I hope everyone had a fun Halloween! It is finally starting to feel like fall here, which means for the first time in months, I turned off the AC at night and turned on the heat instead. I do miss the turning of the leaves though, J has been watching football games on the weekends and it makes us homesick to see the colorful campuses. We are still hoping to leave around Dec. 2 but things are at a standstill now (funding issues) so it looks like this is going to be one last minute move. Inshallah as they say here! We can expect nothing less in this chosen career where “go with the flow” is the mantra- whether we like it or not!
In the meantime, we are enjoying life in Amman and feeling sad about leaving our new friends and laidback routine behind. After years of J’s long hours, it’s been great to have him home in the afternoons. I’m sure we’ll look back on this past year for the rest of our lives and think man, those were the days! We’ve had such an education this year, in so many ways; I just hope we don’t forget it all.
Last week I finally got to see my first members of the royal family! No, not the queen darn it, but the King’s mother and sister. We were shopping at a charity bazaar that they sponsored and literally got pushed out of the way by their security forces. It was kind of funny at the time. The Princesses looked pretty normal to us so without their security guards we would not have recognized them as VIPs. If it were me, I’d wear my crown everywhere!
Well, my month of domestic bliss has come to and end. Jane will go back to part-time now and I’ll have to start weaning myself off her. We found her a new family to sponsor her when we leave here so she’ll start working for them this month. We are very excited that she will get home for a month after we leave since it has been 2 years for her. One of the things that upsets me the most about Jordan (other than the huge problems with domestic violence, frequent honour killings and insane traffic) is the abuse of domestic workers. This is such a huge, out of control problem here. The Philippine embassy actually had to ban new workers from coming here for a few months because so many workers were hiding out in their embassy trying to escape abuse with nowhere else to go. I could write pages on this topic but I won’t, instead I’ll just tell you two quick stories that will certainly be etched in my mind the next time I read or hear something about human trafficking.
The first is about what I call the prisoner across the hall. There is a Filipino woman who works for a Jordanian family across the hall from us that we have known about for some time, but rarely see. She is not allowed to speak to Jane but sometimes when Jane is leaving our home, they are able to sneak in a few words. A few weeks ago, this woman was able to get Jane’s phone number and snuck a call to her at midnight. She said that the family she works for have not paid her in over four months (I’m sure she works 12 hour days/7 days a week) and they were kicking her out in a few days and she had no place to go and of course, no money. This is the same woman J saw slapped by one of the boys of the house in front of our home one day. To think this is happening to a woman that lives literally 6 feet away from us is just crazy!
Another story- Jane was at a grocery store when a Filipina woman tried to initiate a “secret” conversation with her. She said that her employer was beating her (Jane saw the cigarette burn marks on her arms and face) and that she needed to run away but didn’t have anywhere to go and no money. Then, about a minute later, her employer came up to them and slapped her in the middle of the store (in front of police even) for speaking to Jane. Jane told me she was just glad that she could give her a few bucks before they were caught talking.
The sad thing is, there is just no place for these women to go! Really! Their embassy has about 200 women (at last count) all living in cots in a warehouse but they are not real advocates for these women, in one word- corruption! J keeps telling me I need to find the Oprah of the Middle East and write her a letter. I wish there was something more that I could do… often they don’t even have their passports because their sponsors confiscate them, so if they do manage to run away, they can’t leave the country (not that they’d have the money to do so anyway). I wish there was some sort of a shelter here for these women, or legal advocate to at least help them get their due pay but I’m pretty sure the wasta (powerful class) wouldn’t allow it. The Jordanians get pretty pissed when their help runs off because it cost them a lot of money to bring them over here and sponsor them. You should see how skinny and malnourished some of these women look- it reminds me of when we were living in Korea and they had the “drinky” girls brought over for the clubs. I know this kind of stuff happens every day around the world and it is just one more thing that makes me thankful the U.S. has tough laws and shelters!
Okay, on a happier note, it’s Election Day! Regardless of who you’re voting for I hope that we can all agree that it is great news we are finally getting a new president! (That is unless you are in the 29% approval ratings crowd and if that’s the case, stay in your cave! Ha!) God Bless America that I can even write the above, I am well aware that I would not dare say such a thing about a Jordanian official. We are actually attending an election party with a bunch of Jordanians hosted by my half-American friend tonight. We are looking forward to hearing their comments! The world is fascinated by US politics and it’s easy to see why- we have the best dialogue don’t we? (Even if most of what they promise will never happen, LOL!)
