Looking Back to 2011 - The Movies

Instead of making new year resolutions I thought it would make a nice change if I'll write about the defunct year, 2011, in retrospective. About the things we loved in 2011, about things we did, all in all about what deserves to be mentioned, about memories that pay to be cherished and put away for safe keeping.
First things that pops into my mind are the movies we enjoyed in 2011 (even if it wasn't the year they were produced).
I have to start with the last Harry Potter movie, I loved it and in a sense it closed a circle for me, giving me the feeling of content. It was an end worth of all the other movies and books and the feelings I invested in them. But I don't think I have to tell you about this movie, I think it met everbody's expectations and it signified, in a sense, the end of an era.

There is another movie - a documentary, to be exact, that leads in our preferences (mine and Maya's). I watched it first, it was a late night broadcast, and I remember with clarity. I was feeling very poorly at that moment, and having a panic attack when I came upon the documentary and it literally pulled me out from my of desperation and pain. Then, the next morning (as I recorded it) we watched it with Maya and she loved it so much it became part of our household. We are still watching it at least once a week (sometimes several times) and we haven't grown bored yet. It is, of course, "Babies", the documentary that follows one year in the life of four babies in Namibia, Japan, Mongolia and the United States of America. If you haven't seen it yet, I strongly recommend it, it is sweet and interesting, fascinating and exciting like films about babies usually are.






We also discovered 3D movies. I must say that even I, as an adult, enjoyed the experience and I am always looking forward to see another one. Up until now we watched "Kung- Fu Panda 2" and "Puss in Boots".

For me, personally, it was the year of  TV series. I discovered I didn't have the patience for full lenght movies, so I went for the shorter ones. There were many TV series, old and new, that kept me awake at night. I am talking about "Teenage Wolf", "Being Human" (the British original series), "Falling Skies" - waiting patiently for the second series, "Terra Nova" and of course, "The Walking Dead" - loved it.
I also loved watching for the millionth time British sitcoms, like "Keeping Up Appearances" - my favourite, "Hi-de-Hi" - another great one, "My Family " and such.

What were your favourites for 2011?

So Annoyingly Annoying

It is past ten o'clock in the evening, Maya is asleep, my husband too, even Dasha the cat is napping somewhere in the house...No television, because there is some technical malfunction and the cable TV stopped working in our building...so only some soft lullabies on the CD player...
I leave the comfort and softness of my bed (and Cassandra Clare's "The Clockwork Prince") to work on my book...the house is quiet and I began my tedious work of editing...but...wait...what the heck is that? Only my (deaf) neighbour listening to the radio FULL volume. I mean full - full because I hear with clarity the broadcast.
I absolutely hate my neighbours, I am sorry to say that. I mean the ones that live above us...They are a middle-aged posh know it all type that don't give a fart about others...Sometimes they go out at night and live the radio blasting till the wee hours of the morning, sometimes they have guests and move around their furniture all night long...all king of annoying stuff...
And it put me off any intellectual activity because I am not able to concentrate as I am hearing the blah-blah-blah from the blasted radio.
So, it this another lesson I need to learn? Maybe, buy some earplugs and get the work done?
Believe me, I would've liked to be in bed, snug and warm, but I can write only at night...well, cannot, obviously, not today...
OK, I think I have my MP3 player somewhere...and it has earphones...I could try...but I don't like not being able to listen to Maya's sleeping noises...I am so annoyed now I will stop writing this post because I don't want to say something I'll regret later (and maybe I'll go and have a word with my neighbour)...

When we're young we dream about moving mountains, about changing the world...But as we grew older, we understand that not each and every one of us has the tenacity to do it, to finish what one started...to be strong enough to overcome whatever life put in your way of fulfiling your dreams.
I ask myself if I am young enough to be alowed to continue dreaming...or am I too old for it?
When do you stop and aknowledge defeat?

While I was writing this I was also making myself a cup of coffee - espresso machine. Of course I was so deep in thoughts I forgot about it and when I ran to the kitchen the coffee was spilling from the cup...so...my cup runneth over...is it a sign? Is the Universe trying to tell me something?

