Yay for books!
Elliot reading Green Eggs and Ham to Libbie
(He has it memorized almost exactly word for word)
Sep 22, 2010
Books!
I just found a public library in an adjacent neighborhood. I almost cried (from joy) when I walked in and saw the huge shelf of English books. Now we don't have to read Green Eggs and Ham, Goodnight Moon, and Moo, Baa, La La La over and over and over again. The librarian and I bumbled through her shaky English and my much worse Hebrew for about ten minutes, then I looked closely at her face and thought, hmm, she looks awfully Russian. So I tried some Russian and sure enough, away we went. Phew. (I should be more like Ben and start off every important interaction with, "English? pa-russki? Espanol?) I got us signed up and now we can check out books! We have just been starving for more little kid books to read. We brought several great novels for reading aloud at bedtime but not enough illustrated books or easier reading levels.
Yay for books!
Yay for books!
Sep 21, 2010
Up on the Roof
As we mentioned before, we love to hang out on our roof. The kids especially love to go up there and eat ice cream cones. I'm not sure how that tradition got started, but it is so set in Elliot's mind that we can't mention the roof or ice cream without him asking for both of them together. It's so fun to go up there, feel the breeze, and remember where we are. Ben and I look around and try to identify what we are looking at in each direction. If we are lucky, we get to hear a Islamic call to prayer while we are up there, and look at the green light on the mosque over the wall in the West Bank. Have I mentioned how much I love to hear the call to prayer? Every time I hear it, it reminds me to have a prayer in my heart, meditate, or just contemplate my state of mind. If I am rushing to pick up the boys from school, I slow down a little and take a few deliberate, smiling breaths. It is a great reminder and nudge to just slow down, enjoy, and thank God and the universe that life is good.
The sun setting over north Jerusalem
The view to the southwest (notice the Israeli flag)
While Ben and I are looking around and contemplating the infinite, the kids are usually whipping off their shirts to sword fight with them and to throw them on the clothes line (which hangs about two feet above Elliot's head). We haven't lost any shirts over the edge yet, but on especially windy days I wonder if it might happen. It might even be fun to hunt around the building grounds looking for it.
While Ben and I are looking around and contemplating the infinite, the kids are usually whipping off their shirts to sword fight with them and to throw them on the clothes line (which hangs about two feet above Elliot's head). We haven't lost any shirts over the edge yet, but on especially windy days I wonder if it might happen. It might even be fun to hunt around the building grounds looking for it.
The entrance to the roof(The boys have already started their shirt game in the background.)
Shirt swordfighting in full swing
Libbie attempting a summersault Sep 9, 2010
Redefining Saturday
We had our first vacation days today and yesterday (and tomorrow-- gotta love those Jewish holidays!) and it was nice to have a break. School is six days a week here, with short days. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. I feel a little bit like my Saturday was ripped away. Saturday is the Sabbath day, so Friday should naturally then play the part of our USA Saturday, but the kids have school on Friday so it's not the same. I was excited, though, when we figured out that campus is pretty much shut down on Friday too, so that means that Ben will be inclined to hang out. Our friends here called Friday State-sponsored babysitting day since the parents have off but the kids still go to school. So Ben and I decided to take advantage of that idea and plan to take Friday mornings to go explore together.
Last week we got on an Arab bus that dropped us off by the Old City. I looked out the window of the bus and saw a stream of hundreds of Muslims, all walking in the same direction. They were all wearing nice clothes, women with hijabs and many men wearing the full white dress and head covering. We decided to follow them. So there we were, me in my shorts with Libbie on my back and Ben in his summer gear. We followed the stream of Arabic-speaking people in robes through paths in the Old City for as long as we could. We had to turn around when men with machine guns looked at us and said, "Muslims only." We were trying to figure out whether there was something special going on or if it was just the regular church-goer crowd (since the Islam sabbath is Friday). We found out later that night that it was the last Friday of Ramadan, the Islam month of fasting. There were, supposedly, over 140,000 Muslims in attendance at the Dome of the Rock that morning. We were pretty excited that we just happened to be there and could participate in that, in some way or another.
