Ah, I was kind of wrong about Fox News. All they talked about was the election. I'd like to know what's happening elsewhere in the US, thanks.
So the first real day of ulpan went by just fine. I struggled a bit to keep my eyes open and focus on listening to other students. I had forgotten how tired I'd get if I got up at 6 AM to work out and then go straight to class after showering and eating breakfast. We mostly focused on a beach story and reviewed several concepts that I had seen before. I'm undecided on whether this class is a little too easy or not but this is Level Bet, right? I'll see how it all goes tomorrow. At one point, Dornova said, "I know you all will want to go to the beach all the time but don't expect to do it because you're going to be doing 2 to 3 hours of homework!" Heh. I guess too many of us were having side conversations about figuring out how to get to the beach.
I took my first attempt after classes. I waited what seemed like forever for 37 to come along and I asked for a transfer ticket. There was also another bus- 46- that went directly to Hof Ha-Carmel cental bus station (which was located right across the street from Carmel Beach) but apparently that comes once every hour. Someone told me that she caught it around 2 PM so perhaps it might be on the dot. I guess I should've waited another 10 minutes to catch that bus...
So I rode the 37 down to where 99 stops. I got off and waited for a lonnnggggg time. I noticed that 133 also went to the beach and it came along. I asked the bus driver (double checking) and he said that he doesn't drove to the beach. Then a woman waiting on the seat behind me said that I have to go across the street in order to catch the bus. Ah MAN! Then I went over there and waited a lonnngg time again for 133. 99 never came.
I finally made it to what I thought was Carmel Beach after an hour, what it should probably have been at least 30 minutes. It was much smaller than I thought and I saw a lot of roped off areas. The waves were pretty strong but Tel Aviv had those but the areas weren't roped off. Hm. I also figured it was meant to keep people from swimming out too far as it's jellyfish season. July in Israel was the worst time to be if anyone's looking for a beach vacation. It's jellyfish mating season so basically people enter in the water at their own risk. After walking around a bit, I finally found a comfortable spot a bit close to the shore- it wasn't crowded at all so I felt a little weird being the only one for several meters around. This beach was seriously not as big or "glamorous" as Tel Aviv- there wasn't even much to eat or drink! But there was a huge amphitheater for concerts- that'd be so much fun! There's also a little playground and a pool for children.
After several hours, I went back to the bus station. While walking towards my bus stop, I saw what seemed to be a rarity in Israel- a map of bus lines in Haifa on the wall! I went over to the info desk and if they had any paper copies and they said no. Oh, really smart, Israelis, for not thinking that perhaps while you're creating that map, you might as well print some too! I sighed and began tracing the lines to figure out other bus routes to see other beaches. I was just so glad to see this for more beach options!
Right now I'm writing this as I'm getting my free laundry. :) This definitely beats remembering to go to the ATM and saving change for laundry and... might make all the bus transfers well worth it. And now I'm just discovering that it was not the Carmel Beach- that was Zamir Dado Beach.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
First Day of Ulpan
Guess what? The personal tvs in the gym carries Fox News! Yay, I can keep up with what's going on in the US after all without spending extra time on the computer browsing through NYT and CNN. I don't like Fox much but... it'll do.
I spent the morning wondering and worrying what's the matter with my Hebrew placement. Did I not really show off enough Hebrew speaking skills? I could mention that I spent more time reading than speaking because I met with my Hebrew teacher at Colgate once a week for 45 minutes. Then I went over to the office and met with the director.
So, it ended up with that they were all annoyed that I neglected to mention that I have a "hearing problem." When the teachers met with me yesterday, they freaked out a little and wondered how would I do in the classroom. I talked to Hanan, the director of the summer program and calmed her down that I function just as well and I am learning to read lips in Hebrew as I am learning oral Hebrew and I could turn around 360 to see other students in the classroom. If the classrooms, as they said, were in rows instead of in a circle (like at Hebrew U), then I just sit towards the center and in the front so I could turn around to face other students if I need to. They were curious how I managed at Hebrew U! I also pointed out that because ulpan is 5 staight hours of Hebrew, I tended to do better than in the semester because I was hearing Hebrew all the time so words and phrases repeat quite often.
