Monday, April 30, 2012
Israeli Frustrations
Friends, I have been emailing Ben Gurion University feverishly since January when I returned to the States. I started reaching out to random emails and departments in hopes that someone would help me. Well, here we are, at the end of April, and I have finally found the person with whom I need to speak. However, she tells me that the deadline for my program was February 24th and that I should just plan on taking some Hebrew courses until I can get in. Grrrrrrrrr, really? Because, if someone had connected with me from the beginning, I probably would've gotten my things in by the deadline. Oh well. Looks like my Hebrew will be pretty badass by the time I start grad school in either February or October 2013. Everything for a reason, I assume?
This is just a small touch of the frustrations I will feel in moving to Israel. And my gut reaction was, 'Wow, that is very Israeli of them (BGU).' I'm going with the thought that I'm fairly prepared for these "Israeli ways" and that I am actually dealing with them better than if I was not already used to them. Test in patience, why not?
Let's recap some of the fun things I did last week:
This is just a small touch of the frustrations I will feel in moving to Israel. And my gut reaction was, 'Wow, that is very Israeli of them (BGU).' I'm going with the thought that I'm fairly prepared for these "Israeli ways" and that I am actually dealing with them better than if I was not already used to them. Test in patience, why not?
Let's recap some of the fun things I did last week:
- I did not lose my cool at work. Although, I wanted to. We're adding this to the "fun" list more so because it was a really huge feat of strength. And is impressive.
- I had a really fun Bar-B-Que with Christina and Brandon (two very dear friends) on Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day)...and got myself prepared for the total insanity that will happen next year in Israel. :-)
- I went blonde(r). Totally in love with my new, summer-y colors.
- I saw the Chippendales LIVE in Fort Smith, Arkansas, if you can even believe that. The show was a hot mess, as the organizer has possibly never put together a show in her life, but the performance was cheesy and hysterical and exactly what I needed after such a long week. I even caught one of the dude's shirts. And had a college-sized hangover the next day, but it was so worth it.
- I went to a swing dance (see previous post) that really just put me in an amazing mood and got me motivated to start looking for things that will be a part of my life in Israel. I am also allowing myself to start getting excited...really excited...and scared...for this upcoming move. Yay!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Getting My Groove On
"We should consider every day lost in which we don't dance." - Neitzsche
Powerful words to live by, folks. And, unfortunately, my life has been devoid of dancing for far too long. With 11 years of dance experience in ballet, tap, and jazz and countless more years with swing, lindy hop, salsa, waltz, tango, two step, what have you, it's pretty silly that I haven't been moving my body these past 4-5 years. Well, that all changed last night when I went to an awesome swing dance at my friend's beautiful studio. That old dancing flame was sure rekindled, and I even started looking for places to dance once I arrive in Israel. I've got some good leads so far...now to just find a partner!
So, I'm going to rely on my dear friends and readers to hold me accountable for bringing dance back into my life. I am even going to look into learning Israeli folk dancing, as well. Dance will be a part of my life again, and I'm so excited about what the future holds. Now to take my aching, out of shape muscles to bed. Night, y'all!
Powerful words to live by, folks. And, unfortunately, my life has been devoid of dancing for far too long. With 11 years of dance experience in ballet, tap, and jazz and countless more years with swing, lindy hop, salsa, waltz, tango, two step, what have you, it's pretty silly that I haven't been moving my body these past 4-5 years. Well, that all changed last night when I went to an awesome swing dance at my friend's beautiful studio. That old dancing flame was sure rekindled, and I even started looking for places to dance once I arrive in Israel. I've got some good leads so far...now to just find a partner!
So, I'm going to rely on my dear friends and readers to hold me accountable for bringing dance back into my life. I am even going to look into learning Israeli folk dancing, as well. Dance will be a part of my life again, and I'm so excited about what the future holds. Now to take my aching, out of shape muscles to bed. Night, y'all!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Memorial Day Reflections
So, in Israel right now, it is Memorial Day for all of those who have lost their lives in trying to establish the State of Israel. That includes fallen soldiers, the young men and women who built Israel from the ground up, and victims of terror attacks. It is amazing to me how almost everyone I know has literally taken a moment to stop and reflect on this and what it means for them. Israel follows Memorial Day immediately with Independence Day, which I also think is really cool. Honor those who made it possible and then celebrate Israel turning a year older. Have I mentioned that I'm super excited about being a part of this so very soon?
