The common frustrations involved in making a tape
Hey. Now I am completely frustrated. I'm really serious. I can not stand it anymore. I'm just ... two things. First of all, I have already prepared this tape for you, this is the second time I am making it. I'm going over what I've already made.
I spoke with Yasul (Yasul - Joseph Schneider is a cousin of Dina who lived alone in Israel after his entire family perished in the Holocaust) this morning and he said he knows someone who is traveling to America today. The son of his neighbor, leaves today for America and he travels to Miami Beach. So I said, "Great." Vyasol thought of coming anyway, on his way home from work. So I said, "Great." Then he will come and I will give him the tape and I will give him a movie and I will also give him pictures of the kids. And he can bring it to you. ' So I'll send the tape I've already made, I made it on Sunday. And really, I'm so mad I have to tell you all the things I've already said.
And I went to listen to it a little bit. I just wanted to remember. And something's wrong with the tape. It was strong then soft then strong then soft. And you could not understand what I was saying. And I do not understand it, because while I was recording the tape, when I was recording it, I was listening to it. I mean, every now and then I played it and it was okay. I hope it's okay now. I'm going to check it out in a minute. This is the first reason I am frustrated because later I thought everything was ready. Now I have to start all over again and there I had the kids talking and Batsheva playing the piano for you. And we talked to you, and Nehama said a few things, and now I do not know if I will get it so good again. Oh, I'm really angry.
Especially when you're back from work too, I do not know if you will get ... I will try very hard. And the second thing is this tape I told you I sent you. So I gave it to someone who was going to give it to someone traveling to America. And I gave it, I do not remember, a month or so ago maybe. That was before Rosh Hashanah, I think. I think it was before Rosh Hashanah. I gave him the tape and gave him the Happy New Year Shabbat Sheva and Zvi prepared for you, who worked very hard on it. And Batsheva wrote it in English especially. And I gave it to them. And that's why I said you should have gotten the tape by now. And that's why I could not understand why you did not get it. Because I gave it to someone to give to someone traveling to America.
And now, she gave it back to me a few days ago. She said she forgot or she did not see the person. Then she forgot she had it. Then she went over her things and she saw that she had it. And she felt really bad. She would mail it, but she thought maybe I knew someone who was going. So now you get two tapes. I mean, it's on the condition that I finish it. And I'll write a letter of explanation plus a movie plus a movie. Plus there's a movie role in the photos that everyone does, but Eli did not take it out of the camera and I'm not sure I know how. So I do not know. I hope I can manage. I will succeed. There's a book Stanley bought us for a photo that explains all of this stuff. So I think I'll understand it somehow.
And the third thing I'm angry about is that I cleaned the house this morning and everything was clean. And I put Nehama to sleep, and I sat down and drank a cup of tea. I ate some breakfast. Then I came and thought I had time to do a lot of things. I did not think I was going to make you a tape now. I just made you a tape yesterday, Tuesday. But I just sat down to ... I was going to collect everything in an envelope for Yasul. And I sat down and then I saw that the tape was questionable. And the second tape, I also played and there was also a problem with it. I do not know. These cheap cassettes, I have no luck with them.
In one of them, it was as if the film had been turned upside down. So you heard my voice, but everything was rubbish. You could not understand what I was saying. Everything was backwards or inside out. So I worked 45 minutes, I tried to fix it. But of course, five minutes after I sat down and saw that I was going to have a lot of work now, that I would have to fix this tape and I would have to ... and I was very upset that I could not fix it, but I thought I fixed it, and then when I heard the tape I made yesterday did not work, really I was upset. So now I said, okay, my whole morning is going for this.
Nehama woke up half an hour after I put her down. And she's only slept two hours, before you heard her in the background, I put her back to sleep. She is very tired. She must have teeth coming out or something. Last night, she kept us awake half the night. She woke up really early this morning and I know she's exhausted. She looks awful. She is very tiny. So I put her down now and she cried for about 10 minutes. She's quiet now, but I do not know if she's asleep or not.
So this is the ... sorry, here she is crying again. I might have to hold her and then she will not be cute because she is really tired and has teeth. And now I'm going to check out this tape. I'm going to play it and then I'll continue. So wait a minute. Okay. In the meantime, everything is fine. But on the other hand even on Sunday, when I made the tape, it was okay when I made it. So I hope it will be okay. I do my best. Anyway.
Okay. So now I will try to think what I told you: when I made the tape on Sunday, the kids were home from school, we made it together. It was very nice. Nehama was asleep and Zvi was not home. It was just me and Batsheva. So we made the tape together and I explained to you why it is at home. Then I'll tell you everything again.
Hepatitis is highly contagious
Two weeks ago, it's more than two weeks. What happened is that stage seven was hepatitis. Hepatitis is a disease of the liver. It sounds like a terrible thing, but it is a virus and it is very common in Israel. And it's very common this time of year. And it has no cure. It just has to go through. Larry (Eli's brother) had it a few years ago and it was awful for him. Adults, it's a terrible disease. It's like mononucleosis. You've been stuck with it for half a year. And it completely, completely empties you. When Larry had it. I remember he was sick for a week. At first you feel sick like you have the flu or something. You feel sick and you have a fever. Then for more than six months, he just could not move. He was just helpless. He sleeps, I do not know, 15 hours a day. And he just could not keep up with the pace of work he had to do. It was very, very difficult for him. And I also have a girlfriend now who has it. She got it just before Pentecost. So it's like four months ago. And she wanted to go back to work. She is a teacher. So after summer vacation she went back to work and then she had to take off. She just could not cope. She could not do that.
Yes. She's feeling better now, but it's a terrible adult disease. But in children it is nothing. They have it and they get over it very quickly. Then they are vaccinated. They are strengthened and immunized for the rest of their lives, especially for Israelis it is also much less bad than the Americans, like Ari who is considered American and this company of mine is American. And I know two other people, Americans, who had a really hard time. But Israeli adults who accept it, are not so sick of it . It's much less. It's about three weeks and it's passing. And they say the reason is that adults, that Americans are not exposed at all. This bacterium, does not exist in America or anything. So they are not exposed to it and when they come here it really hurts them and hits them hard, while the Israelis in one way or another, are exposed. It's in their bloodstream, much like through the military or through school or in their childhood, they often had it and their parents didn't even know it. So that they will have much more immunity. And if they do catch it, it's a very easy case.
So that's how it was with Batsheva. Thank God. It was really ... the background of the story is that Adar had it. Aderet received it two weeks before David's wedding. Toby thought she had a stomach virus and she complained of a stomach ache and she had nausea and she vomited. And Toby took her to the doctor and the doctor said it looked like a virus in her stomach. And she kept her house for two days, and then she sent her back to school, but she saw that her coat was wrong. She did not look well. It did not work properly.
Then she looked a little yellow. Then she said there... 'I have no more diarrhea, but it's funny, I have diarrhea in my urine. My urine is brown, just like diarrhea. ' So this sure sign of hepatitis is very very dark urine. So Toby heard that and she looked pretty yellow. So she took her back to the doctor and they did a test and she had hepatitis. So she was sick with it a week before they realized it was a hepatitis. Then, she was in quarantine because it's contagious and Toby's family, everyone got shots. There is a chance you are getting gamma globulin. This is not a shot that forbids hepatitis, but it is a shot that greatly increases your resistance.
