Woke up to sirens again. As I scrambled down to the shelter I remembered my fear from last time I was done there...Boom boom... The streets are just that little bit emptier... I'm hearing sirens again... Yes, the fear, it has returned again, I feel it now.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Monday, July 7, 2014
Sunscreen
The heat is firing us up in Israel. Summer means more than sweat, it also comes with protests and wars so we have to be sure to be protected. My sage advice is don't forget your sunscreen.
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Common Sense
It may have been a while...someone recently reminded me of this blog and I think it's a good writing exercise to return to.
The other week I left behind my common sense.... I went in the morning to fill up my car with petrol. I put the pump into the car and then put the tab down that continues to pump it while I went to clean the windshield. I finished cleaning, heard a click and then took the handle of the pump out of the car and then liquid petrol started gushing everywhere, all over my clothes, all over the side of the car and the ground, for a split second I couldn't figure out what was going on until I realised and shoved the pump back into the car...At which point I looked around at the mess that I had created in disbelief and didn't quite know what to do with myself.
The woman behind me decided to step in and give her opinion for free...I think you should go and tell them inside, I looked down at the puddle of petrol and I knew she was right. So I went inside, and told the man, his comment was איזה ריח which translates as..what a smell...it then slowly dawned on me that I would have to go home and change, so whatever chance I had of making it to work before 9am was slowly slipping away... I threw water on the car, on the puddle and then hurriedly slipped away in my car back to my house.
I had to soak my clothes for 5 days until the smell went away.
I couldn't drive my car because I was convinced that it was highly flammable.
I got to work at 10:18am.
Today I did it again, I left my common sense at home, but I only realised it much later in the day.
I saw him on the corner with a girl. Another girl. A different girl, yet they were all the same.
I was walking home clutching groceries.
I couldn't help it, I went up to them and I said my name.
I told her who I was.
In a thick American accent, the words, didn't I meet you last week? Ventured out from her mouth.
They sounded like such silly words. She sounded silly.
I could do was stare at her and shake my head.
All I could do was walk myself home, come inside and find my common sense sitting there on the table just where I had thought I had left it, next to some pieces of broken glass.
The other week I left behind my common sense.... I went in the morning to fill up my car with petrol. I put the pump into the car and then put the tab down that continues to pump it while I went to clean the windshield. I finished cleaning, heard a click and then took the handle of the pump out of the car and then liquid petrol started gushing everywhere, all over my clothes, all over the side of the car and the ground, for a split second I couldn't figure out what was going on until I realised and shoved the pump back into the car...At which point I looked around at the mess that I had created in disbelief and didn't quite know what to do with myself.
The woman behind me decided to step in and give her opinion for free...I think you should go and tell them inside, I looked down at the puddle of petrol and I knew she was right. So I went inside, and told the man, his comment was איזה ריח which translates as..what a smell...it then slowly dawned on me that I would have to go home and change, so whatever chance I had of making it to work before 9am was slowly slipping away... I threw water on the car, on the puddle and then hurriedly slipped away in my car back to my house.
I had to soak my clothes for 5 days until the smell went away.
I couldn't drive my car because I was convinced that it was highly flammable.
I got to work at 10:18am.
Today I did it again, I left my common sense at home, but I only realised it much later in the day.
I saw him on the corner with a girl. Another girl. A different girl, yet they were all the same.
I was walking home clutching groceries.
I couldn't help it, I went up to them and I said my name.
I told her who I was.
In a thick American accent, the words, didn't I meet you last week? Ventured out from her mouth.
They sounded like such silly words. She sounded silly.
I could do was stare at her and shake my head.
All I could do was walk myself home, come inside and find my common sense sitting there on the table just where I had thought I had left it, next to some pieces of broken glass.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Patience
Back by popular demand!
This actually happened last week, but since I have been a bit sick and generally stressed out tying up a lot of loose ends...I am only writing it now, but I feel it is story worthy enough to get its 15 mins.
I drove into the hospital that I work at in Jerusalem. My last day. As you enter there is a boom gate - one leading to the lower car park that is straight ahead, another to the left that passes by the front of the hospital. A car drove in before me, and just stopped, halfway inbetween the two of them so I could not get passed. The Israeli in me - tooted my horn - the car inched a little forward but not enough for me to pass. I looked at the security guard with a "what does this guy think he is doing?" face, and believe me, you can read exactly what I am thinking from my face. He just shrugged.
Next thing you know, the driver is out of his car, walking around to mine, tapping on the window and the following conversation ensued...in Hebrew...
Random guy who won't move his car: Why are you honking?
Me: Because you are just standing there and not moving
Random guy: Do you know that you are on Hospital property?
Me: Yes
Random guy: Do you know that I am the head of the hospital? Who are you?
Me: I work here
Head of the Hospital: What is your name?
Me: Gila, but I am leaving tomorrow...
Head of the Hospital: I am glad.
That my friends is how you leave a job that you have worked in for 5 years!
This actually happened last week, but since I have been a bit sick and generally stressed out tying up a lot of loose ends...I am only writing it now, but I feel it is story worthy enough to get its 15 mins.
I drove into the hospital that I work at in Jerusalem. My last day. As you enter there is a boom gate - one leading to the lower car park that is straight ahead, another to the left that passes by the front of the hospital. A car drove in before me, and just stopped, halfway inbetween the two of them so I could not get passed. The Israeli in me - tooted my horn - the car inched a little forward but not enough for me to pass. I looked at the security guard with a "what does this guy think he is doing?" face, and believe me, you can read exactly what I am thinking from my face. He just shrugged.
