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Published: October 22nd 2009
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Sunday, 9/13
Up early to finish packing and clean the apt. Our taxi came at 7:30 and the trip to the airport in a pre-arranged taxi is well worth the 65 euros. Peace of mind and convenience is worth a lot when you need to be somewhere on time and you have a lot of luggage. So here we are at Charles de Gaulle waiting for our flight to Tel Aviv. Sunday mornings are a good time to fly - Paris is very quiet and the airport is not crowded, check in and security are much much easier because you don't wait in line forever. Highly recommend it!
Wow, wow - we are in Israel - in the Middle East! Ben Gurion Airport is very modern and beautiful, and today it was not crowded at all. Katy, Dori, Naya and Shraga (Dori's father) met us at the airport. Oh my goodness, Naya has grown!!! Of course you always say that when children are this young - duh! She has gotten so much taller and her hair is long and curly and of course she is so beautiful and full of energy - still the same fire-cracker Naya she has
always been and will always be! She looked at Dan and I and I could see in her eyes that she knew us but was unsure so it took her a little while but not long before she was flirting and laughing with us. Felt a twinge of jealousy at seeing how familiar and loving Shraga is with her - ah, well, he gets the day to day life with Naya - darn!!
Israel in some ways reminds me of Northern California at the height of summer - dry grasses, oaks, hot - although Tel Aviv is very humid. Today we got there at 4 PM so it was cooler - about 80 and that was OK. Took about 30 minutes to drive to the kibbutz, past lots of agriculture: cotton, almond orchards, vineyards mostly. Not very pretty from our standards, but not like a “desert” either.
The kibbutz is so interesting! Like a community from the 1950's except more relaxed. Fields surround the kibbutz and the living areas are fenced in which is locked at night. Small stucco houses for the most part and tomorrow we will see the dairy and turkey farm. Not really lawns but
grassy areas, playgrounds, small schools and the central dining hall. Very relaxed and as we walked from our room - very sweet with a double bed, tiled floor, bathroom and fridge with sink - what else do you need? People greeted Katy and Dori, Naya saw some friends and it was a really pleasant walk to the other side of the kibbutz where they live. Small duplex, stucco, one bedroom, but adequate - certainly not fancy by American standards but very nice. They live in a kind of triangle with 3 other houses - all families with young children. Naya saw her friends and was immediately running over to the neighbors house, climbing on the play structures, plastic slides, little cars, etc., running with the kind of freedom Dan and I recall from our childhoods in small neighborhoods where parents look out for one another's children and there is so much freedom. I could immediately see how much this environment is good for Naya and how happy she is and thriving. Of course the little daredevil, jumping on the small trampoline, walking up and down the stairs, happy and laughing. The little boy next door is in love with her,
either her or her blond hair which you do not see very much of in this country - and he is always coming up to her to hug and kiss her - Naya slaps him away in such annoyance, it is hilarious!
On the other hand, she is in love with her friend Argoman's brother, Teva, and at 6 years old, he wants nothing to do with her. Funny how it all begins!!! We met Katy's neighbors, her sisters in law, her mother and father in law and people are very gracious and friendly. After playing outside with Naya and her friends, all the kids went to bed and we ate dinner and drank Israeli wine outside in the warm night air. It was so lovely and fun. Wow, we can hardly believe we are here in this country that is at once familiar and foreign. We went back to our room and discovered that we can't seem to lock the door from the inside, only the outside! There were a group of young men staying next door who announced to us that last weekend they stayed in this room and it was the same for them and it
had not been fixed. The likelihood of it being fixed is quite remote as this seems to be a “manana” culture, so we trusted that we will be OK tonight - as the young men said - you are on a kibbutz so you are safe! - and are ready to go to sleep. We are so happy to be here to experience this culture that has become Katy's home. Tomorrow is Jerusalem! Wow!
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