I have to pack a kosher lunch and he has to wear a kippah (which he wasn't too happy about.) They sing some songs and such -- but there's not theology lessons or anything. I thought six days of school was a bit much, so I only send him Mon-Thursday. It's been an ugly month but we finally had one day where Alejandro didn't cry about going to school but then Dante cried when we left Alejandro. I can't win. While Dante misses his brother, I think he enjoys having me all to himself.

Well, here's what Alejandro has to say since he started school:

"School was so much fun. I'm never going back." This is after his first full day, when he came out all smiles.

"I guess I'm not potty trained so I can't go to school." He wet himself on purpose after being told for months he couldn't go to school until he was potty trained (back in the days when he actually wanted to go to school.)

Cough. Cough. (obviously faked) "I'm too sick to go to school." I guess faking illness is a natural instinct.

"Just so you know, I'm going to cry a lot once we get there." He informs me as we walk up to the school.

"Fine. I'll go next week but I don't want to talk about it right now." When we told him it was the weekend but he was going back to school on Monday.

"Some boy stole my goldfish but I took them back because I didn't want to share. Then another boy took them and put them inside his sandwich so I couldn't get them." Friends sent some goldfish crackers from the States. I didn't realize it would cause such a riot or I wouldn't have sent them in his lunch. I'm not even sure they are kosher.

"A little boy dumped his water and the teacher had to clean it up but it got on my shoe. I was so disappointed." These are the kind of answers I get when I ask what happens at school.

"My kippah fell into the toilet when I went to the bathroom." Something we never had to deal with before...
Alfonso's mom is here so we've been doing our marathon tour of Israel. Work is crazy busy for Alfonso. As a bonus, all the Jewish holidays are coming up this month so Alfonso will be working to cover everyone else being gone. By the way, Happy New Year -- it is officially the year 5769 today. Everyone is in a really good mood here. I went to the grocery store the other night (since they'll be closed the next two days) and someone actually offered to let me pass in front of them. It was insanely busy and crowded but people were really nice and friendly. It was so weird. I wasn't sure if I was still in Israel.
There's always more to say but I'm tired/lazy/grumpy/homesick and just want to get this posted before the year 5770.
Love always,
Debi
(Alejandro wants to work at Intel because they wear cool costumes!)