One week in....

So here we are, one week after arriving in Tel Aviv. So far things are good however it doesn't feel completely real yet as we are in temporary accommodations, probably for another week or so. The house has been identified and they are working on getting it ready for us. We've not seen the inside but we drove past it and it looks nice, I think we will be very happy there.

The dogs are doing a fairly good job of adjusting to living in a small apartment, even though it's temporary. Folsom, our lab though is not a city dog at all. He pretty much freaks out on walks from the sounds of the busses and other traffic to just the sheer number of people around him. I think he is relieved when he realizes we've entered the small gangway to the place we are staying. Sierra on the other hand wants to meet every dog and person she passes and smell all the smells. When we get to the house the neighborhood is laid out well for walking so I will continue the walks as the yard is not that big and the exercise is good for the pets.

We've also had a lot of opportunity to meet a lot of people this week. Another spouse from the Embassy who is the Community Coordinator was kind enough to take us out last Monday and drive us around both Tel Aviv and Herzliya where we will be living. We've also met up with several other people who happened to be in Tel Aviv at the same time we are such as Travis, Mark, Ami, Jonathan, and connections with Rugby brethren Lee and Mickey, and a few very nice locals as well. Carl tackled his first week of work and we both came down with colds (I got it first and gave it to Carl).

All in all it's been a very busy first week. Far busier than I could have imagined. After we get some laundry done today and maybe a bit of shopping we are just going to relax for the rest of Sunday.

Adventures in Israel

So, we made it. We're in Tel Aviv in a small 1 bedroom apartment with the dogs until our house is ready in the suburb of Herzliya. Carl and I have unpacked the items we need to, and the dogs are adjusting surprisingly well to a walk schedule as opposed to us just letting them out on the lawn which is what they've done their whole lives. 

This morning was comically problematic however. There is a gate that leads to the entry of the apartment building that's never been locked. Until this morning. At 6:00 I was awake as I had fallen asleep early so I thought I'd take the dogs out early as their last walk last night was a bit early. I got the dogs into the elevator (small, even smaller than some in Stockholm) got out the door and down the gangway aaaaand gate is locked. I tried the keys that we have but even though one fits the tumbler It won't turn. 

In frustration I return upstairs and wait to see by looking out the window when someone else might open the gate. At 7 am I phone the landlord to inform him and he's surprised as he said no one locks the gate. He says he will bring keys to it today. Finally about 8am I look outside and the gate is open so the dogs and I rush down and they do what they need to. I'm surprised at the resilience of the dogs to adapt, and think they are being marvelous. 

Last night we had an amazing dinner at La Shuk on Dizengoff, did some grocery shopping, and in general vegged out. We will do a bit more today, but not much.