 

No New Year Resolutions for Me

I am very tired today...last night I didn't sleep much...Maya fell and cut her upper lip pretty badly and at some point during the night when I checked on her she had blood around her mouth. I think at some point her wound opened while she was asleep. I was so scared when I saw her...I cleaned her up and she opened up her eyes for a second only to fell asleep in the blink onfg an eye....but afterwards I was so wired up I couldn't sleep myself. I kept checking on her, she slept soundlessly and she was fine. But you know me, I panicked...Anyhow, here in Israel the New Year is not celebrated like in christian countries and tomorow is a working day, so I am looking forward to an early night, maybe some television , a good book and a cup of tea. We had a celebratory lunch instead of the usual dinner and I thought about my family, they are gathered at my brother's house in Romania and having a blast. I miss them so much it hurts!
So, for a million reasons and some, I am not going for New Year resolutions this year. I never follow through anyway and I end up felling a failure...
But, there are certain things that come to my mind when I think about the upcoming year... I definitely need to laugh more and even when I don't have reasons, I have to make them...you know, like create my own private jokes, to last me through good and bad.
I also need to be a better person, definitely. A better mother, a better wife, a better friend, sister, daughter...well, it is dificult when your family is half a world away, but I will try.
And of course, I need to finish my book. This is essential for me. Don't ask me way...that's the way I feel.
In the end, I think I have to simply LIVE, to enjoy each moment that I was granted, to be thankful for every morning I open my eyes to (sunny or not), for the good things I have in life, for the people that I call my family, for my friends (close or far away).
So, a Happy New Year my dear friends, the best year ever, filled with happines, joy, laughter and good deeds!

The Best Christmas Ever

If you've been reading my blog for, lets say, more than one year, you'd know by now that I get very-very depressed around major holidays, as I miss my family and my home country.
It is very hard to let go of thinks you are familiar with and memories and traditions you love and cherish, so Chirstmas here in Israel it has been a struggle, especially in the past years.
So, this year it came as a HUGE, and I mean IMENSE surprise, as my husband took me to a trip to Nazareth, for the Christmas Eve. It was an organised trip, so it has a guide and that way was easier to find the attractions and not get lost in the old city.

To my surprise, Nazareth was dressed for Christmas all right. It was actually the first time since I've been living here that I saw Christmas decorations in an israeli city, complete with a huge decorated fir tree, street lights, decorated shops and people and kids sporting red Santa hats.

We visited the beautiful Basilica of the Announciation (the Roman catholic one), I was there before , some 14 years ago when I was traveling the country and writing my book about Israel. I loved thae Basilica then and I admired once again the different renditions of the Virgin Mary. My favourite is the Japanese one...it is so refreshing to see that for them, the Virgin Mary was...well...very similar to a Japanese woman, as for baby Jesus...Japanese as well. But the piece of art was really exquisite, as well as other ones, like the Black Polish Mary, or the Indian one...

I cannot tell you how happy I was to be there, soaking up the festive atmosphere...We watched the Christmas parade and the fireworks and listened to carols in Arabic...

The only drawback was that the trip was a no-kids one, so Maya had to stay at home...But she was pretty happy, as her brother and his girlfriend babysat her  - and she adores both of them, and she ate ice-cream and chocolates and God knows what else, because when we finally returned home, somewhere around 9 o'clock in the evening, we found her as high as a kite, on sweets and sisterly love...But I promised myself as I hugged her and kissed her sweaty curls that next year we'll go together...

(The pictures that accompany this post aren't mine, for some reason I cannot upload my own from my computer to the blog, they all come up garbled...if anyone has any idea how to fix this, I would be happy to know it...)

Happy Hanukkah !

This evening Hanukkah begins, so it is the time for doughnuts, chocolate coins and of course, the candles in the hanukkiah. I think deep inside in each child lives a pyromaniac...

Happy Hanukkah!

Maya celebrated it today at the kindy and it was lots of fun...From all the Jewish holidays , it is my favourite one...

