The journey home

I was able to check in early and divest myself of those suitcases.  Got a chance to leisurely check out the duty-free stores (where I picked up action figures (their term) of Moshe Dayan, David Ben Gurion, and Golda Meir).  Those will be handy in doing Israel outreach.  They're really cool. Eventually, it was time to board, and there we had our carry-on bags hand-searched.  On my out-going flight, El Al had eliminated the lengthy interviews (I heard that on the news in March).  We're not allowed to bring filled water bottles onto the plane.  I'm not sure why, but that's what the check was mostly for.

I had a window seat.

My engineering geekness was in great form.  This was a 747, which is a big plane.  Four engines.  Big wings.  Really big control surfaces.  Wow.  I think there were about 500 passengers.  Food was good, and the usual El Al service was wonderful.

So land in JFK.  Now they have passport check-in kiosks, where you check yourself in.  I was a little over the $800 customs allowance, so I got to have extra discussions.  When I finally got to customs (for which I was fully-prepared:  checkbook, enough time, all declared things in one suitcase), the officer asked how much I had to declare:  $1050.  He asked what - he didn't ask me to put the suitcases up on the counter, and I started:  these running shoes (the ones on my feet), the phone, some fabric (which was the Damascus silk brocade), and souveniers (including $100 from duty-free).  He says that the duty-free doesn't count against my $800 limit.  He was in a good mood, I was nice. It was 0600.  He says, 'you only have to pay 3% on the overage.  3% of $100 is $3.00.  Have a nice day, lady.'  We smiled, laughed a little, and I moved on.

I got some cash (for the taxi), a taxi to La Guardia, and got checked in at Southwest.  Weird thing:  my one suitcase gained 5 lbs after leaving Tel Aviv.  I didn't add anything.  But now, I had to take stuff out and add it to my carry-on.  She agreed that 50.5 lbs was close enough.  Phew.

I walked right past the food court, I guess, which would have been my only opportunity for pretty-real NY pizza.  At 0700.  Would they even have been serving pizza at that hour?  I did not eat pizza in Israel.  Really.  I just ate Israeli food. I was hoping for NY pizza in NY, and some Chicago pizza in Chicago.  Well, I did get some competent, but not Chicago deep-dish, pizza at Midway Airport.  Did get some Dunkin Donuts coffee in NY - some consolation.  I like Dunkin Donuts.  And then I landed in Kansas City.  Home again.

I'm very grateful for.....

• Nissim's help with the apartment.  It's been great staying in his brother's apartment.
• an amazing sense of personal security.  That's what it's like in a society where women, the elderly and children are truly valued.
• not needing to use my health insurance
• getting to run in a 5K
• the Moovit app - it allowed me to go places with confidence that I never could have done with a map and compass, like downtown Tel Aviv.
• the university's help and sponsorship in renewing my visa
• the out-of-town buses stopping right by my apartment on the return to Beer Sheva.  It was nice after returning from Jerusalem, etc. to just get home.  And on those nights that I returned late (when the local buses have stopped running in Beer Sheva), it was especially wonderful.
• being able to bring a smile to about one in three bus drivers when I had the exact fare and they didn't have to make change.  It's amazing what little things like that can bring a little joy.
• my luggage scale.  I'm afraid that preparing my suitcases is too close to the 50 lb limit to guess.  Of course the Ph.D. in me is weighing them after each addition of stuff. But I don't want surprises of that type at the airport.  I'm already paying for an extra suitcase - I don't want to pay for overweight bags, too.
• the chance to have an extended visit in Israel, and be useful in unexpected ways.

Disappointments of the trip

• no seminar or trip to the Technion
• no Shabbats with the Friedmans
• no windsurfing off Tel Aviv beach
• unable to attend the bar mitzvah in Istambul because of visa complications
• I didn't find more opportunities to practice/learn conversational Hebrew
• didn't look for an Israeli folk dance group to join early in the semester

I didn't expect to....

