Leaving...On a Jet Plane

So we had a last dinner in Independence Square, with our last falafel, pizza and ice cream and head to sleep early. Then we wake up at 2:00 AM in order to make our 5:30AM flight. As we get inside the airport to the rental car return area, we learn that our rental car agency is not located at the airport, it's outside the area 15 minutes away! We drive around trying to look for it unsuccessfully, and finally Dad decides to drop me, Ben and my mom off with all the millions of luggage (4 pieces per person x 4 of us - 16 pieces of HUGE luggage!) while he figures out how to return the car and get back to check in at the airport.

My mom and I are pushing around 16 pieces of luggage, Ben is complaining he doesn't want to walk, he's tired, etc. -- so my mom tries to call the rental car agency to find out where they're located so she can help direct my Dad, but the voice messages are all in Hebrew... so she goes to the Information booth to ask for help and the lady is so rude there and my mom is stressed out so she screams at the lady the F word and walks away - OMG we almost get arrested, we'll miss our plane for sure!

we're soooo tired!

oh no... we're not gonna make the flight!

My mom says, get off the floor and just keep walking (yes we're lying on the floor exhausted at 3am), so we do - over to where you go through security questions and scan your bags. We get in the line with all our tons of luggage and then we can't go through yet because my Dad's not there yet. So my mom texts my dad to hurry, and we hang out waiting... eventually, he comes and we go through security but something gets screwed up and they don't tag half our bags appropriately... we find this out AFTER going through a bunch of other checkpoints, and my dad and I have to go ALL the way back with half the luggage while Ben/my mom wait at the counter (the flight's been boarding for 45 minutes already). Then back at the first starting place, all our luggage gets manually checked one by one (and I told you already we have a lot of luggage!).

ok this is ACTUALLY our luggage once we made it to Boston but it's a good place for a photo of luggage!

When we meet up with Ben and my mom, this time there is a nice lady at the ticket counter who says she'll escort us through the whole airport otherwise we won't make our plane -- so we cut all these lines and go through employee checkpoints all the way; the lady is holding Ben's hand and running with us.. I felt like a movie star getting special treatment while everyone else is dragging themselves through long lines... anyway, we are running like secret agents and get to the last x-ray scanner (yes we have about 6 laptops, DVD players, etc. that all require being taken out of their bags, etc. - ugh!) well who do we see but our old friend Adi who stayed in Worcester for last summer! I'm like "Adi!" and she's like "Caleb!" and we start hugging, and she turns her head (she works the scanner, she's the security guard) and all the people in line we just cut start screaming at her that she's turned away from her job to hug me - anyway, it was really funny because she's someone we've been trying to see the whole time in Israel but never got to!

Well, whew! We made it to the plane before the doors closed but not by much! The guy who was supposed to sit near us was not having any part of it, so he moved to a different open seat. The flights were fine and we made it to Boston after going first to Rome.

Wow it was strange to be back on American soil after all that time! And it was COLD with snow on the ground!

We got the Worcester limo and headed straight to our new home in Holden and to start our new life... new adventures will begin!

Get ready for my NEXT blog!!

KEY WORDS & PHRASES - DECEMBER

• ARE WE GONNA GET OUR DEPOSIT BACK?
• GAMELIM!!!
• LOOK, THERE'S JORDAN, THERE'S EGYPT, THERE'S SAUDI ARABIA.
• I'M FEELING BITTERSWEET.
• WE'RE GONNA MISS YOU, YOU'RE LIKE FAMILY!
• WE'LL BE BACK AGAIN SOON FOR SURE!
• L'HITRAOT, NOT SHALOM

 

My Last School Day At Itamar School!

My last day was very emotional for everyone. My parents and brother came to class intending to have a little party. Instead of a little party, my teacher and classmates made a big celebration! First, my teacher read something she had written (and got teary eyed as she read it), then I read something I wrote (and got teary eyed as I read it too!), and then the class mates raised their hands and took turns saying things they will remember me for. Then we took photos, had cookies and juice. My friend Aaron's mom gave me a cool soccer ball and Ben a stuffed animal - so sweet, she is a new immigrant from France and likely doesn't earn a lot of money so this was especially thoughtful! My classmates and teachers made me a really nice memory book and my teachers got me gifts. I had a great time and am bittersweet about leaving. I hope my class in Massachusetts can be pen pals with my Itamar class.

The whole class (Dad and Ben too!)

She was always bothering me early on!

Me and the guys - we played a lot of "Prisoner" game, soccer, boxing and kick the bottle at recess!



My main teacher Michal.



Hangin' with just the class girls.



Outside Itamar, in the courtyard

Me and my teacher Mickey: she told my parents I am a Mensch!

Twins Ofer and Sivan

Mom and I in front of my classroom, Kita Hey Shti'im

Dad and I on the last day of school.

Behind this 'Open Heart' is our bomb shelter.

Around Netanya

This city has been our home for more than 4 months, so I want to share it with you!

Can you see Ben on the grass?

Ben at the yellow playground by the Sea!

Beach View



The Elevator Beach!



Store 24, Dad called it 1920 Super Store!

Don't touch!

Caleb climbing on the 'fire truck' playground!

At Chez Claude, our favorite falafel place!

Our beautiful fountain in Independence Square.

Ben and his playground chatty friend Melissa.

Our friend from Thrifty rental car, Danny!

Last falafel dinner at Chez Claude.