When Hanan the director was reassured, she took me to meet with the head of the ulpan program, Rina. Then, Rina and I talked a little more about my Hebrew background and gave me the oral exam (ah ha, it was the essay after all). I did just fine- spoke in the past tense as well as I could and threw in a couple of vocabulary words not in the essay. She was pleased with the rest of my exam. At the moment, I thought, "Yes, now can I go to class?!" Except that she wanted to talk more with Hanan and I had an hour to kill. I wasn't too happy given that I was paying to be in class at that moment- I didn't want to waste my time and money. But they kept saying "We just want the best for you, we want to help you the way we know. So let us talk a bit before we put you in class." At least could you... make an estimate and let me sit somewhere for an hour?
I returned to Hanan's office to find out the story. She seemed excited to get me into a classroom (not quite seeing how aggravated I was...) so I ended up exactly where I wanted to be- in Bet! Dvorona was my new ulpan teacher and I saw a few people from the day before during our oral exams. It turned out that I really didn't miss ALL that much and I skipped one of my least favorite part of the class- conducting interviews with other students. Whoo-hoo but Dvorona had other students to ask me interview questions. I was able to understand everything except that I didn't understand the question whether I was single or not so I ended up responding that I had one brother... Dang! Then we went over the syllabi, which didn't seem so bad. It didn't look like we'd have any quizzes so that sounds nice for a change. Except that we do have a midterm exam on July 20th- the Sunday after my aunt's family comes to visit Haifa! Ack! I still felt uneasy about the whole set-up- would I get to close to finishing Bet? Finally, Dvorona handed out our homework packet and we read the short story together. But compared to my ulpan at Hebrew U, I felt more at ease but I think it's because I knew more Hebrew this time than when I first started. Does this mean that my future ulpanim will be easier, even if I don't do much Hebrew during the year? The rest of my classmates mostly came from the US. The overall student population in the international school didn't quite seem so internationally diverse as my Jerusalem ulpan but at least... everyone could speak English....
After class, I grabbed a sandwich and went back to my room to eat in peace (it was already 2 PM). I was thinking how screwed up my Hebrew experience have been and it will still get screwed up until I can get into Hebrew literature level. Would I be able to take Advanced Hebrew in the fall or would I have to wait until next winter to take Intermediate? I almost felt like maybe I should withdraw from my masters program for a semester and stay in Israel where I can stay here just to get my Hebrew on track. But no, I've made promises and I'm going to keep them. Somehow, Hebrew and I will find our way through the mess of changing programs.
I set out to explore Haifa a little. First, I went up to the 30th floor of the Tower to take some pictures as shown below (sorry for the haze!) so that you can see what Haifa looks like. Don't mind me if I take more along the way while I'm here!
(Facing Haifa Bay to the west)
(Facing south)
(Facing southeast)
(That's facing the north, towards Daliat (Druze villages) and to the right, Carmel National Park)
Afterwards, I decided to try seeing how long the walk to Carmel Merkaz would take. It was longer than I thought. Heck, I could be on Jaffa from Hebrew U in half the time!
Then I realized that's why there were hardly anyone walking between the university and the nearest "center" Horov. Also it's quite downhill and I think my quads got a good workout! 
When I came to Horov, I saw an Israeli woman walked down this tunnel and curiosity got the best of me. I followed her and ended up in the Horov Mall! Yes- I found everything I would need except for Cafe Aroma (but it's nearby). Cassto, Super Sol, Super-Pharm, a cookie place, gelato, and a bookstore were all in the mall. I bought some clothes pins for the line outside my dorm (of course the Israelis must bring home their laundry...) and a pair of sunglasses. Now my eyes will feel better! And let's see if I don't lose them before I leave... All this walking made me consider what it would meant to be studying and living in Haifa for the next 3 weeks.I set out again towards Carmel Merkaz. I found a produce store not too far from the Horov mall that could be a possible place to go as an alternative to Super Sol's expensive produce. But the prices weren't competitive enough and I figured that the shuk is still a better place to be. I also found a bakery place that sells mini-challah breads that I can buy for Shabbat. I kept going for a good while. Someone pulled over and seemed to ask me something but I waved him off because A) I don't want a ride and B) I don't know Haifa that well enough to give directions.
