Swirling Thoughts #126 – it’s the caring

We’re not standing on ceremony. You want my number? Just ask me.
In the hospital doctors reach midwives and nurses by calling them on their cell phones. And vice-versa. There’s no paging Dr. Cohen to the delivery room stat. They just call Dr. Cohen on her cell.

If you need to reach someone – anyone – they give you their cell phone number. You want to call your child’s teacher, your doctor, lawyer, mechanic, or school principal, you dial their cell. I had to leave a dentist appointment before I got the results of Asher’s x-ray. The dentist gave me his cell phone number and told me to call him while he’s driving home and he could go over it with me. 6 cavities and 2 possible root canals – lucky it was him driving and me sitting on my couch.

Some things are just different here
In funny little we’re-taking-a-field-trip-below-sea-level-and-we-have-to-bring-chewing-gum ways.

Holiday closeouts – who knew?
Kids who don’t know who or what the Easter bunny is give each other mugs with Easter bunnies on them as birthday gifts. People decorate their sukkahs with tinsel and illuminate their gardens with red and green spotlights.

Grammar matters
Waitresses offer you ‘Thousand Islands’ dressing – because if there are a thousand of them, of course you would use the plural – and supermarket clerks are truly dismayed when you refuse a sale item or (gasp) opt out of a moadoan – ‘club membership’ - (that would save you fifty shekel on this very order!).

Extra shopping bags to soften the blow of Bob’s illiteracy
When Bob refused the moadoan in Shefashuk, the reaction was utter shock.
Mapiton? Just a minute to fill out the form!
It’s hard for me, Bob explained. Hebrew is not my first language. These questions are hard for me to answer. He motioned to the form.
Ah, but we will help you! Tell me, what is your cell phone?
No, it’s okay. Bob stood his ground. I have to hurry. The baby is waiting. He motioned to our two full wagons.
We will help you! Someone is paged to come help Bob with the wagons as the small crowd that’s gathered starts (gasp) bagging his groceries.

He asks for some extra bags and they give him the entire bunch.

As he walks his first wagon load out of the store, hands clenching maybe 100 extra grocery bags, they call after him.
Don’t forget your other wagon sir! And welcome to Israel!