And so usually it is effective because it is very contagious and it is contagious by using the same bathrooms and using the same utensils. And within a family, if you do not know, you are not careful. So everyone is very exposed. So everyone got that shot. And the big problem was whether she could go to the wedding or not, and that would be awful. She was completely crushed. It was a terrible and terrible tragedy. So the wedding day ... and so Toby did a blood test for inaudible, but it takes them a week and a half to get results. So that's stupid. You wait a week and a half and you get results and the results are, oh, they are not the same results while you took it.
So it was really silly and those were very mitigating circumstances. So Toby's dad said you're using Dr. Shir here. He's the doctor you went to on Mount Scopus, remember? He's a wonderful guy and that's really extenuating circumstances. So call him on Sunday, the wedding day. And he said, "Bring her immediately." And they brought the overcoat and he checked it and its symptoms disappeared. And instead he did a blood test and two hours later he called Toby and gave her the results. And he said she's 100% fine. So Aderet could go to the wedding, which was very very nice. It was wonderful. It was very nice of him. And it was wonderful that ... so she had a very mild case, apparently.
And when I heard she had to, then I even tried to think if Batsheva was even exposed, but they are not, because they did not really play with her. And Batsheva attends the same school as her. But if I had heard someone in Batsheva's class had it, I do not think I would have wanted to give it a chance. And they offer to give a shot to the immediate family, unless the family is always at home, but anyone she's ever played with does not say they should get a shot. So I did not throw to my children. And about two weeks later she was sick. He had a high fever and her stomach ached and she vomited. And Toby said, "Oh-oh, that sounds just like a overcoat."
And I was very... I kept saying, 'Doesn't she look yellow? Doesn't she look yellow? 'And he did not, he was fine. After two or three days he was fine. He was upstairs. And I guess it was not bad. And I'm so worried we're going to ... we were supposed to go visit our very good friends. You met them. Deborah and Michael (Taurus). Deborah's parents are from Washington state, without Oregon. And they were here and they talked for so long and ... Anyway, they now live in Alon Shvut it's on the way to Hebron. And we were not there. We were not in their house and we were ... because she works and I work and Eli works and he works. So it was very difficult to centralize our schedules. And without using buses, you have to plan for it in half a day.
So finally on Sukkot, we were going to go. But when I saw she was sick, even though he looked a little better, I did not want to go because I thought he might have hepatitis and she was pregnant and I did not want the responsibility. I was so sure he caught it. Then I felt stupid two days later when it turned out he was fine. So two weeks later when Shabbat got sick, it did not even occur to me. Not even ... it did not even cross my mind. One day she came back from school and she said she was not feeling well. And I said, okay, so stay home. And she played for a while. Then that night she said she was feeling terrible. Her throat hurts. And her ear hurts and she has a fever. So I said, "Oh, you must have an infection, maybe an ear infection or a sore throat."
So the next day she went to the doctor and the doctor said he does not see any infection, it must be a virus. And she did. She felt much better the next day already. She had no fever and she played. So I kept it at home. And the next day after that it was Saturday and she stayed home and was fine. So on Sunday I sent her to school and she did not look well, but I thought she was the end of the virus. A day or two of being weak. But he did not want her to miss school and did not have a fever for two days. So I sent it. Then on Sunday night, when she was asleep, I went into the room to check and she had a fever. So even though she did not complain about anything, I left her at home on Monday. But she was fine Monday. She played with all her friends. So on Tuesday I sent her to school and Wednesday.
And she complained that her stomach hurt and she complained that she did not look good, but I sent her anyway. Then Tuesday and Wednesday, Wednesday, she came home from school and she looked awful. She walked in the door, she threw her bag on the floor, and she threw herself on the floor and screamed. I was terrified. I was like, "Batsheva, what's the matter?" Well, she could not speak. She just was ... she was curled up in pain and she was screaming and she started vomiting and she had nothing to vomit. She just was ... it was awful. She did not look yellow, she looked greenish gray. She had no color at all. And did not sound closed on Wednesday afternoon. I still thought it did not occur to me to have hepatitis. I thought the virus had spread to her stomach.
I tried to give her tea and she did not want anything. And she just lay there all day. She felt a little better. The next morning, again, she was horrible. She felt so sick. She kept vomiting and she kept screaming in pain and she had terrible cramps. And I wanted to take her to the doctor, but I could not, she was so weak. So I could not get her out of bed. You try to arrive early because you have to wait so long. Finally, at 10:30, I forced her. I wore it and carried it almost all the way. And I had to not even enjoy. And it's about a 10 minute walk. And she really, she was so ... she so wanted to just lie down, she was so weak.
And we got to the doctor at 10:30, finally. Finally got there. So the nurse says, 'Oh, I'm so sorry. You arrived too late. It is open until 11:00 '. The time was 10:30. She said, 'What do you mean when you come at such an hour? It's too late. I can not give you a number to the doctor. I can not. It's too late now. ' So I said, 'Wait, just a minute. I wanted to come early, but she vomited all morning. I could not make her even sit much less to walk here. And I forced her now, but I was going to come sooner. ' So the nurse was on the ball. She said, 'Wait, wait, wait. just a minute. Where is she? 'And she glanced at Batsheva, she gave me a glass. She said, "Ask her to make urine in a glass." And I brought it back. It was heat. It was heat. It was so dark. And they said, 'Yes. This is hepatitis. '
So it was not unequivocal. It was not scientific. They did a litmus test. They have these things, take the urine and they ... it's not scientific, but they ... and she felt her stomach. she said yes. it's like..". And they let me see the doctor. And that was hepatitis, he said. And they said she should be home for three weeks and we all had to get shots. Batsheva received the shot immediately. Then it was a whole bureaucracy why I could not get the shot because I had to go through my doctor and not through the pediatrician. And my doctor is not in this building, he was in another school and he was not there.
So I got the shot for him, to see him, but he was not with me. So I'll have to go back with him there, back to the HMO to get his shot and get a prescription note from our doctor and go unheard and buy the shots there and then go back there.
Eli and I were able to get our shots. It was very complicated. I told Batsheva if she ever wondered what the word bureaucracy meant ... so I explained to her, this is a good example. But at least Nehama got her shots. And that afternoon ... oh, I had such a hard day that day. Batsheva could not even go home. Even at the doctor's, she would just lie on the floor. She would stand and then she just had to sit on the floor. She was so weak.
So when we got home, we took a bus to fix it. I wanted to take a taxi home, but I could not catch a taxi. And I just hated waiting for it. Even though it's so close. We finally got home and she just went to sleep and Nehama went to sleep. Then that afternoon ... and it was too late to go to my doctor, because it was already after 11:00. And that afternoon, when Nehama awoke from her nap, I went to go quickly to drink tea, take shots for her and her bread had a very high fever. So she woke up with a fever. So I thought, "Oh no." I was afraid that she too had contracted hepatitis. This is how it starts, with a high fever. But I had to go because they kept saying that the most important thing is to get the shot that day. As soon as possible, they stressed this over and over again.