She is My Guardian Angel

Today I am going to tell you about a very special person...I am calling her my guardian angel, and you know what, I really believe she is one...People like her are oh, so rare, and I consider myself blessed for meeting  her.
I met Agy more than 15 years ago, back in Romania. I was a young career woman and single mother, struggling with life in a new , post-communist Romania. She was my cleaning lady...Well, that was in the beginning...because, in time, she became my friend, my confessor, she took care of me, cooked meals for my son and waited for me when I came from work exhausted, with a cup of coffee and an understanding ear. Only one year my senior she was like a mother to me because she has wisdom beyond her age. She was my sister because she has a true, tender and loving heart and she knows how to listen. Truly listen. She was my best friend because she wasn't afraid to tell me the truth even if she knew it would hurt and then it was there to wipe my tears.
After I left Romania and come to live in Israel she stayed there and took care of my "affairs" (I have an apartment that I rent) and then she "adopted" my mother-in-law and became her friend and helper and guardian angel until the her last days...When my mother in law passed away, Agy was there and not her son, and she made the funeral arangements and now she is the one that goes to the cemetery and lights a candle on her grave...
Twice a year, on Easter and Christmas she sends us presents, each summer when we travel to Romania, she is there and takes care of everything for me, gives me one of her mobile phones, brings me flyers for take-aways and does my washing, take us fishing and spends hours entertaining Maya, which adores her.
And she is like this with everyone around her...
She is a simple woman, no higher education, no fancy life...just a simple, hard-working woman, and believe me, she works hard...but every person that knows her loves and respects her. Because she is honest, above all, and has a heart the size of a continent.
I consider myself lucky and I thank God for the day when our paths crossed because I know that He sent Agy to watch over me. She is an angel. And I love her.
The words are too poor to describe the depth of my thankfulness, to tell you more about the woman that touched our lives and made them better.
I am just telling this: Thank you Agy, from the bottom of my heart. I love you.
And this song is for you:

Red Sea in a Box

We had a quiet Saturday at home, with Friday's alarm and rockets and me still feeling green around the gills. And so I had a daughter to entertain. And because last week we had a trip to Eilat - I know, I didn't say, I wanted to, but with the food poisoning and stuff I wasn't in the mood but I'll put some pictures, I promise - as I was saying, because of Eilat we did a "Red Sea in a box" kind of craft, from playdough. It came out surprisingly nice and Maya took it today to the kindy to show it to the kids...

Have a nice and quiet week!

Do You Want to Lose More Than Six Pounds in Two Days ? - Try This Diet

No, no, no...I am just kidding...Don't try this...In fact, don't ever do what I did...
never- ever, promise?
But I made you curious, didn't I? What kind of wonder diet would it allow you
to lose this amount of weight in two days? Well...to end the suspense,let me tell
you :
FOOD POISONING!!!
Yep, that what I've got...
It was was I deserved, really, as I went on Wednesday to the weekly open market
and bought some snacks to munch on...Rule number one: Never buy food that is
presented on open stalls in markets...In Israeli markets they have this tables
where they put huge quantities of different varieties of roasted and salted nuts,
and everybody comes and takes a handfull and shove them into their months...
only God know hows many germns are there lurking on the snacks...So I was
stupid and I fell into the sin of glutony and I paid the price...Believe me, I paid
it dearly...I was so sick I thought (honestly) that I would die. I couldn't eat  or
drink anything (only sips of mint tea and my daughter's rehydration solution) because I couldn't keep anything in...After the trips to the toilet ended, on Thursday night, I think, I was feeling so weak I barely could stand...but I managed to sleep a bit and on Friday morning I began to fell better. Now it is Saturday morning and I am still shaky and my bum is awfully sore (don't laught, it is the truth!). I am grateful to God that it ended and I am still alive but my goodness, I thought I would die. Apart from the obvious digestive problems my body hurt, all my muscles and bones and I thought my head wouls explode...
So, rest assured, from now on I will think twice about where to buy and what to buy...I don't usually do what I did last Wednesday...but, as you can see...you don't pay attention once and you pay the price thousandfold...
So now you know the story behind the 6 pounds that I lost in two days...and don't do like me...

And yes, everything looks colorful and nice...but I say, be aware of taking chances when you buy...

