A Merf in the Promised Land: Everything comes in threes...

But it’s not ALWAYS bad! My mom has been saying that phrase to me for as long as I can remember, and you know what?…I believe it! In college, I joined a sorority: DELTA DELTA DELTA. I’ve had three long-term relationships. And now, after the death of legends Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson…I am dealing with my own triple luck. Those around me know I’ve been feeling (as the Israelis say) al hapanim. This translates to “on the face,” but pretty much means “crappy.” A slump is guaranteed to happen, and I was coping with the departure of my three dearest friends here: my roommate and partner-in-crime, Leetal; my next door neighbor and closest guy friend, Gabe; and my “Dorky, but somehow still cool, Jew” whom I absolutely adore, Mike. Leetal is off on her own amazing new adventure, staffing a month-long trip around Israel with a bunch of high-schoolers, and I’m so proud of her for going and being so independent. Gabe and Mike both went home to the east coast, NY and Philly respectively, to get back to “real life” in America. And as for me, I have to develop some more friendships and not rely on those three for the next month. It sounds stupid, but I was really feeling like I had to completely start over here.
On Thursday, I succeeded in breaking the chain of “blah” with three exciting components to my life here! Babysitting, Horses, and Broadway Jazz provided a outlet that was SO very necessary!
Babysitting in Israel has proven to be quite a learning experience. Roee (2 ½ months) and Omer (1 ½ years) are adorable, and their parents are very nice. I’m somewhat shocked how easily they trusted me alone with their little ones, but as I usually say about my dog…it’s actually kind of hard to kill them! Yes, you mess up…but they end up fine as long as you don’t drop them! HAHA! But in all seriousness, I’m enjoying learning to care for little boys mostly because of my adorable nephew, Liam, who I plan on obsessing over for the rest of my life, whether he likes it or not! We’ve never had boys in my family, so now I’ve begun to understand the basics of what little boys like to do: throw things, kick things, knock things down, make a mess, and get food everywhere but their mouth! On this particular Thursday, I was attempting to have a “fun day” at Park Hayarkon with Omer for the third time. Maybe it was the caffeine from the iced coffee I drank, but everything clicked! We played, he laughed, and I really felt like he was starting to WANT to hang out with me. My favorite part of our park adventure was when a little group of friends decided to sit with me while I read a book (in English) to Omer. Mind you they don’t speak this language, so I nixed the story, and just quizzed them on objects pictured in the book that I knew how to say in Hebrew! They were all so adorable, it made me really happy. I had to convince one little girl, Noga, that a shaggy dog IS in fact a dog, even though it doesn’t quite look like one. “Ze lo kelev!” she kept exclaiming. If you think American children are cute, you’ve never heard a two-year old speak Hebrew. One bizarre fact about Israeli toddlers: they never really learn to “hold it.” In fact, one little girl pulled her pants down in the middle of the playground, and the daycare worker told her to go pee by the tree. Yes, a two year old girl popped a squat in the middle of a park. No wonder Israelis pee anywhere and everywhere as adults! After feeling satisfied with my babysitting skills, I booked it home, got ready to volunteer and headed to the Ramat Gan National Park with Erica.
As this was our first day actually helping with lessons at the Therapeutic Horse Riding Center, I was excited to see what they’re all about. We got to assist the Madricha in three lessons with disabled children, most of which are autistic. While I had no idea what I was doing, I enjoyed being part of such a great cause. It’s awesome to see the kids excited to ride, learn to turn and control a horse, and use toys like balls and soda bottles to work on motor/spatial skills. I even saw two lessons team up to play catch, while the kids were on the horses! It’s really inspiring, and the people, while abrupt (as most horse people have to be) are very nice and thankful for our commitment. With only an hour before the dance class I’d been dying to take, I practically ran in the heat to make it in time!
My schedule usually conflicts with the Broadway Jazz class, but today I caught it! Nervous as usual that I might not be able to follow, I was quickly reassured by the teacher that it would take me a while to catch on to the warm-ups, and that it would be fine. As soon as we started, I felt completely at home. It was like I was back in Anna Rubin’s jazz classes again, only this teacher calls the ball of your foot a “pillow.” Lost in translation, I guess. I couldn’t stop smiling, even through the painful crunches. I felt like I was myself…dancing in Israel. In every other class, the language had gotten in my way of dancing “full out.” Who would guess Broadway Jazz could be the key to my happiness? Everyone! The final combination (to "Sunny," by Boney M) was awesome, and I made it all the way to the end…which is more than I can say for over half the class! I left soaked in sweat, and feeling like I was on cloud nine! One hilarious difference between dancing here and at home: here, the students interrupt, criticize and correct the teacher! It was really funny to watch the whole class jokingly rip apart the teacher for messing up on a part she had teased US for not mastering right away!
All in all, I’m feeling quite myself again. I am working hard to get myself back in physical shape (sans vacation belly); I’m going to focus on my volunteering and work here; I witnessed a horse pulling a cart to help someone move furniture today in the middle of the middle-class suburbs; I found love-notes around the house from Leetal; AND Omer gave me a hug and a kiss goodbye after babysitting. How can I complain? THREE words: Life is good.