meet Latrodectus variolus

After a long battle I have finally recovered from a tête-à-tête meeting with the itsy bitsy spider. It doesn't happen very often but once in a while these creatures end up coming into the north-east part of north america. 

While it is a very small creature and I am sure David would have fallen in love with that thing, it can really create major problem. 

While I was sleeping, the Spider X has decided to have a taste of me. And now just anywhere but on my ring finger. And couple of hours later I was facing un petit problème. 

Oh, well. My reaction was to ask Uncle Chris if he wanted to have an alternative experience of Quebec (yes, it all happened on the other side of the boarder) and to tag alone with me to the nearest hospital. 

First attempt: St Marys hospital. 

Lovely personal, a long queue, 5 attempts to remove the ring (it was cut into two pieces) and the result...

Yes, they didn't know what to do. The suggestion: "if it gets worse, please, come back". 

Second attempt: l'Hopital Saint-Luc

Even more lovelier personal, half didn't speak English (meaning I brushed up on my French exam topic "at the hospital"), even longer queue, but the result was....

each 8 hours (day or night) an IV-injection of antibiotics for the net 72 hours. 

Thank goodness I was not the only weird person that day. I did open the season but there were two pilgarlics, just like me. 

At the end of the day I am happy I got the treatment (will not suggest to try something like that, at all), and I am grateful that there was so much understanding from my friends, supportive words and prayers, from my work and from Mortens client (a key personal not only they gave Morten a bit of a break but had a serious chat with several Mortens colleagues of not making fun of stuff like that!).  

a daycare myth

I always wondered how come it is easy to integrate in Quebec for people from former Eastern block. Good question, right?
Well, believe it or not, but what I realized a minute stepping in Quebec, it is like stepping back to the 80s, where it was all about connections.
Remember - colour televisions did exist, you could get it, but... you needed to knew someone, who knew someone, who would tell you when to be at the right time in the right place.

This is exactly how it works in here.

• One gets a doctor by knowing someone who has one, and would know 6 months before the spot will be available; 
• One gets a spot at the tennis/gymnastics/swimming lessons by knowing from someone on which site to log on, at which time, at which day, or where to be at a certain day;
• One gets a 7 dollar daycare by ....

Talking about a 7 dollar daycare. For a year I will pay less money then I would pay for a crappy daycare in NYC.
There are certain ways of getting such a daycare.

1. There is a site where one can check on availability http://www.mfa.gouv.qc.ca/_Layouts/mfa/isf/pdf/MONTREAL.PDF
2. Learn French 
3. If you know French - start calling and leaving messages and calling back and talking to personal
4. But the most important! Plan to give birth in September! (I am not joking) September is a switch month, where older kids move to pre-school and spots can become up.
5. And then, one you get one, take it! This is like a lottery, the chance happens only once. 

So I managed to negotiate a spot for Yaakov in a such daycare which is a wonderful relief for my mother-in-law, who takes care of the baby in between our work and numerous amount of flights. This way it will give her an opportunity to have 6 hours free a day.
Then came the paperwork. So if one is not on a certain work permit (you see, Mortens work permit will not cut it, so I had to get mine rolling), you will not be certified by the authorities to get such a place. The number, that is hidden in your work permit is crusial. Thank goodness the lady who were taking our papers knew exactly which numbers to look for and where. And mine was the right one!
Then we wait and in about 2-3 weeks (pretty fast in Quebec standards) one receives the verdict.
And yes, a myth comes true.
The last step is the most interesting. You receive a stuck of papers which you need to sign:

• if the child is allowed to get a sun cream
• in the case of the emergency, who goes with whom to the ER
• in the case of the fever ....
• in the case of the running nose ...
• in the case of a baboon bottom ...

however my favourite were:

• in the case of a fall, does your child allowed to have a band-ache (does any one ever said "no" to that)?
• in the case you can't or forget (!) to pick up your child, whom should we call, please state 2 names 

Oh well, let the fun begin

Freedom from religion?

Being raised in a multicultural family, in a multicultural city and attending school with multicultural children gets one to face some interesting choices.


One of the Danish Traditions are that most of the kids in Denmark will confirm their belief in the protestant faith when they are 13-14 years old. Unfortunately this has become more of a tradition then a real call of ones believes. At that age, many feel that you're an outsider if you don't do what everyone else does. That involves attending a Danish church for confirmation classes - once a month where it is talked about believe, Danish culture and background, about God and other important question in life, Psalms are introduced,  in the case of our family, really understand why you would want to have confirmation. 


