The happenings of Friday August 16, 2024 through Saturday August 17, 2024 in London, England
We had another slow start to the day with nothing scheduled. Our goal for the day was to make it to the local park, a short bus ride away. We started the day with journaling and a breakfast that never seemed to end. As the boys finished up their journaling and were just starting to get ready to leave, I began receiving texts from friends. “Are the boys available to chat?” “Can we videochat now?” Knowing how much the boys, especially Amichai, were missing their friends and in dire need of social time, I prioritized connecting with everyone who was available over any other goal we had for the day. It also helped diminish the slightly guilty feeling I had about taking the boys out of their social environment. We knew our adventure would be a lifetime opportunity, and we knew it would come at a cost to their feeling connected to friends and social input. We are grateful to all of our children’s friends and their parents who have made a point to keep in touch. It’s amazing how just 10-20 minutes of videochatting or real time texting means the world to the boys and makes such a difference in their day.
At 2:00PM we caught the bus to Victoria Park in Finchley. It was the perfect place to hang out with large green spaces to play soccer with our new soccer ball, a workout area that the boys had fun messing around on, an ice cream shop, tennis courts, and a playground. The most exciting park structure that kept the boys busy for at least a half hour was some kind of hanging merry-go-round, for lack of a better name. At first, the boys took turns claiming they were bored. Over time, they figured out how to make their own fun and had a blast taking turns swinging each other around on the hanging merry-go-round. Amichai impressed himself when he realized he was big enough, and able to jump high enough, to grip the hanging bar while swinging around. I enjoyed the park because I finally had a chance to catch up on some journaling and writing.
As we walked toward the ice cream shop we noticed a pick up soccer game taking place in one of the tennis courts with kids about the boys’ ages. After enjoying our umpteenth ice cream, I encouraged the boys to join the pick up game. Amichai, Eitan, and Matanel all joined in while Shai opted for one-on-one time with me playing pass with the soccer ball. Everyone enjoyed themselves and the boys really appreciated playing with kids their age. Shabbat was just a couple of hours away, so we caught the bus back to give us enough time to shower and get ready before Shabbat started.
Earlier in the week, Emily had organized a Friday night meal for us with her friends JJ and Julia. To avoid a repeat of Dublin, we wrote down our directions, checked, and then rechecked our map several times. Feeling confident, we started our walk to their house. Along the way we passed an urban farm! We saw the biggest hogs I’ve ever seen. Seriously, I thought they were cows from afar. They were that big. There were also horses, mules, and cows. It was surreal. This farm appeared out of nowhere right across the street from some very nice urban houses. After spending a little time looking at the animals, we continued onward to our hosts’ house. We made it without getting lost and on time!
Julia and JJ were exceptional hosts, the food was delicious, and their three boys were the perfect playmates for our children who were still craving social time. We could not have asked for a better guest experience and beginning to Shabbat.
The next day, Shabbat morning, we chose to daven/pray at the shul/synagogue right across from us. JJ had told us that he would be there with one of his boys and they were going to be walking in the same direction as us for Shabbat lunch. We showed up toward the end of davening/prayers. Again, even though I did not have as much time to experience the communal prayers, it felt so familiar even with the subtle and not so subtle differences. There was a sense of belonging just because the prayers are the same and the sermon topics are so similar, especially nowadays.
When JJ was ready to leave, we started walking from Finchley to Hendon. An easy walk, even on a hot day. We were running a little early so we took a bit of a detour to stop at a park per the kids’ requests. About twenty minutes later, we parted ways and began our walk to Leah’s house. Leah, another friend from my gap year, graciously and generously invited us for Shabbat lunch. The thing about Leah is that she makes everything look simultaneously gorgeous and effortless. Leah was so thoughtful about who she invited, including a good friend of hers that Chaim and I happened to meet on our honeymoon in Thailand thirteen years ago, and another family with kids with whom our children could play. Everyone had such a great time. When someone asked Chaim what he did, he realized he had to explain the American healthcare system before he could explain what his company was trying to do. It was an interesting cultural moment for everyone that led to several tangents about differences between the American and British healthcare and education systems. We also learned a new card game, Skyjo. It’s so fun and easy to learn. We have it on our list of things to get when we are back in America.
Just after 5:00PM we said our goodbyes and walked over to Emily’s and Eran’s house to spend the last few hours of Shabbat with them. As we entered their house, Emily turned to me and said, “It feels like we’re just hanging out with old friends. It’s so nice.” It could not have been truer. And, in true Emily fashion, she had the freezer stocked full of ice cream bars and ice lollies for the kids. They were in heaven. At 8:00PM we said our bittersweet goodbyes and made our way home just as Shabbat was ending. We sent the boys to sleep, or at least to read on their Kindles, and started doing laundry and packing. It was hard to believe that our time in London was coming to an end and that we would soon be traveling to faraway places without friends or family again.
