criplomats

It’s hard to believe it’s already July – we’ve been in Tel Aviv a little over nine months now. We’re getting our first taste of summer – hot in the sun but fairly pleasant otherwise, but we do feel the humidity rising. So far, not too bad.

Last Sunday we met our A100 classmates from Jerusalem at Raphael’s for another nice brunch. It was great to see Dave, Liz, Mary, and her husband Jimmy and baby Will. Will is such a good baby and a horrible flirt with the waitresses!

After brunch, Dave came home with us and we spent the next six hours sitting on the balcony with a glass of wine and talked. Great to catch up with him! We had another good visit with him yesterday when he came to spend the afternoon with us. Dave is a good guy, with boundless energy and fun to talk with.

Last Monday, the actual 4th of July, was a holiday for us. We spent it totally relaxing at home – wonderful and restful!

Last Thursday, I went with my ACS co-worker down to Dimona to visit the Hebrew Israelite Community (someone told me there is a song called “Ramona from Dimona,” but I’m not sure I believe it!). This is a primarily American community in the Negev desert who came to Israel from Chicago back in the ’60s by way of Liberia. They are African-Americans who wear traditional African clothing, practice strict veganism and mostly live together in an urban kibbutz. We had an interesting meeting with their founder and spiritual lead, Ben Ammi, and spent several hours talking with their PR person and touring the compound. If you click on this link, you can see Ben Ammi on the upper right. And click here for more of an overall view of the community. The state of Israel doesn’t know quite what to do with them. They have been here since the late ’60s, and only recently has Israel given them legal permanent status.

Thursday night was book club at our house. I led the discussion on “Prince of the Marshes,” by Rory Stewart. It was an account of his tour in Iraq as a deputy governor of one of the southern provinces in 2004. We had a good turnout and an interesting discussion.

Friday afternoon we had a happy hour at work for John and two other people who are leaving the NIV section (John starts his Staff Aide rotation on Monday – the new ambassador arrives later this month.) Later that evening, we were guests of Chip and Anne for an excellent dinner at their apartment, along with Paul and Jen. It was a nice evening. Anne made a great salad that I want the recipe for – watermelon, tomato and I think a balsamic vinaigrette – delicious!

The highlight of the week was attending the Embassy’s 4th of July party at the Ambassador’s residence. Although we were there primarily to work, it was still a lot of fun. The weather was perfect and we had a gorgeous view of the fireworks over the ocean. It was also pretty impressive to see the Ambassador on stage with the Israeli president Shimon Peres and PM Binyamin Netanyahu (whatever your politics).

The party is a huge deal here – the hottest ticket in town. There were literally thousands of people there.

When we got home a little after 11PM from the party, we sat on the balcony and watched Tel Aviv celebrate “White Night,” an annual all-night party to celebrate the city’s designation as the White City by UNESCO (because of all the Bauhaus buildings here that are primarily white). The streets were jammed, music was playing and everyone seemed to be celebrating – it was fun to watch!

We started the week last Sunday with a nice brunch at Rafael’s, overlooking the ocean with our friends Bill, Diane, Ray and Anna. Afterward, Jen and Rebecca came for some pool time at our apartment. When the pool closed, we moved to our balcony to watch the sun set. In the winter, we couldn’t see the sunset because we’re on the north side of the building, but the last month or so, we’ve been able to see it and it’s always beautiful.

I started a six-month rotation in American Citizen Services on Monday. It’s good to get back into passport mode, although I have also enjoyed my time in visas here. The ACS staff, like the NIV staff, are really friendly and helpful.

Last night we went to dinner with Jen and Mary at a very good tapas restaurant – good conversation and food.

Katie, Howie, Petite, Mike at Herbert Samuel's

This was a pretty busy week for us, starting with volunteer work last Sunday night at a home for teenagers who are estranged from their families. The New Professional Association goes there about once a month to cook a meal for the kids – we had a lot of fun chopping vegetables for a big stir-fry and chatting with our co-workers and some of the kids. It’s a big old house with lots of common living areas, then separate sleeping sections for the boys and girls.

Monday night, we were at the Deputy Chief of Mission’s house for a going away party for our Consul General. It was a nice night to be out in the backyard enjoying the evening.

Next week I am transferring to the American Citizen Services section, and to get my feet wet, I joined a small group who went to Safed in northern Israel for a passport outreach. There are a lot of Americans in that area. We were in an educational center in the old city – very pretty with cobblestone alleys and lots of art galleries, jewelry shops, etc. – unfortunately we didn’t have time for much sightseeing. The area is beautiful – high altitude with gorgeous views. Click here for more photos from Safed.

We got off work a little early on Friday, and a big group of us went for happy hour across the street from the beach. John and I came home and got caught up on some episodes of Mad Men after that.

Yesterday I went to the office to get my desk cleaned off in preparation for the move. Mid-afternoon, a new girl at post, Rebecca, came to the house to visit and to have one of John’s famous lattes.

Last night, Howard, Petite, Mike and Katie brought over sangria, then we went to Herbert Samuel’s restaurant for a delicious meal overlooking the ocean.

Johnny working on a passport for an American couple

With Nadia at Safed

We’ve started the summer transfer season at Post – most folks come in or out in the summer months. We’ve had two new people come into our section recently, and the head of the section will be transferring out soon. I made a run to the airport on Wednesday to pick up one of the new girls, and on Thursday night after work, several of us sat on Beth’s balcony upstairs for a little happy hour to welcome her to town.

We can also tell it’s summer here because the beach is a lot more crowded and there are more tourists on the street. And it’s starting to get hot. Since we weren’t here last year, we really don’t know how hot it will be – but folks keep saying it gets pretty uncomfortable.

Yesterday I went into the office to get some things done – seems like there’s never enough time in the day to do everything. Last night we went to a great party at Ben and Jen’s apartment – they are wonderful hosts and we had a really good time.

John’s parents, Pete and Ginger, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this week – congratulations! Wish we could have been at the party!

Brian, Martin, Ben, Mary, John, Ramona and Liz

Our friends Ben and Brian came to visit Tel Aviv and to celebrate Gay Pride here – the biggest Pride celebration in the Middle East. We had a great time visiting with them in between the parades and parties they attended. We especially enjoyed meeting Liz and Mary at an outdoor restaurant on the beach at the Old Tel Aviv Port on Sunday afternoon – it was a mini A-100 reunion. Click to see more pictures.

We were off work on Wednesday for a Jewish holiday, and were released early on Tuesday as well. My manager had our weekly staff meeting at a nearby ice cream shop on Tuesday, which was nice. I stopped on the way home for a manicure and pedicure.

Mom’s doing better after her fall but still sore…

At the port