… it has been over a month since my last post.
It’s been a busy time period, lots of things have been happening, and I’m still catching my breath. So now I’m finally writing this post to put it all out there.
So some of you may know, and others may not, that I am looking for a new job.
This is mainly due to the fact that the company I work for has brought in someone to replace me, an “IT Manager”, someone is supposedly to have a much wider range of experience than myself, in order to take the reins.
Personally, I’m not impressed by the choice.
Anyways, I’ve broadened my search parameters to pretty much anywhere in the world, specifically Manhattan or elsewhere in new York City (where this post is being written right now).
Unfortunately, the job market in and around Jerusalem is pretty weak, so any decent job would be in the Gush Dan area, and require a massive commute and/or moving closer to Gush Dan. I’m not happy about moving to another city that is not Jerusalem, as I’ve loved and lived this city for quite a long time now, and am VERY reluctant to leave.
Rationale: If I have to get up and move, I might as well make it a big move that improves some other aspects – better financial situation, better work environment, and less day-to-day crap that is the people in the public eye in this country.
Some history:
I came to Israel in 1988, in the middle of the First Intifada. Not the best environs for raising kids, but my parents believed then (and probably still do) that Israel is the place for Jews on Earth, as handed down by the Lord to Abraham, etc etc.
We lived in an Absorption Center close to Jerusalem for seven months, and I commuted to school in Jerusalem, and then back to after-school tutoring, and finally made it home “under the cover of darkness”.
We then moved to Har Nof, an ultra-orthodox neighborhood with the “suburbs” of Jerusalem, and along came the Gulf War. Just a personal timeline – my Bar Mitzva was a few days before the start of the war, my eldest sister’s wedding was pretty much the day after it ended. Thanks, George Bush, Sr. I will forever associate two important dates in my life with a war.
After spending a few years in Har Nof, and me going through some rough times in Yeshiva, my parents decided that following the commandment of “build a home in Israel” was one they needed to fulfill, and found a small little yishuv that they could build on, as well as an nice small community – and they also had a Yeshiva! So before the house we bought and expanded was complete, we moved to the yishuv (about 50 families living there – and not much more since), I went to the yeshiva there, and our family lived in two “caravans” – essentially big trailers on blocks. Those trailers are still there today.
After a couple years of an entire list of yeshivas not working out, I decided I no longer wanted to continue in a religious school, and my parent’s response was to the gist of “either you study, or you go to work!” I asked to go to a school of my choosing – by they would not hear of it, if it was not a religious environment.
Thus began my daily commute to Jerusalem on the first of a total of three daily public transportation buses from my yishuv to Jerusalem. This was long before bypass roads existed – so many Arab towns were on the way – especially Ramallah.
Let me tell you, boarding a bus covered in iron grilles over the windows is no way for a 15-year-old to start his day, going to work at a Bank in the center of downtown Jerusalem.
I’m tired now, so I’ll continue this in the next post.