Ben's having pajama day with the pigeons in Independence Square.

The stairs to the beach!

Our favorite ice cream place, Tony Ice!

Dad says Shalom -- Bye -- to Netanya!

On our street, David HaMelech.

Ben & Mom

Mom: "I love you, Ben. You're delicious!"
Ben: "I love you more. You're deliciouser!"

P.S. Ben says we're packing our 'zoot cases' to return to America!!

Last days

This is our last week here, we are sad to leave!  We've been visiting with friends this week before departing:

• Rotem in Jerusalem
• Shani at the university
• Itzik, Anat and Ilai in Ramat HaSharon "Edna"
• Neta in Jerusalem
• Nili and Guy in Tel Aviv
• Imbal, Shira and Tali in Netanya
• Adi at the airport scanner at 4am!

Neta and Ben

With Shani at Tel Aviv University's Aroma Cafe!





With Itzik, Anat and baby Ilai at Edna's cafe in restaurant.



Guy & Nili in Tel Aviv with The Boys!


We'll miss everyone so much and will share our great memories with our friends and family in the US!

In Israel, we say See You Later or L'hitraot!

Last Visit to Jerusalem

Mom, Ben and I went to Jerusalem for the last time this week. It was Christmas Day but you wouldn't notice anything different there compared to other days.  First we parked the car in the Mamilla mall across from Jaffa Gate of the Old City and then walked along the ramparts on top of the walls of the old city. It was cool to see the view of the city outside of the Old City! The ramparts were narrow and stone, and I could picture armies from a long time ago running through here or shooting arrows through the narrow slit openings.

Ben and I are on Jerusalem's Old City ramparts!

After that, we went to our final visit to the Western Wall ("Kotel") and my mom got to take me and Ben to the side to pray for women and children - probably the last time before my bar mitzvah. We went through the Arab shuk again and bought some gifts, and then out the other side.

In the Arab shuk.

After we left the Old City gates, we walked up to the King David Hotel - a very famous fancy hotel. We sat on the balcony which I recognized from a movie I saw last month. It's famous because the British headquarters there were blown up by the Lehi militia before Israel was created.

Lots of birds aggressively pursued us on the restaurant balcony at the King David Hotel.

Finally, we stopped off by the university to say a quick hello to Neta before returning to Netanya.

We hung out at our froggy rental car for a quick hello to Neta!

I think my favorite place in all of Israel is Jerusalem's Old City because of what the Kotel has meant to Jewish people for 2000 years. I will miss seeing Jerusalem and look forward to coming back!

Our Netanya Beach

The beach has played an important role in our time in Israel. That's because we live 100 meters from it!

We have some great (and not so great!) memories there. For a bad example, one day my brother was running along the beach with me, and he starts screaming like a banxshie while hopping on one foot. I didn't know what to do so I screamed for help. Thankfully my mom was nearby so she rushed over, scooped up Ben and started running to the lifeguard's chair some way away. She sent me back to get the stroller and our beach stuff so it wouldn't get stolen. It turned out that Ben had stepped on a big piece of glass! Usually the beach is clean and free of glass but this time it wasn't! Another memory is that every Saturday there are a million machtot (paddle ball) players and they smash it really really hard; we call one guy Richard Gere because he looks like the actor.

We played a ton of machtot (I think it's actually 'mat-chot'!)

 And another memory is that my dad would go jogging on the beach every morning or go to a big set of gym equipment to work out -- and then jump in the sea to cool off at the end!

The water was really great to swim in, no junk, no trash, very clean!

Not a day goes by without a beautiful sunset and each day, we look out our apartment window and enjoy the beautiful-looking beach and sea.

Most sunsets looked like this!

Every morning my family wakes up and looks out the window and my dad says to my little brother: "Hey, Ben, did God stuck up the Meditwainia Thea twuw a stwa overnight?" and Ben looks and always would reply: "No Daddy, God didn't stuck up the Meditwainia Thea twuw a stwa!"

My mom LOVES the beach, so this has been a great time for her! She's gotten to go a lot with Ben while I was at school. We were on the beach as last as December 8!  

Shabbat dinner and after-dinner swim on the beach!

As you know, there was a HUGE storm 8 days ago; when the storm was over, we went back to the beach to check it out. When we got there, we stood there open-mouthed. Everything had been either knocked over or just outright blown-out! The lifeguard's chair had been knocked over, all the massive tarps that covered them were in no state to be repaired, and my brother just stood there crying. The whole exercise area was busted up and had to be completely removed. We were really sad to see the beach in such bad shape after so many happy times there!

Stormy view from our apartment window!

By the way, this is the only beach I've ever been to that has NO shells! I am sad to leave the beach because I love the nice weather and playing with my family on the beach and in the sea!

BEN'S ADVENTURES WITH MOM

Sometimes Ben goes on trips with my mom, here are some photos.

At a Bedouin tent dinner.

Ben learns to play harp with Shoshi at Moshav Ramat Raziel.

Ben climbs the Monster in Jerusalem!

Overlooking Haifa's coast.

At the wooden park south of Netanya.

ok, this is not much of a field trip (it's the bathroom of our apartment!)...but it's still Ben and Mom!

Ben loves to grab the camera and take photos!

Ben's self portrait!

At the 'yellow' playground on top of the Netanya beach.

At the wooden playground's pirate park.

At night at the carousel in Netanya's Kikar Haatzmaut.