A Curious Collection

Last summer I watched the preview for the movie and declared that I had no wish to see the film. The two minute clip featured Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio alternately locked in passion or shrieking like lunatics and throwing furniture. It was like a flash forward for the doomed Titanic couple-- if they had actually made it to marriage and stability. This, then, might have been a snapshot of their lives together: broken whiskey glasses, bewildered children, red, sweating faces and thudding, discordant background music-- their fairy-tale ending---if young Leo hadn't drowned in the Atlantic.
Thanks, but no thanks.
So when I saw the novel at a used book sale a few days ago (it was buy five, get the sixth free) I thought, oh, what the heck. Why not?

I read it yesterday in one sitting. There was no putting this one down. It literally had everything that I look for in a novel: Brilliant prose, vivid characters, and a plot line that flowed effortlessly and smoothly towards the climax. One of the reviewers on the intro page had written "a perfect novel" and the description made me cringe a little. It just begs to be contradicted; how can anyone describe a work of art as "perfect?" But really, I must admit that after reading Revolutionary Road, I have to humbly agree with his ambitious praise. It really was a perfect novel.

I suppose now I have to watch the movie.

The TV show, not the clothing- although I may write a separate blog post about how much I love that too.
That show was supposed to have ended last year with their seventh season. Actually they've been threatening finales for a while now. But I just discovered that there is an eighth season and that there will eventually be a ninth and then a spin-off. So I down-loaded Season 8 and watched about ten episodes-- in a row, yesterday. And they still make me laugh. What I really appreaciate is that Scrubs is a very realistic portrayal of hospital life and the interactions between doctors and patients. (Aside from the random interludes where the entire cast breaks into song---) It's much more realistic than any of the medical drama shows like E.R., Grey's Anatomy, or *shudder* House.
House makes me want to break my TV, actually. Is there a single patient that leaves that horror hospital without getting a brain biopsy? Or about half-a-dozen other reasons to sue the ass off Dr. House (and revoke his license?)
I get artistic license and all that but really it's like watching medicine being practiced on some other planet-- on a weird sadistic planet where a drug-addict is God.
If it wasn't for the great writing and (I admit) great central character (House rocks, even while pissing everyone off) I would never have stuck with that series as long as I did. Also House's character was based on Sherlock Holmes... so, you know... couldn't help myself.
But I'll take Scrubs any day.
Looking forward to their next season.

On my reading list: Just finished Nick Hornby's Juliet, Naked. Which, despite the interesting title, is about an album and a washed-up musician, not a nude woman. (Both my daughters have been trying to figure out if Mommy's reading a smutty novel--- and more importantly, what's exactly in such a novel) So---nope, sorry to disappoint.
It's also about musical obsession-- and the shallow people who put artists on a pedestal. I really like Nick Hornby's writing. He has this dark, introspective comic style which I absolutely love. His characters are always vivid, the dialogue natural and easy. I don't think Juliet is his best work-- he'll have to work very hard to top A Long Way Down but I still highly recommend it.

I'm in a dry writing spell currently so I am filling my empty time at work by reading.  Yesterday I finished Zusak's I am the Messenger.  I liked it well enough but I cannot rave about it like I did about The Book Thief.  The writing was not as polished in this early work; the characters did not have as much depth.  Two of the secondary characters (Marv and Ritchie) were not particularly compelling, so when the story finally brought them to the center I was not much affected or interested.  In The Book Thief , the poignancy of the tale was natural, in Messenger it felt a little forced, as if I could feel the author's fingers pulling at his reader.   But, in my opinion, Zusak still stands heads above most other authors;  I am looking forward to reading Finding Ruben Wolfe, his early YA novel.

I am also reading Les Liasons Dangereuses by Laclos.  Some years back I watched the movie by the same name starring John Malkovich and later discovered "Valmont," starring Colin Firth, which I liked better than its more popular twin.  The book was written in 1782 and has even more depth and imagination than the screen adaptation, in spite of its rather cumbersome format.  In those days authors tried to disguise fiction as pseudo-memoirs to give their novels credibility. This story is told through a collection of letters between the characters with fake footnotes by the author.   Despite the heavy style of writing and the rather awkward letters describing things which no one would ever write about, I am enjoying this piece about delicious evil.