• consume 3 liters of olive oil
• have insider-access to the Knesset
• help my friend Anna F. be shomer-shabbas
• buy an evening gown in Beer Sheva
• not miss TV.  I didn't even watch all the DVDs that I brought.
• always have to run in sunglasses
• read 39 books
• wear out my socks.  I thought I would wear sandals most of the time, but I walk so much that I wear running shoes almost every day.
• have my laundry dry overnight inside my apartment (I don't have a balcony).  That's the desert!
• fall in love with halvah.  I had some a long time ago at college, but it must have been stale.  I eat halvah almost every day.  I think it's great survival food, so I usually have some in my purse.
• lose my Kindle at a bus stop.  Or my hat at En Avdat.  I don't usually lose things.  Don't worry, I replaced the Kindle, and hats are easy.
• need my cool travel towel on the last few days.  I brought it for the first few days, but Shlomo and Devorah had outfitted the apartment with some basic linens for my arrival.  But I want to leave everything clean, so I'm washing and drying their towels, and using my travel towel and microfiber cleaning cloths in the last days.
• have my citrus juicer needed as one of my last kitchen tools, but I never used fresh lemons so much before. 
• only know two of the four compass directions.  I live in the south (דורם), and generally go north (צפון).  I see the signs over and over.  I have only a vague remembrance of east and west, although the Kotel is הכותל המערבי, and the Middle East is המזרח התיכון.  I never see those signs, right??  Hmm.

Day zero

Well, this is the day to depart.  My last cleanup in the apartment was washing my bed sheets.  Then just do a final packing and weight check.

Two suitcases (48 lb and 46 lb), one moderate carry-on, and my computer bag.  That's a lot of stuff to wrangle.  My taxi driver gave me a good price (NIS 400) to drive me to the airport, so I took him up on it, instead of taking the #354 bus.  It was much simpler with all my stuff.  And I learned something on the ride up - what cotton looks like as it's growing.  I'd never seen it before.

However, I arrived really early, so I have plenty of time to finish this blog post, and finish my book (and start the next one!).  I was very grateful to find any seats here in the departure area.  I've got knoshables, a moderate amount of water, and a Kindle full of books.  I'm where I need to be, when it's time to get in line.

Yes, my plane looks exactly like this!

If anything interesting occurs, I'll post that as a debriefing.  See you all soon.

Almost out

So the strategy in the last few days is "pack it, throw it, give it, or consume it."  Many things have been given away, formally or informally. Of course, the trick is that I still live here, but not for long (less than 24 hours now).  Here's the state of affairs:

Only clothes for tomorrow.

Cheese, a bowl of Israeli salad, and some seltzer.  That's one empty refrigerator.

The cupboards are bare, too. The center unit is a dish drying rack.

This bookcase had books, all the Wizard of Oz/UMKC gifts, DVDs, etc.

I took the bus (on shekels - my bus pass expired on 30 June) up to a small shopping area to buy flowers as a thank-you gift to the Minas, but the flower shop (חנות פרחים) wasn't open.  I brought enough small change for a back-up plan, so I took the next bus south to the big bus station, where there's a prominent flower shop.  I said "אני צריכה פרחים שאומרים תודה" (I need flowers that say "thank-you") and gave a ballpark price.  The man pegged me as an American, and helped me pick out these roses.  I was dressed uncharacteristically in a tank top and shorts (because I am cleaning), but he was nice, and I returned to the apartment on the next bus.  I did get rid of lots of one shekel pieces and agorot on the three bus rides.  Yeah.

I believe a falafel sandwich is in order for supper.  Not much food in the house, and my neighborhood falafel stand (פלאפל הכרם) is very good, so I should have just one more of their fine sandwiches.  Which, of course, comes with pickles and french fries for only NIS15.  Yes, indeed.

Very sad day in Israel

Last night, the news broke that the three young men (Gil-Ad Shaer, Eyal Yifrah and Naftali Fraenkel) who were missing near Hevron were found dead.

Last day at BGU

This morning I dropped off a good load at the BGU thrift store, and had coffee with Prof. Nurit Ashkenasy on the main campus.

This is an olive tree on campus.  I didn't know they grew this tall, but the others I've seen were probably pruned for harvesting.

Last look at date production.  They're still more spherical than oblong, but the trees sure are productive.

Then took the #5 bus over to the Hias campus, where an end of semester/send-off lunch (lunch-like) was planned at 12:30.  I copied files from my work computer to my flash drive, printed off a couple things I might need at US Customs, and helped Ruti prep the lunch by slicing some bell peppers and carrying plates down to the conference room.

Prof. Robert Levi, the new department chair, presented me with a written greeting, a BGU pen and keychain set, a BGU coffee cup (the obligatory coffee cup), a BGU bookmark (how do I get that into my Kindle??) and a BGU blank book.

 I said my good-byes and turned in my keys.

