We aren't in Kansas anymore...

Our first Shabbat in Israel, spent at the beach. Look at how the sun came through the clouds!

Its been 1 week, 2 days in Israel, almost 2 weeks since we left the US, but who is counting!  First of all- sorry for the radio silence over here.  As you can imagine, moving across the world is a bit hectic and I haven't had a spare second to sit down and write.  Things are settling down, at least a bit, so I am finally finding time to do a quick update.  I have a million things to write about already, but I have plenty of time for that.  For now, a quick hello and updates will suffice :)  We haven't done any exploring yet, but that will come soon.  First off, some photos from our stop in London on our way to Israel below.  We will definitely be making a trip back to there to stay longer- 2 days was not nearly enough!  We decided to make it low key- with a jet lagged baby doing organized tours with long days was going to be too much, so we bought a 48 hour bus pass for the double decker busses and headed out to the Tower of London (where she insisted in wearing a princess dress, of course!)  Our hotel was across from Big Ben and the London Eye, which was the perfect location for our first trip to the city.

We got into Israel early in the evening last Wednesday.  Since our house had nothing but furniture, we had to make a very quick trip (with a very tired baby) to get basics- like sheets, towels, cups, etc.  Since there is no Walmart or Target (insert sad face), our only option was to head to IKEA.  Turns out, everyone in Israel shops at Ikea, eats at Ikea, plays at Ikea, and wanders around aimlessly at Ikea. Its everything we know Ikea to be, but combined with the chaos of Walmart (screaming kids, people everywhere, parking lot chaos)...  It doesn't sound nearly as comforting as I write this, but I think Ikea  may end up being my new Target.  I gotta hold on to whatever familiarity I can find out here, and for now, Ikea is it.

The next day, we had our first Israeli grocery shopping experience.  It wasn't nearly as dramatic as I had made it out to be in my head for week's prior, but still a culture shock.  The market was very small, and we had to guess what a lot of things were (based on the pictures on the labels).  Even more interesting was getting home, realizing not only were we unsure of what the food was, but also unclear on how to cook it.  Instructions are in hebrew.  Then, when we decided to "ballpark" the cooking instructions, we realized we also had no clue how to use the oven/stove.  Sigh.  Since then, we have found some much larger "super markets" not far from the house that are a bit more familiar and have sort of learned how to work the appliances.

We also had our first experience at the Israeli pharmacy.  I started getting a nasty sore throat and migraines the middle of this week, coupled with stress and anxiety of adjusting to life over here, and I was sick sick sick.  Not sick enough to go to the doctor, but in need of some meds.  So off the the "super-pharm" we went. Not comforting not knowing what any of the medicines say, or that the pharmacist speaks very little english...but he gave us some meds, and we are back to feeling better.  On a side note, finding doctors for "private" healthcare isn't super easy either- as Israeli citizens have government healthcare (Maccabi or Clatit) and most doctors operate under one of those programs. Luckily, the US Embassy has a list I can use, as well as some referrals I have found on the Israel Expat forums.  I found Ledoux a doctor (he actually does house calls, how awesome is that?!) but am still working on one for Lee and I.

New friends from school

We also brought Ledoux to her new "other" school for a meet the teachers/students day. Suffice it to say she didn't take to the new environment quickly.  I didn't expect her to.  Ledoux is cautious at first... she takes her time, she analyzes the situation, and is sometimes slow to join in until she is comfortable in new environments (much like me).  It is going to take more time- but the next couple weeks are "transition" weeks in her school.  It will be half days, and the parents can stay as long as needed, in the classroom, until the children are comfortable.  That will (hopefully) be enough time for her to be good. The program itself is a Reggio program, which I really love, and I think once we get through the first couple weeks its going to be an amazing experience.  Once Ledoux is settled, we will all start to feel settled.   She misses her other school and her other friends, and I got tears in my eyes when her "other" teacher, Miss McKenzie, wrote us to say hello.  We did meet some of her new classmates, and have spent time with them outside of the classroom, so I am hopeful that will also help her ease into the new class.

I asked Ledoux about how it is going so far:

Favorite thing about Israel?  I like that my toys are here and the parks. I also like the grass that lives here.
Miss about Tucson? My BG and Opa
Look forward to doing in Israel?  Going to the swimming pool with my friends at the new school (her school has a swimming pool with open swim on the weekends)




From there, every day has been full of experiences.  This past week has been one of a lot of ups and downs, for all of us.  Ledoux is doing well, but you can tell at times she gets uneasy or anxious about the change.  We talk about it, reassure her that her feelings are normal, and focus on the good (which there is ALOT of!) We have some awesome parks (see above!), the beach, and a really awesome country to start learning about.  We miss waking up and going to starbucks, shopping at Target, and all of the other "american" things we loved, but cannot wait to start exploring the country soon.  Annnnd... we will be back in October- which makes us happy!  I will start blogging more consistently after today, I promise!  In the meantime, I post ALOT to Instagram and Facebook.

So.... we're moving!

Hi friends!  The cat is officially out of the bag, and as expected we are getting a million questions! 

a picture of Herzliya, our new 'hood

                                       


So wait, what? You are moving...where?

• Israel.  More specifically, Herzliya Pituah, located just north of Tel Aviv.  Its a gorgeous coastline city that is steps from the Mediterranean. More info on Herzliya here.  We have a house with PLENTY of room for visitors (hint hint) and a yard for Ledoux (when you live in AZ grass is something to be very excited about!)  Best of all, we are a 5 minute bike ride/walk to the beach.  We are 15-20 minute bike ride from Tel Aviv, and about a 45 minute drive from Jerusalem.

OMG, its like...the Middle East!  I have heard things about Israel, aren't you scared?