My last recommendation is  "North and South" (2004), the BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel.  I had watched "Wives and Daughters" a long time ago and despite my weakness for period films (especially Victorian pieces), I found it to be so dull that I never bothered finishing it. The entire thing seemed to be one long stretch of what my husband calls "inane Victorian chatter."  But North and South was really the opposite. It opens with the token ballroom scene; I remember thinking "Ah, well, here they go---round and round again," but the rest of the film is intense and passionate; nothing like the polite romances of my Austen favorites.  For those women who swooned over Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy-- Richard Armitage as Mr. Thornton will pretty much kill you. 

In a good way.

I'm not working.
I haven't actually worked since we got back.  I sit in my very clean, very sterile office and surf the web. Watch youtube clips.  Giggle over past blog posts. 
I've seen exactly one patient today.  I know I'm not supposed to love this schedule but I really really do. Heck, I'm still being paid-- so, why not get paid for googling "Hugh Dancy"?
Oh, and that's really not that bad.  I checked the URL history on my computer and --- my coworkers have some very interesting web-site favorites. I clicked on one of them and Ackkkkk!
I shut down the computer just to cleanse it.  Now I can't get that page off my history, dammit. 

So.
Back to Hugh Dancy. I can't wait to see his new movie "Adam" in which he plays a young man with Aspergers.  The trailer is awesome.  I haven't yet recovered from watching him in George Eliot's "Daniel Deronda."  I re-watched it recently with my girls.  There was a good deal of collective sighing and during the "Am I a Jew?" scene one of my daughters declared, "How is it possible that someone could have been made so perfectly?" 

I am currently reading Markus Zusak's I am the Messenger.  It's a fun read, not as good as The Book Thief  but I don't think it's humanly possible to achieve that level of brilliance twice.

I'll finish up this post with my latest installment of "Look what my kids are doing now."
Yesterday afternoon I came up to my six-year old's room to find her lying quietly on the rug.  Her eyes were closed but I did not believe that she had fallen asleep- it was still daylight.  I called her name and she opened her eyes and gave me a serious look.
"I am talking to the fairies," she told me calmly. "When I shut my eyes they can see me, but when I open them I disappear."
I digested this for a while and then inquired," What are you talking to the fairies about?"
"Flopsy [the stuffed rabbit] has been sick for five days. I am asking them to make her better."
And she promptly closed her eyes again.







 

I have finally finished the first revision. Anyone who has been following this rather lengthy process already knows that this is actually something like the fourth revision, but it is the first version without Sherlock Holmes.  Hyperion wanted S.H. taken out of the novel, partly for copyright reasons (long, long story- and not particularly interesting) and also for creative reasons. My main character was being stifled by the Great Detective etc. etc...
As anyone who has read my 1st, 2nd or 3rd revision knows, S.H. was rather a key character. So my initial reaction was something along the lines of "WTF!!!???!!!"
Followed shortly afterward by hysterical sobbing and a 3- hour late night call to my sister. (sorry, Dinah)
Then came a flurry of emails between myself and my agent, and finally an agreement to try to make this work. All of this happened in January. In the intervening months I have signed the contract, received my advance and most importantly, rewritten the entire novel.  There is only about 5% of the original material in this version.
And what do you know?
THEY WERE RIGHT.
I had started the process grumbling phrases like "Selling out" and  "legal nonsense."   And now--- now I can't believe that I didn't see this from the beginning. 
I was able to create a new character to take the place of Sherlock and he is mine... all mine. I have the freedom to explore Dora's personality in a way that I never could before. Dora and Peter actually complement each other instead drowning each other out.  And I feel like I've left the realm of fan-fiction and finally entered my own world, my own creation. 
All of this is a rather melodramatic summary of where I've been for the last few months and why I've been pretty quiet about the novel. (Well, as quiet as I can be.) But I keep reminding myself that I am still waiting for the final word from Emily, my editor.  Because she hasn't met Peter, my new character yet.  So we'll just have to see.
But now I actually have some free time again. Hence the return blogging.
Last night my husband took me out to Luciana's in Jerusalem to celebrate. I highly recommend the salmon fettucine.  It rivals the dish I had at Novellino's in London.  
Reading recommendations for the last couple of months: Saturday, by Ian Mcewan.   The pace is very slow but it is so well written and researched that I found it difficult to put down.
Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler.  This one rather surprised me. I had had it on my reading list for years but somehow never got around to it.  Now I plan to read some more Anne Tyler. Recs anyone?
I am currently reading A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon.  I picked this one up because I loved The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (his first novel).
If you can guess how Haddon's first novel caught my notice (hint- you don't need to read the book to guess this one) I'll treat you to dinner. Dinah, you do not qualify for this offer. Cuz you know me too well. But I'll treat you to dinner anyway. 
 