We’ve got a busy week ahead. The Marine Ball is on Fri. night, I’ve never been to one before but I’m told it’s “the” social event of the year. Although, I am definitely not looking forward to dressing in a formal at 20 weeks pregnant. At this point, I don’t look preggo, I just look fat! And I have to quick figure out a way to get rid of my tan lines before Fri., it’s not easy to find that fake tan stuff here. Then on Sat., we are heading to the Sinai for a week. It’s going to be a nutty trip- driving to Sharm El Sheik with a stop at Mt. Sinai so J can climb it. We drive from Jordan to Israel to Egypt and back, which in itself will be a huge pain crossing all of the borders. Please pray for our safety on the roads : ) Driving in Egypt is about the craziest thing we’ll ever do… there is a reason we saved this trip until the end and we’re hoping our expertise pays off. Lots of photos and stories to come! I’d better sign off now, after K sat on her potty chair for 20 min. she decided the best place to go was on my lap, that little stinker! Cheers!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Halloween Pics!
Our little Minnie Mouse was so cute! She enjoyed wearing her costume and prancing around in her shiny new shoes. The last pic is from a Halloween party we attended. Trying to get kids to pose for a photo like that is next to impossible! The others are from trick-or-treating at the Embassy (since they don't do it at homes here). We had lots of fun walking thru the decorated offices and K enjoyed it until some jerk stuck out his hand and tried to grab her, which scared me too. That left her pretty traumatized for a while and I certainly couldn't blame her for that. Wish I would have broken his hand when I had the chance! All she talked about afterwards was it being "scary" despite my attempts to distract her with candy. Also a picture of my favorite costumes, the pink poodle and superman! Now isn't he handsome?
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Pony ride
Yesterday we took K on a pony ride at some stables outside of Amman. I was amazed that she stayed on the horse for the entire 30min. ride and held on perfectly. You can tell by the pics she was very serious about it! We all had so much fun and are already looking forward to our next trip to the stables.
Happy 2nd Birthday K!
One of the most fun things about being a mom is planning B-day parties, I'm already excited for next year! :) We celebrated K's B-day a few days early and hosted her party at our favorite bookstore here. We had a nice mix of American and Jordanian kids and our music teacher came and lead the kids in some fun songs. Then the kids dined on all 'mini' food- little pizzas, hot dogs, cheese sticks etc. I'm still not sure if K knew that it was actually "her" birthday and not Elmo's! The next day she woke us up at 6am to open her party presents. I have a picture of her with her favorite gift, baby dolls in their strollers. She gave them each a name and has played with nothing else since.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Toddler's unleashed!
The kids had so much fun- they jumped to "No more monkey's bouncing on the bed", marched to "The Ants go marching one by one" and basically kept the energy running high for 2 hours! We were pretty exhausted by the end but it was a blast!
J and Bro in Wadi Rum
J and his bro, Willi, spent a night camping under the stars with the Beduin in Wadi Rum. This is definitely the coolest place to visit in Jordan!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Uncle Willi and K at the Dead Sea
Like a typical toddler, all she really cared about were the rocks. She does adore her uncle though... especially when he gives her camel rides!
The King!
J snapped this photo from the crowd. Hopefully I can get the picture of them together posted soon.
Date Day
J and I spent the day touring an old castle and hiking around Ajloun nature preserve. It was so nice to spend some alone time with my hubby!
Debate parties
You can't talk politics without good food first! This night we all decided to make Mexican including the homemade tortillas, yum!
A surprise visitor!
We were estactic to see our old neighbor and friend from Monterey in Amman! We enjoyed our visit and miss his family a TON!
J in Istanbul
J spent four days in Turkey a few weeks ago and thrilled me by coming home a day earlier than expected. Only J could spend 2 days in Istanbul and decide he'd seen it all but, this gives you an idea of how worn out he felt from 4 mos. of non-stop travel.
We survived Ramadan (and other news!)
It’s been awhile since I’ve written an update and the clock on our remaining time in Jordan keeps ticking away quickly. I know it’s just a blink of an eye and we’ll be gone. We are still hoping to leave end of Nov/early Dec and (so far!) things seem to be on track for that, although we knock on wood every chance we get. In the meantime, let me catch you up on what we’ve been doing.