And I was really scared because I was very exposed to Batsheva all this week that she was sick before I kissed and held her. And I always finish everyone's leftovers. I always eat her leftovers. And it is transmitted in food and services. And we have only one toilet here. And I clean the bathrooms, but not after every time someone uses it. So we were very exposed and I made sure we all got the shots. And I had to go, but Batsheva was sick. I did not want to leave her alone
And Nehama was sick. And no one was willing to approach my house because it was contagious hepatitis. I was stuck. I did not know what to do. Finally, I was desperate. I called Toby and asked her if she could leave her daughters please come because they got the shots the previous month. So she came up and she stayed with my kids and I went and got the serum for injections. Then that night we got Eli's cousins, Gail and Baruch, they are alive ... Frida's daughter, Gail is a nurse and Baruch, her husband, is a doctor. And they live close by. So they were very nice. They arrived on Thursday evening. They came and they gave us all shots. A very nice social evening. And that day was Steve's birthday. This is how we celebrated Steve's birthday. So since ... then, Batsheva felt nauseous for a few days. By then she was already much better. The following week, she was much better. And I of course kept her at home from school. She was home every day.
And after a week, after two weeks, all together, like a day after two weeks with the disease, she seemed to be fine. She no longer looked yellow and her urine was no longer dark. She looked just fine. So I went for a test. The doctor said: 'No, I will not let you have the test for another week. It can not be that she is already healthy. It should be at least another week. ' So she will not give me a note to do the test. And I hated it. She's from a seven-year-old school, which is a shame. Really, miss school every day. She almost missed ... she missed two weeks of school.
So I was going to go to a private lab, But there is only one and it is all the way to the other end of town. And they too would only get results. I could not pick her up that day because you can only be there at 08:30 and I called around 10 after 08:00 and there was no chance I could arrive on time. And so I can do it only the next day and take three days for results. So it was like she would miss a whole week of school. So we also went to Dr. Singh. I feel bad for taking advantage of him because he is such a nice person and he refuses to take money. And these tests cost money. It's not like ... here, this private lab cost 1,000 pounds, 1,050 pounds. And here he will take nothing.
But really, I just felt bad for Batsheva, so we did it. So she went on Sunday. When I made the tape she just got back from the doctor and he did a blood test. Then after I made the tape, I called. I said on the tape that I'll tell you on the other side what the results are. I called, he said he did not know if she had hepatitis or not. But right now everything is 100% clear. He can not prove that he even had. He does not know what she had, but now she's fine. So yesterday she went back to school and she was really excited. She's so happy to be outside. She's not really a girl of the sports, running and jumping type. But yesterday when she managed to get out, she's just so happy to be in the sun and ... so that was nice.
And so it is today at school. But on Sunday we prepared the tape together in the morning. And two weeks before, when she had a liver infection and I knew she would be home. So Toby said, "Enjoy." She said that with a coat on, it was awful. She was so bored all the time. And Toby had to play with her. How many times can you play Shoots and Ladders and Candy Land? And she read her stories. Toby said that after a few days they were both so sick of each other. So I thought to myself, could it be like this or ... ahead of time, I just said now seven years old that she's going to be home for a week and let's get the best out of it, so in my mind I left all my plans for the morning. I will do the very basic things, like the beds, cleaning and laundry. But other than that, I'll just mourn the time with Batsheva, and not think I can do it, maybe I'm doing it.
And really, we had such a nice week, that I was so sad yesterday when she went to school. I really missed her. It was very nice. She helped me clean, and then every morning I taught her piano lessons we embroidered together, and we did a lot of things. And she wrote letters and she drew and we did ... and she helped me fold the laundry. It was very very nice. I'm really sad she's back at school. And one day last week, my mother-in-law arrived. She arrived early in the morning and she spent all day here so she would be with Batsheva in the morning. And that was good. So I could go to cluster level because I had to go do a lot of shopping and stuff like that. So she stayed until the afternoon, so that Shabbat Sheva would not feel bad and Zvi came home for lunch that day, so it was very very nice. Was very very pleasant. I do not know if she had hepatitis. I guess she had hepatitis, but I do not know.
Now I keep thinking, "Too bad they have to go to school." I'm sure that's not what I'll always feel, on summer vacation I can not wait until she's over, but these were two very pleasant weeks she was at home, but now she's back to school. She talked to her teacher on the phone several times, and her whole class sent her letters wishing her a speedy recovery. So it was so funny. Her school friend, Mira, is Deblum's granddaughter, so she brought all the letters. Everyone was drawing pictures and letters, so Batsheva sat down to read them right away. She was so excited and she rolled over on the mattress and she kept saying, 'Oh mom, they're making terrible spelling mistakes. Look how it spelled it, and look how they spelled it. ' And she herself, seven years old, I do not think she can spell one word without ... I do not know, if she has three letters, she will have six mistakes. I do not know how, but it was funny. We laughed at her and laughed at classmates. Anyway. So it's seven years old. This was Batsheva's news, but now she's back to school.
Public transportation Shabbat Sheva and Zvi should take to kindergarten and school
See, what can I tell you about Zvi I have not already told you on tape? On his birthday, that Saturday Saturday she was sick, I think I told you on the second tape that they were going to school this year by bus. Last year Eli would travel with Zvi on the bus, he would take Zvi on the bus and he also taught in Haider (Talmud Torah "Morasha") at the same time that Zvi had to be there, so he would take Zvi. And Batsheva would travel, there was a carpool arrangement and those who did not have cars had to book a taxi. And it came out quite expensive. It came out very expensive, but I thought for one year I would do it because it was worth it to me. Batsheva started on the bus and in first grade. I was a little apprehensive about sending her alone to the bus. She was six years old. So that way she had a ride every morning and in the rain and cold, they took her home and I did not have to worry about anything.
Zvi would come home like you were here. He would come home on a drive that passes to Beit El and they dropped him off on the main road and I went to meet him. So this year, Eli does not teach in the pen at those hours. He teaches in the afternoon and he no longer learns in yeshiva. He is studying elsewhere, which is in redemption, he is studying there in the afternoon, but he is in this program, which is in redemption where he is doing this morning. It's a special class, it's very intense, and it's something that's really hard to get into. This is a special thing. And he gets into it and he's very excited. Anyway, he's not going to infiltrate this morning. He only goes there in the afternoon. So this year, Batsheva and Zvi are traveling alone on the bus.
Before you are five you are, no need to pay for the bus ride, and Batsheva has a ticket and she and Zvi go together, and they get on the bus. Batsheva's school is not too far from the bus stop. You know, she has a little walk with one pretty big street towards it, but Zvi's penetration is very far, it's about 10 Minutes walk from the bus stop, it's not close at all, and he has to walk it. So one street that she crosses, he crosses with her and then everything else ... Then there is a huge street, the street in front of Eli's yeshiva, which is a very busy street, Zvi crosses it himself and two other smaller streets. One is not so small that he manages on his own. If they arrive on time, there is a school patrol (road safety) on the main street, which it crosses in the school patrol. And I do not know, I do not know what he is doing, I do not see. I do not know, but he goes alone. You know, after Shabbat Sheva leaves him, he goes alone and until now he has been going home every day.
But I hate it. I'm so scared. I'm so stressed. Here, he was not yet five years old, you know, four and ten months old and he was crossing streets. But what could I do? So now I had a very big problem when Shabbat was sick, how would he go? Because to send him to the bus alone ... Batsheva, I did not dare send her to the bus alone until last summer. She was six and a half years old and I sent her, she went to a day camp and it was right on bus number four. It could not have been easier. No streets to cross; As soon as you ascended, you descended. And bus number four was very close, it's the closest to our house. It's right here, you know. So, this is the moment I sent it for the first time, just last summer.