Last trip to the shuk (שוק העירוני בבאר שבע)

Let me begin with a confession.  I really wanted to take some photos of the shuk, but I didn't want to look like a dweeb.  The big shuks in Jerusalem (Mahane Yehuda) and Tel Aviv (Carmel Market) are always full of tourists with cameras, so it's been easy to blend in there with a camera.  But this is my home shuk, and we don't have tourists with cameras there.  Just civilians of every color and creed.  But this was my last chance, and if I looked stupid, well, they might not see me again.

Now one of the things I like so much about the shuk, besides the fresh produce, is that it's intensely personal.  So, I photographed my regular vendors today.  I haven't been loyal to the same egg seller and only have purchased olives and spices once or twice, but these five vendors are my regular go-to people on just about a weekly basis.

First, my poor Russian dairyman.  I think he just shudders when I walk up, because my Hebrew is so rough.  But I'm always polite and patient and don't argue.  Today, I thought I finally learned the name of the cheese I like, which I have defaulted to call the 'tall cheese' (גבינה גבוהה) because it is the tallest cheese (I can point it out in the photo!) he has, but a friend said it's probably called Safed cheese (גבינה צפתית).  So I confidently asked for that and he pointed to something that wasn't what I wanted.  We worked out our last transaction in the usual way - pointing.

Then I went to my nuts and gummi bear (for Anna F.) vendor (פיצוחי באסם) and bought some snacks for the plane.  When I took the photo, he (in the black shirt) waved me back, poured me a glass of Coke, and wanted to talk.  So we talked as well as I could participate.  One guy in the shop asked if I was from the newspaper (a word I know!!), to which I replied, they're just for me.  It was great.

Then I went to my green grocer lady who has always been so friendly to me (lettuce, broccoli, scallions, mint, microgreens, cabbage, etc.).  I didn't need things from her today, but explained that I was leaving and wanted to say goodbye.  I learned that her name is Olga.  And she asked me when I would return, and I said I didn't know when.

I have been loyal to this fruit vendor the whole time (מרכז הפירות), but I didn't need any fruit today.

And then there's the tomato/cucumber/onions/etc. guy, from whom I did procur tomatoes and cucumbers today.

I'm so glad I was brave and brought my camera.  It even spurred some conversations, not rancor.  I hope you like the photos, too.

Last shabbat in Israel

I was invited for shabbat in Jerusalem at my friend Anna's house.  This is a haredi family with five children. I have no photographs because turning my camera on would have violated the rules for shabbat. I got to practice some aspects of shabbat that I only knew in theory, and learned some rules for the first time.  I, of course, slept over on Friday night because there are no buses or trains that operate on shabbat.  Anna prepared a Saturday lunch as a bit of a send-off for me, and invited some of my other friends (Gershon and Rina).  Her husband, Avi, gave some insights on the weekly Torah reading after lunch.  We had a peaceful visit, my friends left, and then Anna and I walked over to see her friend Susan, who is also leaving for the States.  On the return walk (with frequent stops to favor my poor foot), we found Avi and the kids in the park.  Anna babied me and gave me supper on the sofa with a tray so that I could rest my foot, the kids returned, shabbat ended, Avi conducted havdalah, and Anna took me to the bus station in Avi's hybrid car.  I caught the 22:30 bus to Beer Sheva, and was so happy to be able to depart the bus near my apartment, because the local buses had ceased running in Beer Sheva, and it's so much simpler to just walk a block home (especially with a sore ankle).  I chatted briefly with the woman sitting next to me on the bus, who is married to a civil engineer!

Shutting down the apartment

Well, it's time to fit all that I'm taking home back into the two suitcases and carry-on.  Here is the disposition of some things:

• silverware and knives to BGU Structural Engineering kitchen on 25 June 2014
• some clothes to BGU thrift store on 17 June 2013
• most kitchen hardware/dishes to BGU thrift store (including Turkish coffee cups)
• decent office supplies to BGU thrift store
• books and files shipped home on 24 June 2014
• LPI leadership materials to Prof. Iris Cohen-Kaner at BGU Business School on 26 June 2014
• inflatable guest bed and pump to a friend in Jerusalem on 27 June 2014
• all UMKC/Wizard of Oz gifts have been given away
• four books to a used book shop in Beer Sheva

As of 25 June, I'm on disposable plates/cups and my one good knife.  I still have a cutting board because it will just go in the trash (I bought a pack of those thin, colored polyethylene cutting boards).  The meat side of my kitchen is shut down (no more guests expected).

A test check on one suitcase revealed that I've got lots of headroom in its weight.  I'm going to buy more halvah! Halvah Kingdom in Mahane Yehuda is AMAZING!