Winners must come to Israel to collect prize.

Apparently she is a bit verbose.

Dear Talia,

 

I am so happy you live in Modiin now! My husband and I just came on fairy Aliyah on the Fairy B’ Faya flight last week. We came on the wings of an eagle. You humans have to use large metal machines, you poor things, but I suppose you can’t fit all your bags onto a bird. Why do people have so many things, anyway? I just brought my tooth collection. 

I received your letter and passed it on to the main Tooth Fairy branch in Jerusalem.  Such an important request takes all of our best minds and wings. Normally we send Frank, my husband, to collect the tooth and leave the present. You may remember he is the one who took care of your sisters’ teeth in Atlanta. Don’t remember? He has tummy problems and occasionally leaves a funny smell.  Yeah, the baked broccoli aroma was not from your father. At least, not that time. Frank is also not beautiful like you’d expect a fairy to be. He has hairy shoulders, actually. And hairy ears. And his left wing has a hole in it because he chews on it when he sleeps. But I love him because he makes me laugh. He can burp the entire alphabet. And the fairy alphabet has 300 letters in it! Can you do that? No? I didn’t think so.  

He is also the strongest fairy in our group so he takes care of all the children who want presents instead of money.  I like to watch him when he lifts things.

But here’s the problem. He has gotten a bit fat over the last week. It’s just that the food in Israel is so good and he can’t stop himself. Yesterday he ate an entire schwarma. A human size schwarma. It was a little disgusting.

So he couldn’t fit down the drain to get the tooth. He got stuck. Then he made a noise like this: “Mooooahhhhh. Mooooahhhhh.”   The funny thing was that in the end, his tummy troubles saved him. The bubbles inside of him got bigger and bigger until Poooooooooshhhhhh! He shot himself right out of there. Please don’t tell him I told you this. I made him go on a diet and so he is very cranky now.  But his belly was getting so heavy that he was flying horizontally. It was weird.

Anyway  then I had to go down the drain to get the tooth. And I finally found it. It was a little slimy but when we got it cleaned off, it was our most precious tooth! It is worth more than all the other teeth that we have collected! We’re rich now! Rich!

I am going to buy a trampoline. It feels like you’re flying when you are on one of those things!

So, my wonderful Talia, have a Shana Tova, and thank you again for making me rich.

Love,

Devorah, the Modiin Tooth Fairy

(Licensed tooth specialist. Part-time beautician, specializing in wing-tips and highlights)

P.S. I hear you plan to decorate your room with pictures of fairies. Let me present you with your first gift, direct from Fairies Tchachkes, Inc.   

Perhaps, if you are very good, there will be even more shiny, fairy things in your future. Don’t worry. They won’t be pictures of Frank. He is not photogenic.     

To Devorah (I told her that was the name of the tooth fairy servicing the Modiin area. We looked it up on Google.)
From Talia

"My tooth fel dawn the drain so can you go dawn ther and get it. i was woshing the tooth and dropd the tooth and it went dawn the drain. i really really need that tooth. because it was my first tooth. first i had tears in my eyes and then i stortid crying."

I will post the tooth fairy's response tomorrow. Stay tuned.

We've just returned from two months in the US. I worked in Atlanta for 6 weeks which I quite enjoyed. Then I worked in the Catskills for two weeks- a period about which I prefer to remain silent.  It's over, (thank God) and I am now a far worse person for it. At least my bank account is a little happier.
I have nearly finished revisons of the novel which I am now calling Dark Letters. (thanks to my sisters Anna and Dinah for helping me think of a title which I actually like). I have fifteen pages left to write, the same fifteen pages which I had not finished before my Catskills job.  Now that my brain is finally recovering from the second move and previously mentioned job I hope to tackle the ending with renewed energy. I expect the signed contract and check this week and then--- then I have a talk with my editor! Finally!  Those who have been following my blog know that it took a year from offer to contract signature--but I have finally arrived.

We have moved into a new place in Modiin. It's a 5 bedroom/ 3 bathroom apartment (with plenty of room for guests!) with a lovely view. The only hitch is that we have no furniture except for some air-mattresses, a card table and some folding chairs.  Our crown jewel is an ancient battered arm-chair which the previous tenant left behind. We have heated arguments over the use of this recliner.  "I call the chair!" is now a battle cry. That sorry piece of junk has never been so desired in all of its existence. 
We are praying that our lift arrives soon.