I, too, have taken my time to stop and reflect on the heavy meaning of today. I'll share a story of my first, tiny experience with having the Israeli Memorial Day hit close to home. I lived in Be'er Sheva during the Second Lebanon War. I'm sure many of you recall this, as everyone was begging me to come home due to the danger, but I refused because I was so far from it and so insulated from the whole thing. I remember when the soldiers were kidnapped, Gilad Shalit in the south and Udi and Eldad in the north. It was a long summer after that, reading daily of the names of those killed in Lebanon and truly being scared out of my mind because I was in a new country...that was at war. But I stayed and continued my great non-profit work, which was so important, and I had some of the best experiences ever. I left the day before the war ended, and when I arrived at home and snuggled up in my bed, I read the news, as I had been every day since, and there was a list of names. Towards the bottom of that list was a name that I, in fact, knew. I had spent quite some time that summer with Oz's brother, Yossi, who had been a soldier on my Birthright Israel trip and who had become a close friend by that point. I spent time at their house, even borrowed Oz's bed one night when it was too late to get a bus back to Be'er Sheva. But there was his name, Oz Tzemach, listed as one of the soldiers killed that last day of fighting. I called a friend immediately and confirmed that the worst was true. And all of this was before I had a huge network of Israeli friends and "family." How easily one can be affected in such a small country. I guess it's because of that that everyone so fervently takes a moment out of their day to reflect on the true meaning of a Memorial Day. May all those fallen be of blessed memory.
I, too, have taken my time to stop and reflect on the heavy meaning of today. I'll share a story of my first, tiny experience with having the Israeli Memorial Day hit close to home. I lived in Be'er Sheva during the Second Lebanon War. I'm sure many of you recall this, as everyone was begging me to come home due to the danger, but I refused because I was so far from it and so insulated from the whole thing. I remember when the soldiers were kidnapped, Gilad Shalit in the south and Udi and Eldad in the north. It was a long summer after that, reading daily of the names of those killed in Lebanon and truly being scared out of my mind because I was in a new country...that was at war. But I stayed and continued my great non-profit work, which was so important, and I had some of the best experiences ever. I left the day before the war ended, and when I arrived at home and snuggled up in my bed, I read the news, as I had been every day since, and there was a list of names. Towards the bottom of that list was a name that I, in fact, knew. I had spent quite some time that summer with Oz's brother, Yossi, who had been a soldier on my Birthright Israel trip and who had become a close friend by that point. I spent time at their house, even borrowed Oz's bed one night when it was too late to get a bus back to Be'er Sheva. But there was his name, Oz Tzemach, listed as one of the soldiers killed that last day of fighting. I called a friend immediately and confirmed that the worst was true. And all of this was before I had a huge network of Israeli friends and "family." How easily one can be affected in such a small country. I guess it's because of that that everyone so fervently takes a moment out of their day to reflect on the true meaning of a Memorial Day. May all those fallen be of blessed memory.
Monday, April 23, 2012
What's in a Name?
So, I promised to share with you the conversation that Liran and I had about what my name should be in Israel. Let me give you our conclusions:
Megan just won't work, as it will be pronounced MAY-gan, Mah-gan, MaGen, MeeGan. Then he throws out "Ortal," a fairly typically Israeli name. What?!? My exasperation with this project was growing, as my name is simply Megan, "Meh-gan," but darnit, there just aren't the right vowels to properly make my name! Dilemma!
So, this game morphs. He says I need a Hebrew name, and I share with him that I have one - Meira, "Meh-ir-ah." Therefore, my name becomes Meira Ortal Turner, but then he decides my last name should actually be Amzaleg, which is much more Israeli than Turner. I then point out that Turner was the last name of the mayor of Be'er Sheva, the city where I am moving, a few years back, but he says that he doesn't want people to get us confused...me, confused with an older Moroccan man. Nice.
So then I become Meira Ortal Turnerovitch. And I protest because I am not Russian. So it morphs into Meira Ortal van Turnerski. Which I take to be German, but which he points out is a tip of the hat to my Dutch heritage. I then say if we are doing that, we obviously have to include my Native American heritage, so he changes it yet again to Chief Meira Ortal van der Turnerski. I add a little more flavor to it, and, drum roll...my new name upon arriving to Israel will be:
Chief Meira Ortal van der Turner-Howling-at-the-Moon-ski
I swear to you, I almost peed my pants at the end of this conversation. Random, but I also want to share what I ate yesterday, as it is pretty sad to admit. I ate: a bowl of oatmeal, yogurt, two vegetarian corndogs, a handful of "dipping corn chips," a wheat roll with butter, and two mini Zebra cakes. I'm definitely losing weight and getting lots healthier, but if this kind of championship eating continues, I'm sure that won't be the case. Lol
Take that, Monday! I am laughing on your dreaded morning! Baci, amici!
