Settling Update

I don't have much time to write, so I'll make it snappy today.

This morning I woke up early enough to make the non-Chabad Ashkenazi minyan. Met many interesting people, subjects for a future post. I made it back in time for a ride to Talpiot, where I checked out various stores in the mall. Talpiot is in southern Jerusalem, and it more of an industrial area. Even in the holy city of Jerusalem, the "eternal and undivided capital of the Jewish people," the average man on the street still needs to get his muffler changed and a new fridge, and Talpiot is the place to do it. I'm recording prices for appliances and furniture in my Pocket PC so I can do some comparison shopping. Meanwile, I'm mentally recording the locations of all the important stores and what is sold in each, trying to get a mental handle on what the prices should be, and what constitutes a good deal.

We eventually came home and I did something I'd been dreading for weeks now. I called Bezek (the Israeli phone monopoly) to discuss setting up a land line and an internet connection in my soon-to-be apartment. I'm not so much intimidated by the technical details as I am by the Hebrew. There is a tall mental barrier in the mind of any non-native speaker in making a cold call completely in a foreign language. Especially if money is leaving your pocket and you are signing up for a contract. Fortunately, I got a hold of a good operator, who walked me through the process of establishing an internet connection and even gave me his personal Cel Phone number in case I had trouble. Only in Israel.:)

A few hours later, cousin Uri arrived all the way from his farm on Moshav B'nei Darom (yes, it's where the famous Israeli pickles come from,) and he delivered three boxes I had left in their storage container four years ago when I left Israel. The thing is, I don't even remember what I put in there, so for me it's like receiving gifts!

Tonight we celebrated Amichai's birthday (one of cousin Rafi and Galila's sons), so we all went out to Burger King. I haven't been to Burger King in four years, since the only kosher Burger Kings can be found in Israel, and it was a relief to taste the bland, caloric food and know that I haven't been missing anything after all. If I need to eat out, it's back to shwarma for me.