Next thing you know, the driver is out of his car, walking around to mine, tapping on the window and the following conversation ensued...in Hebrew...
Random guy who won't move his car: Why are you honking?
Me: Because you are just standing there and not moving
Random guy: Do you know that you are on Hospital property?
Me: Yes
Random guy: Do you know that I am the head of the hospital? Who are you?
Me: I work here
Head of the Hospital: What is your name?
Me: Gila, but I am leaving tomorrow...
Head of the Hospital: I am glad.
That my friends is how you leave a job that you have worked in for 5 years!
Monday, September 3, 2012
Modem Again
This post was meant for yesterday...
So I was on my way to work and then I got a reminder text message that the Bezeq people were coming to deliver my new modem at work, 2nd time lucky.
However, just like last Sunday I had forgotten the old modem at home. So a mere 5 minutes away from work, I turned around my car, drove for 20 mins home, picked up the old modem, drove a half an hour back in traffic and there you go, I was all ready for the delivery guy.
The delivery guy calls me and he is outside my office waiting for me. I go to meet him and he is on the phone. He completely ignores me, and continues his conversation as if I don't exist.
Hello?!!?! I am at work!!! So I move around his motorcycle to the other side, and I am like..."HEllo!!!!"
So he motions that he is on the phone...Yeah I get that...but I just left my office where I was in the middle of sorting out through a whole lotta statistics, so gimme my new modem which I didn't ask for!!
Apparently he is talented enough to give me the piece of paper to sign and hand over the darn thing whilst involved in a conversation. Great.
I get home, and of course I have to configure the whole thing. Which of course is annoying, and I didn't ask for the trouble of dealing with configuring a modem. An hour later on the phone to Bezeq, I had to ask to speak to the "service" woman's advisor before getting anywhere...but here you go, I am on the internet and all connected up again...
What is the lesson in all of this?
A week has gone by and my memory hasn't improved...neither has my patience.
So I was on my way to work and then I got a reminder text message that the Bezeq people were coming to deliver my new modem at work, 2nd time lucky.
However, just like last Sunday I had forgotten the old modem at home. So a mere 5 minutes away from work, I turned around my car, drove for 20 mins home, picked up the old modem, drove a half an hour back in traffic and there you go, I was all ready for the delivery guy.
The delivery guy calls me and he is outside my office waiting for me. I go to meet him and he is on the phone. He completely ignores me, and continues his conversation as if I don't exist.
Hello?!!?! I am at work!!! So I move around his motorcycle to the other side, and I am like..."HEllo!!!!"
So he motions that he is on the phone...Yeah I get that...but I just left my office where I was in the middle of sorting out through a whole lotta statistics, so gimme my new modem which I didn't ask for!!
Apparently he is talented enough to give me the piece of paper to sign and hand over the darn thing whilst involved in a conversation. Great.
I get home, and of course I have to configure the whole thing. Which of course is annoying, and I didn't ask for the trouble of dealing with configuring a modem. An hour later on the phone to Bezeq, I had to ask to speak to the "service" woman's advisor before getting anywhere...but here you go, I am on the internet and all connected up again...
What is the lesson in all of this?
A week has gone by and my memory hasn't improved...neither has my patience.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Piece of Paper
I don't know where that piece of paper is...the one with all the important information that you need for today...phone numbers and address....ugh!
Jewellery and Make-up
This morning I forgot my Jewellery at Susie's house...I was all a fluster post car issues, and stressed that 1) I would not have a car to drive up North with tomorrow for my good-bye trip with Yona...so sad that she is leaving, one of those things you have to deal with having Anglo friends in Israel...and 2) that it was going to cost me an arm and a leg to fix...after watching it being towed away into the sunset yesterday...
The benefit of having a car in Israel is that I can go on mini-breaks, stay tuned. The negative is that it costs a lot, from insurance to petrol to fixing it up. So I get this call from the car dude. that there is all this damage and I need to call the insurance ppl...and I am like no way, not from such a little bump, there was damage already to the front, I just wanna know why it doesn't start...an hour and a half later of stressing...it was just some electric thing that came undone in the bump..that will be...all in all...because I recently had the car checked and I got a voucher for the next visit...50 shekels...man oh man...best possible outcome, but why did I need to go through all of that?
No wonder, I left behind my moisturiser and foundation make-up at work, as I got ready to go to my new job's 'fun day' at the blind/deaf centre in tel aviv where we made clay food in the dark as team building...as I was on my way to pick up the jewellery I left behind I of course had to forget something in it's place just so I could be complete with this affliction...
The benefit of having a car in Israel is that I can go on mini-breaks, stay tuned. The negative is that it costs a lot, from insurance to petrol to fixing it up. So I get this call from the car dude. that there is all this damage and I need to call the insurance ppl...and I am like no way, not from such a little bump, there was damage already to the front, I just wanna know why it doesn't start...an hour and a half later of stressing...it was just some electric thing that came undone in the bump..that will be...all in all...because I recently had the car checked and I got a voucher for the next visit...50 shekels...man oh man...best possible outcome, but why did I need to go through all of that?
No wonder, I left behind my moisturiser and foundation make-up at work, as I got ready to go to my new job's 'fun day' at the blind/deaf centre in tel aviv where we made clay food in the dark as team building...as I was on my way to pick up the jewellery I left behind I of course had to forget something in it's place just so I could be complete with this affliction...
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