Send Zvi to bus 28, at that hour, during the rush hour of traffic in the morning, with all the adults, you know, all the people are nervous and pushing and pulling in a hurry and not looking and not caring. And on the main street and get on the bus. And it's always crowded, you know, sardines. Then you need to know that he needs to know when to get off. He needs to know where to press the button. He has to push the button himself or ask someone because he can not get there, then he has to get off the bus and walk all the way from the bus stop to the room. This is really a big thing. [Hold on. My phone rings. It was someone who called to ask about the apartment, but he was not interested. I'll talk about that later. I feel so desperate ...]
Anyway, so when Shabbat Sheva was sick, I did not know how to send Zvi to school. So we thought 'well, Batsheva has a virus, it's only one day she's absent from school, so we persuaded Zvi to go on his own, and to me, as it were, he took a bus after him to make sure he got there. It was a Friday, on Fridays Eli did go to Haider, but he did not want to go with Zvi, to see if he could do it himself. But Zvi was startled and he said, "No, I do not want to" and that he was going to get lost and he would not know, but we, you know, said, "You can, and you have to get used to it" and we forced him a little. And he went and he came, he was fine. And he was so proud of himself when he got home. He was like in the seventh heaven, you know? He did it himself and he went away himself and he did not get lost. But he made it very clear that he was not going to do it again. He did it once and that's all. He has shown us that he can do it, but he has no intention of doing it again.
Where's Zvi?
Next time Shabbat Sheva did not go to school, it was Zvi's birthday (A. Cheshvan), so I said I had an idea that Zvi could travel with Mira (a friend of Batsheva). Mira is the granddaughter of Hablum and they live in Ramat Eshkol, but they do not live close to us, they live closer to Toby (in Sanhedria), if you remember, than here. So they have a bus stop right next to their house and it's bus number 39, which also eventually travels to Beit Vagan, it passes the central station and the station in Kiryat Moshe (where he studies), but it passes first and foremost around the city. It's a long bus ride. While the 28 travels very directly and it's a much shorter bus ride, but because they live there, so they leave, you know, 15 minutes earlier, and they take that bus, Mira and her sister.
So I said to Zvi, 'You know, you can go with them. You can get off at their house and you will all travel together on bus 39 to the same bus stop, and Mira will cross you on one street and you will keep walking. '
It was his birthday and you know, he woke up early. He could not sleep. He woke up at five in the morning, he was so excited. And when I woke up, I handed him one of his birthday presents. I think it was his favorite - a card. The fact that he is five years old and now he is getting a ticket and he has to pay for himself on the bus. He was thrilled. He kept giggling. He was so happy and so proud. And I also bought him like a wallet that he should put in and he should not lose it and he wears it every day. And he was really excited. By a quarter to six he was ready to go, he was all dressed up and ready to go, and he was unable to eat breakfast. He was too excited. Then when I told him Shabbat Sheva does not go to school and he will have to ride the bus, he did not run and he did not ride the bus, and he started crying that he did not want to go, and why can Batsheva not go with him? And he does not like to walk alone.
So I said, "I have a very good idea, you can go with Mira." And I called Mira's mother and she said, 'All right, but make sure he arrives on time, because they have to leave earlier and they do not like another. And if they miss the bus, then they're late. 'She said he had to be there by 7:10. Finally, I kept him at home for an hour, but at the end at seven, I could not. It's about a minute walk from here to their house. So I sent it at seven o'clock. Then when he left, he looked fine with the ride to Mira.
Then at 7:30, I get a call from Mira's mom. She said: 'Where's a deer? My daughters will be late for school and they want to go already. ' So I said, 'What ?! I sent it half an hour ago. ' So she said, 'Well, he did not come here and they were waiting for him. And they went out to wait for him. And they went almost to your house and back. And they were looking for him everywhere. And he's not here. ' So I said, "I can not understand this." I was worried, you know? What could have happened to him?
And so she said: 'Maybe he got on bus 39 and stuff and left. Maybe he is He saw they were not there, so he just waited at the bus stop and got on the bus. ' So I did not believe he would do it, because he is not so big in numbers. And he does not know bus 39 and he does not know bus line 39. And there are other buses that travel there, also number 2 travels to the same station and I could see him getting on by mistake. I had this fear that he was on bus number 2 by mistake, that his last stop is at the Jaffa Gate. I could see him at the Jaffa Gate at 7:30 in the morning, instead of in Hyderabad, so, I was really worried, but I told her: 'Send your girls. They have to go already and I'll try to find him. ' So that was a dilemma. I could not understand what had happened to him.
We called one of the teachers. Haider does not have a phone near where Zvi is, so we called one of the teachers before he left his house to be there at eight o'clock, and asked him to look for Zvi there, and if he was there - or not, to call us. A little while later we got a phone call. He was there, Zvi, the teacher brought him to the office and he went to a giggling phone: "What happened?". Zvi decided that he did not want to go with Mira, that he would go alone. He did not even go to bus 39. He went alone to bus 28 and he got on the bus and left.
So we were very proud of him. I mean, we were mad at him for doing such a thing and you know, we were worried, but it shows that he has confidence in himself and that he can do it. And so he went all two weeks Saturday seven was sick. He rode the bus himself, and I hated it. I was always so scared, and there were two days that it was pouring rain, and when it rains, it's hard to see the cars and not always turn your head to look closely because it has a hood. And I do not know, I was very ... but he's fine. I mean, he has more confidence in himself, I guess, than me. And now that Saturday is back to school, I feel much more relieved.
And back home from school, Batsheva is coming home on the bus and Zvi is still coming home on that ride he has that leaves him here across the street, and I do not meet him anymore, I tell him he should ask the people getting off the bus, cross him the road. He always has to cross with an adult and I leave it to him. I'm dependent on him. I believe he will not go it alone. I think I instilled the fear that it's a pretty busy street. Sometimes I go if he does not arrive on time. I think maybe he's too embarrassed to ask someone, or that no one was there. You know, and I'll go and cross with him. But he comes home every day fine.
Zvi's birthday
What else can I tell you about his birthday? So it was a pretty hectic day. It was not exactly as I thought it would be. We wanted to take him to ... we have this tradition that we take the kids to their birthday, we just take them to the Western Wall and then go buy them ice cream. So we wanted to do it, but we could not because everyone else in the house were sick and Gail and Baruch came to give us a shot. But the deer had a hyder .. I made cupcakes and we brought them. And on Saturday I held a birthday party for boys in the neighborhood, for his friend Joel and our neighbor, Eli and three or four other boys. So he was really happy. And I made a truck-shaped cake, which always makes him happy. But since it was Shabbat, I could not take a picture and finished it a minute before Shabbat began. I was so busy trying to take care of everyone who was sick and make Shabbat and make the cakes and everything. So I do not think I, no, did not take a picture, but you will see pictures of Nehama's birthday cake in the shape of a Lag B'Omer bonfire, I know we took it. Because she was born to Lag B'Omer.
So I really went crazy with it. She did not even understand, but I went crazy with all the different food colors and turns them like a flame. Then the logs I made from chocolate curls and I think it's nice. And the kids really enjoyed helping me do that. And Batsheva's birthday cake, I made in the shape of a rainbow. All the food colors I had left from Nehama's birthday, and her middle name is Rainbow, meaning Rainbow, so it was easy. I just cut it in the shape of a bow and put seven stripes on it, but it was beautiful.
