It is 8:40 am and there is quiet in the house. Chaya is asleep, Emil is at school and David is at work. For days I have been wanting to blog, but haven't found the quiet, solitude or energy to do so. Either I am preoccupied with household tasks or tired out from doing household tasks. It is a much different life than I had pre children and pre marriage.
I have to admit, sometimes I long for a week away at a hotel, alone with myself, my thoughts and my feelings. David said awhile ago, that if he got a bunch of money he would make sure that I would take some to do whatever I wanted with it, buy new clothes, go for a mani and pedi, etc. I laughed and said, What I would really like is a week away in Eilat, alone to sleep for a week. It wasn't so long ago that I was complaining about how bored I was, with nothing to do and no one to talk to. This proves that we don't know what we've got till it's gone!
Life here continues to be difficult for us. It seems that it is always one thing or another. What is life like here in Israel? I will try to paint you a picture of what my day was like on Sunday.
When I came to Israel, I was in such a hurry to start at an ulpan to learn Hebrew, so that I could learn the language and also get out and meet people. But I couldn't do that until I was a citizen of Israel. At the Interior Ministry, where they deal with immigration, they expedited my request and in so doing, they gave me my status before I actually was a citizen of Israel. So on my Israeli ID, it didn't state my citizenship. Off I went to ulpan, and taking advantage of the opportunities afforded to a new immigrant here, under the Law of Return. I had no idea that they hadn't put Israeli on my ID. I had full rights, received the new immigrant stipend and was able to register for a health fund. I did all my prenatal care paid for by my health fund and there was no problem. However, in Israel, when you go to the hospital, it is Biteuach Leumi who takes care of hospital bills. Biteuach Leumi is basically National Insurance, which covers welfare, children's allowance, hospital stays etc etc. So when I went to the hospital, they saw no citizenship on my ID card and thought that I was a private case and a month after giving birth to Chaya, we were sent a bill for approximately 2000 dollars. We were shocked but went to Biteuach Leumi who said that they would fix it. At least I am pretty sure that is what happened, as David dealt with it and sometimes his memory is not so reliable. About two weeks ago I received a collections letter from the hospital for this money. Needless to say, I was shocked and also furious, as this meant a trip to the National Insurance office, which is never a simple straightforward thing. On Sunday, off I went, with Chaya in tow, the stroller packed to the brim with diapers and bottle and toys and papers that I needed. I got to the office, bright and early, as I find when dealing with the government agencies, it is usually better to go first thing in the morning, as it is less crowded then. I arrived there and first thing you must do is go to a counter to get a number and be told what booth to wait in front of. I gave them the papers and said in my broken Hebrew "I need this" They looked at me like I was an alien and didn't know what to do. Do I speak Russian? No. English. English, oh no, that's a problem. A problem? To speak English in a government agency? How surprising! Finally she gave me a number and I went to the line up. I was optimistic, as the line wasn't that long and I thought, hey, maybe it won't be as complicated as I think! WRONG! Why haven't I learned yet, that in Israel, nothing is NOT complicated. The girl working didn't seem to understand what I wanted, even though I gave her the papers and in a mix of Hebrew and English, explained to her the situation. She phoned her superior who said that I needed to get another paper from the hospital that said How long I had stayed there. I am like, "Who cares, how long I was there, pay the bill!" In the meantime, I phoned David to tell him that they wanted another paper and he was all like "OK, so that is what we do!" And I responded with "OH NO WE WILL NOT! I AM NOT LEAVING HERE TILL THEY FIX IT!" David said "OK Even better!" She directed me towards another lady who also was confused as to how to help me and couldn't figure it out, then asked if I spoke French, which normally I do, but by this time, I was furious, my patience having been quickly eroded and I couldn't get out what I needed in French, so in a mixture of French, Hebrew and English, I yelled "All you need to do is pay the bill! It is your responsibility to pay for it, so pay it! Why should I have to worry about 2000 dollars? Just pay the damn bill!" Finally, I was directed towards the manager, where I had to wait in line for half an hour to see him and then he told me not to worry, that he would take care of it and that I could just go home. This was an hour and a half later. Which in the long run, is not too bad, considering, I could have been there all morning!
I guess the thing that gets me about going to any of these agencies, the post office, the bank, any ministry, is simply because no one seems to ever have any idea what they are doing. No one ever leaves with a smile. I swear, I didn't see one person at the National Insurance leave happy. Everyone is yelling and screaming. On the one hand, I feel sorry for the employees of these places, as it is a super hard job, here, dealing with the Israeli public, but on the other hand, everytime you go to them with something it is like the automatic response is "No." They really need to watch Bob The Builder. "Can we fix it? YES WE CAN!" Someone should create a workshop for them. Or the little engine that could "I think I can I think I can I think I can." Seriously, no one seems to be properly trained and no one can speak enough English either. At least here in Ashdod. This has been a major thorn in my side since I have lived here, there are russians, in fact they have a russian translator at the office, and several people who speak fluent french, but English? Nope. And it doesn't make sense, they learn it in School, it is all over tv, they listen to american music...I am just glad I am not a manadarin speaker living in Israel. Baruch Hashem for that.
So after that experience, I decided to brave another office, my health fund's office, as I needed to be reimbursed for two tests that I took for this pregnancy. This was another source of fear for me, as every time I have braved it on my own there, it has been a disaster. But since I was on an errand roll, I decided to do it. Off I went, hoping and praying that the mean Russian woman who I had encountered my first times there and always seemed to end up getting after waiting my turn in line and who nearly gave me a nervous breakdown on many occasion, wouldn't be there. In fact, one time, she basically threw my documents at me and refused to speak to me anymore and I left bawling my eyes out and ended up calling David and screaming at him for not coming with me. This was when I first arrived here. He did end up coming with me and ended up yelling at her for being so mean to me. Well, I arrived at Maccabi Health Fund, prepared for the wait and played with Chaya, who had been so patient and well behaved. I felt the anxiety mount, but I noticed with relief that Miss meany mcrussian wasn't there, so that relieved some apprehension. But then, there is the language barrier. Fortunately the lady who helped me spoke the same amount of English as I do Hebrew so we were able to figure out what I needed and it WAS actually straightforward and finished in two minutes and she was very kind and helpful. I left feeling a little more calm than I had when I walked in!
Then it was off to do some grocery shopping, as I have also figured out that if I go grocery shopping on Sunday, it is very slow and you never have to wait in line very long. So that is when I like to go.
Chaya was just so patient, having a meltdown 200 meters from our house, and I was pretty impressed with her sweetness.
And then I felt like I had accomplished so much and fell exhausted onto the couch to watch Dr. Phil and await Emil's 2:00 arrival from school!
This is a glimpse of life in Israel. I have more to write, but I hear my little princess stirring in her crib. I will try to blog again soon.
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