We spent a full day in Jerusalem, touring all four quarters of the old city , our guide explained 3,ooo years of history to us (it was a lot to take in ) We entered the city through Jaffa gate in the Christian Quarter, one of seven gates around the city walls , the golden gate is sealed awaiting the arrival (or return depending on your faith) of the messiah . there is still plenty to explore in Jerusalem, I can't wait to come back

Some of the columns on Cardo Maximus

Muslim quarter

Eric and Caden walking down to the wailing wall, a paper head cover is provided for you if you don't have one

look close you can see the rock under the glass on both sides of the altar

The entrance to the tomb of Jesus (inside the church) . Originally built over the tomb in 330 A.D . Then destroyed by the Persians in 614 A.D ,Rebuilt shortly thereafter, the Egyptian caliph al-Hakim destroyed the church in 1009 .

Has been easier than I could have ever imagined !

Trip's to the grocery store are becoming fun :) and not so overwhelming (thanks to my new girlfriends) we have been shopping together , as well as getting together for fun a couple times a week . This week we went to Ikea and out to breakfast.

I mentioned before we are in a fantastic neighborhood , both boys have lots of English speaking friends ,we have met families from Germany,Canada,France, England as well as the U.S. there is even a retired U.S. Air Force pilot on our street. I did not expect the kids to have so many friends so soon !

Saturday we went to an Australian zoo . The kids loved it because you can interact with the Kangaroo's .

Eric's busy with work, everyone is feeling more at home, settling in. I am going for my usual morning walks . My coffee options seem to be endless. I counted 14 coffee houses on a 3 mile walk . Not a single Starbucks !!! I am getting anxious to start venturing out of Haifa , hopefully we will explore Jerusalem this weekend .

Ikea was pretty much the same

The one in the back is so cute

Back home in Arizona, we don't use our dryer (we have one ),but it's rare that we use it...We line dry ,here are a few reasons why

Eric came home from work today with a funny grin on his face, handed me my passport (he had just received it back from the Ministry of the Interior)

he said to me , here you go honey it's all in writing now ...just what you have always wanted

The Jewish Day of Rest, Shabbat , begins on Friday at sundown and ends on Saturday at sundown...

Last night we had dinner at a classmate of Mason's house,we are finding Israeli's to be warm and inviting... Many neighbors as well as parents from the school have extended invitations to us for Shabbat Dinner.

The main meal of the week (and a festive one at that) in Jewish households in Israel and around the world is the Friday night dinner.

The meal begins after sundown. Because Shabbat is the focal point of the week,It has been explained to me that families often invite lot's of guests, set the table with their prettiest dishes. Atop the table sits the Kos L'Kiddush , which is held when the blessing over the Sabbath day is said. Before the meal, you sing a song or prey to welcome Sabbath angels followed by the first breaking of the bread. Then a huge kosher meal is served .

Eric and I found the conversation and stories friday night to be fascinating ! Lots of discussion of religion and politics, Israeli style (opinionated) At one point Mason's friend's dad read from the Five books of Moses (the Torah) . All this along with candles, wine and challah loaves...Great way to spent an evening

And Indians are strawberries...

Note to my American friend's ,being a peach is NOT a complement

Eric and I attended a culture training class today provided to us by his work , the idea being that it eases the stresses of relocation, wards off culture shock and smoothes cross-cultural business relations. There were couples from India , Costa Rica , Great Brittan and America in our particular class... first we learned about our own cultures,values and behaviors and more importantly how we are perceived

I was expecting a list of dos and don'ts ! Instead, I learned the difference between individualism and collectivism societies, how other countries value personal space, eye contact, manners or lack of , social conduct ect.. oh and what fruit everybody is : )

Another exciting night for T.V. First ... On Monday we watched the cards beat Philadelphia and now tonight, The Inauguration of the first Black President America.

Everyone here is talking about it ... everybody !!! and asking my opinion too ! we are getting use to that though... since we arrived here people have been asking us if we like Bush !!! It is very obvious we are American I don't get it . We will be watching History on France 24 flipping to Sky news and the BBC (We get Fox but I can watch fox anytime too boring !!!)