One of the Jewish Traditions are that when Jewish boys become 13, they are accountable for their actions and become a Bar Mitzvah. Even that this is a tradition as well, the spiritual side of that is taken more seriously. It is required to attend a minimum number of Shabbat prayer services, study at a Hebrew School, take on a community service project (Helen, we willin need to help you out with your shopping) and maintain membership in good standing with the synagogue. Hebrew, Torah cantillation and understanding of basic Jewish concepts are required as well.



The idea of our family is not to decide for our kid (we have already decided to many things for him) but to give him an opportunity to discover what HE really wants, feel, stand for and wishes to represent.



To support his thought, I have given him an interesting unorthodox book to read called "Does my head look big in this?" by Randa Abdel-Fattah. It is a book about an Aussie muslim girl, who is trying to decide if she wants to be a muslim and wear hijab full time, if so, will she dare to go to school and not to be laughed at, or if she decides to be like everyone else and follow the crowd. That book is written in a humour way for teens but touches a very sensible topic about how to find your our identity and stand for it. It is not a religious book, oh, far from it, it doesn't try to sell that one religion is better than the other, but just trying to show the feelings and thoughts that come thru the head of a kid living in a different environment. Exactly what is happening with him right now.

Formula 1

So it is Formula 1 in the city. Finally we got a chance to go and experience such an event.

It is all about fast cars, fast girls (this time with more clothes due to the weather), fast food (poutine - the local French fries with melted cheese) and burn your money as fast as possible.

I don't think one realize the level of noise and excitement. One thing to see the race on the TV, completely different in real life. 

Of course one needs to be prepared.

Sort out the camera, prepare the zoom and get ready.

And then in a split second comes the noise, then the car and just like that it disappears. 

Truth v lies

I just love people full of hopes, enthusiastic, thinking that they can change the world. That make me feel so old, so "well-travelled". I battle with myself not to be cynical, negative and ready to give up because that is not me. I wish them all the best, try to support with what they do or willing to do. But then it comes this little devil on my shoulder and asks me, but why? why do you want to help? will it help you in any way? 

Today I was asked about our experience to be sent abroad and the way we were treated by the company. I was asked by someone who is obviously not satisfied with the treatment, expected far more in pay, help, information and understanding. 

But what can I say? Should I say the truth? That the company sucks? That all senior management is only worried about their wallets and how to minimize the cost on the expense of the stuff? Should I say if one isn't on everyday basis at the office but actually there, at the client, making money, then one is out of sight out of mind? Should I say that HR, or should we say human capital, are so incompetent that  they sends employees on tourist visitor records to work? 

But why should I bother? Because at the end of the day, I am afraid the truth doesn't matter or does it? 

May seems to disappear

May has passed and we haven't even had a chance to enjoy it to full. As usual we are extremely busy and time just flies away from us.

So putting aside that, what did had happened in May...
In the beginning of the of the month we welcomed Uncle Chris to North America where finally he got to meet all the family, especially the one, who was called after him. Mashas reaction on Chris was unforgettable. The first day after Chris has arrived she told him off, in Brooklyn English (a horror of a proper Englishman), not to splash water while taking a bath and kindly to go and clean up after himself. Last time Chris saw her in Barcelona, where not only she couldn't really speak neither English or French, but was jet-lagged toddler. Now she is a lady with attitude, who knows what she wants, when and watching you.

May was the finish line for many things: school, violin, gymnastics, choir, running. With our crazy life for the past year: (yes, we live in NYC; yes, we work and go to school in Montreal; yes, we travel every week, occasionally every second week) our kids has performed brilliantly in school. Not only they have been approved to CP and 5eme (which in a French system school, one has to qualify in order to be allowed to continue), but have shown great results over all.
David have won a French math competition, came 3rd on Canadian math competition and at the end of the year, received an award for the scientific achievements at the school.

He has been approved by his violin teacher and encourage to apply for Juilliard School and McGill Conservatory violin class, which makes our summer even busier as we have to prepare a program in order to get in.

Masha has been doing great with violin as well. She has been playing only for 3 months now but has shown a great success in technic. Started tennis lessons and continuing with gymnastics. In a week, she will be performing in a choir, which will mark the end of the season for her.

And how about Jascha? Well, that guy is a size of a 12 month baby (he is only 8), has a tooth and makes everyone happy.

We have managed finally to celebrate both Mashas and Davids birthdays (note: they are from December and November accordantly), managed to visit Ottawa, Princeton University, David met with Itzhak Perlman

and just had fun.