In the age of Obama’s health care reform, many Americans think that greener pastures lie beyond our nation’s borders. Other countries look like health insurance utopias. Let me tell you something, Americans: Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Getting insurance in Israel, as a tourist, can be very tricky business. Unless you’re planning on making Aliyah (becoming an Israeli citizen), you have to buy either international insurance or private Israeli coverage. You can also buy into Kupat Cholim, the Israeli Government insurance plan, but it doesn’t cover everything if you’re not a citizen. Needless to say, it’s been an adventure trying to figure out coverage for us. I’ve spoken to a few different people who have offered me a myriad of suggestions (examples: get a student visa and hope things work out retroactively, get “smuggled” onto the regular Israeli Kupat Cholim, give up and go home), all of which have left me more confused than before. However, after my baffling experiences dealing with Israeli real estate agents, phone companies and banks, I can at least say that this no longer surprises me. I just pray that we will figure everything out soon or some of you may be seeing us sooner than we’d planned :). In the meantime, Shuie and Chaim pillaged a dirt-cheap toystore this afternoon and came home with all kinds of goodies for Yonah, including stacking cups, marracas, a squeaky ball, farm animals, bath toys, and of course, Hebrew magnet letters for the fridge, which Yonah proceeded to pull off and throw on the floor. Shuie decided that Ohr Somayach was not the best fit for him so he’ll be starting at Sulam Yaakov, a one-year smicha (rabbinic ordination) program in the center of the city, tomorrow morning. From what he tells me, the crowd at Sulam Yaakov is less buttoned-up and a lot more “heimish” (family-like) than the warm, albeit intense Ohr Somayach scene. I have been very lucky to hit on a school I love the first shot out; I’ve heard of women coming here and trying out different places for six months or more before finding the perfect fit. Thank Gd, the learning at Midreshet Rachel is great and I feel very comfortable with the women there. I will be changing one thing, however. The focus on text study in the morning has left me feeling a need for shiurim (lectures) on more abstract ideas: faith, being a Jewish woman, prayer, spirituality, etc. While my afternoons are occupied with Yonah, I am planning on taking 1-2 evenings a week to attend shiurim after little man goes to sleep. Tomorrow is the first day of Yonah’s playgroup, great news because it gets us both out of the house in the afternoon. Here’s hoping we both make some nice friends. In other news, I have discovered a shortcut up Mount Ramat HaGolan. Between the top of the hill and the bottom there are a few hidden stairways that are much quicker and easier. The problem? Yonah’s stroller. The steps are made of wide cobblestone which, while beautiful, make it impossible to roll the stroller up one step at a time. This leaves me with one of two options: A) Fold up the stroller and carry it in one arm and Yonah in the other, or B) Carry the stroller with Yonah in it. Both options leave me just as spent and disheveled as my hike up the hill (though they do save me a bit more time). I guess Gd is determined to whip me into shape this year, whether I like it or not.