Brief Interlude- Still on Hiatus

Arrgh. Bezeq- the wonderful nice people that they are, have now come 3 times to my humble apartment, and none of them has produced results. We shall see on Sunday. Until then, I'm borrowing Internet from whoever I can find, but that doesn't mean I have time for blogging. So, still on Hiatus.

Mazel Tov to Bad4 who is coming to Israel, courtesy of WebAds and all the bloggers who nominated her! Can't wait to see you on this side of the Atlantic!

Blogger Convention sounds awesome, and I hope I can come. But, in any case, Gut Shabbos to all, and just letting you know I'm still around. More stories to come- starting with the one about Yum Bum Bum.

Lions, Tigers, and Jukim, Oh My!

For those who have been past readers of my blog, one of my favorites that I posted was on bug checking in Israel. I still haven't figured out why Israel is so much more prone to bugs than anywhere else, but it pays to be prepared and to know how to bug check if necessary.

But, despite avid bug checking in food, summer time is the special time of year when all those wonderful 6/8/10/too many to count- legged creatures actually come out of the woodwork, literally.

So, summer time is usually the time for an annual 'Rissus'- or extermination. In Israel, some Israelis actually exterminate their entire house every single summer. They move out for a day or so, and let the poison do its work, coming back to a bug free home.

Or at least, to a dead bug home. You see, after an extermination is performed, one tends to come back to a home filled with dead jukim, cockroaches of the worst variety (Truthfully, I don't know any good varieties, but this is the worst of the worst.) and other sundry former inhabitants of the nooks and crannies of one's home.

We just performed a 'Rissus' in our new apartment, and thankfully, Mr. NMF kindly went over there when it was done, and cleaned up all the bugs before I could get a look at them and tell him I wouldn't be stepping in the apartment again.

Jukim have got to be the worst bug in existence. First of all, they are cockroaches, which (at least in my opinion) spread disease and are germy themselves. Secondly, they can fly in some part of their lifetime, leading to being able to launch themselves on unsuspecting people just sitting and reading calmly. Thirdly, they are huge. I've heard that in some New York apartments there are quite large cockroaches, but jukim take the cake in my opinion.

Mr. NMF and I went to another apartment for part of one summer, and every day I would wake up to find another dead juk (pronounced Jook) located somewhere in my apartment. Thank G-d they were dead- the owners had done a proper 'Rissus' before we moved in, but believe me, waking up to a pair of long antennas in your shower is not the best way to wake up.

Anyone else have bad bug stories to share?

Shiputzim

"NMF #7, [insert heavy Israeli accent here], don't wo-orry, y'hiyeh b'seder, okey? Will be done, no problem."

Yeah, that's what they all say. Doing work here in Israel is a bit of three things: patience, exhaustion, and endless repetitions of y'hiyeh b'seder (it'll be okay). This happens even if you are doing minimal work, which I am. Minimal as in approximately 64 small things, which is better than two or three large things.

Be prepared if you are doing work here in Israel for the work to take approximately 2 months longer than expected. Be prepared for endless phone conversations that take approximately two minutes, and leave you with the feeling of desperation that the work you contracted for is never going to get done.

Be prepared for times to suddenly switch on you; that is, if they give you a time at all. (Make sure to ask for one- it pins them down to some number at least.) Be prepared for unexpected costs, unexpected visits, and expected things that never seem to occur.

But despite it all, you've got a Jewish workman looking at you and telling you, Hashem Yaazor (G-d will help). They sit down and toast you a l'chaim on your new apartment. They tell you about their family, about their lives, and they inquire tactfully after you and yours.

So, I'll forgive them everything, because when it comes down to it- they are so nice and kind while doing it all, that you just can't help but murmur "Y'hiyeh B'seder" along with them.

A Small Frugal Measure

Since we're about to move into a new apartment, all sorts of new expenses have popped up. Appliances still hit the top of the list, costing us the most money, but furniture, paint jobs, and random fixing aren't much further down. At every step of the way, Mr. NMF and I double check, triple check, and keep checking on ways to try to keep our expenses down, without totally living out of apple crates.

(Actually, when we got married, Mr. NMF told me that the key to a happy marriage would be to marry someone who wouldn't mind having one apple crate for him/herself, one apple crate for the spouse, and one apple crate for the table. Then, one could be assured that both sides would be okay with anything.)