Ramadan ended Sept. 30 (like the start of it, no one actually knew the exact day it would end until the night before- just imagine if you didn’t know when Christmas would be). The wonderful thing about Ramadan is the Gov’t gave everyone a five-day holiday to celebrate the Eid. Thus, we had a great five days together as a family with really nothing planned ahead of time- now isn’t that the best way to truly relax? I don’t recall doing much… but I did finally get to read a couple of autobiographies that have been on my shelf since last Christmas, Tony Dungy and Sandra Lee. Two people I knew absolutely nothing about (admit I was bored) but I enjoyed their inspirational life stories very much (which also had the adverse effect of making my life feel even more boring!)
As much as I dreaded Ramadan (and was v. happy for it to end!) I have to admit it wasn’t nearly as bad as I feared. It was possible to find a few restaurants open during the day (if you knew where to look) and if I was discreet enough, I could get a coffee at Starbucks – given I drink it at home and not in my car. Thankfully, I didn’t experience more erratic than usual driving and never came across the short-tempers from fasting that I was warned about. The best way to explain the end of it is, “aaaah… relief”, life back to normal! J and I did manage to get away for an evening night out and attended an Iftar banquet to celebrate the breaking of the daily fast. There was TONS of food and it was funny to watch people fill up their plates 3 or 4 times, one buffet I didn’t have to worry about looking like a pig at, everyone else beat me to it!
As for each of us, let me recap:
J-
J has been busy doing a rotation with an elite military group here (imagine the group in the US that is not supposed to exist) He’s been having a good time and cracks me up with funny stories that I wish I could write but better not put online. However, when you see him next you can ask him about his cross-cultural exchange with the Jordanians. Mostly, he talks about how these guys are like “chicks” in the sense that they just like to “be” together and talk. Talk, talk, talk is what they do all day long- I guess instead of a gaggle of women here it’s a gaggle of guys drinking tea and talking. At least he’s getting some good language practice in!
The highlight was when he got to meet the King! Hopefully I can post a picture of that soon. He spent an afternoon following the King around the Unit while he observed them doing their demonstrations. Now if only I could meet the queen!! J’s brother just arrived for a weeklong visit so he is having a blast showing him the sights of Jordan and even watching the MN Gophers play live on TV since they are both big fans. It’s been wonderful having company visit.
K-
K will be two in a couple of weeks and we are excited about that. She talks non-stop about a few subjects being 1) No Boys! I really don’t know where she got this from but she does not like boys (even though she adores daddy and he is a boy). Anywhere I take her, she tells me beforehand that there should be "No Boys” there! I suppose this would be a good thing if she was 13 but at two, it’s a bit annoying. 2) The daily prayer calls- she likes to tell us “I don’t like the prayer call, loud noise, don’t like it…..” over and over (!!) again every day. Poor girl, nothing we can do about that sound as long as we live here. 3) The A-B-C’s (minus EFG) she’s obsessed and we have to listen to the song on repeat at least a dozen times a day. She even sings it to her dolls. 4) Must be a sign of the times but she has become quite adept at recognizing McCain and Obama on TV, she'll even tell you who she's going to vote for if you ask her. A child after my own heart for sure, every morning she says it's time for mom to watch "the news" (even if it means no Seseme, love her!) She has sure changed in our year here and I am most thankful that it’s been a good place for her to blossom. She has her little friends now that she asks about and I am starting to pray for good neighbors when we get to the DC area since I have a new appreciation for built-in playmates.
We’ve been attending a nursery school together here that’s been a lot of fun but I’m thinking they might be expecting a bit too much from these roughly two yr olds. Lately during circle time, each child has to go up in front of the class and select the correct shape and in the correct color (such as the yellow rectangle); there are a lot of shapes and colors to choose from too. K went from thinking everything was red to now thinking everything is green (could this be a sign of color blindness?) and she sure as heck doesn’t know her shapes yet! I had to laugh when a girlfriend decided in all seriousness that she was going to make her own shape/color cutouts at home to practice with and prep her daughter for “circle time”. I’m sorry but I refuse to join the rat race this early! If my kid doesn’t know her shapes and colors by two then I’ll just have to live with that. Besides, I give up, everything is green! :)
Me-
I wish I could say that I was better but I just recovered from a horrible stomach flu that knocked me out for the past several days. There is just nothing that can ruin a busy, fun weekend quite like the flu! I’m thankful J and his brother were able to take care of K for me so that I could lay in bed for an entire 24 hours (before I moved to the couch for the next 24). The scariest moment was when I woke up in the middle of the night a little delirious and tried to get some water from the kitchen. I started banging into things (ouch!) and thankfully J heard me in time to catch me before I passed out on our hard marble floors (big ouch!). The other day, J and his bro went along to Jerusalem without me. I sure hated to miss that trip since really, how many times do you get to drive to Jerusalem for the day?!