Zvi's cake was not one of those fancy ones. For him I covered it with a chocolate coating and put a design around it and cut it in the shape of a truck. And I put a stick figure in the driver's seat and we all said it was a deer and he got to eat that piece. He needs to eat himself. He got to eat the deer, so he's happy. For his birthday we bought him a game, which is a hammer and nails. And you knock on those geometric shapes and you make all kinds of pictures out of it, into that board. This is what he likes now, knocks and hammers, screwdrivers and keys and stuff like that. If Eli fixes something he's there, you know, with all the different tools. And someone gave him a little car and someone gave him a coloring book, and my mother-in-law bought him winter pajamas and socks. She always buys clothes, but the winter pajamas, they were very successful because they had street signs on them. So, you know, it's also ... his two favorite subjects are cars and tools. So, it had a street sign. So now he has learned all, which is a stop sign, which means a one-way street, and that means there is no U-turn, and all that stuff. So he knows.
And yes, this is my big boy. Five years have passed. hard to believe. And he's really cute. He is such a good heart. Sometimes I'm amazed at his sensitivity, you know, he's not an intellect. He still can not read, even though he is young, but they have taught them and most of his class already knows. He's not at the head of his class, but I'm not worried at all. I'm sure he'll know how to read sometime. And it's more important to me that the kids are good and that they're sensitive to others, and he really is. He's really sweet.
Also seven years old, I found out this week when she was home. Because I only see them, I see them in the afternoon and they are usually tired from school and Batsheva, she has to do homework and she goes out to play. And not many times do I have the opportunity to be just with her without comfort interfering with us or the deer or anything. And Batsheva is also very gentle. She is a very sweet girl. Her teacher talked to me one day on the phone. She asked me if Batsheva knew how to speak loudly because she was a meter Barth is so soft in school that she does not even turn to her much, to answer questions because she is so ashamed, seven-year-old. And she speaks so quietly she can not hear her.
I was so shocked when I heard that because seven years old sometimes when I think, what will she be like when she grows up, she's going to be here so loud and such a lady, screaming and screaming, that I always feel guilty, it's because I shout so much and I talk so much Much. Because she really is, like she yells at deer sometimes when they are many, or about me, or with her friends. So when the teacher said she could not speak loudly, I said, "It's a split personality," but I see it. She has a side where she is ashamed. And with other people she is very sweet. And even with mom she's sweet, she's a good girl. She really is a good girl. She is so helpful and she cares so much for comfort.
And Nachmala is such a doll. She is a year and a half old and she is hysterical. She's so funny. She loves, she's so naughty and she's so funny. Like I'm trying to capture it in pictures. You know, we're trying to photograph her when she's in her funny mood. Like, she's such a clown. She imitates us and now she says like, I'll try to raise her to the other side when she wakes up. She says: 'Dad, Mom, Dad, Island. She only says movements. When I tell her to say comfort, she says Dad. And she has this picture in the room of Rabbi Aryeh Levin. It's a rabbi I once sent you a book about, so I have this picture in their room, so when she goes to bed, she says goodbye and you say, you know, "hello to the rabbit, and hello to the cat," all these pictures "hello to the bird, hello to the bear, hello to the doll." And she says "Hello Rabbi Aryeh", that's what she's saying all the time now, but instead of saying 'Hello Rabbi Aryeh' she says. She says it all the time and she thinks peace is "ahu ah ya", so when someone leaves the house she always says, "ahu ah ya". She's really funny. And she's running around. And I bought her shoes last week.
Buying shoes for children
One day when Shabbat was at home I left her alone and I ... because she only had sandals and suddenly it got cold. So I went, bought her shoes, red shoes. I hate red shoes, but that's what they had for comfort. And I went to a really expensive store, which is supposed to have a very good reputation for very good shoes. We went there with a deer, because a deer, for example, has a problematic foot. It has a very wide foot. So I always buy first shoes there.
And then later, if I see that their foot is normal, then I do not have to buy there, but it's really expensive. It came out a lot. And yesterday, now that Saturday was okay, so yesterday finally ... her shoes from last year were too small and she was wearing sandals, and I could not go buy her shoes because she was sick. So yesterday I had no strength, but she came home from school late. She had a foreign language she takes. I'll tell you about it on the other side. She takes agriculture and cooks, but I'll tell you on the other side. It is also very interesting.
But anyway, so on Mondays she comes home like around five o'clock and it's already dark. And I did not have the strength to send them to town to go buy shoes. So I drove here to Cluster Level, there is a shoe store and they are reasonable. They are not really cheap, but they are not really expensive. And I bought shoes for Batsheva and Zvi. They did not have a large selection because everyone had already left. It's quite late to buy shoes. So Zvi and Batsheva got the exact same shoes. Both are brown, only in different sizes. And of a slightly different deer because of its wide foot. It's a slightly different style, but it's the same company and almost the same shoe. Same color, same design actually. So I'm done with this. But son ..., when I think about how many hours I have to teach to buy one pair of shoes, it's really depressing. It really is that way. It's really very depressing to think about it, but it's over. This is one, once you need to buy and finish.
lice
Now I want to tell Batsheva that there is this problem. This is a nationwide problem. It's something terribly enriching for the poor, clean for the dirty, everyone, it's a problem of life. And it's so contagious and they've had it, my kids, on and off for a year now and I keep doing their hair. There is a special shampoo and there are special things you need to do. Then I spent hours, you have to pull out the eggs one by one. And I never found lice in their head. I've never done that. I only found eggs and even Nehama now has hair. And so it is, I do not know what to do. Everyone has their own song and everyone ... oh, the tape is running out. And I wash their hair a lot and they use a special shampoo, but I do not like to use it too much, because it is a poison. So I do not like to use it too much, you know, if I do not have to. Then when I finally clear their heads completely, they go to school and they play with a friend and they understand everything anew.
Now I have decided that the best thing is to tell her her hair, she has never had short hair. She always had long hair, and we'll try it and see. It will not help with lice, but it will be easier. Now her hair is very long. It is very beautiful and I hate to cut it because it is beautiful hair, but it will grow back. And I'm tired of fighting with her every morning if she wants a braid or a ponytail or a ponytail or you know, that way she can pull her hair out and decide what she wants for herself.
And I think I'm going to stop because the tape runs out. I do not know, so one day I made my decision and she wanted it too, I'm scared, but I'm with her and you will get it sometime, what she looks like in short hair. I think she's going to be cute and in the worst case, it's going to grow, so let's see.
I'm nervous now because I see the tape is almost over, so I will not start anything new. Then I'll just turn to the other side in a minute. But it's the kids. I really...
Okay. One side is over and I hope it came out fine. And I do not think I will even listen. I hope it's OK. I hope you can hear it. And I know I have fulfilled my duty. Anyway, what I'm ace Tell me about it now this is what I mentioned earlier about Batsheva's classes, it's activities outside of school. So last year she went to English twice a week, and she studied art in school, after school. She would stay after school. And I had a music class once a week. These were her extra studies. And at school, it was not really serious. One day it once was, once it was canceled. And I do not know, I was not really satisfied.