One expense we chose to do without would be air conditioning. Our future apartment has large windows, a good cross breeze, and isn't directly in the sun, so we think we can get by. We've also lived in an apartment for the past year without A/C, and it wasn't so bad. We invested in two fans for 80 shekel a piece, and blasted them anytime we felt the need.

So, when I saw this article in the NY Times about living with out A/C, it resonated with me. Mostly, the reason why people live without A/C would be financial. The installation itself, at least here in Israel is costly, as well as the aesthetic problems- it lowers your ceilings as well as having to remodel the concrete around it when you install it, and it has to be done professionally, otherwise you risk ruining your apartment. Plus, sometimes the electricity in your apartment has to be upgraded to a different level in order to install A/C in the first place.

And, it is possible to live without it. I've dehydrated in Israel several times (especially when I was pregnant with NBD), but if you drink plenty and make sure to eat salty food sometime during the day, the risk is much less. There are those who need A/C- like as the article mentions, the old, infirm, or very young run higher risks, but most average people could be fine without it.

Yet, I wonder. Is there sometimes such a thing as being too frugal? Living without A/C isn't frugality, it's more practicality, but there are other examples of giving up on something for financial reasons that eventually turns out to be necessary.

For example, someone who doesn't have the extra form of health insurance here in Israel runs the risk of needing some of those services one day and that they won't be able to obtain when they need it. Wearing uncomfortable shoes may be cheaper, but may hurt your feet in the long run. Buying shoddy furniture runs the risk of having to buy new ones all over again. Doing a cheap paint job, but inhaling the poisonous fumes, isn't such a good bargain.

So one has to strike a compromise. Frugality, along with common sense. To look for a used appliance is one thing, to take risks with your health, another. Many would give up on A/C if they could, but some need it for health reasons. So, if you go into someone's house and judge them on their frugality by the fact that they have their A/C blasting, think twice. Frugal isn't always the answer.

Chesed and Neighbors

I know I've posted before on the phenomenal amount of Chesed that goes on here in Israel- but being the recipient of some recently, I just had to say it again.

My family has been blessed. When my family moved to a frum community in America, (they were living a bit further out before), they looked for a house in the neighborhood. They didn't even check the neighbors out, just the general area.
They moved in, and were blessed by Hashem with phenomenal neighbors. Neighbors that care, that ask, that give without thought of repayment.

Neighbors that do chesed on a daily basis- from walking the elderly man on our block to shul every day, to babysitting in a pinch, or a friendly visit from the doctor who lives down the block. When a child got sick, or a person got married- the whole block was there, helping and giving. Thank you all.

Then, I moved to Israel. And again- we didn't check out the 'courtyard', but rather, the neighborhood in general. And again, Hashem gave us a tremendous bracha by giving us devoted, caring neighbors.

Recently, when I was in the hospital with NBD (Newly Born Daughter. Thanks, Anonymous 613), my neighbors sent so much food- an army could have been happily satiated. I got visitors, people who took off from their schedules to give me a hello, and I received advice, as being here without family makes it hard to adjust to motherhood. I came home- and people brought supper, brought advice, made phone calls, and helped me so much that I wouldn't know what to do without them. And all of this- why? They're my neighbors.
I feel so blessed.

Although- this brings up an interesting point, that I've mentioned before. Do you choose a neighborhood for the neighbors? Or do you choose it for other factors- school, community, lifestyle, religiosity, and hope that it all falls into place?
What's the most important thing to look for?

Satisfied With Less

It's amazing, isn't it. I grew up in a house that had 3 bedrooms and sprawling land space. I had a backyard, a swingset, and trees. I knew of houses that had 4, 5, or even 6 bedrooms. There were mansions, and redone kitchens. There was crystal, silver, and leather. Curtains abounded, and carpets occupied every inch of the floor.

And, I moved here. To a three bedroom apartment, and nothing else. Small kitchen, a porch, and a view that just about knocks the socks off of anyone that sees it. I don't have carpets, or draperies. I like shopping at a supermarket that doesn't have 10 varieties of ketchup.
How can this be?

How can I go from a 2 1/2 acre home to a 120 meter apartment and still be happy?
Surprisingly, I can. I don't have to own the latest clothing, or have my American peanut butter to be happy. (Alright, I confess- I succumb to Heinz Ketchup. But what can I do against such temptation?) My house doesn't have to be a house to be a home. Shockingly, I hope that one day I'll have kids, and they'll share a room. Yep, more than 2 in a room. Hey, I know the mentality that says a kid can't be normal without his/her own room, but somehow, it works here. Most families I know have 2 bedroooms for the kids- one for the boys, and one for the girls. (Depending on the amount of different genders, of course.)

