Geshem Geshem Laganim. On Rain & Water in the Galil.

For anyone who was concerned Israel not getting enough rain, they needn’t be. Our street practically floated away this morning. Once again we sang enthusiastically about rain in our chug, and one of the mothers explained to me how much fun  it was for her kids this morning putting on coats and jumping in puddles! It’s hard as an adult [especially when you are from England] to remember how much fun rain can be, we see a wet garden and visualise more laundry. I found it refreshing to be reminded about how rain is essential not just for the land, but also how it is an essential childhood experience. Jojo was very cross at being kept inside this morning, heavan knows how we would have coped if we hadn’t made aliyah. We are quite happy for him to jump in puddles, we just prefer him to be suitably attired.

I still can’t comprehend Israelis and clothing. They seem to fall into 2 basic categories. The ones who wear sandals ALL YEAR ROUND. And the ones who think it’s normal to wear boots in 36 degree heat. Either way they are all seriously hard. I am still finding it challenging to get used to cold floors and have finally given in and instructed the Mum to send some warm slippers from England. Israel might be famous for its sandals but it makes crap slippers.

Jojo, having been born in a cold Bushey January seems totally comfortable with it all but Yaron is a true sabra and can’t handle the cold. His hands are still tiny ice blocks despite me dressing him in 3 layers and a hat even in the house. He gets a lot of attention for being cute here though I still get told off by random men in supermarkets who tell me to feed him, put more clothes on him, hold his head at 4 months[???] ….  Jojo is now talking animatedly, mostly about cars and every other vehicle he spots in Karmiel. A simple walk to the makolet involves a running commentary on everything that moves and if god forbid we don’t repeat his observations with gusto he gets terribly upset. Yesterday after a trip to the supermarket there was a half hour stand-off where he insisted on staying outside so he could do some serious car-watching. It’s funny how kids don’t seem to feel the cold.

Having been struck down FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS MONTH with the tummy bug from hell, [truly truly vile illness cannot believe my bad luck] I decided as a temporary measure to switch to drinking bottled water. At least whilst I investigated the water quality in Karmiel. It certainly tastes truly vile but whether or not it’s unsafe I couldn’t be sure. Not all of the country has fluoridated water, which is important to know with little kids. Aside from this being a relatively new country, from which one cannot expect miracles [well not in the last 2,000 years anyway] the quality of the water is apparently a huge political issue. Coming from England which has [compared to most of the world] fabulous water quality, with to my knowledge only a mild issue with Cryptosporidium back in the 90’s, the water in parts of the country can be a huge shock to the system, I have found the water in Jerusalem to be totally undrinkable, both on account of taste and contaminants.

Apparently the water in the North is good quality, particularly in the Golan where I have been informed it tastes better. Contrary to popular belief the entire country does not depend on the Kinneret for its water supply and ours is drawn from local wells which are frequently monitored. My environmental health background is no help as its hard to research anything here what with the public health system being totally different. I have now managed to determine that the water in the Galil is safe to drink, despite it’s poor taste and contains fluoride, calcium and enough chlorine to make it sanitary. really quite amazing when you consider the newness of this country. I was hoping to get used to the taste of the water if not the quality but 5 months on and still no joy. As an environmentalist I hang my head in shame at buying the evil bottles and although I hope that my children will get used to the taste of the water here. I have recently discovered that many of my Israeli friends don’t touch the stuff because it tastes so bad.

And people say it’s the olim who are wimps.