Week 24: Lucky we didn't buy a dishwasher

Mati, Michael, Ofri, come here for a moment, we want to talk to you. Mati, take off the VR glasses

I'm just adjusting the settings for Michael. It's fine, I can see you

I want to see your eyes

What happened?

Ofri, Michael sit down. Ofri, get off the table

Well, as you know, the company I work for is going through difficulties and they started significant layoffs and fired me

Michael: So when are we going back to Israel?

In two or three months

Michael: Okay. Can I go back to VR?

Mati (hugging Yoala): I'm sad for you, but I'm really happy for us. Can I go back to Fortnite?

Ofri: So we will return to Israel for Friday-Saturday and then come back here. Because it's boring in Israel

That's it, and then everyone went back to their activities. The most anti-climactic thing ever

Twenty-four hours back, after my weekend in Santa Marta, while Yoala was coming to terms with the understanding that the decision had likely already been made and it was just a matter of days, she scheduled a call with human resources

There is a board meeting on Friday, there are two camps - Camp Mark supports continuing the current situation, Camp Tim wants to go for a round of layoffs. We'll update you when a decision is made

And me?

In layoffs

Well, I can't be kept in the dark for too long, if I'm fired that has a lot of family implications. If there's no answer within two weeks I'll have to rush you and resign

We're going to pick up Judy from the airport

After two hours, another call: We're sorry to announce that the decision has been made

In the evening, an email is received from the owners' representative to all employees: We would like to inform you that Mark has left the company... we thank him for his significant contributions... For those of you who are concerned about the situation, it is stated that those who are directly affected by his departure have already been updated. In hindsight, it turned out that Mark and everyone he hired were fired

We're sitting with grandma and unloading all the gifts from the country:

Pickles, Bamba, tahini, Time Out, curry paste from Judy

Digital book reader, VR - for Michael (an early Bar Mitzvah gift)

A box of Peini-Pori, a weekend newspaper from Haaretz for the 20 questions from Daniel and Julia

Homemade cookies, a board game, a notebook of funny riddles from the Afri towns

Pocket money for the kids, brioche cakes from grandma Ilana

Michael is happy

Ofri is complaining that only Michael received gifts

Yoala and I are sour, instead of sweet reminders from Israel, more things to bring back to Israel, excitement that was missed

We go out for a walk with Toto, come back and Mati asks: What happened?

Nothing, we took Toto out

No! Something happened. I can see... the next day he added, I knew something happened

I immediately started to act, to plan ahead, school, work, to take care of Yoala, to plan how to tell the kids: festive dinner - eggplant curry for the adults, barbecue for the kids

The next day, after we told them, each one retreated into themselves. I went to cook the festive meal. I put on music in my headphones, sadness began to wash over me. I've already experienced this in the past six months and surrendered to the feelings that flooded me. Yoala may be broken, but I’m also allowed to be sad. Just now I accepted that my two weeks in Israel were canceled. I'm not done here, feeling that I've just begun my personal journey

After the kids went to bed, we stayed to talk, curse, and vent about those lousy English people - neo-colonialism at its best... or in Israeli terms: they always screw over the black people

Yoala wants us to take advantage of the remaining time to travel, I feel the bubble I built with great difficulty has burst and I'm left only with the longing. I want to go home

We settled on 1/8 and decided to take a five-day vacation in the Coffee Valley, six hours drive from home, and not decide for now. We left at 11:00, drove all day on winding roads in the mountains, listening to the blog's playlist - it was when we landed in Costa Rica, it was running in Prutiriro, it was when we arrived in Colombia... One and a half hours of playlist, we went through a lot. We arrived at 21:00 at the cabin, put the kids to sleep, a bit of crying, and went to bed

I dedicated to Yoala the song by Korin Elal: The Knightly Industry

They completely took her heart... also because of the project itself that she led right up to the starting line with the beginning of the planting season and will not get to see it come to fruition and also because of the disgusting behavior of those English people who shrugged her off in one day. So we went a little under the radar. In the last two days, we've been doing a morning recovery meditation, doing a bit of touring, and starting to talk about the future

He received an invitation to build a ship that would sail from place to place

With thirty cannons and a hundred sailors and a relief of a lion on the bow

...

The court advisor already spoke highly of him and confirmed the details of the plan

And even the king's eldest son himself supported the Crusader ship

...

He worked seriously, it was half art and half hardworking ants

He gave his all as did his crew, he didn't give rest to the tools

...

And within the metal workshops, he knows every item

Unit pride is the bread of the knightly industry

...

Ten years passed, there were still repairs and last screws to strengthen

But then a disease in the wheat was discovered, the advisor had already begun to doubt

...

He worked every hour, did not look at the sunset that fell like a sack on his back

They gave him support at the royal palace but they would also take his heart

See you next week