I have forgotten all of my Hebrew in two months. I didn't know that that was possible.  Today my patient's chief complaint was a word I didn't understand.  On the upside, now I know how to say "worms" in Hebrew. How much confidence must I inspire when my first response is "I'm sorry but I don't know that word"?
   

I believe The Book Thief deserves its own post. Actually, if I was to post about nothing else for the next year, it would still not be enough.  Every so often I stumble upon an author whose writing so astonishes me that I do not know how to express my admiration. 

Markus Zusak obviously loves words and he uses each one as if it was a little rare jewel. In many of his descriptions he picks adjectives for their "color" rather than their meaning.  Or because they sound right in that particular phrase, or because the music of the word evokes a certain feeling. The effect is breath-taking.   Oh, and the novel is narrated by Death.  As in-- the angel of Death.  And he actually makes that work.

In summary: The Book Thief is a novel which glorifies the written word.  That is the highest praise which I can give. 
(I admit that I hate it when I read commentary like that on book covers or in reviews. In Foer's novel one of the quotes was "This book is life-changing..." or something equally irritating. I have never read a life changing book. Ever. If a book changes your life, you probably weren't so interesting to begin with.)  

Answer:  Sitting in my office with no patients on my schedule (Ok- 3 patients in 8 hours) and being paid to write. I am loving this.  Now to stop procrastinating and get back to my revisions. My goal is to have this version finished by the time the contract is signed. Can't wait to surprise my editor. 
Ok. Enough writing about writing. Must be off.

My daughters and I spent the weekend wrestling over a copy of  rj_anderson 's  Knife (or Faery Rebels in the US). The experience caused us to enact certain Holy Rules of Book-Stealing which included 1) Breaks from reading that are greater than 10 minutes constitute a surrendering of book to the next taker. 2) Bathroom breaks are allowed as long as reader shouts out the following words "I am going to the bathroom; no one better take my book."  No variations of the announcement are allowed. If the bathroom break is longer than fifteen minutes it must be explained by some form of indigestion; however, no proof is required.  3) Mom bought the book. She may change the rules at any moment.

When we were all finished we had our first- ever family book club discussion. We all agreed that 1) We loved it. 2) Knife was a better title than Faery Rebels 3) The character of Knife was the best portrayal of a faery anywhere that we've ever seen. 4) We couldn't wait to read the sequel.  
I loved the faery expressions; one in particular stuck out as very clever: "That's a very heavy acorn for such a little twig."  It must have been very challenging to write conversations for an imaginary people and tidbits like that really made them real to me.  
Warning: Spoilers ahead:
( Read more... )On the whole- best children's novel which I have read in years.

Because I have no patients today. And so I am staring at the computer and thinking--- why not post something?
So, in Leah news:
1) My contract is finally moving forward! Huzzah! There was a legal/artistic difference that needed to be got through but I have seen some really interesting possiblities in the proposed revisions to my novel (the whole "God -closing- a -door- and- opening-a -window" bit) and am quite excited. I expect that because of the delay the pub date will be pushed off a bit. It was originally supposed to be fall 2010 but I can't imagine that is still feasible. Or maybe it is... we shall see.
2) I am working in Mevasseret and in Nes Zionna and am actually not hating it. Which is quite different than my feelings about the three months of hospital work. But then, I just got my independence and authority back and it feels good. 
3) Yesterday I read Andrew Clement's middle grade novel "The Report Card" and I really enjoyed it. The narrator was interesting (if a little over-confident) and the writing was good. My children have brought so many bad middle grade novels home it was refreshing to actually see a well-written one.
4) I am desperately in need of book suggestions.  I have plumbed our little library here and am tired of leaving empty handed.  I have RJ Anderson's "Knife" and Laurie King's "The Language of Bees" waiting for me next week when my husband brings them from the states but until then I am yearning. Won't someone lend me something fabulous? PLeeeeease?
5) PRISON BREAK FINALE TONIGHT!!! No further commentary necessary...
6)  My oldest daughter has suddenly turned into a book-worm.  She devoured Gone With the Wind in a week, fell in love with Rhett Butler, as all young girls must, and is now going through the rest of my "romantic" books.  The Count of Monte Cristo didn't interest her but Camille did. Do I detect a sappy love story trend?  Camille is very well written but I have trouble relating to a main male character who sobs his way through the entire novel.  Rhett Butler would have wiped the floor with him.
7) We have signed a rental contract on a new apartment on Yehuda street. Corner of Buchman and Givah C - hopefully the best of both worlds. 
8) I have no idea why I numbered this entry. 
9) I'm still doing it.
10) להתראות ושבוע טוב 

