A different kind of rosh hashana

Picture this: surrounded in an ocean of black and white (and the occasional gray) clothing, on the second day of rosh hashana, and here you are, wearing the brightest and most colorful skirt in your closet, in the most charedi neighborhood you've ever been to in your life.
All eyes are on you.
Yes, my friends, that was me two days ago.
I'm sitting on the other side of  the berlin wall mechitza, which is also in a separate ROOM than the men.
It was a different universe. 
Fortunately, after being inundated with Hebrew babbling 24/7, with the occasional few English words interjected for me, I'm becoming quicker at ivrit. Oh, wouldn't Mrs. Grun be proud. 
But what I'm getting to, the redeeming quality of yom tov, was the food. I'm going to be dreaming of bourekas and spicy matbucha while I eat peanut butter sandwiches for dinner over the next month. And the cheesecake-nothing like the American stuff. Earlier this week I made cookies- the same nestle tollhouse recipe I use ALL the time at home, and when I tasted them, I couldn't believe they were the same recipe. Weird. Still trying to figure out why the water tastes like ashes and the flour is more floury.

Solutions

Exactly seven days. Which also means one week to come up with solutions to my packing problems. Unfortunately, two duffel bags just don't cut it.
Fortunately, I had an epiphany: I would humbly succumb to everyone's advice to buy vacuum-seal bags, which, to my pleasant surprise, worked like magic. On the verge of defeat, after requesting worthless help from several basically-worthless Target employees, I was lucky enough to merit some assistance from one of the red-shirts. I rushed home and eagerly stuffed my winter coat, towel sets, linens and God-knows-what-else into a large resealable plastic bag.
I need the space. My bedroom is currently practically being demolished and is an absolute disaster. To get to the closet, I have to step over the suitcases, around the chairs, and over the dangling carpets.
CARPETS?!
Yes, carpets. Due to the last storm, my room flooded and soaked the carpet through. It is now ripped out,  exposing the ugly brown tile underneath, in the meticulous process of drying with small portable fans. Bob the Builder couldn't have done better himself. If I'm lucky, it will be dry by next year.
But oh boy, I was in for a treat.
I don't think anyone should be allowed to have as much fun as I did sealing and resealing those bags with the vacuum cleaner.
I now have freeze-dried clothes that dangle from my hands all in one handy package that I can shove into the recesses of my duffel. 
All the more room for ketchup and tuna fish.

Ten Days and Counting

Ten days and counting.
It seems there should be more paperwork to fill out, but it's finally been completed. Or mostly, anyway.
Even finalizing the bank accounts, a tedious and laborious sore-subject, (especially because I will not be a legal adult until 24 hours after I land in Israel,) is almost out of our minds.
Moving on to bigger and better things like packing. Which is not nearly as easy as it sounds. Filtering out items like crock pots and Heinz ketchup from excessive packing lists sent to me by many well-meaning people is extremely time-consuming.
As if I had room for baby powder, medical tape, and sandwich makers.
If they're taking ketchup, does that make me eligible for hoarding American soda to replace the carbonated mouthwash which Israelis call mint soda? It's a good thing they have falafel going for them.
Almost nine days...