Holiday in Acco

The trip to Acco began on the train.  BTW, Beer Sheva Center is the southernmost stop on the main line, and Acco is next to last on the north (Nahariya is the northernmost stop).  Anna F's host made a last minute transportation change, but she found me on the train, and all was well.

We walked to our hotel (Acco Beach Hotel - right on the Mediterranean) from the train station, but along the way, I missed a step, fell, and sprained my ankle.  Rats.  I limped, only complaining a little comparing to how I felt.  We took a cab to the old city, on account of my new, impaired condition, to explore a little.  We had an inadequate map, and were able to procure a proper, aerial-photo-derived map, but they were out of the English version, and we opted for Hebrew.  Good practice, right?  Anna was a good navigator, but Acco is an old city, like Yafo or the old city of Jerusalem.  Nothing's orthogonal or straight.  But it was daylight and we were together.  It's good to have a buddy.

Really?  Drive here?

We found where my concert would be the next night, had dinner at a restaurant my secretary suggested (Abu Kristo), and then found our way to a cab that took us to the hotel.

On Friday, we purposed ourselves to explore some of the museum sites.  My ankle felt marginally better, so we walked over.

Crusaders' tunnel - if Anna had to hunch over, imagine what it was for me!

Turkish bath house

We bought some snacks for Shabbat, and got a cab back to the hotel.  I took a dip in the sea before supper.

View of old city of Acco from the hotel beach

Our hotel.

Anna headed back to Jerusalem Sunday evening, and took possession of the blue backpack that I purchased here, and didn't want to take back to the States.

Rosh HaNikra

Anna really wanted to go to Rosh HaNikra, so I assented.  I'm glad I did.  We took the train one stop to Nahariya (we couldn't buy round-trip tickets from Acco!), and took a cab from the train station.  The dispatcher cited us NIS50 (which seemed like a bargain to me), and the assigned driver high-fived the other guys, so I guess it's a choice fare.  This park is the farthest north you can go on Israel's coastline.  We were able to buy the tickets in Acco, when we bought other museum tickets.  It has a short, but adrenaline-invoking, cable car ride from the parking area to the caverns.

View from the bottom

View from the cable car

 These photos show just how close we were to Lebanon.

These buoys mark the marine border.

We were closer to Beirut than Jerusalem!!

This was a really cool trip, that I didn't think was accessible without a car.  I'm so glad Anna wanted to go.  I kept saying "This...is fluid mechanics."  You can take the Ph.D. out of the country, but you can't really take her anywhere.

Anna was on the ball, and noticed a taxi dropping someone off at Rosh HaNikra, and secured our return trip to Nahariya.

Mozart Requiem in Acco

I got a ticket to the Mozart Requiem, that was sponsored by the Israel Opera.  It was held in the Knights Hall.  This photo was very helpful for my taxi driver to understand my destination.  We were able to wander around part of the citadel site, although, not being familiar with it, I had some concerns of getting lost and missing the concert, so I was careful.

The black is the night sky.  The chorus was set up on the bluish risers, and the orchestra pit is in the foreground.

Ok, so the concert is an outdoor venue in a mixed-culture city.  Of course, Mozart's Requiem is in seven parts, so the chorus and orchestra pause briefly, as they do in symphonic pieces between movements.  They had just finished "Recordare"  with the translated words, "Grant me a place among Thy sheep, and separate me from the goats, setting me upon Thy right hand."  End of section.  Pause.  Evening Moslem call to prayer began.  Luckily for the performance, it's a shorter call to prayer than at noon.  I'm sure they were prepared for this.  The performance resumed with the "Confutatis" which begins: "When the accursed are confounded, and consigned to the fierce flames, call me among the blessed."  I found that a little ironic.

Anyway, the concert was lovely, and the setting was marvelous.  My seat was good, and my foot didn't bother me too much.  Catching a cab was a little challenging, but I did it.

Senior design poster presentation

(Structural engineering department - EE was close by)

All the seniors (n=98 this year) do an oral presentation in February and poster presentation in June.  The posters were set up in the shade under a building on campus.

I talked with 4 of 6 students whose projects I visited with Prof. Igal Shochat.  They, of course, remembered me coming to their construction sites earlier in the semester.

אור שמש

איתי יעקבי

דניאל בן-אשר ופרופ יגאל שוחט

ניר לופז

They have their last semester exams in the next two weeks, and then they are done.  But they don't receive their diplomae until next June.