The class at Mitzpe Jericho
This year, a friend of mine called and she said, 'You know, there's a plan. It's in a place called the Jericho Observatory, "he said, about halfway to the Dead Sea. It is a settlement outside Jerusalem. I do not know if you know where Ma'ale Adumim is, it is just outside Jerusalem. It's about a half hour drive, I guess from here, maybe even less. In fact, it's very, very close. From Mitzpe Jericho, you can see Mount Scopus, but there is no road, they are going to build a road, they are building a road and then it will be five minutes after Mount Scopus, but now you have to walk around the whole city and exit the other side on the way to Jericho. It's a religious community and they started ... it's an original idea, think of this idea of out-of-home activities for children in an environment they can not get to in the city, to connect the children to the country. So what they do is that one day they take the kids and they went to Batsheva's school they offered it to the school. So they pick up the kids after school, school finishes in one quarter, then everyone gets on a bus and the bus takes them to Jericho Observatory, where they give them a hot lunch, and after lunch they give them activities.
Now in winter they can do two activities. In the summer when the days are longer, because the point is to bring them home before dark, then when the days are longer they will have three. And their activities were fantastic. What they offered was just great. We could not choose, we could not decide between them. There were great things like nature walks and farming and music. And as they say, puppet shows, like making your own puppets and plays. And many things, like scientific experiments. A lot of things they do not give in school. At school they always give art and creation and music, both are done at such a good level. And cooking and ... I do not know, a lot of things, and one of them was great but it was for boys, girls. They have a lot of materials there. It's a big seat and they have a lot of wood and lots of materials. They teach the boys to build and say that by the end of the lesson you are building a house, your own house, a hut or something, I do not know, like a small hut, I guess. But it's really exciting for them.
It was difficult for us, Batsheva and me, to decide and in the end she chose cooking and agriculture, which I think is excellent because I am in favor of her learning to make things and cook. And agriculture, it's fantastic. So she goes and she loves it. She comes home every time just thrilled. They ran and they dug. Yesterday they found a snake and planted carrots and planted radishes and planted parsley and planted some flowers. And now they have to draw drawings of the different things and put in the ground so that they know where everything is, and they water it. It's really very very nice and they work really hard.
And in cooking every time they make, they have learned to make stuffed cucumbers, which she says are not so good. And I had to buy a small container and she brings home what she makes. Yesterday she forgot the container so she did not bring it home. But they do all sorts of neat things. Egg salad, learned to make once and cute little sandwiches they learned to make once. It's really very nice and it's very cheap, surprisingly. With the shuttle and the meal and all these activities. Adina and Aderet go too and they dropped them off on the way home right here on the corner, on Mevo Timna Street, right here very close. Batsheva at home in a minute, it's real ... so it's very very nice, it's very nice. So this is her out-of-home activity.
English class for Batsheva and Zvi
And in English, at first Mirena, her teacher, had no place. She did not have ... the high class of Batsheva was confused. Two of them moved and one of them stopped and so there were no points ... there was no point in having two children. But yesterday when I went to buy them shoes, I met Mirna at the shoe store and she told me that she did have an opening in class and it sounded like it would be good for Batsheva because they are Hebrew speaking children, not English. And Myrna teaches them English, but she does not stress so much about reading as about speaking, because the students speak English, they already know how to speak, but Batsheva also knows how to speak but she is not so good at it. She knows how to say what she wants, she understands everything I say. I can no longer say anything in English, she understands everything, and every subject she understands. And she's talking too but she needs more practice maybe. And she's not talking to me, but she's talking to ... I see her talking to people who only know English.
Plus they learn to read and write there, but she said it's not quite as stressful as English speakers that their parents want their kids to learn to read Shakespeare up to second grade or something. She said Shabbat Sheva will be at the top of the class because she has a very good background and will have a good time knowing. I think it would be good because she never liked to go to English, I think, because she knew the least of all and now I think she would love to go. So maybe she's going to start it, it's twice a week for half an hour.
And I, I said, what about a deer? Maybe you have something for him. So she said she was actually just starting this class, but it's an experiment for five Hebrew-speaking boys. And it's once a week for half an hour and it's a small group and he can join if he wants. So I asked to see if he wants and he wants, but I do not know if he will continue with it. We started talking and I said, "What's your name?" He said deer. "How old are you?" "Five years old," he understands me but he does not speak, so now maybe he... He says, "One, two, three, four, five." That's what he likes to say. Apparently later in the tape I'll get him to talk and he will say, "One, two, three." "All right, yes, now." Those are his words, so let's see. So maybe a deer will start. I hope he ... I do not want to force a signal And, I do not want him to hate it, but I will try to encourage him very much to go.
And what else can I tell you? I received a letter from you today in the mail. My mailman was in reserve, so today he must have come back because I got a lot of mail at once. So I got two letters from you and a birthday card for Zvi, so I have not opened it yet, I'm keeping it when he comes home from school, because that's the big thrill. I say, "You have a letter," and he runs, "From whom?" And he opens the letter and he sees it first. So you should know we got it.
And I got two letters, one you write about how Dad trains in the morning and evening and you ride your bike and how good of both of you and you went to the doctor and everyone is fine and how all your stuff was washed into the ocean.
politics
Now, the second letter you wrote was about politics, so I also have a lot to say about politics, but I'm also very, very disgusted, very upset. It really is ... we are becoming more and more isolated, Israel, and not through our own fault. It's not because we did not make concessions. Giving up on Sinai is such a huge waiver, it's like suicide. And yet the world looks ... the more we give the more they expect more. I do not know, it's very disgusting.
And now everyone is starting to look ... the program does not sound like they really want to recognize Israel as if they are like that ... I do not know, I do not even have the strength now to start going into it. It's just very very disgusting and a little scary and I'm very worried about what's going to happen this year. I'm very worried about what's going to happen this spring. Inside this country, there is no ... it is not unified. People do not want to give up Sinai, especially after what happened to Sadat, especially after now the United States does not seem to be so ... We will give up Sinai and then Egypt will say, "All right, you did not ...". What a little detail of Camp David, then they'll be back to Camp David. But in the meantime they have all the Sinai. Until they accept all of Sinai, of course they will say we are in favor of Camp David and for Israel.
But he is under a lot of pressure in relation to the rest of the Arab world and he is in favor of the Arabs. He has always been against Sadat's steps to isolate himself. He wants to return to the Arab world and he is under a lot of pressure from Syria and Saudi Arabia and from all other Arab countries. And even the United States does not support Israel, does not support Camp David. Everyone is very dumb. Now you hear things like, 'Yeah, that pretty much made his time. Now is the time to look at a few different initiatives. ' And all of these are very nice to say, but in the meantime we are expected to bring back all of Sinai that we have conquered five times, which is so strategically important. Without Sinai, the border is Ashkelon Hebrew right on the border. And Ashkelon, how far is it from Tel Aviv? Half an hour drive?
It's so dangerous. Be'er Sheva, again, right on the border. It's so scary, it's so ridiculous. And in this country it is not unified at all. I do not ... I do not want to say strong things like civil war, but ... it will not be a civil war but it will be terrible, I think it will be a very depressing period, very difficult in the spring when we have to give it up. And I'm just praying and hoping that something will happen by then, that something will happen that the United States will not send. And I keep hoping and praying that something will happen, that we will not bring back Sinai. When Sadat was assassinated I was very happy, because I thought that might be the reason, but now everyone is saying, "Oh no, nothing has changed, everything is the same." I do not know. We're pretty stuck, we'm pretty trapped, I do not know.