I think when someone moves to Israel, they become satisfied with less. Everyone owns an apartment, and very few have houses. So therefore, apartment life became acceptable. And in apartment life, having 4-6 bedrooms becomes impractical. So therefore, having only 3 bedrooms became decent. And because Israeli stone tends to accumulate dust everywhere, Israelis adapted to having no carpets and 'sponja'ing (kind of like mopping but with a stick and towel) their floors every two days. (Yes, Israelis are insanely clean. Insanely. But it's so nice having a shiny floor every week.) A friend called to ask me where to buy a vacumn. I gave her the information, and hung up, but I was surprised. Why? Because almost no one has a vacumn here. It's one of those things that are not part of standard, or lesser life, but rather a luxury. Imagine- a vacumn cleaner is a luxury. Shocking- no?

So can one be satisfied with less? I think so. And it helps with the 'keeping up with the Joneses' problem. And eventually, it doesn't become catagorized as less- but rather standard, and anything beyond that is considered 'more'. It's a nice way to live.

Realities of Real Estate

Israel seems to be one of the few places in the world that an apartment in one of the charedi (religious-ultra-orthodox) neighborhoods can cost at least double what a house in an out-of-town neighborhood in the US costs.

Shocking, no?

I mean- Israeli apartments are not big- measured in meters, an average apartment of 2 bedrooms (the apartments are usually categorized by rooms- so a 2 bedroom apartment has 3 rooms- 2 bedrooms plus a dining room/living room- salon) is around 60 square meters. Let's face it- 60 square meters is a doll house. And, families of 5 kids will live in those apartments, because they can't afford to get anything bigger, and because the location is excellent.
The bigger the apartment is, the more mirpesets (porches- sometimes used for succahs), and the location are all factors in the price, but the prices are exorbitant, and keep growing.

Israeli families are accustomed to splitting the price of an apartment for a newly married couple, but oftentimes, they can't afford an apartment in Yerushalayim, and have to buy in one of the beautiful neighborhoods outside- oftentimes at least 1/2 the price.

It's strange- but often the price jumps just because charedi Jews are interested in the area.

For example, Givat Tzarfatit- French Hill, is a neighborhood in Yerushalayim mostly populated by H. University students and teachers. However, it's a close location to the most central part of Yerushalayim. So, charedi people started moving in. When they first started, about a year- 1/2 a year a ago, the prices were normal, average. Now, these prices are almost as expensive as a totally charedi neighborhood. And, as far as can be accounted for, there are actually only 10 charedi families living in French Hill, with more who bought but don't live there.

Neve Yaakov- a fairly new charedi neighborhood- has had its prices jump by 40,000 dollars in the last 1/2 a year, because more charedi are interested in it.

And, the prices keep growing. More apartments are being built, but usually they are luxury apartments, meant for American/Chutz L'Aaretz buyers who want an apartment in Israel. So, the average Israeli can't really afford them.

But, then you look at this concept, and realize something.

Everyone looking for an apartment wants an apartment in Yerushalayim. They want an apartment as close to the place where the Beis HaMikdash stood as possible. And, they don't care that it's 60 meters, or that it's falling apart, or that the prices are astronomical. They want to live in Israel. They want to look out their window, and see the hills of Yerushalayim.

There's a story told about R' Aryeh Levine, Tzaddik of Yerushalayim. (He was the father-in-law of R' Elyashiv, shlita.) He was always doing chesed with others- stories about him are famous. He lived in a one bedroom apartment in Yerushalayim. When others heard how ramshackle and poorly he was living, they offered to buy him a bigger, much nicer apartment somewhere else.

He refused.

When asked why, he took them over to his kitchen window, and drew the shades. Through the glass was a stunning view of the Kotel (Western Wall) in all its glory. He responded that he wouldn't trade this view for anything.

So, it makes sense- why people live in the smallest apartments that you can imagine, and still manage to host guests. They want to be in a Makom HaShchina (place of the Divine Presence). They want to live a life of Torah in a charedi neighborhood.

So, whether it has 2 bedrooms or 6, it's home.