Across the street from the urgent care are the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Absorption.

A half block from there is the main thoroughfare where you can find just about everything — banks, restaurants, markets, every kind of small shop and store, open-air market and many businesses.

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Surely You Speak the Language

About a mile away is the canyon (mall). The prices of things tend to be quite reasonable compared to what I was paying in California.

The people are a mixture of just about everyone from everywhere. Eastern European, Russian, German, Yemenite, Morroccan, French, Ethiopian and Mediteranian Jews, as well as an English-speaking population mainly from England, Canada, Australia and the U.S., live together in harmony despite their different cultures, languages and degrees of religiosity.

One can see the very religious with the black hats, the Zionist religious with their knitted kipot (yarmulkes), and the secular who do not cover their heads, some with beards, some clean-shaven. As for women's dress, there are those who wear sheitels (wigs), hats, scarves or nothing covering their hair and those in ankle-length skirts to mini skirts that cover almost nothing or those in pants or shorts.

The Meaning of Words

It reminds me a little of New York where people of every persuasion can be seen on the streets. Although there tend to be areas that are considered more religious than others, just about every kind of group can be found in even the “religious” areas.

I read an article today by someone who is a freelancer who made aliyah about 5 years ago. Here a freelancer means someone who is without a permanent job.

She writes that professionals get paid less than $10/hour, and they are lucky if they get their degrees recognized and accepted here. She said that it is particularly difficult for people from English-speaking countries because there are over 100 people applying for one position.

I feel lucky. I have a job already, something everyone tells me is unbelievable. Of course I work for slave wages, but it is a job.

The Assurance of Insurance

Today I got health insurance. The post office wasn't on strike, but the two women working there had no clue what to do. I tried to explain that they needed to prepare a voucher for me to take to the health insurance group of my choice.

It wasn't because I could not communicate in Russian or Hebrew, because the paperwork I presented was in Russian, Hebrew, English, Arabic, Spanish, French and something else. They just sort of looked at me like I was from another world.

The health insurance is free for me for 6 months, and then I would have to pay a nominal fee if I didn't have a job. Otherwise it comes out of my meager paycheck.

I opted to have supplemental insurance, and I got the best that is offered.

It includes transplants and other procedures that can be performed all over the world in the best hospitals. The supplemental insurance will cost me only $30 month extra.

In the States I was paying over $800/month with a high deductible for minimal coverage.

I Know Where I Live

I went to the Ministry of Interior to get my address changed and change my name to Shachar. They finally did the address change after hassling me over the fact that their computer still shows me living in Raanana.

I told the clerk it doesn't matter what the computer shows since I am moving, and here is the new address. At that point I guess she saw the logic, and she made the address change.

However, she said she would not change my name to Shachar because I hadn't been here 3 months. I explained to her that on my flight everyone else got a name change, and they haven't been here for 3 months.

She refused. I called the group who was supposed to have given me a name- change on the plane. They argued with the clerk.

Just a Hiccup

They told me afterwards that they get things done without the bureaucracy, and it was just a fluke that my name change was overlooked when I came here.

They also told me that the Ministry of Interior in my new town was not up to date on things.

Needless to say, I now have to go to Jerusalem again so they could take care of the name change for me.

What a hassle!

L'hitraot, Shachar