Zion Square - The hang-out!

Hanging out with friends:)

One of our favorite places to "hang-out" in Jerusalem, since we have been spending the winter here, is downtown in the area called Zion Square.  It is in the center of town near the shuk.  Shops line the walk-ways where you can buy anything from a scarf to a menorah, shoelaces to a fridge magnet. Souvenir shops,  Judaic art and toys stores.  Also there are a wide range of food places.  Big Apple Pizza, Moshiok's flaffels, and even McDonalds!  Street entertainers flood the area also.  This is where our kids like to "busk".  It is fun to watch the other "Buskers" also.  Harpists, flute players, karaoke singers and I have even seen a man playing a digeradoo (Australian Aborigine horn).  The atmosphere is fun and you can literally spend all day just walking, shopping and people watching!!!

The "Gang" busking @ Zion Square! 

Rachel:)  

Shopping craziness @ the Souk (Shook)

The best and cheapest way to shop in Israel...clothes and food.. is the Souk.  The oldest Souk market is the one located in the Old City but there is a Souk located in most major towns in Israel. An open air market with vender's selling produce and baked goods.  There is usually a "meat/chicken" section, with pasta, cheese and spice shops. Along with clothing stores sprinkled in and among it all.  PURE craziness!  The vendors are usually loud and aggressive and the busiest days to go are Thursday and Friday because everyone is getting ready for Sabbath.  (Saturday, end of the week rest!) I know if I am there either of those 2 days..

.#1 - I can hardly push my stroller around because of the crowds of people. 

 #2 - Within 1 hour, Zoe(4) and Lily(6) are so over-stimulated they are ready to go home!

When it is not crowded it is fun to walk around and shop. Produce is very cheap so we try to make it there at least one time a week.  We have all picked our favorite shops for goodies.  Erik loves to head over to the cheese shop and he never forgets to get some olives!! Emma and the little girls hit the cheap candy shop where you can get 1 shekel candy.  Maggie and Levi know the place for iced coffees and I love the nuts and date stands.  We also hit the bakery to grab fresh pitas, breads and baked goodies very inexpensive...oh yeah our new favorite pastry Levi introduced us to....caramel filled pocket! After eating one of those treats..... you KNOW this is the "Promised Land"!

Rachel:) Don't forget to check out all the market pics on the web album!

Hiking En Gedi

 So many amazing places to visit here in Israel.....another family favorite was definitely En Gedi. En Gedi nature reserve is located near the Dead Sea in the Negev.  It is a National Park that has wildlife and waterfalls you can hike to and pools you can swim in. This time of year is perfect because it is not too hot. 

We were immediately greeted in the paring lot by 30 ibex wandering around looking for creative ways to reach the trees. They jump onto the roof and hood of your car to nibble at the trees above....it was hilarious! Especially since all the cars in the paring lot were rentals:)  The hike was EASY and somewhat short.  Zoe(4) and Lily(6) did great, not to mention there were  waterfalls and pools to swim in on the way. (We had to try all the waterholes!) We also managed to see some wildlife on the hike. We spotted tons of small animals called Rock Hyrax. Also black and orange birds called Grackles. This was another highlight for the kids! En Gedi is where David hide from King Saul. Caves line the canyon walls in and around the waterfalls. The bible talks about David hiding and living in the caves of En Gedi. (1 Sam. 24) It was amazing!  We swam and snacked and hiked.  What a fun day!

Rachel

Israeli Beaches = No shoes :)

Oh how I love Israeli beaches.  Well, I love any beach but the Israeli beaches are pretty special. For one the sand is different.  It is unique from most beaches in the US. The sand has a reddish tint that reminds me of places in Sedona AZ.  It is more fine and feels different.  I noticed it right away! No shoes required:)  Although I have not seen water more clear than in the Greek islands (clear 60 feet down) the beaches are pebble shores and shoes are needed! Some sand, but not much.  I do enjoy a good sandy beach, there is just something therapeutic about the sound of the waves and the sand in your toes!  The other reason I love the beaches here is because most public beaches have play ground equipment right on the sand for your kids to play with. Swim, play, swim, play! 

Some other beaches I loved were.... the black sand (volcanic) beaches in Costa Rica, the broken shelled beaches of Florida, small pebbled beaches of Greece and the white sand beaches of Mexico!


Rachel:)

Temple Mount

I recently was able to go to the Temple Mount with some friends we have met here in Israel.  It is very fascinating and incredible to be up there and realize that this is the same place (recorded in history and in the Bible) that both temples were built and where the Israelites worshiped G-d.  There are only two times a day tourists and/or Jews may visit this site and only for a short amount of time.  Although any Arab or Muslim can have 24-7 acsess,  this seems strange to me, however these are the rules.

