Blog/August 2007/August 31st

August 31st 2007

Another active week behind us. But first, an update from last week: the shul we went to turned out to be Moroccan, and was an interesting experience. Most of the people were in their 50s, and I was the only one with a beard. I was reminded of our shul in Bellevue, when I tried to leave before kiddush and the baal hakiddush got offended and forced me to stay.

Just by the way: we went to the shuq last week and bought some "white cheese" which is basically the same as cream cheese - only this stuff must be 30% milkfat - it's almost buttery in consistency, really rich (and not good for the cardiovascular system, I'm guessing).

Sunday I spent the entire day in Tel Aviv, taking a "psychotechnic" test at a place called "Pilat". I was sent there by NDS, a well-known and mid-sized company here, at which I interviewed last week. They invited me back for a follow-up interview on Wednesday, so perhaps I'll hear of an offer from them soon. The test was conducted by two humorless psychologists, who give a battery of tests - some computerized, some writing, some social interaction and an interview. I felt like a wrung-out rag by the end of the day, and the last question I had was to "draw a person". So I drew only a head, and attached a string to it as if it were a balloon, gave the head a goofy smile and said in the caption, "I've just been to the dentist and had too much helium". (yes, I know dentists don't give helium, but psychologists don't know that). Apparently they didn't notice it was supposed to be humorous, but at least they let me pass the test anyway.

Sarah has been making more friends and getting more acclimated to the new school, though she is frustrated by not understanding as much as she would like. However, she is making progress. We spent several days trying to find the mathematics book she needs, and we ended up buying the wrong ones. Finally, she went shopping today with a friend, and found the correct book. The math curriculum is more advanced than what she'd been exposed to, so we'll have to help her get up to speed.

Daniela is working like a madwoman in her school. I think she may have underestimated the class load, but in any case she's doing fine. We went out to dinner with her once this week, at an eclectic place (which had very good food, actually). I just learned she is going to spend next shabbat with us, which will be wonderful.

We have, apparently, actually sold our house in Bellevue, B"H! Not a second too soon, either, as the vultures from the Israeli Social Security (Bituach Leumi) have sent us outrageously high bills for back-taxes (which we don't owe, but now we have to fight them). The house here is getting more organized, and B"H we will try to post pictures next week so you can enjoy the view.

Just as an aside: those of you who might be thinking of aliyah but are concerned about keeping in touch, need not worry. We set up my mother and brother with Skype, which is a service giving telephone-like conversations over the Internet. Anyway, it works very well and is free - so we've been talking to my mother almost every day.

As a further measure against Al Gore and global warming, we installed two air conditioners this week - one in Sarah's room, and one in the guest room. So come and visit, the guest room is comfy! The sound-barrier I installed last week does seem to work very well, as I have heard The Screecher when I was outside, but I haven't heard her when I was inside. So I think we can put that behind us now.

Esther and Sarah finally got set up with health insurance (kupat cholim); however, I am not eligible and am still waiting for the private insurance company I contacted to get back with a quote. In the meantime, I have to be careful not to get run over by a bus or catch a bad cold or anything. I also have to pay premiums to "bituach leumi" for the next 18 months, though I won't get any benefits. Kind of a bummer...

Tonight, B"H, I'm going to the Temani shul; the only problem is I'm not quite sure when services are on Friday (or Saturday, for that matter). We've been going all sorts of other shuls so far, and I haven't really got set up like I've been intending yet. Tomorrow, one of the Anglo families in our neighborhood is having a kiddush at their house, for all the Anglo families in our neighborhood (it turns out there are quite a few). So we'll head over there after morning services, and get to know a bunch more people.

Now I really need to finish getting the house cleaned up for shabbat, so: