Well. I made it back. It's so green here!! I have been on the go since I landed. Got home yesterday around 5:30, got a hair cut at 6:00, ate a burrito at 7:00 (YUMMMMMMM), went to bed around 9:00. This morning I got up at 6:30 and mom and I drove to Colton for my second interview at 10:00. I did not end up getting the job, but in all honesty I actually feel very relieved about it. I am crossing my fingers now for the Instructional Assistant position at Kennedy, but if that does not work either then something else will.
After the interview I went to Willamette University and surprised Stacy, it was so great to see her. I even got to see Erik for a minute. I visited with my college coach, Matt McGuirk, and enjoyed that as well. After that mom and I went to Grandma and Grandpa's for a short visit and then came home. Oh wait, I can't leave out that I ate a waffle with strawberries and whipped cream for lunch....oh man...yummmm again. I wonder when I'll start to miss hummus instead.
Now I'm home and ready for a nap, just a little one! Night night;)
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Coming Home
Well it's the day before I leave Israel, exactly one year since I left home. Last week I went up to Karmiel to visit my friends from Ulpan. On Monday I visited with Milton and his son Allan (it's too bad Danny is still in Brazil, I won't get to say goodbye). We had a good day just kind of hanging out at his house. On Tuesday I went with Tatiana, Yoel, Vadim, Diana and her family and friends from Ecuador to the beach in Netanya. I actually hadn't even spent any time on the beach there before. At first it was rather disappointing...the sand was big and grainy and the waves were far to rough for Yoel to swim at all. After a long trek down the beach and along the road (barefoot! oops!) I found a really nice beach. It cost a few dollars to get in but it was clean and the water was slow like in a little lagoon....it was perfect. I spent a wonderful 45 minutes in the water with Yoel, having that kind of fun that you miss from when you were a kid, and talking away in Hebrew...it was so nice. A great time with Tatiana and Diana, I will miss them so much!
It was a really good time up in the North, but hard to say goodbye.
Last night I went out to Tel Aviv with Ben and we met up with Tamar for dinner. It's really too bad I didn't get to spend more time with her because she is such an easy friend to have. Once again...why am I so much better at making new girlfriends in Israel than I ever was at home?! Ben has my camera right now but I'll post some pictures here soon.
Tonight we are going out to dinner with Eran, Bubi, and Dudu (yes those are nicknames), and after that I have a phone interview for a math position at a middle school in Oregon. Wish me a quick mind and good speaking skills..I'll have to remember not to answer in Hebrew!
It was a really good time up in the North, but hard to say goodbye.
Last night I went out to Tel Aviv with Ben and we met up with Tamar for dinner. It's really too bad I didn't get to spend more time with her because she is such an easy friend to have. Once again...why am I so much better at making new girlfriends in Israel than I ever was at home?! Ben has my camera right now but I'll post some pictures here soon.
Tonight we are going out to dinner with Eran, Bubi, and Dudu (yes those are nicknames), and after that I have a phone interview for a math position at a middle school in Oregon. Wish me a quick mind and good speaking skills..I'll have to remember not to answer in Hebrew!
Berlitz
I looked back at the last post I made and realized it was made the same week I began working at Berlitz. Berlitz was nuts. Working with the adults was really ok, they were all very nice and easy to talk to (although not level one because they started with no English), it was the kids that were the devils. The first week of camps I taught 9-11 year olds from 9:00-12:30 and then 13-14 year olds from 1:00- 4:30 and then adults from either 5:30-7:45 or 10:00.....it was awful! So much for Berlitz having everything planned for you, I spent hours planning for my classes (especially the kids classes). I would get to work at 7:15 and work in the hallway until someone came to open the doors at 8:00 so I could really get working. The kids were awful...and that's an understatement. The little ones started off ok, they were cute and sweet and enjoyed any game I thought of. The teens were a big of a challenge at first because they didn't want to be there and they were extremely bored. Then everything switched, the teens got used to it or something and the kids got too comfortable and turned horrid. This one kid who was pretty darn cute was really nice until the moment something didn't go exactly how he wanted it and then he would transition into a little brat. . The next 2 weeks were ok because I only had one camp. These were 7 and 8 year olds and there were only 4 of them. One of them only spoke arabic and the other three only hebrew. They didn't know any English...it was so hard to teach them! Two of them were friends who had been in camp all summer together and I got to experience the end of that summer...what fun.
Here is a list of some of the things that happened during this summer at Berlitz Camp
1. Throwing pens
2. kicking
3. name calling
4. yelling, yelling, yelling
5. refusing to listen (even if my face was right in front of their's is was like they could see right through me to continue yelling at another kid)
6. running away (I had to block the elevator twice
7. playing with ipods and cell phones and refusing to put them away
8. calling parents to complain during the camp
9. whining
10. strangling!
11. Refusing to do the final project when the parents and other camp kids came to watch. For the second camp this left one kid and myself singing a song in front of about 20 people. The kid's sister stood up there with him for moral support (he was a rascal during the week, but he was rather cute during that song).
Really, I think these kids are a combinations of 2 year olds and 13 year olds. It's like they are in the middle of their terrible two's but they think they are grown up like 13 year olds. Kids in Israel go out on the buses alone and stay out at night in the streets when they are 8 years old! I think it's pretty crazy.
I did have a few good experiences at Berlitz. For example, all of my adult students seemed to enjoy having me as their teacher and were sad to see me go. My coworkers were all very cool and made the work environment comfortable. Oh, and I earned some money...that's a plus!
I didn't last long at Berlitz, it was a bit of an unorganized mess of a business. I think maybe it was just Israelized, which made it kind of fall a part. For example, we weren't asked what supplies we needed for the camps, they just ordered without us and the supplies didn't come until the camp was OVER!!
Anyway, glad I did it, glad it's over...moving on.
Here is a list of some of the things that happened during this summer at Berlitz Camp
1. Throwing pens
2. kicking
3. name calling
4. yelling, yelling, yelling
5. refusing to listen (even if my face was right in front of their's is was like they could see right through me to continue yelling at another kid)
6. running away (I had to block the elevator twice
7. playing with ipods and cell phones and refusing to put them away
8. calling parents to complain during the camp
9. whining
10. strangling!
11. Refusing to do the final project when the parents and other camp kids came to watch. For the second camp this left one kid and myself singing a song in front of about 20 people. The kid's sister stood up there with him for moral support (he was a rascal during the week, but he was rather cute during that song).
Really, I think these kids are a combinations of 2 year olds and 13 year olds. It's like they are in the middle of their terrible two's but they think they are grown up like 13 year olds. Kids in Israel go out on the buses alone and stay out at night in the streets when they are 8 years old! I think it's pretty crazy.
I did have a few good experiences at Berlitz. For example, all of my adult students seemed to enjoy having me as their teacher and were sad to see me go. My coworkers were all very cool and made the work environment comfortable. Oh, and I earned some money...that's a plus!
I didn't last long at Berlitz, it was a bit of an unorganized mess of a business. I think maybe it was just Israelized, which made it kind of fall a part. For example, we weren't asked what supplies we needed for the camps, they just ordered without us and the supplies didn't come until the camp was OVER!!
Anyway, glad I did it, glad it's over...moving on.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
I'm still here...
Our neighborhood:
We're settled here in our apartment in Rishon LeZion now. I started my job this week. I am working at Berlitz teaching English. On the 3rd I should be starting a summer camp for children during the day as well as teaching adults in the evenings. It looks like it's actually going to be a pretty busy summer.
I really do miss my friends in Karmi'el. Some of these pictures are from a BBQ at milton's house...so fun! I am hoping to go up there this week to see them. Tatiana is going back to Germany for a month so it would be nice to see her before she takes off. I met another nice 28 year old, I seem to be very lucky meeting friends here. We met at the training for Berlitz. She is from Australia. We don't have much time to get together, but it is nice to know that there is someone nearby with at least the potential to get together without having to travel too much.
Ben is doing great in the Army and absolutely LOVING his job. On Tuesday they army took at 'building morale' day and spent it at a water park, I was so jealous. These are his friends from army. Eran on the left (he has helped us SO much), Joni on the right, and Avi at the bottom (Avi is Ben's commander).
Despite the little afternoon when Ben was sick and I passed out, we are both doing/feeling very well now. We had a lovely afternoon at the beach last weekend. We played Matka until I had blisters and laid in the sun until we burned...whoops. Summer is supposed to begin on June 21st and this year I really think he did...on the dot. It no longer cools down in the evenings here, although so far it is still livable. We don't have to turn the air conditioning on except for moments when we just can't stand it, but they are rare, and short-lived.
Ben and I on the way to see the Monkey's at the Monkey Forest! (It was overrated)
Funny Moment of the Month: Within 5 minutes at the market in Tel Aviv both Tamar (28 year old friend from Berlitz) and I had been mistaken to be Ben's MOTHER!! How is this possible?!!!
Diana at home on Kibbutz Bar-Am (Beautiful Kibbutz, beautiful woman!)
Diana and I on a bike ride on Kibbutz Bar-Am
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Shavua Tov
I had my oral test in Hebrew class today, it went great! It felt like I was just rattling off in hebrew as if it were English, I'm sure I was really speaking rather slowly, but it felt like I was speaking so fast!
Here are some pics from the visit with Ben's family in Portland. It was pretty funny...I haven't riden a camel here in Israel, or in Egypt but I found one to sit on right there at OMSI.
We had a great Independence Day here in Israel (it was Tuesday). Monday night we joined Tatiana, David, and Yoel at the amphitheater for a kids show, music, and fireworks. Then Tuesday Ben and I went on a LONG walk and then Tatiana and I studied in the park. It was a really nice day, although I kind of wished I were a kid because they had a lot of fun things in the park. Those blow up play things you can jump, flop, and bounce on....fun!
I miss you mom.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Re-Start
Well, I'm back. Back in Israel and back on my blog. I'm not sure what overcame me the past few months that stopped me from writing here, but I have to say it was most likely the fact that I was busy with life. I really have been enjoying myself lately:) I had a wonderful trip home last month, I was so happy to see everybody. Really, I was in heaven.
Before I came to visit, Irina made a trip to Israel for three weeks. It was so great to see her and even though I only got to see her on the weekends it was really a good trip, I think she would agree too. Ben did get a little time off from Army to spend with her as well.
Ben is now permanently stationed in Rishon LeZion, having the time of his life. His commitment extends until the middle of December, by which time he will have been in the Army for a full year. At this new base he is having too much fun though. Watch this video to see what he is up to. Give the site a moment to load and then scroll down to the first video. It is in hebrew but the you can get an idea from the video images.
Since Ben is stationed in the center and I am living in the North, we are waiting until Ulpan is over and then moving again. Yesterday was our first day of searching. It's really not a fun process, and we seem to do it more than most people. It was made easier though by the fact that one of Ben's friends from Army drove us around and helped us out with calling and talking to people, that took A LOT of stress off of it, it's so hard in Hebrew!! Especially negotiating price, which is essential. We are finding that it will be quite a bit more expensive to live in this part of the country than it was up in Karmi'el, and it will certainly be a different atmosphere. We hope to live close enough to the beach to make it feel worth living in a city environment. We'll see what works out though, there are always busses, and Israel is pretty good about transportation (except when it's not).
A few days ago we went to a concert in Karmi'el, the band that I knew was Balkan Beat Box, the others I did not know, but it was all enjoyable. It was really a great night. We went with Tatiana and David (the concert was at David's College and he got us the tickets through the student union). It was a great night. No pictures because they would not allow cameras. Tuesday is Independence day here in Israel and we all have the day off. I think Ben will be going to some Army Bases with David and Yoel (Tatiana and David's 5 yr old son), while Tatiana and I stay home, relax, and study for our big oral hebrew exam next thursday;)
I am in Rishon now with Ben and headed back up to Karmi'el as soon as the trains start up again, unfortunately that is not until 9:00pm!! It will be a late night, but as everyone keeps having to remind me, I am young:)
I do have some pics to share, both from my trip back home and some from here, I will share them when I write next (this week!!) because I don't have the camera cord here. I'm looking forward to a good week trying to cram in studying, Ben time, and some good quality time with my friend's before we move.
Before I came to visit, Irina made a trip to Israel for three weeks. It was so great to see her and even though I only got to see her on the weekends it was really a good trip, I think she would agree too. Ben did get a little time off from Army to spend with her as well.
Ben is now permanently stationed in Rishon LeZion, having the time of his life. His commitment extends until the middle of December, by which time he will have been in the Army for a full year. At this new base he is having too much fun though. Watch this video to see what he is up to. Give the site a moment to load and then scroll down to the first video. It is in hebrew but the you can get an idea from the video images.
Since Ben is stationed in the center and I am living in the North, we are waiting until Ulpan is over and then moving again. Yesterday was our first day of searching. It's really not a fun process, and we seem to do it more than most people. It was made easier though by the fact that one of Ben's friends from Army drove us around and helped us out with calling and talking to people, that took A LOT of stress off of it, it's so hard in Hebrew!! Especially negotiating price, which is essential. We are finding that it will be quite a bit more expensive to live in this part of the country than it was up in Karmi'el, and it will certainly be a different atmosphere. We hope to live close enough to the beach to make it feel worth living in a city environment. We'll see what works out though, there are always busses, and Israel is pretty good about transportation (except when it's not).
A few days ago we went to a concert in Karmi'el, the band that I knew was Balkan Beat Box, the others I did not know, but it was all enjoyable. It was really a great night. We went with Tatiana and David (the concert was at David's College and he got us the tickets through the student union). It was a great night. No pictures because they would not allow cameras. Tuesday is Independence day here in Israel and we all have the day off. I think Ben will be going to some Army Bases with David and Yoel (Tatiana and David's 5 yr old son), while Tatiana and I stay home, relax, and study for our big oral hebrew exam next thursday;)
I am in Rishon now with Ben and headed back up to Karmi'el as soon as the trains start up again, unfortunately that is not until 9:00pm!! It will be a late night, but as everyone keeps having to remind me, I am young:)
I do have some pics to share, both from my trip back home and some from here, I will share them when I write next (this week!!) because I don't have the camera cord here. I'm looking forward to a good week trying to cram in studying, Ben time, and some good quality time with my friend's before we move.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Old City Akko with Friends
About two weeks ago we (Ben and I) took a little trip to Akko (about 20 minutes away) with Diana and her husband Badim. This was the first time I met Badim, which was important to me because I like Diana very much. They took a car from Kibbutz Bar-Am (where they live), which is about 45 minutes north of Karmiel. Then together, we headed to Akko. We wanted to eat brunch/lunch at Hummous Said (I believe I have mentioned this restaurant before). Ben and I ate there when we visited Haifa in December, but this time it was already closed (they only stay open until the food is gone, and it always goes...very popular place). So, we settled for a different hummous place, which was really just as good (perhaps better?).
I have been to Akko before but this time we explored places I had never seen, actually I didn't even know they existed. It was amazing. We went underneath the Akko Citadel to see the ruins of the Crusaders fortress, which are actually still being excavated. The Crusaders fortress was built at the beginning of the 11th century....that is SO old! The citadel, which sits on top of the ruins, was the palace of the Governor during the 18th and 19th centuries and then became a British prison in later years. The prison is actually where Ben had the ceremony when he was sworn into the army. I think my favorite part (and this is a bit embarassing) was the lavoratory! I just love seeing the evidence of daily life such a long time ago. Even though our lives are so different than then, we still have that necessity in common:)
I have been to Akko before but this time we explored places I had never seen, actually I didn't even know they existed. It was amazing. We went underneath the Akko Citadel to see the ruins of the Crusaders fortress, which are actually still being excavated. The Crusaders fortress was built at the beginning of the 11th century....that is SO old! The citadel, which sits on top of the ruins, was the palace of the Governor during the 18th and 19th centuries and then became a British prison in later years. The prison is actually where Ben had the ceremony when he was sworn into the army. I think my favorite part (and this is a bit embarassing) was the lavoratory! I just love seeing the evidence of daily life such a long time ago. Even though our lives are so different than then, we still have that necessity in common:)
If my memory serves me, this is a room that was used for torture and imprisonment. It was a very eerie room.
And this is Diana and I in the courtyard. Much of this was not even excavated the last time Ben visited!
A the entrance to the Citadel is a garden. Well, that's what it is called, but I'm not sure I would call it that. It has a fountain and some beautiful trees surrounding it. I took many pictures of the trees...they are green, green is like a magnet for me here in Israel....where it is, I go.
Other than the Citadel/Fortress tour, we also just toured around the market (sh-ooh-k) on our own. It really is an interesting city. It is on the water so we went to the port and took some pictures...it was a nice day at first, but later it turned very windy and the sky turned grey, not only with clouds, but with sand. It wasn't anything close to a sand storm, but sand was definitely flying around, turning the day hazy. However, the first half of the day was absolutely beautiful!
I have too much to write about...more soon. (actually, another trip to Akko!)
Oops...good thing Serge just reminded me..I almost left without revealing the 'surprise'. Well, you may already know, but...I bought a plane ticket home for April 7th and I'll be staying three whole weeks! I celebrate every time I remember:)
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Bad blogger!
Well...it has been too long again! But I'm going to bed now.....come see me tomorrow for:
pictures of friends, pictures of my 'artwork', stories of our adventures with Irina, Ben's graduation, weekend in Beer Sheva with sweet baby Iftach, more hebrew, fun with friends in akko, maybe some other random things I remember about the past few weeks.....and a special surprise (which is only really a surprise to some of you) Anyway, I will be writing tomorrow so don't think I've forgotten you!
pictures of friends, pictures of my 'artwork', stories of our adventures with Irina, Ben's graduation, weekend in Beer Sheva with sweet baby Iftach, more hebrew, fun with friends in akko, maybe some other random things I remember about the past few weeks.....and a special surprise (which is only really a surprise to some of you) Anyway, I will be writing tomorrow so don't think I've forgotten you!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
יש הרבה גשם עכשיו
There is a lot of rain right now! It is good for Israel, but not so nice to be in. There is also a bit of thunder and lightening. I hope that it will clear up a bit before Irina gets here, not that she hasn't seen rain before, but it would be nice to be able to walk around.
Today mom and dad met a whole room full of friends. We had class at Merkaz Klita (the place where most of the new immigrants live when they are settling in) and went up to Milton's room during our break. One of the people in our class (Meheratoo, not sure how to spell that), is from Ethiopia and had never used a computer before this month! He was so surprised to hear that you could see people over the internet that I just had to call mom and dad over Skype to show him. He was amazed that we were seeing people so far away, it was pretty cool to show him....actually it is rather amazing (thank goodness for internet!).
I also got up the guts to say something to the class this week about being quiet in the classroom so that we we can actually learn. I said everything almost right and it made perfect sense to me, but unfortunately the problem is that the people I really wanted to listen don't know enough hebrew to understand me!! So we had some quiet for about 30 minutes, but today was still pretty bad. לא טוב
We started learning the past tense, which so far is definitely a challange...the words don't sound the same in the past tense. Like in English it is easy to see the similarity between "I want" and "I wanted", but in Hebrew it is a little different, more like "I think," and "I thought". However, the rules are actually followed in Hebrew, less crazy exceptions than in English so I shouldn't complain....at least I'm not trying to learn English.
I had visitors this week. Adi and Etan came up from Beer Sheva to visit. Ben wasn't here though. We went to Tsfat and walked all around the city. It's a religious artists community so there were SO many gallaries, I wished I had lots of money because some of the stuff was really gorgeous! It was certainly worth seeing. I want to go again when the weather is better because it is up in the mountains and has a great view, but both times that I have visted Tsfat it has been very cloudy.
I'm very excited for Ben to come home since I haven't seen him since last Sunday. He will either be coming home Thursday night or Friday morning, I don't need to tell you which one I would prefer:) He has been asked to make a slide show of the pictures he is taking on base for the graduation ceremony on March 3rd. It's really cool that he was asked to do that...I don't think they usually have someone taking pictures. It will be very exciting to see what he puts together. He can be very creative!
Today mom and dad met a whole room full of friends. We had class at Merkaz Klita (the place where most of the new immigrants live when they are settling in) and went up to Milton's room during our break. One of the people in our class (Meheratoo, not sure how to spell that), is from Ethiopia and had never used a computer before this month! He was so surprised to hear that you could see people over the internet that I just had to call mom and dad over Skype to show him. He was amazed that we were seeing people so far away, it was pretty cool to show him....actually it is rather amazing (thank goodness for internet!).
I also got up the guts to say something to the class this week about being quiet in the classroom so that we we can actually learn. I said everything almost right and it made perfect sense to me, but unfortunately the problem is that the people I really wanted to listen don't know enough hebrew to understand me!! So we had some quiet for about 30 minutes, but today was still pretty bad. לא טוב
We started learning the past tense, which so far is definitely a challange...the words don't sound the same in the past tense. Like in English it is easy to see the similarity between "I want" and "I wanted", but in Hebrew it is a little different, more like "I think," and "I thought". However, the rules are actually followed in Hebrew, less crazy exceptions than in English so I shouldn't complain....at least I'm not trying to learn English.
I had visitors this week. Adi and Etan came up from Beer Sheva to visit. Ben wasn't here though. We went to Tsfat and walked all around the city. It's a religious artists community so there were SO many gallaries, I wished I had lots of money because some of the stuff was really gorgeous! It was certainly worth seeing. I want to go again when the weather is better because it is up in the mountains and has a great view, but both times that I have visted Tsfat it has been very cloudy.
I'm very excited for Ben to come home since I haven't seen him since last Sunday. He will either be coming home Thursday night or Friday morning, I don't need to tell you which one I would prefer:) He has been asked to make a slide show of the pictures he is taking on base for the graduation ceremony on March 3rd. It's really cool that he was asked to do that...I don't think they usually have someone taking pictures. It will be very exciting to see what he puts together. He can be very creative!
I hope all is well with everyone. Can you read my hebrew? I wrote it by myself!
.אני אהבת את החיים שלי בישראל, אבל אני רוצה לראות המשפחה שלי
אני אהבת את המשפחה שלי.
אני הולכת לקרוא הספר שלי ושומע לגשם עכשיו.
להתראות.
(translate.google.com)
I can't seem to get the periods to be in the right place. Also, sometimes google translate gets things wrong!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Mucus Music
Between Ben, our landlord Haim (lives next door), and myself we can call our apartement a real symphony of coughing. We are really a pathetic pair right now, but are trying to enjoy our time together as Ben leaves for two weeks straight starting Sunday. The wonderful news however is that Irina (Ben's mom) is coming to ISRAEL!!!! In only about 3 weeks...we are SO excited! I'm sure that will keep us going for a bit:)
I missed three days of Ulpan this week, which in terms of learning the content I think I will be alright, but it was actually rather disappointing not to see my friends in class. Tuesday after Ben left I went to the doctor and they said I had the flu (whatever that means). I was at the pharmacy afterwards just getting some throat losenges and suddenly felt like I was going to pass out....so I sat down. It was rather embarassing (I even threw up in front of the pharmacy staff). I had really low blood pressure, which is weird for me because I think mine is usually pretty good. About 20 minutes later (I think, I guess it could have been two hour or even two minutes), I felt a bit better and called my friend Tatiana to come get me. Ever since then I have felt better (now just a cough/cold/no voice). The good thing that came out of it was that I know I can call Tatiana and her husband David anytime for help. They even said if I need something in the middle of the night to call them. It's nice for me to know they are here for me when Ben is on base.
Despite being sick, we are still enjoying living in Karmiel and making friends here. Unfortunately my camera has decided that it is at the end of its life and is no longer functioning so new pictures/video are a little difficult (impossible) right now. Ben took his camera to base last week though and has some pictures to share from that (it's pretty great to be able to see what goes on and where he is living, it's hard to imagine sometimes). I'm sure he will be sharing those pics here soon.
Take care!
I missed three days of Ulpan this week, which in terms of learning the content I think I will be alright, but it was actually rather disappointing not to see my friends in class. Tuesday after Ben left I went to the doctor and they said I had the flu (whatever that means). I was at the pharmacy afterwards just getting some throat losenges and suddenly felt like I was going to pass out....so I sat down. It was rather embarassing (I even threw up in front of the pharmacy staff). I had really low blood pressure, which is weird for me because I think mine is usually pretty good. About 20 minutes later (I think, I guess it could have been two hour or even two minutes), I felt a bit better and called my friend Tatiana to come get me. Ever since then I have felt better (now just a cough/cold/no voice). The good thing that came out of it was that I know I can call Tatiana and her husband David anytime for help. They even said if I need something in the middle of the night to call them. It's nice for me to know they are here for me when Ben is on base.
Despite being sick, we are still enjoying living in Karmiel and making friends here. Unfortunately my camera has decided that it is at the end of its life and is no longer functioning so new pictures/video are a little difficult (impossible) right now. Ben took his camera to base last week though and has some pictures to share from that (it's pretty great to be able to see what goes on and where he is living, it's hard to imagine sometimes). I'm sure he will be sharing those pics here soon.
Take care!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
חג שמח
Ulpan is really frustrating right now. I am in there with a bunch kids in adult bodies. They are horrible...they talk all the time when other people are talking and when the teacher is trying to talk. I have to listen to every word the teacher says and not miss something or I get lost and it's hard enough without all the Russian words and whispered hebrew flying around the room. Today at the party they were so embarrassing I had to tell them to be quiet over and over again. They made our class look horrible and rude. Grrr...I don't know what it is about these people, but they have no manners in the classroom. With the combination of talking during class and never doing their homework no wonder they are not getting any better at Hebrew....I can't quite compare them to my 5th period last year (if I spoke about student teaching with you, you have heard of them), but they are close on the rudeness scale. Ok though, enough venting, I really am learning a lot from the class and there are a few of us that pay attention and actually learn the stuff.
I even think I'm ready for hebrew font on my computer so I can write things faster, like flashcards or something....we'll see.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Tour the apartment
Ok, so it's a bit dorky, but if you want to see what my apartment is like...take the video tour! (Sorry for the poor video quality)
Twice in the past week I had a the very cool experience of having a whole conversation in Hebrew with an Israeli. I have little mini conversations in order to get things accomplished like at the grocery store, or with the taxi/bus drivers, etc. But these were real conversations, for the sole purpose of talking. The first one was on the bus with the person next to me on the way back from Eilat. She was very talkative. The second was with a person that pulled over to give me a ride in the rain (I didn't take it of course, but it was cool to talk in Hebrew anyway!)
The only word I can think of to describe this past weekend is an experience. Ben was recently in touch with an organization that helps new immigrants make connections with people in Israel. He got phone calls from 5 different people inviting us for Shabbat dinner. Four of them were Rabbis (all orthodox). We accepted the first invitation from Rabbi Schwartz (from Seattle). We went to services on Friday evening before dinner at the Rabbi's house. Wow...it was orthodox so the men and women were separated. However I was the only woman there and the place for the woman was really just the kitchen/closet! I sat in a chair by myself facing a dirty wall like I was on time out! So weird...I couldn't even really hear the sermon and didn't know when to stand up, when to sit..or what the heck I should be doing. Rather an odd/uncomfortable experience. The dinner at the Rabbi's was actually alright. He has 5 kids from a few months to 15 years old, so that was entertaining. I'm not really a huge fan of this Rabbi though as I think he likes to hear himself talk a bit too much for my taste. I prefer Rabbi Feldman from Bend.
The next day we went to the house next door to the Rabbi's for lunch with another family that recently immigrated from Atlanta, Georgia. They were very friendly (also Orthodox). Lunch was pleasant enough. The couple is actually in an Ulpan class above mine in the same building 4 days a week...I saw the woman (Rebecca) there today, she came to visit me during break. The family has two 9 year olds and a 11 year old. I can't imagine what it must be like to jump right into school all in Hebrew. I know Serge and Irina did that and I worked with kids at home who had recently come to the country and couldn't speak/understand English yet, but it really understand it more now that I am trying to learn Hebrew...yikes!
I was proud that I remembered not to try to shake hands with the men, especially the Rabbi. It always kind of feels a bit rude of me (and of them) not to shake hands, but it's just because that's what I am used to. However, I made two mistakes that I didn't really realize were mistakes until later on Saturday night when we were back home. At the Rabbi's house my alarm went off on my phone even though the phone was turned off! (Don't ask me how it did that). I don't think the Rabbi really noticed since so much was going on in the house at the time....but oops. The second mistake was the next day after lunch. We were walking down the street with another Orthodox couple who was also at lunch at Rebecca's. They wanted Ben's number for future advice about buying a car and I offered to write it down....mistake. I guess (and I actually didn't know this) that writing is considered work and isn't allowed on Shabbat. Of course, for me it would not have mattered, but the guy told me not to write. How do people not do work for a whole day each week!? Imagine that in college...or as a teacher!? Wowwie! What if someone relaxes by writing poetry...is it still considered work? Just curious.
Ben's back at base again, but now he has started Ulpan....army Ulpan that is. I'm not sure what class is like for him, but I think they study for almost 8 hours a day! I bet he will come home having learned a lot...exciting! Maybe we can start teaching each other what we learn in Ulpan, because I'm sure they are very different classes.
See you later! Lehitraot!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
My new life
At least that's what it feels like, a new life in Karmiel. I am really enjoying my hebrew class and have met a few people there. Diana is a new friend of mine. She is from Ecuador and is 28 years old. She married her husband 3 weeks ago in Cypress. Cypress, not Israel, because she also is not Jewish. She lives on a Kibbutz about 45 minutes north of here and commutes every day for Ulpan. I also met another student who is new to the class. Her name is Tatiana, she is from Germany and is also 28. She has a 5 year old child. She also moved here with her husband and is not Jewish....do you see the trend? Just wait, there is another girl (24) from Ukraine who moved here with her husband as well. What crazy women we are.
I am doing well in Karmiel. I have mixed emotions during the week because I am basically living alone right now (except for Friday and Saturday), but I am happy with Ulpan and am meeting friends (girls, which is amazing for me). This week I also made what felt like a major step in the visa process. Monday morning I left Ulpan an hour early to begin a 9 hour trek down to Kibbutz/Eilat. I stayed the night at Ronit's house, however, I didn't really sleep. I woke up at 3:00 in the morning so that I could watch the game!!! Go ducks! Even though we lost, I have to say it was a game well worth getting up to watch. Thanks to Brenda, Chuck, Colleen, and mom for letting me join in on their game watching, I enjoyed it (oh the wonders of Skype).
That same morning I went into Eilat with my letter from the lawyer and had my appointment at the Ministry of Interior (Misrad Hapnim). That woman is still the b**ch that she has always been but at least she finally decided to send my files to Jerusalem. Now it is in someone else's hands! After my 10 minute appointment (10 minutes for 9 hours of travel time!), I made a few more errands and then ate Hummous where I used to work with Dan and Sandra. Then I boarded the bus again and made the 9 hour trip back up to Karmiel. Unfortunately my tourist visa is going to expire before I get the work visa (could take a month to a month and a half, which is odd since the first time she told me it would take one week!), so I have to make the trip down again on the 30th to get it extended. This time for some unknown reason Ben also has to come, which means taking a day off from Army, not an easy thing to do. I think he can do it, but what a hassle. I swear that woman just sits there thinking of ways to make our lives more difficult. However, I feel this was a positive step as now at least my papers are not just sitting idle in an office in Eilat...they are on the move!!!
Yesterday when I got home from Ulpan all I wanted to do was go to sleep, I was SOOO tired from getting up early and traveling and Ulpan was slow and I had been imagining my bed for the last 3 hours. I got to my door and turned the key, but it stopped, I tried to get it out..no luck..turn it more..no luck. So much for going right to bed. My landlord came in and I asked him why it wasn't working. Twenty minutes later we succumbed and bashed in the lock and broke into the apartment! He installed a new lock (doesn't fit right, so he is getting a new one soon) and I was able to sleep for three hours before getting up to eat, do homework, and go back to bed:)
Benny is coming home tomorrow morning and I am very excited. We thought he was going to have to stay on base this weekend but it turns out he doesn't have to stay until some weekend in February (good because I wasn't ready for two weeks without him yet, not that I ever really will be).
I don't have any new pictures yet because I am lazy and haven't taken any. I do still plan to make a video tour of the apartment and with Stacy's clever suggestions, I will give you a small tour of my neighborhood too! Thanks to everyone for all of the birthday wishes and gifts, they are all very appreciated. Ben framed some of his pictures for me and put one on a large canvas for the apartment...so beautiful...what a wonderful guy that boy is:)
These are the pics he framed:
This picture is in a frame on its own, it is from Grandma and Grandpa's garden! I love it.
These two he put in a double frame together. Sylvain, you took the one on bottom! I like this one, I need to have a picture of Benny during the week...so cute (have I said that before?)
This is the Oregon coast, taken with Ben's old camera. This one he put on the canvas...wonderful reminder of home! And Grandma Jo!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Ulpan....again
Well, well, well...once again I went to my first day of Ulpan (Hebrew class), but this time it was quite different. I have class from 8:00am to 12:30am Sunday-Thursday now and am very excited and ready to really learn some Hebrew. The teacher is much nicer at this Ulpan and speaks much slower. She lets each person try speaking and she waits for them to finish saying something before correcting. We also do a lot of repetition and practice of the same questions, which I think helps me to learn the words. In the other Ulpan there didn't seem to be any kind of plan or organization, but this time the topics that we cover seem to make sense! It was interesting though as I felt I actually knew the most hebrew in the class! This one is starting much, much slower...but since it is every day that is probably a good thing. Plus, it was nice to understand a bit.
There are 16 of us in the class. We are from the U.S. (2), Georgia (6), Ukraine (1), and Russia (7). Everybody in the class speaks Russian and only the two of us from the U.S. and one person from Russia speak English. It's very weird because I can't understand anything people are saying except when they speak Hebrew! I think it might be easier when we learn a bit more Hebrew so I can communicate with the other students. The other weird thing is that when the teacher says a new word she often translates it into Russian, sometimes I don't even know what language she is speaking! (She does translate to English at times, but so far I haven't needed it...cool).
Overall I think this is going to be a much more rewarding experience, the only disappointment is not having an easy place to meet some people (many of the students are much older and/or don't speak English!), maybe over time, we'll see. Oh, and I am actually the only person who didn't recently make Aliyah (in other words I am the only tourist).
As far as other news, I found the library. It's right next door to the class. I'm pretty excited about that and already checked out a book. Ben left for Army again today, which is always sad for me. But....he left me a friend. Meet Zimmy!
Ok, I know...he's no Maybe, and I was a little concerned at first that it was a bad idea (last time Ben gave me a fish, Aspen ate it). But I have to say, as pathetic as it may be, it's kind of nice to have another living thing in the apartment with me when Ben is gone. He's a bit shy and hides behind the fake plants, but every now and then I see him venture out for an exploration. I'm a little worried that his bowl is too small (he 's a big boy!) so I may need to upgrade soon so he can really go for a swim. I named him zimmy because zim means gill in Hebrew (hehe, maybe that's kind of like naming your dog paws or something, but I like it...and I think he does too).
Happy New Year!
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