You must go through a series of security checks and the rules of what you can not bring are strongly enforced.  As you ascend, you are looking down on the Wailing Wall which is a cool feeling.  On top, people walk around and explore.  The view is incredible. There is much excavating going on all around so marble columns and ruins are everywhere.  There is also the mosque, courtyard and many other buildings. There are olive orchards growing however I was told that during the time of the original Temple no trees or plants grew there. It was only a place for worship and studying the Torah.  

Some Jewish Rabbi's teach that this is also the exact spot of the Garden of Eden and Mount Moriah on which Abraham took Isaac to be sacrificed. This would explain why this place is so special to them. We even were able to see some Jews walking around the Temple Mount without their shoes on. They feel it is holy ground and won't wear their shoes on top. I am in awe at how much reverence and respect they have in what they believe. It was a great day and although we were rushed off at the end of our hour.....I was glad I went!

Park's in Israel

Do you know what I love about Israel...?  All the park and how much everyone uses them!!!  I promise there is one on every corner.  The very day we sailed into Israel just happened to be the Independence Day for Israel. And within 3 hours hundreds of families were everywhere picnic-ing, eating and playing in the park.  It is such a change for me as an American because we have yards and then buy swing-sets so the kids can go outside anytime they want. We seem to only use our parks for parties or special occasions.  Or maybe we are just too busy. Israelis use their parks DAILY...no joke! Especially on the weekends. Here, most people don't have yards.  Most people live in apartments and so swing-sets are rare.  I really love it for several reasons....

Emma caught stealing dessert!

1. You don't have to buy an expensive swing-set...and don't they always keep coming out with new models each year? So next year yours will be"out-dated". Parks are FREE. And there are usually several to choose from!

2.It gets you outside...HEALTHY!

3.You meet more people.  I have a met a ton of people at the parks.  You just must not be afraid to strike up conversation. (you never know who's life or instant friend your missing out on, if you don't just smile and introduce yourself:)

4.It causes you to be active in hanging out with your children....this sounds weird but how many times do we send our kids outside to play just so that we as adults can clean or Facebook or just do our own thing..?  I am guilty too.  Remember that they grow TOO fast and then the time is gone. 

For Zion Sake friends at the park with us!

I know Erik and I have enjoyed the time at the parks with ALL the kids and friends....and I hope that when we go back to the US we use the parks more!!!

Travel-schooling ~ Sailing lessons

The Hemingway's on Mehari

 After getting on to the sailboat, our family quickly realized that if we all did not learn sailing and the basics ...we would be in a heap of trouble. We also realized that the burden of this adventure could NOT solely lie on Erik.  Which meant school must now take a dramatic change.  Erik and I were excited about this, however I am not sure the kids were at first. 


Erik has always been one of those people that LOVED learning.  I can remember being newly married and going to the library.  His stack of books were always "How-to's" and topics which fascinated him. This has also been our goal for Homeschooling.  There is no way we as parents can possibly teach everything a
child wants or needs to know, but if you teach a love for learning or skills so that they can teach themselves, then that is success!  So we were in a perfect situation to teach our kids this very lesson.



First, all kids were given basic sailing books.  Boat terms and vocabulary. Emergency procedures,  and equipment.  We all needed to know the proper names of things in order to be on the same page. Levi was also given a diesel motor maintenance book, because guess who was now going to learn to up-keep the

Travel-schooling ~ Life Lessons

After the last 2 posts about Homeschooling,  Erik and I have started calling our school...."travel-schooling".  We figured, "Why not?"  There are thousands of books on home-schooling,  car-schooling,  why not "travel-schooling"? Our kids have learned so much more while traveling than only their academics.  They are learning life lessons that can not be taught in a book or at school.  Two of which I was reminded of while we were on our trip recently to Jordan.

Best Buds :)

The first one is about family friendships.  While we have been traveling our kids have learned to be close friends with each other.  Although we tried to be a close family before we left the US, traveling has encouraged closer relationships among our children. If they don't get along....they don't have a friend.  Our family "motto" has always been:  Friends come and go, but family is forever. (Thanks Rosie:)  Lily(6) and Zoe(4) are very close and are now joined at the hip. Zoe informed me the other day that she never wanted to get married,  because then she would be lonely without Lily.  Even doing school with Lily,  Zoe sits patiently by her side until she is done.  I have even found them many times holding hands while they are sleeping! Too precious!  Maggie(16) and Levi(15) are similar.  They are both well into the teen years and have a developed a close friendship.  As they experience "teen issues", they are able to talk to each other about it from the opposite perspective...boy/girl.  I can only imagine how having a "boy perspective" in my teen-age years could have helped me.  Some people have told us.....traveling will either test any relationship, strengthen or weaken it.  This is true!  It has done both in our family at different times.