I finally made it to Carmel Merkaz. Then I realized that the Carmel that I wanted was actually French Carmel. Okay, cool. I also kept my eyes peeled for the buses that would take me down to the beach. Yes, I will need to change buses just to get to the beach. Kind of annoying but it's still faster than trying to take the 46 which comes once per hour. Oh, here's the picture of the Carmelit as I promised yesterday. Then I took a sherut back to the university.
Once I got back, there was an opening celebration for ulpan students with a falafel stand. I got some falafel (not overstuffed as I know many places do) and talked with some people that I met yesterday and met a few new ones, including an undergrad from Michigan. He lamented how awful Michigan's Hebrew program is and I said, at least Yiddish is good there. Then he muttered about how stereotypical Yiddish is.
Then comes the FUN part. I knew we'd have some kind of Israeli entertainment and I thought we'd just be the audience and watch the dancers. Instead, we ended up being the dancers! The instructor was crazy! He showed us some circle dance moves. Then he showed us how to do the line dance which was the coolest part in terms of chereography. Finally, he showed individual dances which I stepped out because that's not my strong suit.
Monday, July 7, 2008
First 36 Hours in Haifa
When I left Jerusalem, I thought to myself, "Here goes nothing. Three and half weeks of intense Hebrew, not just in the classroom but outside too." I think visiting Jerusalem beforehand changed my attitude a bit that I wasn't particularly looking forward. Well, I haven't exactly been- I wanted to go back to my comfort zone. But if I'm going to make aliyah in the future, I must give other Israeli cities a chance and I owed it to my brother to show up for his graduation. So Haifa it is and its dates worked out better than Hebrew U's. It's going to be tough to keep an open mind but I have to stay focused on the end goal- to finish Bet. That's what I'm paying to get out of Haifa.
I arrived around 12:30 or so, after 2 hours on the bus. I had planned to take the train but apparently, as I later learned today, there's really no direct train from the university. I just somehow got the message that there was. So I was stuck either wait 30 minutes for the next local bus to the university or buck up and take the cab. I took the latter and the cost wasn't too bad- 40 shekelim and the driver didn't rip me off by taking "detours" as Jerusalem drivers do. There's really basically one main road that leads all the way up to the university- Haneviem.
One of the maharichm met me at the gate and he helped me get into my dorm room. I signed up to live in a double given that I really don't need my own bathroom and bedroom as in the other dorm. I would only be here for 3 1/2 weeks and I could make do. I lived with 16 different roommates in the last 4 years and have seen different kind of personalities.
Typically, during the year, Haifa overseas students share an apartment with Israeli students- no more than two overseas students per apartment. So everyone could really try living with the Israelis and pick up their Hebrew. But in the summer when the Israeli students are done, the ulpan students live with each other.
That was NOT the case this time. There had been a massive faculty strike that went for 90 days and resutled in a very extended academic year. So I'm actually living with 5 other Israelis- Bat El, Silivia, Einut, Lilah, and one other I forgot her name. The apartment is tiny- there's no common room. There's room only for a table with 4 chairs in that space that's supposed to be shared, and a little kitchen with two stove tops. And a fridge barely big enough to hold all the food for 6 individuals. But the room sizes were pretty generous given that two people sleep in there. We share one bathroom. So I'll say that for $240... I was asking to live in a hostel compared to $450 (now $680) at Hebrew U's comparably spacious apartments. And, yes, it stinks a little even though the apartment's pretty clean.
After I unpacked my things, I went exploring the university. I found my solace- the bookstore. I managed to find the gym. Haifa Unviersity is actually pretty small but since it's built along the hill, the buildings are actually towers with lots of floors (I guess they were thinking of building UP, not out). So that meant everything I needed- classrooms, cafeterias, bus stop, gym, and international student office- was all less than 5-10 minutes walk. That's so much better compared to my 20-25 minute walk at Hebrew U (where you really had to think hard if you needed to walk ALL the way back to the main campus...).
After that, I took the 37 bus down to Carmel Center. I walked around a little but I had already been there a year ago with Grandma and Zev. I searched for a supermarket and I found SuperSol. Phew. So I shopped for absolute necessities. The produce wasn't that great but it is Sunday after all.... and I needed to find the shuk within the next few days.
I came back pretty late- after 7:30. The rush hour in Haifa is extremely maddening- I had never, ever seen anything like this. Again, this was a main road so everyone pretty much drove on this. When I got back, I caught a little bit of the Israeli film that the program was showing. But the 1970s movie was just soooo horrible (Like The Policeman kind of horrible movie) and I was a litlte too tired to follow the whole thing in subtitles.
When I returned to the apartment, nearly all of my roommates were there. So Bat El, Lilach (my roommate), and Silivia sat down with me to get to know each other a little and gave me the ins and outs of the apartment. Apparently, everyone goes home for Shabbat except for Einut so yay, I'll have my peace and quiet for 48 hours each weekend! The Israelis begged me to let them take care of the cleaning chores and they would let me know if I needed to chip in for anything. They were just extremely nice and curious. I could tell that this apartment arrangement would work out. Thankfully and I felt less of being a stranger.
The following morning, I went for a run. My sloooowwwwesstttt run ever- only for 45 minutes (4.25 miles) because of the hills near the university. Also the scenery was just so pretty that I couldn't help but look around and that slowed my pace quite a bit too. I was definitely a bit hot but I think after a week, I'll adjust.
First, I went to my Hebrew oral exam. I was very nervous and wondered what kind of questions that would ask. Then someone who went came over to pick up her stuff and said that they talked about her essay. Yay, I talked about my family in my essay so I spent a little time reviewing relevant verbs and vocabulary in my head. I also talked with two girls behind me. One of them was studying to be a cantor at Gratz and another was videoconferencing with Hebrew College while living in Jerusalem. It was fun talking to her a bit about Jerusalem and speaking Hebrew there. Everyone around me said that they took about 2 years of Hebrew and I began wondering where the heck I would be placed... it seemed like forever before the teachers wuold call my name.
During the exam, it turned out that they wanted to know more about my Hebrew background. It took me a few minutes to pick up Hebrew even though the teachers were speaking slowly and clearly. Afterwards, I wanted to kick myself for not talking more- it would have earned me more points even if I made pronounciation mistakes. I went over to the office and asked about placement given that my reading comprehension is higher than my oral skills. The woman said that I could switch classes if I wasn't in the right place after the teachers assign me for Tuesday's first day of classes.
I finished up the orientation stations and took a campus tour to meet people along the way. The tour guide took us around the university. We went up this huge tower of the main building to the 33rd floor. There, it's like Israel's version of New York City's World Trade Center. Haifa could be seen from 360 view when you walk around the floor. The view was just so beautiful and I could see all the roads, including the ones in the Carmel National Park that I ran on for a bit. After the tour ended, I joined up with a couple of girls and a guy for lunch.
Around 3, we had our orientation presentation. The speaker spoke sofastthatitwouldhavebeenimpossiblefornon-nativeenglishspeakerstofollow. He talked about Israel, Haifa, and the program. I was glad that he described Jerusalem as a place where there's a lot to see and do because of its history. He described Israel as a "utopia." The Israeli society, according to him, could be good or bad, depending how you wanted to look at it. He believed that Haifa was quite special in the sense that people fighting to get along everyday given that Israelis of different backgroudns- Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Druze all live together. This wasn't Jerusalem where religious were clearly drawn. That would be a big change for me to see- being able to go all over and use my own instinct (not like I almost pretty much do in Jerusalem with the Arab quarter and certain streets in East Jerusalem). He also brought up the challenges of planning this year's ulpan because of the extended academic year and the classrooms still being in use. I remember that Tel Aviv canceled their July Yiddish program this year when I googled up for Yiddish programs for dates for summer 2009. Hebrew U was definitely at an advantage with its own international school building. Then again, as the Haifa program said, it's essential for its students to integrate with the Israelis and that meant sharing the classrooms with the mainstream. Not to mention that Haifa U is the most diverse university in Israel. It's true- I saw a lot more Arab women and soldiers than at Hebrew U.
