Dateline Jerusalem – Have you ever had one of those days? This one was mine. As I walked to the market, and there was a slight breeze. The scenery was beautiful. Flowers and plants still are in bloom, the sky a sea of blue with billowy cottonball clouds. Either I was talking to myself, and I only do that at home, or I was trying to breathe in the fresh air, but my mouth was open while crossing the street. The next thing I knew, a fly flew into my mouth! I started to choke, gagged, tried to spit it out. Obviously it had a mind of its own. My automatic reflex while trying to breathe was to swallow. That fly is somewhere inside of me. For over 20 years I have kept kosher. Insects other than grasshoppers and locusts, are not kosher. My only thoughts now are what diseases did this fly subject me to. Is it still alive inside of me?
When I got home, I turned off the air conditioner and opened my windows to let in the fresh air. Palm trees were swaying in the breeze, the scent of blossoms and plants filled the air. The aroma of various spices, fried onions and garlic from my neighbors’ kitchens permeated my apartment. One of the great advantages of living in Israel is the diversity of people. Since Jews have been scattered all over the world, traditions, customs and food from their adoptive nations have made their way to Israel. Because we are Jews, food is an important part of our lives, whether for symbolic reasons or because the dinner table is where the family gathers as a cohesive unit.
It’s Humid in Here, Isn’t It?
Unfortunately, flying insects must have been waiting months for me to open my windows. Within minutes they were buzzing around my living room. I started to itch. I looked down at my left wrist, my right forearm, my left ankle. Large red and pink blotches of skin with various sized bumps. It looked as though I had an allergic reaction to something. Could I possibly be allergic to the fly I swallowed? Or am I so sweet that mosquitoes and other flying insects cannot resist me?
Since April, I have been running my air conditioner 24/7. Not because it is overly hot, but I have a major problem with humidity. I walk around Israel as though my face is a round red water balloon with a leak. No one else seems affected as much by the temperature or humidity. Sometimes I hear complaints, but I seem to be the only one with a flushed face, dripping all over. I sit under air conditioner vents or in front of fans. Even if the temperature outside is cooler than indoors, my air conditioner helps with the humidity. I cannot sleep without it. I am used to very hot summers in the California desert. The heat there is dry and bearable. Not so in Rehovot. I decided to give my air conditioner a rest and let Rehovot's non-polluted air fill my lungs.
Shall We Take the Flyaway?
Because the weather is good most of the year, those who sell ice cream from little shops and kiosks do a brisk business. Nothing is more delicious than fresh fruit and nuts mixed with a myriad of unique flavors that make the U.S. chain of 31 Flavors seem limited and boring. The texture of the ice cream is creamy, like that made from an old fashioned ice cream maker. Even during the winter months, this homemade-style ice cream is served. It seems mosquitoes cannot resist creamy frozen delights. Because I speak no Hebrew, I had to point to a mosquito napping in a tub of chocolate mousse ice cream. The owner of the stand fished it out. I lost my appetite. I have become very cognizant of flies, mosquitoes and other flying insects lately.
The other day my neighbor commented on how beautifully one of my plants was growing. It is one of those plants that survives with too little water or too much water. It is the perfect plant for someone like me with a black thumb. Her comment only jinxed my plant. I woke up today to find half the giant leaves had broken off and fallen onto my tile floor. This healthy plant died a sudden death. There was no way I could re-pot it. No wonder we say “bli ayin hara” (without the evil eye) when we want to favorably comment on something. Yes, one of those days.
I do not want anyone to think Israel is full of flies, mosquitoes and flying insects. Or that plants mysteriously die and allergies plague residents. It just seems that things happen with me. In the States, when I was in court in another city, I saw someone limping. By the end of the day I thought I had sprained my ankle and had to drive 50 miles home with the pain, only to find out by x-ray that it was broken. Then there was the time I had a rare reaction to anesthesia, so unusual rare the doctor had seen only three cases in his career. Those people died from it. If it can happen to me, it will. Who else can claim to have swallowed a fly?
L'hitraot. Shachar