(the picture is from the the green prophet site)

Saint Nicholas in (the) Rubber Boots

When we were kids in poor, communist Romania, on Saint Nicholas Eve we used to put our boots on the windowsill and wait for presents. They were usually sweets and oranges, a book or some crayons...but the joy was unmeasurable. It meant so much for us...
Now, here, in Israel, I try to put together a holiday, to built a tradition for my daughter. We don't have a windowsill as windows are different in our apartment and only rubber boots for the rainy season but my daughter's smile was worth more than I invested. Her joy was my joy as a mother and the child in my soul was happy with and for her.
As I said before, it is not easy to be different in Israel, but this is what I know, what I grew up with, this is what my souls resonates to...I do my best to offer my daughter my heritage and also to let her learn the ways of this country, and let her be to one to choose for herself. I just hope I'll have the strenght to stand for her whatever she chooses... 

Cool Craft - Recyclable Noah's Ark

This is a project we've been working at as a family. Maya and her daddy started it and because my husband is very short on free time, I helped Maya finish it.

It is for the kindy and it has to be from recycled materials, ours is from a milk carton and a shoe box. We drew inspiration from here: Milk Carton Noah's Ark.

What I liked about our project it is that it looks like it's done by a five year old kid, with a bit of help. The other arks I saw at the kindy where magnificent works of art, obviously done by the parents.

How do you feel about it? When you kid has to do a project for school, do you work with her/him, encourage them or you simply do the prtoject for them because "I don't have time for this stuff".

And of course, my sweet baby is case showing our work. Love you, princess!

Autumn Treasures

Who said we don't have autumn here in Israel?

A trip to Canada Forest on a sunny week-end (now it is raining cats and dogs here) and we came back with a bagfull of autumn treasures, lots of sunshine and laughter...

I Am Furious

OK, so today I am furious...fuming, actually...there are too many things that bother me that I cannot simply sit and shut up. Even though I know that writing all down won't help, not even a tiny bit, at least I'm getting it of my chest...
First thing...Maya's kindergarten is a WASTE OF TIME, believe me. She is in the year before going to school and they are supposed to learn the basics, you know, letters, numbers and such. We decided to enroll her in that specific kindy because we heard the teacher there was very good...but this year, surprise, they got a new teacher! The old one took early retirement - I've heard later through the grapevine that she had a very difficult year because of some parents. So, good for her. Not so good for us...
I also have another kindy related problem, but I think in this one I am alone...I absolutely hate the way they take care of the kids. I know there are only one teacher and one helper at 32 kids, but...still... Nobody pays attention if the kids eat all they luch or not (lately, Maya has been coming home with the food barely touched in her lunchbox), if they fall and hurt themselves. Sometimes, when I take Maya home she looks like she's been in a battle or something...literally. I don't say to mollycoddle them, but for Heaven's sake, they are 5 year old kids! Teach them to take care of themselves, not just let them figure it out...
Today the weather was awful, cold and windy, and nevertheless they spent time outside. Maya told me "her head was cold" (she didn't have a hat as I couldn't imagine somebody sane to send the kids outside to play in such a weather, I gave her a headband but she didn't find it). As we live near the sea, the winds tend to be very strong in the autumn-winter..
It is very difficult for me to understand all this... Even if I come from a country considered poor and with uneducated people, believe me, it is not!
My husband keps telling me that I have too high expectations, but when my kids are concerned, I don't consider them that way...
Oh, and another issue...we are dealing here in Israel with an on/off doctors' strike. I won't bore you with the details as the story began in the summer when the country's resident doctors began a strike, followed by mass resignations. I thought they solved their differences with the Ministries, but this morning I read in the newspaper (Haaretz in English, the best) that a great number of senior physicians "resigned to show of support for beleaguered residents" (I qouted from the newspaper). I don't want to start on the subject of doctors, because, if you've been reading my blog you already know I have my issues with them. But, come on, what is it, some sort of game? I mean, they are doctors, they have to put the interests of their patients first (yeah, as if). OK, the money problem is a reality but aren't they supposed to figure out something while not letting people die because nody cares or treats them? What about the Hippocratic oath?
My head hurts...I fell like I live in some sort of Kafkian reality and I'm going in circles, round and round...to nowhere...Nobody knows, nobody cares and I feel so frustrated that I could scream...
I guess at least I have to sort out the things where I have a say - like Maya's kindy. I'll start talking to other parents, see if they are OK with our kids not learning anything. Oh, everything is such a waste of time! I don't even know why am I writing this...because I don't feel better. At all...So I'll go.

