finally home

In some ways, I felt more at home in Italy than I did/do in Israel. In the 10-11 days my little family was in Italy, I've started picking up on convenient, daily Italian phrases and could order off the Italian menu with just some guessing stabs a la knowledge of some Romance language roots. Then we fly back and it's once again utter, frustrating incomprehension at Hebrew letters on the signs everywhere.

Still, it's nice to be back in one's own apartment. Tomorrow, Daniel returns to math research and job applications for next year. I with Declan in tow shall unpack, clean the house, go grocery-shopping, and maybe babysit for someone who's moving away from Haifa just when we've met (sad!), and maybe catch the bus to the mall to pick up my finally-repaired laptop. If this very last step is met with success, I plan to organize some vacation pictures while Declan watches VeggieTales split-screen style on said laptop.

It's pretty late now, so I shan't go into details about the trip we just returned from. But I will, later, and perhaps recount things by contrasting Cortina D'Ampezzo with Venice, the two cities we spent time in whilst in Italy--and how the first city totally kicked the second city's ass in awesomeness.

For now, it's back to sweaty, hilly Haifa. And I just remembered I also need to start searching in earnest for a midwife/doula/birth facility in preparation of my daughter's birth.