I learned that drugs and alochol are forbidden in the dorms and we should be sensible about going out to the bars. Mmmm wow. That's strict. Maybe I'll drink to some vodka when I'm in Eilat to celebrate. Israelis were definitely serious about their studies- they hate it when international students congregate outside and the windows are open.... = lots of noise. It's a bit of paradox to me- on one hand, they're serious about their studies, but on the other hand, they'd rather not talk about serious current event topics. American students, especially at my schools, thrived on both sides!
I went on a ltitle tour of Haifa. We made a quick stop in Merkaz Carmel and I just bought a postcard for Lauren, just to see how long the mail is from Israel to Argentina (where she is working for the summer). Everyone met up and we went on the Carmelit, Haifa's "subway." I don't even know how to describe but I will post pictures very soon! The train runs on a cable and it's not... flat. Pictures to come!!!
When we went down to Herzl Street, I asked for the shuk's location. I walked up Herzl and the street got sketchier and sketchier but it wasn't as nice or well-kept. I also realized that I forgot a lot of my Russian and ended up reading more Hebrew than Russian. This was a very Russian neighborhood. I will tell you right now, from this point on until I made it back to the university, I spoke only Hebrew. Unconciously, I actually understood what others said. I made it to the shuk.
The shuk was a serious disappointment compared to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. No wonder why some Israelis looked at me a little weird as to...why I wuold I want to go all the way there. Nevertheless for the quality of produce that SuperSol had in store for me from the day before, the produce was great. I ended up only buying mangos but will be back next week for produce-only shopping. I say that the shuk is a disappointment in a way that it's not quite huge and only has 1 bakery/bread stand, and 1 or 2 "crap" stuff (random things like shampoo, oil, juice, toliet paper), and at least 7 produce stalls and few meat/fish counters. Tsk tsk. I guess I won't have to worry about spending a lot of money on food and wondering where my 50 shekel bill disappeared to.
Coming back was a ltitle bit of adventure. I quickly stopped at a bread/bakery place to pick up some cheap pitas, rolls, and chocolate crossiants. Then I realized that the bus that I would take coming down to Herzl from the university came down on a one-way street. So I had to do a bit of hunting and asking around looking for the bus lines back to the university. Eventually, I spotted two buses going up one street and using my sense of direction, I figured that this had to have my bus route. Otherwise, I could just take the Carmelit back. Yay- the bus came!!!
I'm still trying to figure out how to make of this whole experience of living in Haifa. I think Professor Monk, my CORE Israel professor at Colgate, was wrong in his opinion of Israeli universities to study at in terms of quality of life. Haifa felt more isolated- you have to change buses to get down to the beach and it was a 35-40 minute ride to the shuk/back from the shuk. Hebrew U could be isolating but that's in the sense of living in a divisive, pious neighborhood. Yeah, we'll see how the next few weeks bring. I also can't wait for classes to begin so I can bond with some people for companionship.
Keep it in your head, Sara, "Eilat, Eilat, Eilat.. that's the reward for studying hard this month."
I arrived around 12:30 or so, after 2 hours on the bus. I had planned to take the train but apparently, as I later learned today, there's really no direct train from the university. I just somehow got the message that there was. So I was stuck either wait 30 minutes for the next local bus to the university or buck up and take the cab. I took the latter and the cost wasn't too bad- 40 shekelim and the driver didn't rip me off by taking "detours" as Jerusalem drivers do. There's really basically one main road that leads all the way up to the university- Haneviem.
One of the maharichm met me at the gate and he helped me get into my dorm room. I signed up to live in a double given that I really don't need my own bathroom and bedroom as in the other dorm. I would only be here for 3 1/2 weeks and I could make do. I lived with 16 different roommates in the last 4 years and have seen different kind of personalities.
Typically, during the year, Haifa overseas students share an apartment with Israeli students- no more than two overseas students per apartment. So everyone could really try living with the Israelis and pick up their Hebrew. But in the summer when the Israeli students are done, the ulpan students live with each other.
That was NOT the case this time. There had been a massive faculty strike that went for 90 days and resutled in a very extended academic year. So I'm actually living with 5 other Israelis- Bat El, Silivia, Einut, Lilah, and one other I forgot her name. The apartment is tiny- there's no common room. There's room only for a table with 4 chairs in that space that's supposed to be shared, and a little kitchen with two stove tops. And a fridge barely big enough to hold all the food for 6 individuals. But the room sizes were pretty generous given that two people sleep in there. We share one bathroom. So I'll say that for $240... I was asking to live in a hostel compared to $450 (now $680) at Hebrew U's comparably spacious apartments. And, yes, it stinks a little even though the apartment's pretty clean.
After I unpacked my things, I went exploring the university. I found my solace- the bookstore. I managed to find the gym. Haifa Unviersity is actually pretty small but since it's built along the hill, the buildings are actually towers with lots of floors (I guess they were thinking of building UP, not out). So that meant everything I needed- classrooms, cafeterias, bus stop, gym, and international student office- was all less than 5-10 minutes walk. That's so much better compared to my 20-25 minute walk at Hebrew U (where you really had to think hard if you needed to walk ALL the way back to the main campus...).
After that, I took the 37 bus down to Carmel Center. I walked around a little but I had already been there a year ago with Grandma and Zev. I searched for a supermarket and I found SuperSol. Phew. So I shopped for absolute necessities. The produce wasn't that great but it is Sunday after all.... and I needed to find the shuk within the next few days.
I came back pretty late- after 7:30. The rush hour in Haifa is extremely maddening- I had never, ever seen anything like this. Again, this was a main road so everyone pretty much drove on this. When I got back, I caught a little bit of the Israeli film that the program was showing. But the 1970s movie was just soooo horrible (Like The Policeman kind of horrible movie) and I was a litlte too tired to follow the whole thing in subtitles.
When I returned to the apartment, nearly all of my roommates were there. So Bat El, Lilach (my roommate), and Silivia sat down with me to get to know each other a little and gave me the ins and outs of the apartment. Apparently, everyone goes home for Shabbat except for Einut so yay, I'll have my peace and quiet for 48 hours each weekend! The Israelis begged me to let them take care of the cleaning chores and they would let me know if I needed to chip in for anything. They were just extremely nice and curious. I could tell that this apartment arrangement would work out. Thankfully and I felt less of being a stranger.
The following morning, I went for a run. My sloooowwwwesstttt run ever- only for 45 minutes (4.25 miles) because of the hills near the university. Also the scenery was just so pretty that I couldn't help but look around and that slowed my pace quite a bit too. I was definitely a bit hot but I think after a week, I'll adjust.
First, I went to my Hebrew oral exam. I was very nervous and wondered what kind of questions that would ask. Then someone who went came over to pick up her stuff and said that they talked about her essay. Yay, I talked about my family in my essay so I spent a little time reviewing relevant verbs and vocabulary in my head. I also talked with two girls behind me. One of them was studying to be a cantor at Gratz and another was videoconferencing with Hebrew College while living in Jerusalem. It was fun talking to her a bit about Jerusalem and speaking Hebrew there. Everyone around me said that they took about 2 years of Hebrew and I began wondering where the heck I would be placed... it seemed like forever before the teachers wuold call my name.
During the exam, it turned out that they wanted to know more about my Hebrew background. It took me a few minutes to pick up Hebrew even though the teachers were speaking slowly and clearly. Afterwards, I wanted to kick myself for not talking more- it would have earned me more points even if I made pronounciation mistakes. I went over to the office and asked about placement given that my reading comprehension is higher than my oral skills. The woman said that I could switch classes if I wasn't in the right place after the teachers assign me for Tuesday's first day of classes.
I finished up the orientation stations and took a campus tour to meet people along the way. The tour guide took us around the university. We went up this huge tower of the main building to the 33rd floor. There, it's like Israel's version of New York City's World Trade Center. Haifa could be seen from 360 view when you walk around the floor. The view was just so beautiful and I could see all the roads, including the ones in the Carmel National Park that I ran on for a bit. After the tour ended, I joined up with a couple of girls and a guy for lunch.