But no facebook. So what else can I do if my patients do not show up? Especially one that was alloted half an hour? Perfectly justified, in my opinion.
Today is my first day of work for Maccabi in Nes Zionna in the Tipat Chalav which is the Israeli equivalent of a developmental screening and vaccination clinic. I don't give the shots, of course. Basically I just check to make sure that the one year old is beginning to walk, the three year old can speak etc....
It doesn't take a medical degree, really. Or a brain.
But I do examine the children so I suppose that is worth something. And I am learning a whole new set of vocabulary words, and writing their histories in Hebrew, which is challenging, to say the least.

In more important news, I have finished my self-directed revisions and I am thrilled with the result. A completed young adult version of Hartfield, finally!  Now to wait....
Oh, and pretty much everyone hates my new title (Beneath the Stairs) so I am hunting about for a new one. (My sister said that it conjures up an image of a ten year old girl in pigtails crouching beneath a staircase and staring at ghosts and goblins). So of course, that is final. Suggestions, anyone?

I think my next patient is due... so back to work!

Am I the only person who enjoys reading the "talkback" on Jpost and Yahoo news groups? It's sort of like biting a tongue blister; it hurts but you can't stop doing it.  My favorites are the semi-coherent ones, the ones which begin with all capital letters and end by invoking God's wrath or prayers for the coming of the Messiah.  Why is it that the more right-wing the writer is, the less his posts make sense? I don't always agree with liberal commentators, but at least they can put together a sentence. 
Except for the following poor schlimazel whose entry made me wheeze a little:
He wrote:
"That is why religion should never be a limpness test for elected office in the United States."



That wasn't a spell-check problem, my friends.  
Now I agree with what the guy was trying to say.  But I can't seem to get past the "limpness."

Oh, and Dinah, please don't post "that's what she said" under this entry.  Because I know that I just invited that.
   

No, this is not a meme, (though I'd love to hear thoughts) but a little twitter of joy which I would like to pass along.  In glancing over previous posts I can't help but notice that a significant portion have been written while I was either grouchy, frustrated or tired. It's time for some balance, I believe. 

Today I finished my pseudo-residency at Hadassah and I think my sigh of relief was at least equal to the one I breathed when I left Sinai for the final time.  While both experiences had their positives, overall it was a period to "get through" and be done with.  And while this last bit was only three months long, and not nearly as hellish as a real residency, the lack of autonomy and freedom oppressed me more because I had already tasted independence.   And now it's finally over and I can breathe again!

My schedule at Macabbi will be quite light, approximately 30 hours a week split between two offices. And what will I do with all this excess time and happiness?
Today I started by turning up the radio, singing with Coldplay as I left Jerusalem; I danced up and down the stairs at home, shrieking "I'm done, I'm done!" like a lunatic and finally (when I calmed down)  I sat outside and ate sloppy schwarma and listened to the noises of the city.   I loved everything, the warmth, the palm trees, the children on their bikes, the smell of roasting meat, the hum of buses and the din of babies prattling in Hebrew.  And I felt again what I had known for years, that life here has a special taste, a fuller and richer one than I have ever known. 

Happy Yom Ha-atzmaut, my friends.

I am loving the self-directed revisions. I am approximately half-way through now and am back to the "can't-wait-until-kids-are-in-bed-so-I-can-write" stage.  I shut the computer down at 1:00 AM now, which is better than 3:00, anyway.  There is no way to speak Hebrew on no sleep; I have trouble doing it when I am well-rested.
I have been reading Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth ,a 1000 page epic novel set in Medieval England about the building of the Kingsbridge cathedral.   Historical novels are my favorite read; the better researched they are, the more I like them.  And this one is rich with detail; the author obviously spent years learning about architecture, medieval clergy, and royal politics.  The characters are compelling as well; I care about Tom the builder and his bewitching, irreverent wife and interested in the prior's ambitions.  I am not overwhelmed by the writing, though.  It begins well, with the sentence, "The small boys came early to the hanging."  But many of his descriptions are carelessly constructed, with little attempt at rhythm or cadence.  It reminds me of The Da Vinci Code, a well-researched, exciting novel, but lacking both subtlety and art.  

