D-E-L-A-Y

Well, when I posted my last entry, I still thought the container ship with our belongings would arrive the next day and by the end of the week I would be busy unpacking, setting up the computer, and getting back to posting daily.

But then I learned that the schedule had changed: September 1st is the next estimated arrival time. Can you imagine how I screamed in frustration? Here I am with all these new impressions and experiences -- and I can't share them with anyone because I simply don't have the infrastructure. The few rare minutes the best (mostly absent) husband of all lets me occupy his laptop go by too quickly just by reading my emails.

So please forgive me. I will be back. I miss you all.

Alive and kicking

Just a short post to let everybody know we are alive and kicking.

The flight was bearable and far less problematic with a toddler than you would think, thanks to Yair being such a good little boy. Only the stopover in Las Vegas was extremely aggravating, but by now, that is already history.

University Village is definitely a great place to start this adventure, much like I imagine the community in a kibbutz. We are slowly but surely settling in, and once our belongings arrive and the computer is set up, I will hopefully be able to catch up with more details. Until then, I will keep you on tenterhooks...

And off we go...

Everything is packed, and tomorrow we are heading west. The last few days have been too nice to waste any time on blogging, but I'll put up a few pictures soon. If our container arrives on schedule, we should have our computer up and running by next week. So much for now -- Berkeley, here we come!

Yesterday's flood

was worse than that of 1961. By now, the water has retreated back to its river bed, leaving everything soaked and coated with a thick film of mud. Here are a few pictures for illustration.

The flood

If you are still wondering why the heck I am constantly complaining about the weather, maybe now you will understand: The worst flood in 46 years has hit the area. Last night around 21:00, the water left its river beds and flooded onto the streets, into basements and underground garages. Loose tree trunks still lying in the woods after storm Kyrill ravaged back in January are now drifting away as flotsam. In the neighboring village of Sichtigvor, the fire department has been pumping basements since shortly after midnight. The extent of the damage is said to be worse than that of Kyrill.

Addendum: Luckily, my parents live on a hill. When the air is clear, they have a panoramic view of the woods and the adjacent floodplain. Therefore, flooding has always been a problem others have to deal with.

The proof

We cannot leave the house. It is raining cats and dogs. Nonstop. While yesterday offered a short window of riding the bike and swinging at the playground, today even the rubber boots we bought for Yair a day after we arrived won't help us. We are restricted to four walls and a roof. Through the fog, we can hardly see the woods close by. We ate breakfast with the lights turned on. It is dreadful. And the worst: This time, there is no improvement in sight. Not until Sunday at least. Oh, I am longing for the Isreali sun. Hot as it may be, everything is better than this dull weather. Want some proof? Here you go...

Phenomenal

It is a phenomenon. Can anybody please explain to me why it takes five minutes to put a 2.5-year-old to sleep after lunch but close to an hour at night? I had been hoping for long, relaxing evenings in front of the television, watching one German movie after another, to make up for all the movies I will not be able to watch from now on (oh yes, I am going to miss that wonderful satelite dish on our Israeli roof; the one-hour time difference worked just perfect for me). Instead, I leave Yair's room weary and tired, night after night, about fifteen minutes before the credits show.

Am I on vacation? Yes. Does that mean I have more time for myself? No. Don't get me wrong: I am not complaining. I am enjoying every single minute with Yair. Oh, that closeness! That sweet smell! That compelling smile! Those arms around my neck! I would not want to miss these things for the world. But a movie... I would be happy to have that too. (And some time for reading all the books I have been trying to read for the last two years. That would be nice to have as well. But I am not mentioning that here.)

Because time is flying

and memories tend to fade quickly, here are a few July pictures, from the Mediterranean and the Red sea, taken by Savta Hana (thank you!).

Later this month, I will also post some pictures from our open house on July 28.

Modern communication

It is grey. It is rainy. Sounds familiar? Yes! We are back to the same old sh... I am not complaining though. Another week or so and we will be off to a better climate. At least we have found back to our old routine: Yair takes a nap after lunch and goes to bed at night at his usual time. A big relief .

And Shai? For all I know, he started his summer workshop yesterday, with math camp in the mornings and communications in the afternoons. About ten minutes before the first math session was to start, I received an SMS: "Can you please check in my calendar where the class will be held?" And because the world is a village and time is relative, I rushed off to the computer, logged on to his email, and checked his meetings. Less than five minutes later, his cell phone beeped, announcing an incoming SMS. He started his class on time.

I have not heard back from him since.

A little boy's sorrows

Sunshine is here, and we are all happy. I because life is just beautiful when everything is bright and sunny, and Yair because he can stroll around the garden, build castles in the sand, eat ice cream, ride his bicycle, and simple be a little boy. No wonder he fights off his afternoon nap screaming and kicking until he drops completely exhausted onto his pillow. (I should mention that the next low is approaching quickly, ready to hit us no later than tomorrow... with more rain than anyone would want.)

But not everything is mere mirth (David, this is for you).

Yair misses his daddy. Yesterday we called him -- he is settling in, with a new cell phone being his first acquisition --, and when I reached Yair the receiver, he pressed it firmly to his little ear, listening intensely for a few seconds. Then his face lightened up. "Shai!" he exclaimed (for some strange reason, he has fallen back into a habit long overcome, of calling us by our first names). "Eifo ata?" (Where are you?) Then, a little quieter: "Ani rotze otcha." (I want you.) For Shai, these few words were compensation enough for not having heard his son's voice for more than three days.

Yair is also afraid. Afraid I might leave him alone, vanishing to America just like his daddy. Once in a while, a few times a day, he looks at me and says: "Ima, al tilchi li leAmerica levad!" (Mommy, don't go to America alone!) Isn't it curious just how such a little brain works? How can he even think I would leave him here all by himself? Soon enough, we will board the plane just like his daddy. Together.

Walking on crocs

By the way, had it not been for my crocs, I would not have survived this past week. Naive as I was, I shipped away all of my solid shoes, convinced that a day or two of rain would be as bad as it could get (what the heck was I thinking, having lived in Germany for the better part of my life?!). As convenient as they are, wearing them every day, inside and outside, with socks or without, with casual jeans or classier pants -- I am sick of my crocs and dying to slip into a pair of sandals. Sunshine, where are you?!

All about the weather

It is cold. It is grey. It is rainy. And the worst: with the exception of one day, it has been like this ever since we arrived on Sunday. I knew, I knew there was another reason for moving to Israel in the first place, besides love. I actually thought I had overcome the need to talk about the weather all day long, every single day. But here, everything is back to as it used to be. Well. The forecast promises lots of sun for the weekend, so I am keeping up my hopes.

Shai boarded his plane yesterday morning. Don't ask how we ever got to the airport because I don't know. The hours before were a complete mess. So I will skip this part of the story and only tell that he arrived OK although they left Düsseldorf with an hour delay so that he missed his connecting flight in Las Vegas. He was booked on another flight and reached San Francisco about six hours late. Mickey picked him up, and right now they are both hopefully getting some rest.

As for me, I am about to take the little man to the doctor again. He is still with a fever, shiny eyes, running nose. His condition is improving, but with the weekend coming up, I don't want to run a risk. No wonder really, is it, with the weather being as it is. And back we are... It is a loop really. Everything starts and ends with this sh... weather.