Thank God for "Pour Your Heart Out Wednesdays" at Shell's blog...



Go and visit. I'll be there...

You Are Lonely When...

...there is nobody to talk to about...favourite movies or British sitcoms or urban fantasy books or the book you are working at...
... there is nobody to have a cup of coffee or tea with, so you're going by yourself, loud music blaring in your earphones, to block all the silence that comes crashing on you...
...there is no shoulder to cry on when your daughter is sick...or you are sick...or you just need a cuddle...and there is nobody there to hold you...
...there is nobody to laugh with...
...

Eventful Days...

Even though I said I'd write more, the past days were pretty eventful...so now that I am more (or less) relaxed about what happened, I can sit and talk about it.
First of all, Maya had her first playdate from the new kindy...and boy, did it end in tears...Our cat, Dasha, scratched the girl (on her face) as she wouldn't let the cat alone, no matter how many times I asked her to. I was lucky enough that her mother was there at that moment (came to pick her up) and she saw the scene, otherwise only God knows what she would've thought about the red, angry lines on her daughter's face. I disinfected hjem, give her some antibiotic ointment and pray that it will go away without any complications. Dasha is a house cat, imunized, clean and all...and she scratched us (especially Maya) lots of times, before we learned to interpret her body language and understand when she wants to be left alone.
I hope the girl will be all right, her mum was very understanding (once again, I am glad she saw when it happened) and that the girls will remain friends...
Well, if that wasn't enough, it was Maya's turn afterwards...She had a nasty accident at the kindy: during the sports lesson, another girl fell down and Maya didn't see her and tripped over and knocked her mouth on the other girls head. I didn't see it right away when I took her from the kindy, as she ran away to the swings in the park (the kindy is near a small park), I saw it a few minutes later...and I thought I'd pass out...She had a fat lip (mainly half of it) and said it hurts "a bit"...Then, when I looked more atentively I saw that she had a blod clot on her inner part of the lip and the upper gum was a bit swollen. She didn't complain much, we even went to her weekly swimming lesson, I gave her in the evening "Nurofen" and kept her at home today.
What bothers me in all this malarkey is the fact that it happened during the  sports lesson and the sports teacher didn't see it (in fact, nobody saw her swollen lip all day afterwards). When I asked Maya where was the teacher when it happened she said that "she was talking with our kindy teacher and all the kids were running around"...Well, tomorow I am going to give them a piece of my mind...I know it is not easy to watch over 30 kids, but as I understood from Maya during the sports lesson they are divided into two groups, one is playing and the other is participating in the lesson. And anyhow, the kids are their responsability as long as they are in the kindy...
Well, I won't say anymore, I am just grateful it wasn't worse, it'll pass in a couple of days with lots of TLC and I hope she'll pay more attention next time (as she is a bit "head in the clouds" type of kid).

Quiet Morning...But Not For the Reasons You'd Imagine...

It is Sunday morning and it is so quiet outside....In Israel the working week begins on Sunday and at this hour of the day it is usually very noisy and busy outside our window.
But not today...The south of Israel is under fire (again) and after an afternoon, night and morning of sirens and rockets and stuff we were advised to stay closed to "protected areas", that means inside buildings. There is no school in the south today so I'm at home with Maya. I always try to keep calm, for her sake, as she picks any small change in my mood...It is difficult, though. We were woken at 6.30 in the morning by the alarm today and we hardly found our way to the hall. Because we don't have a protected room in the apartment we have to get out from it and wait into the hall. The latest from the Home Front says we are supoosed to wait for at least 10 minutes in the protected area after we hear the alarm as there are usualyy more than one rocket on its way...
I don't know for how long I can keep it together. It is not fair to have a 5 years old daughter who says :"Mummy, go and check the internet to see where did the rocket fall" or to be told stories about their protected room in the kindergarten...She says that I don't have to worry, because they have toilets and water and plastic cups in there...she is only 5 years old, for God's sake, she doesn't have to know about stuff like that....Sometimes she is more grown up about the situation than me...

Since yesterday afternoon more than 30 rockets hit the south of Israel, killing one man and injurying five others...one rockets here in Ashdod fell on some cars in a car park, destroying around 9 cars and bringing panick to the neighbourhood.
May God protect us!