On a nicer note, Jane (our housekeeper) asked if she could get some extra hours until we leave so she is now working for us full time. What in the heck does she do all day in our small house with a stay-at-home mom? I really have no idea but it sure is wonderful to have her here more. Had I been wiser, we would have cut her hours to prepare me for life with two kids and no help. What a shock that is going to be (I’m sure you’ll read future postings about my nervous breakdown!) She’s the best thing about living over here (shh, don’t tell that to the Jordanians). I just cannot adequately describe the luxury of having someone around 8 hours a day to meet your every need! Yes, I’m ruined for life I know. (And you don’t want to hear another word about it either do you?)
The problem is I can’t stop this nagging feeling that I should be doing more with my free time. Where does it go? Despite all the help, I still don’t get my to-do list checked off (this could be the result of my recent Facebook addiction, darn it!) or maybe I’m just one of those people who works best under pressure? Yah, that’s it- the more I have to do the more I actually accomplish! When I hear about women like Gov. Palin going back to work after 3 days it makes me sick. Gee-whiz, after three months I was still in my PJ’s until noon (or longer for those of you who know me well!) Maybe, that’s the silver lining after all. If I just wait until next year, I’ll finally get something done!
Speaking of Palin, we’ve been having fun hosting weekly debate parties. They are of course, more fun with a little healthy disagreement so we try to liven up the conversation a bit. This was not easy with the Presidential ones because the second debate was mostly a repeat of the first (bore) and I’m expecting the same for tomorrows too. The VP debate on the other hand, was a lot more fun and you just can’t blame Tina Fey when the funny stuff falls right into her lap. Would someone please tell her to stop the winking! Okay, as passionate as I am about politics, I'll refrain from using this blog to say any more that may offend my mostly conservative "base", love you! ;)
Lastly, we just found out we’ll be having another GIRL! Since I’m just ga-ga for little girls I’m pretty thrilled about the news! Daddy, on the other hand will have to get used to the idea of being really outnumbered now- or as he put it, never on-time again for the rest of his life! Ha! At least life with me has prepared him for that one. K now likes to go around the house talking about her baby sister and “share toys” which I don’t think she comprehends but we are encouraged that she at least listens to us (for the time being anyway).
Okay, time to post a few recent pics…
Ramadan ended Sept. 30 (like the start of it, no one actually knew the exact day it would end until the night before- just imagine if you didn’t know when Christmas would be). The wonderful thing about Ramadan is the Gov’t gave everyone a five-day holiday to celebrate the Eid. Thus, we had a great five days together as a family with really nothing planned ahead of time- now isn’t that the best way to truly relax? I don’t recall doing much… but I did finally get to read a couple of autobiographies that have been on my shelf since last Christmas, Tony Dungy and Sandra Lee. Two people I knew absolutely nothing about (admit I was bored) but I enjoyed their inspirational life stories very much (which also had the adverse effect of making my life feel even more boring!)
As much as I dreaded Ramadan (and was v. happy for it to end!) I have to admit it wasn’t nearly as bad as I feared. It was possible to find a few restaurants open during the day (if you knew where to look) and if I was discreet enough, I could get a coffee at Starbucks – given I drink it at home and not in my car. Thankfully, I didn’t experience more erratic than usual driving and never came across the short-tempers from fasting that I was warned about. The best way to explain the end of it is, “aaaah… relief”, life back to normal! J and I did manage to get away for an evening night out and attended an Iftar banquet to celebrate the breaking of the daily fast. There was TONS of food and it was funny to watch people fill up their plates 3 or 4 times, one buffet I didn’t have to worry about looking like a pig at, everyone else beat me to it!
As for each of us, let me recap:
J-
J has been busy doing a rotation with an elite military group here (imagine the group in the US that is not supposed to exist) He’s been having a good time and cracks me up with funny stories that I wish I could write but better not put online. However, when you see him next you can ask him about his cross-cultural exchange with the Jordanians. Mostly, he talks about how these guys are like “chicks” in the sense that they just like to “be” together and talk. Talk, talk, talk is what they do all day long- I guess instead of a gaggle of women here it’s a gaggle of guys drinking tea and talking. At least he’s getting some good language practice in!
