Timing

 My timing is impeccable.  

The disastrous elections were held two days after my arrival in Israel.

It takes six months to get health coverage.  Before then I had to pay private insurance.  My national health insurance came through 2 days ago.  Two days ago I woke up without a voice, and a terrible headache! Perfect timing.

I do not have Corona - daily tests are negative - but obviously I have one of the many viruses going around.  Maybe it is to the delight of everyone that I have no voice.

That was the same morning my neighbour and I had to go to a lawyer to sign to the last testament. The poor man had his second leg amputated, then he had a heart attack, then the doctors told his partner that the infection was in his lungs.  We raced to the lawyer - i.e. we tried to race but that morning it poured and traffic was at a standstill. Eventually we arrived and went to the office of the lawyer who explained that the oral will was not enough, and the man had to sign.  His partner's sister who was with us told him that he is not exactly in a good way - not nice to say that he was on his last legs, because he wasn't anymore. The lawyer went to the hospital, the man signed, and 20 minutes later passed away.  The funeral took place the next morning - I did not go to that, and my neighbour didn't have the heart to ask if his legs were in his coffin. I presume they were.

Life ..............   And today another day of disruption.

A Movie

 And just like that my life turned into an Almodovar movie.

I was settling down last night and about to write on my Saturday in the West Bank.  Just before I was to write my cousin called from California - we haven't spoken in a while, and were deep in conversation when there was a knock on my door.  My neighbour asked me if I could do her a big favour.  Her friend's husband is in the ICU at Meir Hospital in Cfar Saba and her son and his husband needed to film him reading his will and they needed two witnesses -immediately. 

Off we raced to the hospital.  Her friend held my neighbour and sobbed loudly - we looked at each other, this woman I had never met before this second. I hugged her and she fell onto my shoulder sobbing.  Then very quickly we had to clean our hands, put on gloves, and gowns were placed over our heads.  Of course we had masks on, but more masks were placed over them.  Dressed in blue we were ushered into his room - machines beeping, red and green lines flashing.  The son and his husband dressed like us held up a phone. The man thanked us and said he is pleased to meet me, but wishes the circumstances were different. The son gave him a piece of paper and he read his last will, stating he is of sound mind, which he obviously was - it was his body that was not even close to being sound. He was undergoing dialysis, one leg had been amputated and his remaining leg was to be amputated. All this precipitated by his cancer. Once he read the will my friend stated her name and ID number, then I did the same. We signed the paper, wished the man whatever we could wish him in his current condition.

Then we went to Aroma Cafe.  His wife's estranged sister and her friend arrived. The wife screamed at the sister, and the world, and shouted about the doctors, shouted at herself, told us all that had occurred over the last few days.  He already had a leg amputated the day before, and apparently the doctor asked where she wanted the leg . 

WHAT? we all stopped arguing - where did she want the leg?  For what - what other parts will she be asked to keep.  Apparently according to Jewish law the body has to be buried whole.  This set us off about ashes, The Big Lebovski, cremations, funerals and we all doubled over with laughter. The woman asked the orthopedist if this is the meaning of "he has one foot in the grave?"  Well she told him, wait till tomorrow when you take of his other leg. maybe I can decide then.

To say this was a light relief from the present realities may give you an idea of the current situation.

Women in Red

I took this photo yesterday, International Womens' Day, from a bridge overlooking main highways.

Amongst all the demonstrations happening in Israel, is Women in Red - The government should not cross a red line. There are hardly any women in the Knesset now.  Women are being suppressed - separate buses, abusers are not found guilty, women are hardly represented in companies, women cannot come to the Western Wall in Jerusalem.  According to the religious, a woman's place is in the home, raising children, and, by the way, working - while the men spend their time studying the torah and praying.  Of course heads and arms and legs are covered - if things continue like this, we are not far from being ruled as the Taliban rules.  Well, since the demonstrations have begun, women have and are showing that this will NOT happen.

The red line will NOT be crossed.

 

A Few Pictures

 Sometimes pictures are worth a thousand words

1. I don't know what is going on with my computer or blogsite, and sadly there are no Apple users, young or old who can help me.  I hope these pictures are published and what I am trying to write is published.  We are in the 9th week of ever increasing demonstrations with ever increasing numbers of people attending and demonstrating, despite the commands of the Minister of Security who himelf is a known criminal who was not allowed into the armed forces.  Who knows what is going to happen here:  A few choices 

a theocracy

a dictatorship

a banana republic

a civil war 

a complete fall of any kind of leadershipl

But demonstrations continue.  The wife of the Prime Minister chose to come to a hairdresser in Tel Aviv on a day of national disruptions.  Normally all the people who cater her go to her home, but no, she chose to come to Tel Aviv and in my humble opinion should have been left inside the hairdresser and the doors land exits locked, so there she would stay.  Insteads millions were spent to get her out.

Of course I have more to say, but I have to get this blogsite fixed.  Who can help me?

Three Months

 I have now been in this geriatric summer camp for three months.  It seems impossible. I feel quite settled and comfortable, and even the bureaucratic horrors are somewhat residing.  My new concern is why it feels OK, and is a dark cloud of reality awaiting, about to take over and send me onto my sofa, where I may remain for months.

I am, of course, still in a strange reverse culture shock.  Reverse, that is, from the original culture shock I had when I went to America - a shock that accompanied most of my time there.  I was so very overwhelmed by the sheer volume of choices - in everything, that I became a person who just couldn't decide - on the bread I wanted, on the type of milk, on the salt, on the size of everything and anything - large, medium, small. On what to order in restaurants, on what to order in a bar, on anything. I turned into a gibbering idiot. I remember my unbridled joy when I was in Namibia, and ordered a toasted cheese, and that is what I got - a toasted cheese of a size that I could bite into without breaking my jaw. Two slices of white bread, toasted with a thin slice of cheese.  And now here I am in Israel, once again at a loss, because everything here has changed. And on top of it I can break open packets in the supermarket and take out just one or two items - e.g. 2 carrots, 4 tomatoes, one bottle of soda from a pack. Now the thing here, apparently, is to become a member - of a supermarket, a pharmacy, a cheese shop, a coffee shop, a clothing store, a book shop - but then everytime I buy something I have to give them my ID number or my phone number, neither of which I remember, and have to look them up.You give a tip before you pay - you add it on to the bill. Taxis you don't tip, or do you? on and on.

At last I have begun to see friends, as I am not spending every moment staring into my computer screen trying to fill in forms. I have even begun to learn to use my smart TV - don't get too excited - I still don't know how to record programs, but at least I can turn the TV on and find whatever it is I want to watch. Of course there is the small problem of subtitles - and when the commentators on the Hebrew news all begin shouting at each other and no one listens to anyone, I turn it off.  Mostly that is good because the news is so depressing that it is better not to listen.  I do receive Haaretz newspaper online - so I am definitely not in the dark, or should I say - all is in the dark.  This dreadful dark cloud that has overtaken so many countries - the end of democracy?  So I once again focus on the lovely things, the spring flowers that have begun to carpet the country. The interesting art exhibitions.  Bird watching, the joy of having my great nieces and nephew so nearby.  For all of these things I am grateful.   

And of course, for the fact that I can easily speak to friends all over the world.  

Last Night's Moon

 

Some photos

Photos from the park - (the grounds where I live) and a work in progress - I took the photo on the Bay Trail