So I guess we have lost our weekly Saturday, as in a weekly day that we can all have a relaxing morning and then go do family events together, but we are learning to instead take our free days during the abundance of Jewish holidays and have been staying in our pajamas all morning. It's been so great to have down time. Today Elliot and I played with his dinosaurs and transformers while Libbie took a good, long nap and Aaron read half of My Side of the Mountain. A pretty good lazy Saturday, even though it is Thursday.
And Ben and I will take Friday mornings as our formerly-known-as-Saturday adventure time.
Last week we got on an Arab bus that dropped us off by the Old City. I looked out the window of the bus and saw a stream of hundreds of Muslims, all walking in the same direction. They were all wearing nice clothes, women with hijabs and many men wearing the full white dress and head covering. We decided to follow them. So there we were, me in my shorts with Libbie on my back and Ben in his summer gear. We followed the stream of Arabic-speaking people in robes through paths in the Old City for as long as we could. We had to turn around when men with machine guns looked at us and said, "Muslims only." We were trying to figure out whether there was something special going on or if it was just the regular church-goer crowd (since the Islam sabbath is Friday). We found out later that night that it was the last Friday of Ramadan, the Islam month of fasting. There were, supposedly, over 140,000 Muslims in attendance at the Dome of the Rock that morning. We were pretty excited that we just happened to be there and could participate in that, in some way or another.
So I guess we have lost our weekly Saturday, as in a weekly day that we can all have a relaxing morning and then go do family events together, but we are learning to instead take our free days during the abundance of Jewish holidays and have been staying in our pajamas all morning. It's been so great to have down time. Today Elliot and I played with his dinosaurs and transformers while Libbie took a good, long nap and Aaron read half of My Side of the Mountain. A pretty good lazy Saturday, even though it is Thursday.
And Ben and I will take Friday mornings as our formerly-known-as-Saturday adventure time.
School
Last week the boys started attending public schools here. Aaron entered first grade (yes, he did first grade in NYC last year, but we decided to put him in first grade here since that is where they start learning to read and write. If he had to start with second grade, he would be expected to read and write Hebrew already, and since he doesn't even speak Hebrew, we thought it would be too stressful. Also, we think he is in the right grade for his age. In NYC he was very young, so here he is just normal.) and Elliot started the first year of the "gan," which is a two-year kindergarten.
Neither of the kids' teachers speak English well, and besides one girl in Aaron's class who speaks English, none of the students speak English. So they are being completely immersed. I know everyone says they will learn so fast, etc, etc, and I believe that, but it doesn't feel so fast when you are in the thick of it. Aaron is really enjoying school, but sometimes he'll say things like, "It's a little frustrating to just listen to Hebrew all day long. I'm just sitting there like, 'I don't understand, I still don't understand, and I still don't understand!'" He has amazed us all though with his good attitude. He is so happy here. On the way home from school, he is such a chatterbox. It makes us laugh because we can just see how excited he is to be able to converse freely. He probably hardly talks all day long. As he says, "I really like school because everybody just leaves me alone and I don't have to talk or play with other kids." Aaron thinks that he doesn't like to talk or play with other people, but when he says things like this he is just thinking about people he doesn't know. Once he gets to know somebody, he is very friendly and loves to talk.
Here they are on the second day of school, balancing on the handrail in Aaron's school yard. Aaron's wearing one of the school t-shirts-- the logo on the front is for his school.
In this picture he is telling me about how awesome school is. I think, at this moment, he was saying something like, "All we did was write the number 1 like fifty times and I was like, 'Woohoo, this is so easy!'" I think that this pinpoints part of the reason he is so happy with his school. In first grade last year, they were writing multiple pages a day of journal or book reports. Writing is not his favorite thing to do, so only having to write numbers and these new Hebrew letters is pretty exciting for him. He does have English class once a week, but of course that is just pure fun for him.