Megan just won't work, as it will be pronounced MAY-gan, Mah-gan, MaGen, MeeGan. Then he throws out "Ortal," a fairly typically Israeli name. What?!? My exasperation with this project was growing, as my name is simply Megan, "Meh-gan," but darnit, there just aren't the right vowels to properly make my name! Dilemma!
So, this game morphs. He says I need a Hebrew name, and I share with him that I have one - Meira, "Meh-ir-ah." Therefore, my name becomes Meira Ortal Turner, but then he decides my last name should actually be Amzaleg, which is much more Israeli than Turner. I then point out that Turner was the last name of the mayor of Be'er Sheva, the city where I am moving, a few years back, but he says that he doesn't want people to get us confused...me, confused with an older Moroccan man. Nice.
So then I become Meira Ortal Turnerovitch. And I protest because I am not Russian. So it morphs into Meira Ortal van Turnerski. Which I take to be German, but which he points out is a tip of the hat to my Dutch heritage. I then say if we are doing that, we obviously have to include my Native American heritage, so he changes it yet again to Chief Meira Ortal van der Turnerski. I add a little more flavor to it, and, drum roll...my new name upon arriving to Israel will be:
Chief Meira Ortal van der Turner-Howling-at-the-Moon-ski
I swear to you, I almost peed my pants at the end of this conversation. Random, but I also want to share what I ate yesterday, as it is pretty sad to admit. I ate: a bowl of oatmeal, yogurt, two vegetarian corndogs, a handful of "dipping corn chips," a wheat roll with butter, and two mini Zebra cakes. I'm definitely losing weight and getting lots healthier, but if this kind of championship eating continues, I'm sure that won't be the case. Lol
Take that, Monday! I am laughing on your dreaded morning! Baci, amici!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
An Emotional Day
Well, today. Today is soon over, and for that, I'm thankful. I took on a project this morning that has been, literally, looming over my head for months now. I began cleaning out the attic of my things. This was, of course, after listing a lot of my "break-up jewelry" on Craigslist and Facebook and working my tail off at Old Navy. I had just told a friend yesterday that I didn't think I was ready to get rid of all the small things from my relationship, not because I'd ever consider going back, but because it is sad and because it just doesn't seem right to throw away things that I had once thought I would cherish forever. But something snapped today, and I got the inner strength to let those things go. I did a massive purge of relationship-related items, and continue to list items with some value on the internet to try and sell. I'm also digging through many lost memories and snapshots of my hoarding behaviors from when I was younger, throwing away three huge boxes of dirty, nasty papers and junk that have just taken up space all these years.
Yes, I am physically tired. Yes, I am even more so emotionally tired. I do feel like I got a good start...perhaps clearing out 1/8 of my things from the attic? That puts a dent in the whole shebang, especially since I'm finding a lot to put in a garage sale/donate at the beginning of June. Again, my To Do List between now and then is slightly overwhelming, but after such a productive day like today, I think I'm working in the right direction.
Let me finish my post with sharing some very inspiring words written to me by a dear family friend, of blessed memory, on the day of my Bat Mitzvah:
"You are entering one of the oldest religions that exists on earth. Be diligent in confirming and preserving the principles and beliefs that millions have died to maintain.
In the years ahead there will be obstacles to overcome and decisions to make. In those years be careful to cultivate a composure that will avoid a conscious or inadvertent word or phrase that will offend or denigrate a friend or acquaintance, and remember that a smile is often more effective than a retort.
As much as possible avoid unseemly or violent language, as they are degrading to the character.
Also be aware that all humanity is born equal. It is what we do with the equality that makes us different. When we diminish one part of humanity we are all diminished."
Pretty powerful words. I'm very glad to have found this now, on this part of my journey. Have a good start to your week, friends.
Yes, I am physically tired. Yes, I am even more so emotionally tired. I do feel like I got a good start...perhaps clearing out 1/8 of my things from the attic? That puts a dent in the whole shebang, especially since I'm finding a lot to put in a garage sale/donate at the beginning of June. Again, my To Do List between now and then is slightly overwhelming, but after such a productive day like today, I think I'm working in the right direction.
Let me finish my post with sharing some very inspiring words written to me by a dear family friend, of blessed memory, on the day of my Bat Mitzvah:
"You are entering one of the oldest religions that exists on earth. Be diligent in confirming and preserving the principles and beliefs that millions have died to maintain.
In the years ahead there will be obstacles to overcome and decisions to make. In those years be careful to cultivate a composure that will avoid a conscious or inadvertent word or phrase that will offend or denigrate a friend or acquaintance, and remember that a smile is often more effective than a retort.
As much as possible avoid unseemly or violent language, as they are degrading to the character.