Dream....Interrupted

Dream....Interrupted


The shrieking vail of the siren, another alarm,
and the dream implodes behind the eyelids
impaling them in thin, broken shards.

In between the up and down undulating sound
and the rocket hitting the ground
hard
there is a general silence
a huge breath holding
and them
the mighty
BOOM

we all exhale
and do a body check
a body count
is everyone all right?

"Mummy, who are the people that make the rockets
to kill mothers
and babies?"

Gather around you the tattered night
and go to sleep
my precious
you have to finish your dream.

Ashdod
2011

Happy Birthday To...Me!

Well, yes, today it is my birthday...don't ask me how old I am because I am not going to tell you that...Anyhow, for the past years, on my birthday I used to sit and think about what I achieved the year that had passed...and I am ashamed to say...not much...for the last five years and so I've been staying at home, raising my daughter...You should say that has been an achievement in itself and I am going to contradict you. It is great to be a mother to my daughter Maya, she is a special child and I enjoy every moment I spend with her. But I sometimes feel I ought to do something for myself, to be something else, not just "Maya's mother". So I have been writing...I used to be a professional journalist so writing was (and still is) an important part of my life, of who I was (of who I am). I published a book before, it was strictly written in a journalistic style. Now, I write fiction....Because, as you may know, if you have been reading my blog, I miss my homeland (Romania) savagely, I thought that writing a book that would have its background in the Romanian folklore would help me deal with my longing. Since that idea popped into my head I struggled with my writing, as I write only at night and I absolutely cannot write when Maya is sick, for example...but the book took shape anyway, because I felt it had to be written...It is not finished yet, and it is still a struggle....but I am going to make a promise to myself...to come here next year, same date, same hour, to tell you that I finished the book...What do yo say? Deal?
And this with thought, I wish you all that celebrate today your birthday "Many Happy Returns of the Day" and may God grant you peace and health...

                                            Mummy, the sea is a marvelous place, isn't it?

What Kind of Mother Am I?

I really don't know what to do...I alternate between plucking my hair out by handfulls, breaking something or...I don't know...I feel sooooooooooo frustrated, so frustrated...
And because I don't have anybody to talk to, I'll just sit here and talk to myself (that's the feeling but who cares, I have to take it out or I'll explode).
So, since Saturday Maya was sick, a stomach bug and some coughing, really bad coughing. I took her to the hospital, her doctor, everywhere, I did whatever they told me to do...Maya is not vomiting and doesn't have diarheea anymore, because now she is constipated. For crying out loud!!! Yesterday she felt OK so she ate well. In the evening she said she had a tummy ache, I gave her some Nurofen and she went to sleep. She slept OK, woke up fine...
During the day she didn't eat much and again said her tummy hurts...I gave her plenty to drink and let her be. We even took her to the seaside, she played there and didn't complain of anything, she didn't even cough...Back home, again, her tummy hurts and she starts coughing...
What in the name of God am I missing here???
I feel like the biggest failure in the entire world and helpless and....I didn't sleep since Saturday, I am functioning like an automaton, open me and I'm all clockwork...
What to do, what to do? I want my baby to be healthy and enjoy herself...My heart breaks when I hear her "Mummy, my tummy hurts..."
What kind of a mother am I if I cannot help my girl?
Here is Israel there is the Sokkot holiday now, so it is difficult to navigate between holidays when nobody's working, to find a doctor that really gives a shit.
Tomorow I'll try to get her to another doctor and to ask for some tests, X-ray, ultrasound, anything...I simply cannot sit back and wait...for what? The illness to go by itself?
Maybe I am exaggerating, I don't know. But I believe in "better to be safe than sorry" stuff...

There Has To be More Than This...