I am really enjoying the world perspective .It's been interesting to hear how much other countries admire our transfer of power . So far it seems the world coverage ,at least Europe and the middle East has been extremely jubilant . The boys are really into it.. Mason has just told me he wants to run for President when he grows up !Seems Barack Obama has inspired yet another : )

I have walked to and from the kids school 6 times today. Did I mention their school is up a hill ??? They get out at different times and they both started scoccer today(AKA Futball) so it's been a busy day . This morning Wendi picked me up and took me grocery shopping , she has been here for a year so she was really helpful (Thank you Wendi ) and then I had my first Hebrew lesson with Graciela .We talked a lot about Israel, Then she read all the school papers that have been piling up for me !!! She will come to my home on Tues. and Thurs afternoons. and attemp to teach me Hebrew !!! Also , if I want she can go to the grocery store, post office, read ect.. with me .

Girls morning out. Today I met Wendi and Elodie, They and their children are here like me on relocation with their husbands.We went to The Alexander River. Lots of trails, picnic areas , ruins too - Hurvat Samra, This was possibly the customs house where raftsmen paid taxes on the goods and agricultural products they transported on the river . We looked for sea turtles with no luck. It was so nice to meet both of them . I have the feeling this is just the first of many mornings with the girls.

Eric has started work ,the kids are in school and reality is starting to set in ,Don't get me wrong I am enjoying this new experience so much ,Everyday life how now become an adventure ! And that is fine with me ,I am up for it...

But their has been some small annoyances' : ( I can't figure out how to use my phone ,the voice mail instructions are in Hebrew ! My oven temp. is in celsius , all the driving distances are in kilometers ,the clocks are in military time - I have no Idea what the temperature is (weather temp.) because it to is in celsius ,

I have no idea what I have been eating because everything at the grocery stores is in Hebrew !!! I can't even figure out how to start my dish washer because the button symbols don't make any since.

Did you know you read Hebrew right to left ? I had forgotten- I don't think I was prepared for the language barrier ,or all the writing in hebrew Ex. Business cards,Business signs ,Grocery ads (Luckily all street signs are in Hebrew,Arabic and English)

You should have seen my reaction when I registered the boys for school : ) Here fill this out - I was handed a packet of paper for each child - Yes, all in Hebrew and No ,they do not have any english copies - OY VAY !

Today my two brave boys started school in a foreign country , I am so proud of their willingness to learn language and culture . They have had such a positive attitude about Israel . They will be taught english language and grammar with a teacher/tutor that works with english speaking immigrants .I am so happy to report there are some Boys from Canada and the U.S. in both of there classes ! There is a girl in Cadens class from Scottsdale , AZ. Math will be taught in Hebrew ,but because numbers look the same I expect they will keep up . The school library has english books for them to check out . Eric and I will teach them history on the weekends : ) as we explore the Middle East

AKKO or ACRE is an Ancient fishing village With thousands of years of history,

We took a boat ride to see the Ancient city walls that are around 4000 years old. I am starting to see a pattern here with the city walls . In 1799 it withstood a 61-day siege by Napoleon .

The Palace Pool, Built somewhere around 40 BC

Cafes,malls ,shopping everything you need ! We all like it . Everything is going much better than I expected : ) our niehborhood is fantastic -Nice nieghbors too ! We really have an amazing view from our patio. Winter here is cold and windy .

I can't wait for warmer days , I am gonna sit on my patio and watch the sunset on the Mediterranean Sea

View of the Mediterranean Sea from our patio

Mason already feeling at home

While the term "breakfast" is identical worldwide, an Israeli breakfast is different. Coffee, orange juice,tons of fresh vegetables, salad, cream cheese,cheese,yogurt,cereal, fresh bread ,toast,bagels,olives,and eggs of your choice,lots of cold fish - No meats ever ! Every morning at the hotel was super yummy !

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called "Opportunity" and its first chapter is New Year's Day.

Edith Lovejoy Pierce

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