Mags & Levi waiting at a 
museum for us to be done :)

The next thing I was reminded of is how we have learned to WAIT.  Yes, wait.  I am not sure in America I ever truly knew how to wait....or my kids for that matter.  While you travel you must learn to wait.  You are waiting for visas, in lines, crossing boarders, while driving, on trains, on buses, for buses, help in a store, for the wind, for the right weather, for your anchor to hold....and the list goes on.  I must say when we first started this adventure we were all very impatient and did not know how to wait. But eventually learned and are still learning, (by the grace of God) to wait and wait patiently.  

I could go on more but you will just have to "wait" for the next blog......Rachel :)

Homeschooling abroad part II "no books"

OK,  so I addressed the issues I have faced home schooling abroad concerning books in my last blog, but what about schooling with no books?  Can it be done and what options are there?

Recently Maggie enrolled in an online school for some extra classes while we were hanging out in Israel.  This seemed to work out great.  She only needed the computer and time!  She took a Spanish course and a Baking 101 class. She loved it!  There was every class available to choose from.  Anything from Math to Art courses. She was able to log on any time of the day and work at her own pace.  This was also nice for me because it gave her someone else to be accountable to.  She would do her lesson on the computer and then test at the end of a unit.  She would then wait for the teacher to correct and grade her then email/post her results.  This particular school would send a certificate at the end of the class.  This might be helpful for college if you needed the records. There are many online schools now and  this can be done anywhere. This might be a good option for older kids if you have consistent internet.  It would definately be one I would choose. 

I need to remember that this incredible journey we are on has been school in itself, without books. When we moved to Costa Rica they had automatic "Spanish Immersion". Actually every country we have been in has been a language immersion in itself. We are learning basic vocabulary in every country, and learning to recognize different alphabets.  So far we have had introductions to Spanish, Greek, Turkish, Russian, Hebrew, and "British English". Levi is getting good at remembering and figuring out familiar words that he hears a lot. Maggie seems to have a knack for figuring out alphabets.  She was reading most words in Turkey and Greece before we left.  Ever tried shopping in Greek? You can double your time in the store trying to figure out what is what!


Speaking of shopping,  this brings up money and exchange rates.  Our children have now been exposed, taught and educated in Greek, Turkish, and Irsaeli money.  Which by the way is...the Euro, Turkish Lira and the Shekel. They have had to learn the exchange rates in every country. Non-stop math going on in your head at all times. Some days after shopping my head hurts! The other day Lily (6) saw a U.S. quarter and said "What kind-of money is this?"


We are learning geography and cultures up close.  Not only identifying and becoming familiar with these countries on a map but experiencing them. They have rode a camels in the Turkish desert, eaten a Turkish Kofte and a Doner Kebap, and bought spices in the Turkish Bazaar.  Not to mention swam in the Sea of Galilee, eaten an Israeli Felafel, and touched the Western Wall, in the Old City, during Sukkoth.


This is just a touch of what they are learning just by traveling. In all these things, I know it is giving them independence and confidence just to try new things and problem solve.  They are experiencing things that so many kids will never get a chance too...I am grateful for this opportunity and this is part of the reason we took  on this adventure to begin with.


So there you have travel-schooling at it's finest!


~Rachel

Homeschooling Abroad! "books"

Hello, this is Rachel and I'm going to try and answer some questions we've had about the challenge of schooling on the go. It will hopefully be an ongoing addition to the blog. I want to start it off by saying, "YOU CAN DO IT!"

Maggie planning our route

Almost everywhere we travel, the most common questions I am asked is...."How do the kids do school?"  It is funny to think back at how many times I have been asked this question.  And even funnier to think back to the different responses I have given.  I even remember shopping in Costa Rica and being heavily questioned while trying to defend myself and my childrens' education to a man that stocked shelves in a grocery store. I was answering questions about testing,  my education, accountability, socialization, college, and PE. Yes, I still shopped there after that incident...hahaha

First of all, it helps that I have been homeschooling since the beginning of our kids schooling.  Maggie is now in the 11th grade and has never been to a public school.  I have been doing this long enough to know and understand all the "myths" that come along with homeschooling in general.  Two of the most common being.....What about their socialization? And (my favorite) What makes you qualified to teach YOUR children?