There has to be more to life than this...there has to be...
Maya is still sick and she is a very difficult "patient". Doesn't want to take any medication - she vomits the pepto-bismuth for diarheea, doesn't want to drink Coke....she has a very bad case of tummy bug but without her cooperating, I am afraid we'll make it to the hospital...again...I know she is is pain and it's only a little girl...But how do you treat a very stubborn sick child? She has to drink and eat, despite her tummy ache, it is the only was she won't become dehydrated and her body will flush out the nasty virus...
It is soooooo frustrating....and my heart breaks when I see her suffer...
I think I also have the bug, I hope it is the same as Maya's and didn't take something else from the hospital...
Speaking of hospitals...here the health system is also very sick...the doctors were in and out striking for some time now, a month ago aproximately 500 residents handed in their resignations, and today the resignations were put into effect...generating the worst crisis of the health system here, in Israel...I am sure their actions are justified...but still, there are sick people out there...
You know what I think? That we are living in a very selfish world, were is only "dog eats dog". Everybody cares only about their own good and welfare, politicians , businessmen and doctors alike. Doctors want bigger wages, the government doesn't give them anything...so what if some people will die because of the grave shortage of doctors...Yesterday, hundreds of operations had to be postponed because the doctors didn't show up...I don't know, in these circumstances I cannot feel solidarity with their cause...I really can't.
So Please God help us all...Otherwise I'll loose any hope in humanity...

 

A Rather "Adventurous" Yom Kippur (Atonement Day)

A few days ago I complained to my husband that I have a very boring life and that I wouldn't mind some adventures...Well, I didn't have in mind the "excitement"of  Yom Kippur - The Atonement Day. As all Jewish holidays Yom Kippur starts at sunset, so this year it statred at aproximately 5 o'clock on Friday and it ended on Saturday evening. First of all, you have to know that Yom Kippur is a day when Jews fast (no food or water for 25 hours), there are no programs on the TV, all shops and similar are closed, no cars, no public transportantion, nothing. Not even medical care...and here it comes my adventurous day...
Maya was very sick, some kind of stomach bug- bad vomiting and diarheea, also she was having some kind of coughing fits, that left her breathless. So there was my sweet daughter, pale as a sheet, with her lips turning blue...I panicked...But, no doctors, no emergency room in Ashdod and we don't have a hospital in the city. The nearest one is at aproximately 60 km and you cannot drive on Yom Kipur...The clock was ticking , Maya was chocking so I did what every mother would've done, I called the ambulance...They arrinved pretty quicly, but unfortunately witout a doctors, only two paramedics. They couldn't do anything, just took her blood pressure and sugested to take Maya to the hospital, as her vomiting got worse and she was complainig of tummy aches...
So, of we went...my husband remained at home, to be coming to the hospital at the end of the fast day, when he could drive...
At the hospital they didn't do much...didn't care to much about her stomach bug and tried to ease her cough, didn't do any blood work only a urine test...We were at the hospital for more that four hours and after getting very frustrated of their lack of interest I asked to be released. Also, the fast was over and the ER was getting full by the moment by sick kids...
So we took her home....Fortunately she was feeling better...I took her the next day to her doctor and continued with the tests...he was mildly dehydrated so I had to monitor her liquids intake (she wasn't dehydrtaed enough to be put on a drip, that's what they told us)...
So on top of the fact that I was furious because of the way they treated my baby at the hospital, what really bothered me was the fact that we were charged for the ambulance and for the ER (we didn't have a from a doctor) BUT how on Earth was I supposed to get otherwise to the hospital when there are NO CARS allowed on Yom Kipur and NO MEDICAL ASSISTANCE!!! What was I to do? I know I panick easily when Maya is concerned, but I don't think anyone would judge me on this, I am a mother and my kids well being is on the top of my priorities' list...
I am prepared to go to the healthcare organization and ask for a refund. I don't think it is fair to be charged when we didn't have any other alternative...I am just waiting for Maya to get better...
I am very dissapointed by the quality of the medical act here, in Israel but you already know that....The only thing I can do is to pray for the health of my family and not to depend on any doctors...

(The picture is from the Haaretz newspaper website. You can find there some nice pictures showing the empty streets on Yom Kippur)

I Would've Liked Some Help...

Yesterday I experienced (again) the shortcomings of being here all by myself, alone, with no friends or family....