I watched Religulous, a movie by Bill Maher, two nights ago.  It is one of the funniest mock-umentaries I have ever seen.  The fact that I agree with a lot of what that comedian said is amusing too, especially since he is known for his far -left opinions and for his propensity to spend vacations at the Playboy mansion.

Tonight is Pesach and we will be having the seder by friends. I am thrilled not to be making the meal this year.  I will be keeping only one seder night for the first time in my life (seriously, who needs two?) and for the first time in 12 years NOT cooking for twenty people.
Which is why I am blogging now, instead of doing what all the women in this country are doing: losing their minds.

Oh, and giggling over the Jpost article about Barack Obama hosting the first passover seder in the White house. I wish I could be there. How awesome would that be? We were slaves and now we are free.... :-)
Happy Passover, everyone and especially to little Sophie Bella who was born ealier this week and who we are very excited to meet!

 

Today is the 6 month anniversary of our aliyah.
And we are still here.
Yesterday we had friends over for shabbat and one of them asked if we felt that our "absorption process" has been harder or easier than we had imagined it would be.
We both agreed, without hesitation, that it has been easier than expected.  It may be because our expectations were quite low to start with. All I wanted was
a) to be able to feed our family and 
b) for the kids to be happy. 
Today my 10 year old texted me "Today is the best day of my life," (Purim party at school); last week my little one called several schoolmates and arranged playdates using her ten words of Hebrew; my oldest adores her new friends and voice teacher.  
And we have plenty of burekas.
So all in all,  things have fallen into place. 
I am halfway through my histaklut and I already have two job offers. (No contract yet but the interviews were just this past week.)
Today the frustrations of being a "resident" were greatly alleviated by the arrival of an ER attending from Boston who took over and started things running the way things ought to run. Patients didn't sit waiting for nothing for five hours, blood was only drawn if it needed to be (not because the child had blood), and an unnecessary admission was prevented.  I was thrilled.  The Boston attending doesn't speak Hebrew yet, so I translated for him.  We had a GI bleeder come in and he shrugged off one of the GI 's recommendations with the statement "That's outdated; no one does that anymore."  Then he opened up the ED textbook and indicated the chapter on GI bleeds which he had written.
It was a good day.

  

Amazing powerful film.

My husband called me from the airport Sunday to tell me that he had barely made his flight because the train from Modiin to Tel Aviv had had a problem and they had to transfer. At the time he had no idea how serious the problem was. Until he read the article below.
And I am now transferring my thanks to Facebook and Livejournal. Sharing feelings helps to dilute them a little, and make them less real, I think.

OK. So maybe that title is funnier than the story but here goes:
I started work at Hadassa yesterday and the language thing is proving to be less of a barrier than I had imagined it would be. However, I still occasionally confuse people with my errors and today i believe I terrified an innocent clown.  I was chatting with one of the kiddie entertainers who comes by to cheer up the hospitalized children and she asked me what the pink ribbon on my stethoscope meant.
So I said זה סימן של סרטן שדים   which should have meant "That is the sign for breast cancer."  What it actually meant was "That is the sign for ghost cancer."  (One letter difference, again.) Because ghost cancer made no sense to her (can't imagine why) she thought I had said "Satan" not "Sartan" (cancer in Hebrew).  So she heard "That is the sign for Satan's ghost."
Right.
Which (as I understood later) certainly explained the bewildered expression on her face. The fact that she was wearing a clown costume only made things more amusing.

But all in all, it's fun to try practicing medicine in a new language.  It's a constant challenge, actually, but I am really enjoying it. The population at Hadassa is 80% Arab and none of the moms speak Hebrew so I have to speak through a translator. I can dictate the speed of the conversation, Mohammad translates their Arabic into basic Hebrew and I don't have worry that the parent is going to say something that she expects me to understand.  In any event, everything is signed and countersigned by five different doctors so I have no real responsibilities.  It's frustrating to go from attending physician to medical student but for three months I'll do what I gotta do.

My kids have turned into self-sufficient little adults, seemingly overnight.  My oldest gets everyone up and out of bed, packs lunches, walks the little one to gan and then head off to school.  In the afternoon she picks her up again and they let themselves in. I find them reading or playing music when I come home. It's a wonderful life. Took 12 years to get to this point but I never want to go back.