What else can I tell you? Yesul is fine, I hope he comes in the afternoon. If I had not finished this tape by then I might leave a little and try to get him to talk, even though I do not believe I will succeed. My in-laws are fine. In the second tape I told you a bit about the holidays, but it's been so long since I described it to you and I did not feel like telling it all again, because I've already told you, but how busy I was. That's one of the reasons I did not write. I was so busy that for some reason the wedding and all the holidays, everyone was at the same time. Rosh Hashanah was on Wednesday and Sunday ... Wednesday and Thursday were Rosh Hashanah and Sunday was the wedding and then Wednesday was Yom Kippur and Sunday Sukkot and then it was like one thing after another and it was really really hard, it was really ...
And the wedding for some reason I had so much work before the wedding to get organized. What do I intend to organize? Approaching each other. But Batsheva got this dress she brought from Toby. It was beautiful. This is completely impractical. It's so luxurious, it's for a wedding, but it's really not even sitting, it's so luxurious. It is a velvet in black from the top trimmed lace and has a high waist with cream lace not heard to the bottom with a curl around the bottom and lined with cream material and with a belt. It's very elegant and it looks beautiful, but it was kind of ... I do not know. But she had it, but I had a lot of work because I had to shorten it and there were a lot of layers to the hem and I had to shorten the sleeves, it's a little too big on her.
The lost Kipa
For Zvi I had to buy him pants and then I had to shorten his pants. I bought him two pairs of pants and decided to knit him a cap, which he lost after the third time he wore it. About a week after the wedding he lost the dome and I was able to kill him, this dome took me hours and days. I knitted and worked really hard and made a very beautiful example. It was a really beautiful dome and I hate the thought, I have no tendency to do it again.
And for me too I had to arrange his clothes and belt, I had to buy deer socks, there are just lots of things to do. And for me, I decided, "All right, I'm going, I'm going to buy a dress." I really needed a desperate dress, gown, holidays and wedding. So I spent three days walking around town, going to every store again and again. And I went on a diet and lost weight. I'm fine now, I mean I'm not really thin, maybe like when I was in America, but I'm not fat, I'm fine. I do not know, I'm normal.
The clothes she sewed
But I still could not find something I liked. There was nothing that suited me or that looked good or that was what I wanted. And the prices were exorbitant. The usual price for an average dress was 10,000 pound. 10,000 pounds I understand, it's about $ 70. It's really, really expensive. And yet these are the prices for dresses. Toby bought dresses and each one cost at least that. Her mother-in-law, I think, bought it for them. They're really rich and they ... she went shopping with her mother-in-law. I think Shauli she returned one of them in the end, she did not like it. I went and we looked. I even made Eli come with me one day to take the morning off because when you spend so much money I wanted him to at least like it. And I just ... there was nothing. I did not even have a problem choosing, I just did not find anything.
I felt desperate, and I hate shopping. I do not know if you guys remember, but I really ... I can not stand it, I hate to wear clothes and I hate to be in stores and I hate to decide. So at the end I said, "I'm just going to make a dress." And I have not sewn for myself for years, not something like a wedding dress, which should be perfect and come out well and be ... For years I did not do it and really did not know what size. I took a pattern from Toby and did not have what I really liked then ... it was ingenious. I worked so hard. I took Toby's model of a shirt-waist dress, which is the style, at least here. And I used the top, the top of the buttons and the sleeves and the collar. And I did not use the skirt. For the skirt I invented my own example. I did it like ... you know like Spanish skirts that have one layer and then it is collected and then wide, like something like a peasant dress.
All ... it's like boards, just each panel is ... what is it, when you sew it it's like rectangles. Each rectangle is twice the size of the one in front of it, so to connect it you have to collect it and then sew it on top of the other. Then the next rectangle is twice the other and you collect it. And anyway, I did not understand how much it should work. And I bought material, which was not easy to find either. So it was a very complicated dress, it is very detailed. He had buttons on the front and he had a collar, and of course sleeves. And the dress that Toby gave me the pattern was size 12. So I'm not really size 12, I'm size 14 so the pattern was too small and the arrows did not come out in the right place at all. So I had to not only make the template but also adjust it, this is the first time.
I usually just make an example and then it usually suits me in the end, where I cut out some material and then I had to pin it. I had to make all these adjustments and base on myself and it was very very hard, I worked really, really hard. And the skirt, put all these layers at the end, it came out too short because I used a wrong calculation and forgot to take into account the fold ... so it was too short, so I had to go back and buy more material and add on another panel at the end so it has, in my opinion, five panels .
And it's so much work and it took so much material. In the end the dress, I can not say that it turned out great. Work fine, I did it right, but it did not look so great to me, it was not what I expected and I was so disappointed. It's okay, but it's not pretty, it's not what I thought. But it was not terrible where I could say, "All right, I can not wear this to a wedding," and go buy another dress or make another one or something. It was like, I had to use it for a wedding but I was not really happy. But that's what I did in the end, I wore it.
And it was like that, but even that was a lot of work and I had to run around and buy myself what would fit. Then I brought the buttonholes to the store that they need to make the buttonholes because I'm not that great at it. We ran around like crazy and waited, waited, waited for the wedding. The upoff is in Rabbi Horowitz's yeshiva (BMT (it was nice, it was nice. And the wedding itself, I told you on the phone, I think, it was a kind of anticlimax, after all. By the way, we have pictures and movies I send, Eli took pictures The kids before we went to the wedding so you could see that everyone was dressed up.I do not think he got a picture of me because I think I got dressed and until I was ready we were late, so I do not think he has a picture of me.
I'll get a picture of myself in this dress one day, or you'll see it next year. But anyway ... and the wedding pictures, if there's one that has me in it, like a family picture, I'll send it but I do not think there were because they did not have such a great photographer, it was like ... I do not know, I will tell you In a minute.
David and Nehama's wedding
The wedding itself was like an anticlimax. Finally everything was ready and we went, but I told you it was pretty weird. It was completely separate because they did not want mixed, it was not really principled, they wanted it to be separate, say, inside .. in the middle, but at least on the same floor, at least in the same room. But in Hebrew there is no room that was big enough for both men and women. There were two rather large rooms, but neither was large enough for men and women alike. So this is what they decided in the end. The only one between the two rooms were four staircases so it was like, I do not know, it was pretty weird. The men were downstairs and we were upstairs. And I did not like it because part of the wedding, it's not just eating and talking to people, and they had a speaker, so we could hear the songs and dances, but it's not the same as being there and seeing it.
And it's a little weird that David and Nehama after the room are unique when they are together. After the canopy they are together in the room for a few minutes and then they part for the evening of rest. The men on the fourth floor, David's on the first floor, so it was ... I do not know, it was strange. I personally went downstairs, I was with the men. No one said anything and I wanted to see, I wanted to be there. And in the end a lot of women went down. It was not the same not heard. They're just ... I do not know. The food was delicious, I guess. And then even the meal, even the meal. We had family and close friends, even that was separate, men on the one hand and women on the other and in the middle of a partition.