Also be aware that all humanity is born equal. It is what we do with the equality that makes us different. When we diminish one part of humanity we are all diminished."
Pretty powerful words. I'm very glad to have found this now, on this part of my journey. Have a good start to your week, friends.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
The List...of "To Do"
I've been focusing today on getting a list together of all the things that I must do, that must happen before I leave in June. I'm finding that if I write it down, it doesn't overwhelm me as much. And y'all can hold me accountable for getting this stuff done. :-)
Here's the song of the journey...by Journey...
- make driving plans to NYC - I'm driving so that I can take more luggage with me and so my sweet pug doesn't have to be on three different planes.
- sell/donate all my crap from my house that isn't going with me, including in the attic, the garage, and my closet. Garage sale, coming soon!
- attend the court date that will make my divorce finalized...TBD. This will then set the ball in motion for all of my immigration paperwork to be finalized, as they are "patiently" waiting for this divorce decree to do so. I might also mention that this will finalize my departure date, as well. It's such a thrill having that hanging up in the air.
- finish dental/doctor appointments: teeth cleaning, follow-up to a second root canal, wisdom teeth removal, lady doctor fun, and a mammogram to check out a lump I recently found. Joy.
- sell my car - anyone looking to buy a killer blue 2007 Mazda 3 with lots of fun extras?
- work both jobs relentlessly so I can keep saving money.
- train the princess to survive in a kennel...finalize her trip plans, including buying her plane ticket.
- pack my life into three suitcases.
- see as many people as I can before I go. This should probably start happening soon, as the time is quickly winding down.
Here's the song of the journey...by Journey...
And So It Begins...
"Life" has been a keyword for me over the past half year, and I've had to really work on this whole aspect of --living-- recently.
Where to begin? If you do know me, you're pretty aware of what massive life changes have happened. If not, let me give you the Reader's Digest version:
1. I ended my relationship of four years with my husband (we had only been married six months) after realizing how abusive he was to me.
2. I took a three week trip to Israel in December/January which led to...
3. Deciding to move my life to Be'er Sheva, Israel via immigrating which led to...
4. Deciding to go to grad school at Ben Gurion University for my Masters in Social Work...
5. Which finds me here, in April, two months away from leaving and processing a lot of emotions, fears, and desires.
So, I decided to write about this process. The frustrations of immigrating to a new country with such a distinct character and "Israeli" way of doing things. The fear of leaving my parents and my stability. The heartfelt desire to be in a country so close to my heart, living the true Zionist dream. The realization of how far I have come in the past six months to simply be me again.
Great, now I'm crying. But, as my dear friend Liran told me, emotional writing is "the best kind of writing." He's definitely right, and he's pursuing his own amazing social experiment which you should check out here.
And he has now effectively distracted me from this first blog post by discussing, in depth, what my name should be in Israel, since Megan is very hard to transliterate appropriately. I'll share our discussion at a later time. :-)
Thanks for choosing to come on this journey with me. It'll be full of laughs, for sure, with some tears of joy and some screams of frustration and anguish along the way.
I'll leave you with a beautiful song by an Israeli artistic group, the Idan Raichel Project, that just about sums it all up. This is the best I could find - it doesn't quite do the song justice!
Where to begin? If you do know me, you're pretty aware of what massive life changes have happened. If not, let me give you the Reader's Digest version:
1. I ended my relationship of four years with my husband (we had only been married six months) after realizing how abusive he was to me.
2. I took a three week trip to Israel in December/January which led to...
3. Deciding to move my life to Be'er Sheva, Israel via immigrating which led to...
4. Deciding to go to grad school at Ben Gurion University for my Masters in Social Work...
5. Which finds me here, in April, two months away from leaving and processing a lot of emotions, fears, and desires.
So, I decided to write about this process. The frustrations of immigrating to a new country with such a distinct character and "Israeli" way of doing things. The fear of leaving my parents and my stability. The heartfelt desire to be in a country so close to my heart, living the true Zionist dream. The realization of how far I have come in the past six months to simply be me again.
Great, now I'm crying. But, as my dear friend Liran told me, emotional writing is "the best kind of writing." He's definitely right, and he's pursuing his own amazing social experiment which you should check out here.
And he has now effectively distracted me from this first blog post by discussing, in depth, what my name should be in Israel, since Megan is very hard to transliterate appropriately. I'll share our discussion at a later time. :-)
Thanks for choosing to come on this journey with me. It'll be full of laughs, for sure, with some tears of joy and some screams of frustration and anguish along the way.
I'll leave you with a beautiful song by an Israeli artistic group, the Idan Raichel Project, that just about sums it all up. This is the best I could find - it doesn't quite do the song justice!
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