Saturday night we went with Maya to the Asuta hospital in Tel Aviv because she had to have a polysomnography. You know, you go to sleep and then you're connected to all those machines and they check you're functions while you sleep. With Maya it was necessary because she has sleep apnea and we want to know if it affects her (and at what degree), why and what is to be done...Anyway, to cut a long story short , I stayed with her overnight in the hospital...it was a difficult and sleppless night for me (fortunately, Maya had slept through all the somnography thing). I had to keep an eye on Maya because I was afraid she'll get strangled by all the cables and stuff that she had on and around her. Also, the armchair I had in the room was very unconfortable and made an awful noise whenever I shifted...We arrived at home in the morning the next day and while Maya was well rested and full of energy, I was sooooo tired my body was simply shaking . I asked Maya to stay with me in our bedromm and watch some TV while I rest for a while. I had to because at a certain point I was feeling nausesous from fatigue. She didn't really want but reluctanly agreed so while I was sleeping with an eye open I was gripping my daughter's T-shirt  - I wanted to be able to feel if she decided to wander away. Even though she is 5 and I good girl, I don't like her wandering about in the apartment by herself. O f course I could sleep and rest properly and when I finally went to bed at 8 o c'lock in the evening (after I put Maya to bed) I fell into a coma like sleep and woke up with a very stiff neck and right shoulder...

During moments like those of yesterday I feel the burden of loneliness....It would've be such a bliss to be able to ask a relative or a friend to keep an eye on Maya for two hours...paradise....but no, I had to drink litres of coffee and prop my eyes open with toothpicks  (just kidding). In moments like those I regret the decision of coming here...I am not sure back home in Romania I would've had someboy to help me, but at least I can fool myself it could've been different.
Also, yesterday was a sort of eye-opener for me (literally and figuratively speaking). I realized I am exhausted, usually a selpless night doesn't shatter me to pieces like that. So, I decided to take care of me better, for the sake of my daughter, at least. I have to pay more attention to what I eat, take my vitamins and do sport regularly...If nobody is here to help me I have to do it....

Shana Tova! Happy New Year!

From all my heart, to all of you celebrating the Jewish New Year, I wish you a sweet and happy new year, filled with happines and peace.

BACK

My dear, dear readers....don't be mad at me...there are some good reasons behind my prolonged silence on the bloggy front...just not ready to talk about them...I almost gave up on this blog...but then, after thinking about it, I realized it is one of the best things that happened to me in the past couple of years...so I will still be here, if you'll want me (well, even if you won't...).
What can I say?
In August we were in Romania, my homeland...and it was a sweet and bitter kind of thing....so glad to be there, to see my family and friends...to be able to understand what was going on...to be at home...the glitch was that I returned from there even emptier and hollower than I was before. It was like my inner being was carved out, leaving me breathless and desoriented...once more...
I swore to God I'd go back some day....
But today I'll draw some strenght from the memories of the beautiful places I saw...

Yhse are only a few pictures from the hundreds I took...But Blogger didn't want to work with me today, as I couldn't upload any more pictures. But not to worry...I'll find a way...

Let Sleeping Cats (and Kiddos) Lie

I don't think these pictures require captions or anything...as they are self-explanatory...I really envy our cat, though, she is able to sleep wherever she pleases and whenever she feels she should...

Summery Offerings To Say "Forgive Me"...

I am really sorry I am not a serious and perseverent blogger as I should be...I had so many issues going on that I forgot this blog is one of the good things in my life...And because you are the best readers a blogger could ask for, Maya and I went to the shouk and bought you some lemons and mint for a cold lemonade and a sweet mango for later.
We hope you all have a great summer!
And keep visiting our blog! I promise to at leas try and post more often...

So, What Do You Think We're Doing All Day?

Even if I have been so unwell (physically and mind-wise) don't you think, even for a second, that I haven't been fulfilling my duties as a mother. I try very hard to go on with our daily routine and for Maya to have a normal life...even if her mama is a bit...you know...gone with the fairies...
So, what are we up to these days?

Well, when it is too hot outside (oh, and in Israel this time of year can be very hot and humid) we build forts and castels

play with rice,

We make playdough pies and cakes

oh, and Maya likes to dress up, too...

We learn to read and write - thank you Carissa from 1+1+1+1, please visit her blog as she has some fantastic materials there!

We paint and draw a lot...

 as you can see, Dasha really appreciates Maya's creations...

During sunny mornings we make bubbles and three times a week Maya goes swimming!

And after all this hard work, one can relax...even if it means sitting in a basin...

...or eating a yummy pancake

We wish you all a great summer!