Another reason why we're here

Speaking of G'mar Chatima Tova, here's another thing that makes me giddy like a schoolgirl to be living in Israel.

Back in Vancouver around this time of year, we'd be scrambling to explain to our bosses why we pretty much need off two days in a row every week for 5 weeks straight. Not to mention dealing with the nasty looks from co-workers who were thinking about all the summer vacation time we had just had. Not to mention chasing after city workers who were trimming trees so we could snag some schach. Or begging our neighbours to help us cut down our (and their) wild bamboo for schach. And having people stop and stare as we built a hut in the yard. Or the exhaustion of shopping, cooking, shopping, cooking, shopping, cooking.

Here, all those days off are national holidays. No one gives nasty looks, even though we've all had summer vacation time very recently. Here, they sell schach in front of the home store and at the mall. Here, people might stop and stare, but only in admiration for the elaborate decorations. There's still the shopping and cooking, but instead of having to make nearly everything from scratch, you can do a lot more shopping and a lot less cooking, if you choose. Everyone in Ulpan was talking about Yom Kippur and Sukkot, everyone has family coming (including us! Morey's mum is visiting. And hopefully bringing Scotch).

Even the supermarket had a bin of Sukkah decorations. They looked suspiciously like xmas tree decorations to me, but whatever.

And the topper to this all: the woman who rang us up/checked us out at the supermarket wished us a "G'mar Chatima Tovah" (which basically means, "May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for Good"). It's a normal fact of daily life.

I love it here.