It really killed me. I did not see Eli all evening and ... I do not know, it was okay. I do not want to say that... Eli kept telling me, 'Do not judge. Every man has his own way, 'and who am I to judge? But I just laughed. Like I told Toby later, I was in Weddings are not a relative, like David who is a brother-in-law and I am very close to the family. Weddings of just my friends or even people I barely know I got more excited about their wedding than my own ... I could not really get excited. She's a very sweet, comforting girl, and I barely know her because ... just a moment, [someone knocks on the door., It was my neighbor, Tzipi and that means it's too late, that means it's already ... it's already 13:10. So for two hours now I have been sitting here, from 11, between fooling around with the tape to anesthetize Hebrew and so Zvi will come in at any moment and seven soon and I guess the rest of the tape I will leave them, but Shabbat Sheva will do ... she played a recital on this tape, so I will ask From her to play her piano recital and I'll ask the kids to talk, I guess, and I'll send it.
Anyway, I just told you about David's wedding, about Nehama, which is very sweet. And then on Sukkot we were with my in-laws for Sukkot and we were supposed to be here and Yasul was about to come, but at the last minute he backed away so we went there at the end. And David and Nehama were there for one meal. Her parents also live in a house and garden so they go there, half and half, half to her parents and half to his parents. And so I really do not know her and I really ... do not know, with Toby and I it was so different. I guess it's unusual that the sisters-in-law are so close. And I want to be friendly with her but ... and she's very, very nice. She also studied piano for many years and her sister lives here in Paji.
The neighbor who also teaches piano
Nehama's sister, her name is Hani and she is a piano teacher so I befriended her a bit. Yesterday when I made this tape, but did not hear it because it was all destroyed anyway. She came and we had a professional conversation about which books to use and what she does and what you do, we compared comments. And I want Shabbat Sheva to study with her, because with me it's very nice like I said, but I'm afraid it will not be ... she will not take it seriously, while she has to leave the house and go to Hani's house and study. And I think Hani is a good teacher. But Sheva is really excited to go to Hani, while with me she is sometimes ... she does not want to ...
Hani gave birth a few months ago, she said that ... and they do not have a piano. They bought a piano, they get it in three weeks. So I said she could start teaching here at my house and I would watch her baby for her. She hesitated, she did not like the idea, I do not think. She said that when she gets her piano in three weeks she will let me know, so I very much hope she will agree. I tried to make it as seductive as possible, because Batsheva is really ready and has a lot of motivation, so let's see.
Problems with the sale of the apartment in Paji
What else can I tell you? This apartment, it's very discouraging. I'm just totally desperate already. We continue to advertise but only so far no one is interested in buying. We had one couple, it was a real killer. Since we almost bought the house in Hebrew, it has been such a disappointment. And then after... Eli went to sign three times, he was so... Then finally everything fell apart. The day after everything fell and I was so depressed, the people who were supposed to buy our apartment canceled so in the end it was a great thing because they had a signature we had to commit ourselves within a month to bring like, I do not know, $ 30,000 or something or more, I do not Remember. I do not remember ... or more, I do not remember. I do not remember. Huge quantities. So I do not know, Eli says we've been in jail until now. So lucky that ... I guess everything came out on the best side, even though since then, we have not even found anything there reasonably priced. Then we learned our lesson that you need to sell first, or at least have someone very, very serious who wants to buy before you go sign elsewhere.
So we advertised our apartment. And just before Rosh Hashanah about two months ago, a young couple came to see the apartment. And they really liked it, I could see they liked it, and she said they liked it, and he liked it. And they sat down and said: Let us take. I was so excited, I could not believe it. I said, 'Really? Do you really want it? "And they said," Yes, we like it very much. So what about payments? How much do you want? 'We said they did not even argue with us. They said, "All right." So they said, "The money is coming." Both are Americans and probably one of them, her rich mother and her mother would pay for it. So she said, 'I have to bring my mother to see this, but it's nothing. It's our decision. And my mother, whatever we decide, she will not be heard or anything. ' And her mother lives in Ramat Gan, in Tel Aviv.
So I was a little nervous, but they made it seem like it was their decision, so we got so excited. I was already looking in the newspapers for four-room apartments, three-room apartments that I had already looked at, that I did not even dare to dream about. So her mother came two days later and she too looked at the apartment, and I think she was impressed. I pointed out different things and also showed her bad things she needs to know, that we must not paint them. But this is a young couple, they do not have children yet. And it's a pretty big apartment for that. Then the mother came back that day, she came back with an expert, a contractor, someone who knows construction and contracts. And he went, he checked all the plumbing, he checked all the electricity, he checked the floors, he checked the little room. And I did not hang out with him, but I heard him too, he said positive things. He said, 'Oh, that's not a problem. And it's very strong, the building. ' Because it, it's a good building. This is a good apartment. And even the small room, we've fixed it already. And he said it's good, what we did, and it should hold. And he said how nice it is that it's on the first floor and there's a backyard. So I was just sure. And they said they would call us and let us know.
And I was in seventh heaven, I was sure that was it. I expected they might try to haggle a bit over the price. The mother seemed a little less innocent to me than the daughter. But I thought they would bargain with us a bit, and we never expected to get our asking price. But just to have someone like it sell, I was sure ... and then she called two days later and she said, "We are not interested." That her mother wants to buy them a bigger apartment. So I said, "Maybe if we go down in price?" And she said, "No, that's not the price. That's the size of the apartment. ' Definitely, this is not a big apartment. And her mother wants her to buy a bigger apartment. And I was so shattered that day that I really had hopes. I was very, very depressed because I said, "Now no one is going to see the apartment because of the holidays." No one has time, it's a busy month. Then then, it will start to rain and our apartment in the winter does not look good. Not an easy apartment for sale. So we can not ... so we'll have to wait another whole year. And I just so wanted to get out of here already. But I was very, very depressed. I remember one day I was right down in the dumps. I yelled at the kids all day. Then, a week later, someone came to see the apartment for his parents. Then they came to see the apartment and they liked it. And they loved it because they have two married children who live here in an extended Sanhedria and they wanted to live close by, and this apartment is fine for them. They do not need a larger apartment. And they have a big three-room apartment in another neighborhood as well, but they love it, this apartment. They love it because it's a cute apartment, it has a lot in it.
So they wanted it. But they said they should sell their apartment first. And that was more than a month ago. And they said that in principle they want the apartment because they asked that we not advertise. They said, 'Give us two weeks. Then we'll know. ' So we agreed to that. And they called back after two weeks, they did not have four and everyone would buy his apartment. And they called us again after two weeks, they still have not. So here we have someone who wants it, but he himself did not sell their apartment. So we gave them up, we posted again this week. But, so far, two people have come to look at it and they went in and they went out. This is not what they wanted. Nor did we find anything. So it's just really depressing, but I'll stop talking about it now because Deer is going to come in at any moment and I want to leave the rest of the tape for them to talk. So I'll finish now. You've heard enough about me, I guess an hour and a half to hear me is enough. And I'm going to check the second tape now to make sure it's okay. So keep writing. See you
Zvi received your letter, he just opened it. He was really excited and out of the letter fell a picture of mom, so he thinks this is the personal picture for him and he does not let go of it. And now he's holding your picture and now he's going to talk to you. Okay. He is asked if you want to see another grandmother and he shows your picture to the picture of the other grandmother.
Zvi: What, from whom and grandpa can hear us?
Mom: Mom, we talk on the tape, send the tape in the mail and they listen.
Zvi: When will I go to Joel:
Mom: After lunch
Zvi: I need the tab
Mom: Ah, do you want to take the bus? Count in English ....