The highlight was when he got to meet the King! Hopefully I can post a picture of that soon. He spent an afternoon following the King around the Unit while he observed them doing their demonstrations. Now if only I could meet the queen!! J’s brother just arrived for a weeklong visit so he is having a blast showing him the sights of Jordan and even watching the MN Gophers play live on TV since they are both big fans. It’s been wonderful having company visit.
K-
K will be two in a couple of weeks and we are excited about that. She talks non-stop about a few subjects being 1) No Boys! I really don’t know where she got this from but she does not like boys (even though she adores daddy and he is a boy). Anywhere I take her, she tells me beforehand that there should be "No Boys” there! I suppose this would be a good thing if she was 13 but at two, it’s a bit annoying. 2) The daily prayer calls- she likes to tell us “I don’t like the prayer call, loud noise, don’t like it…..” over and over (!!) again every day. Poor girl, nothing we can do about that sound as long as we live here. 3) The A-B-C’s (minus EFG) she’s obsessed and we have to listen to the song on repeat at least a dozen times a day. She even sings it to her dolls. 4) Must be a sign of the times but she has become quite adept at recognizing McCain and Obama on TV, she'll even tell you who she's going to vote for if you ask her. A child after my own heart for sure, every morning she says it's time for mom to watch "the news" (even if it means no Seseme, love her!) She has sure changed in our year here and I am most thankful that it’s been a good place for her to blossom. She has her little friends now that she asks about and I am starting to pray for good neighbors when we get to the DC area since I have a new appreciation for built-in playmates.
We’ve been attending a nursery school together here that’s been a lot of fun but I’m thinking they might be expecting a bit too much from these roughly two yr olds. Lately during circle time, each child has to go up in front of the class and select the correct shape and in the correct color (such as the yellow rectangle); there are a lot of shapes and colors to choose from too. K went from thinking everything was red to now thinking everything is green (could this be a sign of color blindness?) and she sure as heck doesn’t know her shapes yet! I had to laugh when a girlfriend decided in all seriousness that she was going to make her own shape/color cutouts at home to practice with and prep her daughter for “circle time”. I’m sorry but I refuse to join the rat race this early! If my kid doesn’t know her shapes and colors by two then I’ll just have to live with that. Besides, I give up, everything is green! :)
Me-
I wish I could say that I was better but I just recovered from a horrible stomach flu that knocked me out for the past several days. There is just nothing that can ruin a busy, fun weekend quite like the flu! I’m thankful J and his brother were able to take care of K for me so that I could lay in bed for an entire 24 hours (before I moved to the couch for the next 24). The scariest moment was when I woke up in the middle of the night a little delirious and tried to get some water from the kitchen. I started banging into things (ouch!) and thankfully J heard me in time to catch me before I passed out on our hard marble floors (big ouch!). The other day, J and his bro went along to Jerusalem without me. I sure hated to miss that trip since really, how many times do you get to drive to Jerusalem for the day?!
On a nicer note, Jane (our housekeeper) asked if she could get some extra hours until we leave so she is now working for us full time. What in the heck does she do all day in our small house with a stay-at-home mom? I really have no idea but it sure is wonderful to have her here more. Had I been wiser, we would have cut her hours to prepare me for life with two kids and no help. What a shock that is going to be (I’m sure you’ll read future postings about my nervous breakdown!) She’s the best thing about living over here (shh, don’t tell that to the Jordanians). I just cannot adequately describe the luxury of having someone around 8 hours a day to meet your every need! Yes, I’m ruined for life I know. (And you don’t want to hear another word about it either do you?)
The problem is I can’t stop this nagging feeling that I should be doing more with my free time. Where does it go? Despite all the help, I still don’t get my to-do list checked off (this could be the result of my recent Facebook addiction, darn it!) or maybe I’m just one of those people who works best under pressure? Yah, that’s it- the more I have to do the more I actually accomplish! When I hear about women like Gov. Palin going back to work after 3 days it makes me sick. Gee-whiz, after three months I was still in my PJ’s until noon (or longer for those of you who know me well!) Maybe, that’s the silver lining after all. If I just wait until next year, I’ll finally get something done!
