#which was a very fun drive back to TLV

[todaviia]

Just heard a very loud boom, turns out it was not a fasting induced hallucination but indeed a rocket, though thankfully not the rockets we've been waiting for

[msmatx]

02.26.23-03.05.23— Week 21 [TLV]

It was a quietish week. I had my mediation workshop most days, which made for long days away from A+H. I think Atlas mostly liked the alone time though I do worry about him. He did his school work during the morning, and ran errands and spent time with Hero in the afternoon and evening. It was much harder for Hero who would great me at the door “I haven’t seen you since 8 this morning! That’s 12 hours!!!!” Hero has always been the master of telling and keeping time so it’s hard to know if he missed me or just wanted me to know he knew exactly how much time had passed. They did an amazing job of taking care of each other.

On Saturday, Hero’s friend, Ayal, came to play after our afternoon at the schoolyard. Arielle [Emanuel’s mom] and I have been paying a soccer coach to play one-on-one with the two boys every Saturday. They have a great time getting the coach’s undivided attention and then playing for another two hours or so. Other kids are usually at the schoolyard to join them after their soccer lesson. And Arielle and I sit and chat the entire time. She is always so fun because she holds nothing back. She’s Austrian but has lived in Israeli for 20 years. She’s traveled all over the world having worked in the hospitality business. She’s very no nonsense and has lots of opinions and observations. Ayal and his little brother Noam live half time with their dad one block from our apartment. Their mother is from California so they speak perfect English. Hero was very excited to have him to our apartment for a play date.

On Tuesday night, after being gone all day, Hero wanted my full attention and went through his school picture roster. He told me about everyone, wanted me to tell him their age, and any other details I could translate with google app. He so loves his school, peers, and especially his teacher, Alon. The US could really learn a lot from the value of male teachers. It makes such a tremendous difference.

Wednesday was a "Day of Disruption," something that is becoming a more regular occurrence. I debated taking A+H but ultimately decided that if things became uncomfortable, it would be trickier to get Hero out of the area than Atlas. These demonstrations involve hundreds of thousands of people attempting to [often successfully] stop traffic or slow movement. There are tons of flags and noise makers, and people are chanting and singing. They usually head down a major thoroughfare and different groups convene on the highway or near the airport and stop traffic for hours. In the US I'd be terrified that someone would drive a car into the crowd or start shooting. The atmosphere is the complete opposite. It is calm and peaceful, and it can be joyful at times. I find it very emotional and Atlas thinks I am nuts.

That evening we took advantage of my not having class and Hero went for a bike ride while Atlas and I ran along the beach.

Friday my mediation workshop was meeting on campus. By Friday, Hero was tired of going to school [it is a six-day school week!]. So, he and Atlas begged me to come along with me to the university. An early morning bus ride for Hero is always more exciting than first grade! Unfortunately, when we arrived we learned that the campus water main was shut off so all the restaurants and cafes on campus were closed. After an hour, they went home alone while I completed my workshop.

When I was done we all went out for our Friday Shabbat shopping. We always head to our Dizengoff bakery for our Friday afternoon snacks, people watching, and weekend pastry buying.

On our way home we came upon the Love Boat theme party at our Dov Hoz cafe. This was the weekend before Purim. Something we learned is that Israel loves a holiday, especially a joyous one so Purim, an otherwise 2-3 day festival holiday was stretched from the weekend, through the work week, and still going the weekend after. The cafe party had acrobats, music, and carnival food and game stations. It was so lively and fun.

That evening we headed out for our pre-Shabbat run/walk along the beach.