Here is Elliot at his school. (Their schools are separate buildings, but right next to each other.) He was a little hesitant in theory on the days leading up to school, but when it came time to actually go, and for him to stay on his own, he made no complaints. I'm sure the presence of puzzles helped a lot. He loved this fish one. Elliot's teacher, Nomi, speaks Spanish, which is great because then we can talk to each other easily. Elliot's doing great and adjusting pretty well to being at school. It's hard to get a straight answer from him about what they do at school, but I assume it's all the regular stuff. The last couple days he has been dwelling on the fact that he is sad at school because he can't catch a butterfly. I guess he has been trying to catch one and hasn't been successful yet. I almost got one for him yesterday, much to his delight (and he still talks about it constantly-- "Remember when you tried to catch a butterfly for me and you almost caught it but you didn't?") but that still didn't satisfy the itch I guess. 
Here's Elliot walking outside the gate to Aaron's school. (Both schools are gated and guarded.) The schools are about 3/4 mile away from our house, and we walk both ways everyday. Elliot was pretty tired the first few days, but he is getting his New York legs back and has been great with walking. He's always been a good walker though.
Neither of the kids' teachers speak English well, and besides one girl in Aaron's class who speaks English, none of the students speak English. So they are being completely immersed. I know everyone says they will learn so fast, etc, etc, and I believe that, but it doesn't feel so fast when you are in the thick of it. Aaron is really enjoying school, but sometimes he'll say things like, "It's a little frustrating to just listen to Hebrew all day long. I'm just sitting there like, 'I don't understand, I still don't understand, and I still don't understand!'" He has amazed us all though with his good attitude. He is so happy here. On the way home from school, he is such a chatterbox. It makes us laugh because we can just see how excited he is to be able to converse freely. He probably hardly talks all day long. As he says, "I really like school because everybody just leaves me alone and I don't have to talk or play with other kids." Aaron thinks that he doesn't like to talk or play with other people, but when he says things like this he is just thinking about people he doesn't know. Once he gets to know somebody, he is very friendly and loves to talk.
Here they are on the second day of school, balancing on the handrail in Aaron's school yard. Aaron's wearing one of the school t-shirts-- the logo on the front is for his school.In this picture he is telling me about how awesome school is. I think, at this moment, he was saying something like, "All we did was write the number 1 like fifty times and I was like, 'Woohoo, this is so easy!'" I think that this pinpoints part of the reason he is so happy with his school. In first grade last year, they were writing multiple pages a day of journal or book reports. Writing is not his favorite thing to do, so only having to write numbers and these new Hebrew letters is pretty exciting for him. He does have English class once a week, but of course that is just pure fun for him.
Here is Elliot at his school. (Their schools are separate buildings, but right next to each other.) He was a little hesitant in theory on the days leading up to school, but when it came time to actually go, and for him to stay on his own, he made no complaints. I'm sure the presence of puzzles helped a lot. He loved this fish one. Elliot's teacher, Nomi, speaks Spanish, which is great because then we can talk to each other easily. Elliot's doing great and adjusting pretty well to being at school. It's hard to get a straight answer from him about what they do at school, but I assume it's all the regular stuff. The last couple days he has been dwelling on the fact that he is sad at school because he can't catch a butterfly. I guess he has been trying to catch one and hasn't been successful yet. I almost got one for him yesterday, much to his delight (and he still talks about it constantly-- "Remember when you tried to catch a butterfly for me and you almost caught it but you didn't?") but that still didn't satisfy the itch I guess.
Here's Elliot walking outside the gate to Aaron's school. (Both schools are gated and guarded.) The schools are about 3/4 mile away from our house, and we walk both ways everyday. Elliot was pretty tired the first few days, but he is getting his New York legs back and has been great with walking. He's always been a good walker though.
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