Speaking of Palin, we’ve been having fun hosting weekly debate parties. They are of course, more fun with a little healthy disagreement so we try to liven up the conversation a bit. This was not easy with the Presidential ones because the second debate was mostly a repeat of the first (bore) and I’m expecting the same for tomorrows too. The VP debate on the other hand, was a lot more fun and you just can’t blame Tina Fey when the funny stuff falls right into her lap. Would someone please tell her to stop the winking! Okay, as passionate as I am about politics, I'll refrain from using this blog to say any more that may offend my mostly conservative "base", love you! ;)
Lastly, we just found out we’ll be having another GIRL! Since I’m just ga-ga for little girls I’m pretty thrilled about the news! Daddy, on the other hand will have to get used to the idea of being really outnumbered now- or as he put it, never on-time again for the rest of his life! Ha! At least life with me has prepared him for that one. K now likes to go around the house talking about her baby sister and “share toys” which I don’t think she comprehends but we are encouraged that she at least listens to us (for the time being anyway).
Okay, time to post a few recent pics…
Friday, September 26, 2008
Finally- news on where we'll be moving to next!
Okay, I know most have you probably haven't given this much thought but we have been SO anxious here to find out where we'll be heading to in just TWO months from now and (drumroll) it looks like Washington D.C. (Georgetown U.) We are really excited about this news! It was J's top pick and I'm just happy to [finally] be moving some place where I already have friends and family :)) Yay, I don't have to start from square one again,ha!
So, would those of you who have lived there (or are living there now!) mind shooting us your advice on where we should begin our house search? The plan is to get there mid Dec. to find a place since J starts school right away in Jan. Guess we'll get to move there with the new president, lucky us...
So, would those of you who have lived there (or are living there now!) mind shooting us your advice on where we should begin our house search? The plan is to get there mid Dec. to find a place since J starts school right away in Jan. Guess we'll get to move there with the new president, lucky us...
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
K has an announcement to make!
Yep, that’s right. I’m preggers! The baby is due March 29 so I’m hoping that gives us enough time to settle into the new place before life gets crazy again. It’s been an interesting first tri- and I am very thankful to be nearing the end of it. Although I wasn’t nearly as sick as I was with K (practically bed-ridden for 6 weeks) I haven’t felt good in quite awhile and the smell or thought of Arab food just sends my stomach reeling. Imagine trying to avoid that one here!
Everyone asks about the medical care in Jordan and it is actually quite good. Yesterday I went in for my second ultrasound (my appt. was at 9:30pm thanks to Ramadan!) and it was neat, I’ve never had a 4D scan done before which allows you to see the baby in color. They do three of these throughout the pregnancy and a regular ultrasound at every visit. I am not really a fan of overdoing the ultrasounds but the Dr. is rather insistent so I’m not sure what to do about that.
So far, everything looks fine and I am hoping that I won’t have to worry about this pregnancy as much as I did the last one. The hospital is a state of the art facility that people from around the mid-east come to for delivery. When I visited a friend who delivered there last month, I was shocked to see her delivery “suite” consisted of four rooms! More like a hotel suite than hospital room. I’m sure I will wish I had delivered there when I’m crammed into a room in the States with J sleeping on a rocking chair! It was so funny on my first visit; the Dr. actually ended our meeting quickly because “Her Majesty” was on her way over for a visit! That’s the first time I’ve heard that excuse from a Dr. so I could only feign my offense : ) Hopefully I’ll be able to report the sex next month, we’re all anxious in this house to find out! K is precious though. When we talk about the baby, she just looks at my tummy and says “Out”! She is ready to be a big sister now!
Tel Aviv
The first photo is of us in Jaffa overlooking Tel Aviv. The next is of K at her first Irish pub, I love that you can find a good Irish pub anywhere in the world! It was great to eat fish and chips again. The last is of the pizza party K and I had while J was out sightseeing. Yes, we ate right there on the bed and it was fun :)
On top of the Mount of Beatitudes
A really nice place overlooking the Sea of Galilee. K also wanted to point out something strange on the sign here :)
Overlooking Haifa
This is a shot from the top of the Baha'i Gardens, the holy place for the strange Baha'i religion.
You just can't beat fresh squeezed pomegranate juice!
One of the best things about the mid east is the plethora of fresh squeezed juices everywhere. This drink was in honor of my pom. martini girls!
Herzliya
We really enjoyed our time there, many moments spent swinging in the hammock and watching the sunset everynight. Also a pic of J relaxing in the hot tub, not sure about the apple though...
Walking thru the Mea She'arim neighborhood
I had to sneak this photo because it really wasn't appropriate to take pics but you can get a sense of how everyone looked. The street is supposed to look like an Eastern European Jewish ghetto back in the 1880's... or at least that's what Lonely Planet says! Fascinating!
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