half a year in the middle east

Hello Everyone,Shalom Shalom!I hope that this letter finds you all well and feelinggood in this less light laden time of year. We havebeen here now 6 months. This continues to be the mostincredible journey that we could imagined. We have now come to the hour of the CAR! Our focusover these next few weeks is to get a car. Before wecan buy a car we need to have an Israeli driver'slicense which involves about 6 main steps. 1. Drive 30Min away to get some paperwork to apply for a license.2. Get a medical exam. 3.Get an eye exam. 4 and 5.Take at least two private 1 hour driving lessons witha driving instructor. 6. Go to take the test in thecity of your choice. Then all we need to do is find acar. Sounds simple? NOT. Think about what yourstrategies would be to find a used car that you haveno idea about. There is no consumer reports, hard toread and check out much of anything in newspapers orInternet. So we drive around and look at cars that wethink would be good. Ugh. We are looking into a carthat is half car - half truck called a CitroenBerlinger or a Renault Kangoo. Go figure. Check themout on the Internet and see if you can see a pictureof one. I think that they are so funny looking. Drewcalls it a 'guppy-mobile' in that is looks like agoldfish. Anyhow, cars here are double the value thanthey are in the states. So figure that a car thatcosts 10 grand in the US is a full 20 grand here. Carscost a lot here.Kids are still have growing pains all over the place. Both can speak hebrew enogh to get their basic needsmet. Josh jsut told me that his key needs are: Whereis the bathroon?, I need ice ceram and Where is thetelevision? Zach's stresses are greatest in that heneeds to get up to speed really fast so that he canstart getting ready for the matriculation exams. They are now off for a week of Hanukkah break. Yep, nox-mas break here. The only x-mas stuff we have seenwere some chocolate Santa's we saw last week atNazareth. Also, no x-mas music except for theChristmas carols we sang last night at shabbat dinnerat my sister's house. It was fun. Kids are now doing Tae qwon do and basketball isfinished with. NO presents or shopping here for Hanukkah. As I haveshared with many of you before Hanukkah is not a timefor presents. It is more a time for Jelly do-nutscalled 'Suvganiot" and 'Latkes' which are potatopancakes. It is a Holiday to celebrate the miracle oflight and oil. So we eat oily foods...hence the donutsand friend foods. NO 'presents' pressure is divine.The weather continues to amaze me and I am delightedevery day I wake to sunny skies. Today it was 68degrees and in the sun it was really quite hot. yeahbaby. It is heavenly. I know everyone here is Jone'snfor rain but I am more than happy with sunny skies dayafter day.Work has been amazing. I am getting more and morepatients. Last week I had 20 private patients plus the8 hours at the army. I have been asked to teach acourse for 4 weeks on the pelvis and sacrum to aSmall group of PTs. So cool. Also, I went and spoketo the PT department at Haifa University to see ifteaching is in the stars for me. Not sure. There areso many cool and new opportunities here and I amtrying to check them out.Drew is getting jobs slowly but surely. He is makingfriends and we are growing roots here in this verycute town called Zichron.Israel and my experiences here continue to amaze me. Iam surprised on a regular basis that I actually livenot just in a Jewish country but I also live in theMiddle East. It really is different here! Culturally,socially and physically. I am getting it slowly butsurely. Six months have gone by. It feels like it isflying by. I have friends that guide me as to how tonavigate the cultural differences. When to beassertive and when to smile. Paying bills still isquite daunting and sometimes confusing. I did missparent teacher conferences completely last week. Thatis frustrating. My sister Kattie called last week fromthe school as I was driving back fromJerusalem...'Adele, did you know that tonight wasparent teacher conferences, etc?' Maybe if Josh wouldremember to give me papers he receives at school Imight have a fighting chance. Anyhow. It will all comein the right time.There is so much to do and it feels like time is evenshorter here. How can that be? I did think that lifewould someohow be slower here but not true. I guess Ihave fallen back to the habit of needing to slow downa bit. Maybe... Overall, We are doing really well. There continue tobe those days that 'the bags are packed and I am outtahere'. I have planned a few 'I am going to run away toThailand's but I haven't. Tears flow less often. Theweather keeps my spirits up. The people are bothamazing and challenging. They are very deep and acomplex group. It really feels like country of family.I wish you all a very healthy and blessed Holidayseason. May you feel the brightness of my smile andjoy beam across the oceans to you all. Please clostyou eyes and see my eyes beam with joy and happinesswhen I say 'I love you and send you all good wishes'.Hugs and smiles, Happy New Year.Adele