Late June--notes from abroad

So here it is, in brief: Am trying to buy a car, so I can get a job (you have heard of "chicken and egg"?) Shopped around, here there is no hard sell, and they all give directions to each other's dealerships! Settled on Hyundai Accent, 2008, last week. Took my financial info in today.

Still not sure about the car--tonight I talked for about 15 minutes with a loan officer (all in Hebrew, on the phone, my worst nightmare! I can't get by with my sincere but uncomprehending smile!) and while he was nice enough, even by Israeli standards (they are notoriously prickly sometimes) I don't know if they will give me the financing.

But I can't tell you how often I have presented myself at an office (gov't, or cellphone or bank) and had the clerk tappety-tap on the computer and frown and call managers, and tap some more and call some more, and then suddenly ("chick-chak" as we say in Hebrew) say "OK it's fine. We're done" Leaving me, well, confused!

So I am patient and if the car dealer won't give it to me, surely the bank will, where I now have quite a few shekels on deposit! I'm not worried--will deal with it, whatever it is.

Learned today how to go to a machine that is an ATM and get printouts of statements, and all kinds of other cool stuff--I was sent by the car saleswoman (her name is "Lee-aht") because the bank info wasn't what she needed. Instructions (civilized) in English, printout in Hebrew (OK because I knew what it was, since I asked for it!) Life here is deductive reasoning at its most intense!