Life takes a turn

Well, Ben had his appointment with the Army last Sunday, where he was given his profile score and told he would start Army on Wednesday....surprise! We knew this was a possibility, but didn't really think it would happen. Needless to say, my first day of volunteering at the school in Eilat quickly turned into my last. We spent Monday and Tuesday packing up the apartment and getting Ben supplies. We headed up to Beer Sheva Tuesday night and off he went Wednesday morning! No time to even think.

Considering Ben's current base is in the far north of Israel and Eilat is the farthest south you can get, I didn't even need to think to decide that I would move closer. So when Ben took off Wednesday morning I did too. I decided to stay in Akko at a hostel so that I could look for a place to live in Nahariya or Karmiel, both of which have Ulpan classes that are affordable and begin within the next month.

It took me two buses, the train, and a taxi to get from Beer Sheva to Akko and this time my solo travel day went very smoothly! I headed right into Nahariya to look at an apartment. The first one turned out to be a dark, smoke-filled cave without furniture. However, the most wonderful think happened after I looked at the aparment. I was headed back to the center of town on foot, in search of an internet cafe so that I could look up more apartments for rent, when I came across a purse that I liked hanging outside a store front. It was cheap, cheaper than I had seen elsewhere for the same type of bag. I passed by and then turned around when I decided it was at least worth asking about. The store didn't have anyone in it and was actually more of an office filled with bags than a store. I called up the stairs, "shalom!" to see if anyone was there. A man came down (spoke English thank goodness) and told me that they make the bags in Nahariya and I was basically at the factory office, which is why the bag was so cheap. So...I got a nice, inexpensive bag, but that's just the beginning of what I got....by the end of the day, I had met three other people who worked in the window factory behind the bag store, used their internet to look up apartments, drank the tea that they made me, had the assistance of their son Sagiv to translate the websites and call apartments with me, been treated to falafel for dinner, invited for Shabbat dinner, and driven to the bus station! It was amazing, some of the kindest and most eager to help people I have ever met! I went back to the hostel feeling very pleased with my day even though I had not found anywhere to live....I had traveled the entire country on my own and met some wonderful friends. (I didn't end up going to Shabbat dinner, but it was a crazy weekend).

Since Ben is still officially living in Eilat, which is very far from base, he got off early and joined me in Nahariya on Thurday (one night apart was enough for me anyway!). I took him to meet my new friends, where we bought him a big bag for army and he was introduced to their immense kindness! We didn't have any luck with the apartment search however.

Over the course of the weekend we did end up finding an apartment (really the last option on my list!) in Karmiel. It is wonderful! It is affordable, has two rooms, an oven/stove, and lots of light! AND...it is right across the street from a gorgeous, huge park! As soon as I have pictures of it I will post them. Karmiel is a very beautiful city in the northern mountains of Israel and it is only 20 minutes from Ben's base. I am excited to explore the city when I move up there. Currently, I am back in Eilat for the week, getting a few things finalized and waiting for Ben to come down on Thursday or Friday so that we can rent a van and move everything up to Karmiel. We do need to find a sofa and table/chairs for the livingroom/kitchen but I don't think it should be too difficult to find some used furniture.

I don't have any pictures of the apartment or Karmiel, but for those who have not yet seen, I do have some pictures of Solider Ben. And yes, maybe it is typical for a girlfriend to think this, but I can't help it...he is SO handsome in his uniform!

Work Visa Update:

No good news on this topic, never is. I called a lawyer today to see what they might suggest. Although I made an appointment to meet with them next Thursday in Tel Aviv, I am not sure what they can do for me. They even told me that it is all up to the Misrad Hapnim (Ministry of Interior). They said to try to get a new apostille that looks like what the Misrad Hapnim is asking for...I'm not even sure if that is possible, but I did email the woman who signed the documents to see what she says about it. Perhaps I will end up going to the appointment, but they better be able to help for 800 shekel! Goodness they make it hard to get things done here (especially now that coming down for an appointment takes 8 hours! Oh well, I'm still trying!

I'll post pictures of our new home next week!

This map shows the Western Galilee area up close and the star on the map below it shows where Karmiel is in relation to the rest of the country. Ben's base is about 20 km east of Karmiel.