• Short answer: Naw bro.  We aren't scared.  And for the record, please stop believing everything you see on the news. Until you visit somewhere and see for yourself, don't believe things you "hear".  Terrible acts of terror happen everywhere- if I was moving to Brussels or Paris or Orlando, would you ask me that?  Google crime in Tucson.  The more appropriate question might be "aren't you scared to live in Tucson?!"  Short answer: South Tucson makes me more nervous than Israel. (Grant and Alvernon... anyone?) <-- Tucson people get it.  And a side note, unless you have actually visited and spent time in Israel, please don't feel like you should make comments about what you "hear" or believe to be true.  Experience stuff yourself, not through what the media wants to you to believe.  (Had to put that, we have gotten some interesting comments from people who can't even point out Israel on a map).

There is a lot of turmoil over there, does that freak you out?

• Sure, I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me nervous to leave my happy bubble and move to another country- especially one that is in between some countries that have some major security and defense issues.   The majority of conflicts in Israel stem from either land or religion.  First and foremost, there are multiple religions that believe certain areas in Israel belong to them and their religion. Second, Israel has struggles with the bordering Palestinian 'state' essentially over parts of land that both claim to belong to them.  This has caused heightened tensions and attacks happening along those borders.  Like anywhere, you avoid the areas that have the highest potential for issues- although tourists/non Israelis are not targets.  Also worth noting, like anywhere- Palestinian people don't want conflict anymore then Israel. There are a lot of layers to the conflict over there, but its the extremists that are what we hear about- and those people can strike anywhere, regardless of location. At a certain point, you have to either choose to live life or live in fear.  I am choosing to live life, experience life, and learn.  So yes, I get nervous- but I'm not nervous about living in Israel, I am nervous about raising my daughter in this world of ours where terror is becoming more prevalent everywhere, almost something that is normal these days.  That is scary.  But it won't keep me from taking advantage of this opportunity to show her the world outside of Arizona. 

Do you have to wear a head dress?  Do you have to convert to the Muslim religion?  Do you have to learn Arabic?

• Israel IS NOT an Arab-Muslim Country. I repeat: IS NOT.  Israel is over 75% Jewish, and Hebrew is the spoken language  Lee and I will both be given 100 hours of language classes, so we can get a basic understanding of the language, however most everything is in both English and Hebrew and almost everyone speaks both languages. Ledoux will no doubt pick up Hebrew faster than Lee and I combined.

So what are you doing there exactly?

• Lee got an amazing opportunity with GE/Dowty, and has travelled quite a bit since February.  He will be working with the Israeli Airforce, and will be helping to work/train on a specific area within Aviation.  I could go into more detail, but I will probably mess it up and confuse everyone, so that is the easiest way to explain it.  
• As for me (Becca), this is the first time in my life I will not work.  For anyone that knows me, you know I always have a million irons in the fire, and going from multiple jobs to no job will be... interesting.  I am devastated to leave my day job that I am obsessed with (in a good way!) and teaching at night that I love, but when I think about the opportunity I am being given, it makes my heart happy.  Being able to spend time with my baby while she is still little is a gift in itself- I just hope I can handle this stay at home mom thing.  Eek! Stay tuned, I am sure I will find a side hustle eventually.  Until then, I plan on being a part of Ledoux's school and enjoying my little family with no distractions.

What about Ledoux?

• Ledoux has been the first and only concern in making this decision.  Luckily, Ledoux will be attending the American International School- an incredible Reggio preschool program.  The school is preschool-12th grade, so there will be a seamless transition from prek to kindergarten (even though I have 2 years before I have to worry about that!)  I have no doubt it will be hard at first (for all of us), but what transition is easy? 

How long will we be there?

• 3 years.  Towards the end of that contract, we will be able to choose where our next destination will be (depending on business need, of course).  It could easily be another international destination (likely in Europe) or we could choose a stateside location.  There is no telling right now- but the idea of living Europe doesn't completely bum me out :)

What about your house/car/motorcycle/furniture/etc.?

• Our house in Tucson will be used as a vacation rental/short term rental (there is another page on the blog all about that!)- and will be leaving all of our furniture, etc. in the house.  (If you know anyone who wants to visit Tucson, holla at me!) The link to our rental is here.  The company pays to ship a crate out to Israel- so we will ship clothes and Ledoux's toys out there. The motorcycle is for sale, but we are keeping my car for when I come back to visit. Since we will come back for extended periods of time, I wanted to make sure we had our house, our furniture, and our car.

And of course, and most important, do they have a Target? A Starbucks? Amazon Prime 2 Day Shipping?

• This will be the hardest of the transition for me.  We will have none of the above.  OMG.  Where will I shop online after a bottle of wine? Where will I go when I am bored? #Americanproblems.  Luckily friends, there are lots of malls. And coffee shops. And 3 IKEAs (flashback to college days and cheap furniture!) But life in Israel (and probably lots of other countries) just doesn't focus as much on the materialistic things.  I am actually excited about this.  Buuutttt don't get it twisted... when I return, my shopping will be fast and furious from months of missed sales and deals.  Look out Black Friday. (And yes, I will be in America for that holiday).  And yes, to me, it is a holiday. 

Feel free to ask me anything!  This little blog will be our way of documenting and showing what life is really like over there, and also a way for us to share our stories and pictures with friends and family back home! We plan to do ALOT of travelling- both in this gorgeous country and also all over Europe whenever we can.  When else in life can you buy round trip tickets to Greece for $100? Or Spain for $250?  PS: Did I mention we have plenty of room for visitors?  If you have ever wanted to see this side of the world, now you can- without having to pay for a hotel! I will only charge you in wine.