Around 3, we had our orientation presentation. The speaker spoke sofastthatitwouldhavebeenimpossiblefornon-nativeenglishspeakerstofollow. He talked about Israel, Haifa, and the program. I was glad that he described Jerusalem as a place where there's a lot to see and do because of its history. He described Israel as a "utopia." The Israeli society, according to him, could be good or bad, depending how you wanted to look at it. He believed that Haifa was quite special in the sense that people fighting to get along everyday given that Israelis of different backgroudns- Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Druze all live together. This wasn't Jerusalem where religious were clearly drawn. That would be a big change for me to see- being able to go all over and use my own instinct (not like I almost pretty much do in Jerusalem with the Arab quarter and certain streets in East Jerusalem). He also brought up the challenges of planning this year's ulpan because of the extended academic year and the classrooms still being in use. I remember that Tel Aviv canceled their July Yiddish program this year when I googled up for Yiddish programs for dates for summer 2009. Hebrew U was definitely at an advantage with its own international school building. Then again, as the Haifa program said, it's essential for its students to integrate with the Israelis and that meant sharing the classrooms with the mainstream. Not to mention that Haifa U is the most diverse university in Israel. It's true- I saw a lot more Arab women and soldiers than at Hebrew U.
I learned that drugs and alochol are forbidden in the dorms and we should be sensible about going out to the bars. Mmmm wow. That's strict. Maybe I'll drink to some vodka when I'm in Eilat to celebrate. Israelis were definitely serious about their studies- they hate it when international students congregate outside and the windows are open.... = lots of noise. It's a bit of paradox to me- on one hand, they're serious about their studies, but on the other hand, they'd rather not talk about serious current event topics. American students, especially at my schools, thrived on both sides!
I went on a ltitle tour of Haifa. We made a quick stop in Merkaz Carmel and I just bought a postcard for Lauren, just to see how long the mail is from Israel to Argentina (where she is working for the summer). Everyone met up and we went on the Carmelit, Haifa's "subway." I don't even know how to describe but I will post pictures very soon! The train runs on a cable and it's not... flat. Pictures to come!!!
When we went down to Herzl Street, I asked for the shuk's location. I walked up Herzl and the street got sketchier and sketchier but it wasn't as nice or well-kept. I also realized that I forgot a lot of my Russian and ended up reading more Hebrew than Russian. This was a very Russian neighborhood. I will tell you right now, from this point on until I made it back to the university, I spoke only Hebrew. Unconciously, I actually understood what others said. I made it to the shuk.
The shuk was a serious disappointment compared to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. No wonder why some Israelis looked at me a little weird as to...why I wuold I want to go all the way there. Nevertheless for the quality of produce that SuperSol had in store for me from the day before, the produce was great. I ended up only buying mangos but will be back next week for produce-only shopping. I say that the shuk is a disappointment in a way that it's not quite huge and only has 1 bakery/bread stand, and 1 or 2 "crap" stuff (random things like shampoo, oil, juice, toliet paper), and at least 7 produce stalls and few meat/fish counters. Tsk tsk. I guess I won't have to worry about spending a lot of money on food and wondering where my 50 shekel bill disappeared to.
Coming back was a ltitle bit of adventure. I quickly stopped at a bread/bakery place to pick up some cheap pitas, rolls, and chocolate crossiants. Then I realized that the bus that I would take coming down to Herzl from the university came down on a one-way street. So I had to do a bit of hunting and asking around looking for the bus lines back to the university. Eventually, I spotted two buses going up one street and using my sense of direction, I figured that this had to have my bus route. Otherwise, I could just take the Carmelit back. Yay- the bus came!!!
I'm still trying to figure out how to make of this whole experience of living in Haifa. I think Professor Monk, my CORE Israel professor at Colgate, was wrong in his opinion of Israeli universities to study at in terms of quality of life. Haifa felt more isolated- you have to change buses to get down to the beach and it was a 35-40 minute ride to the shuk/back from the shuk. Hebrew U could be isolating but that's in the sense of living in a divisive, pious neighborhood. Yeah, we'll see how the next few weeks bring. I also can't wait for classes to begin so I can bond with some people for companionship.
Keep it in your head, Sara, "Eilat, Eilat, Eilat.. that's the reward for studying hard this month."
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Shabbat in Jerusalem
I arrived at the Backs' just as some of their company was leaving. Tobi was there to greet me and she helped me put my stuff in the den. Then I helped her get ready for Shabbat by finishing setting the table and Aaron was there also. The three of us talked whiel Nate was somewhere in the apartment.
Aaron and I talked for a while while Tobi got herself ready. He briefed me on those new developments that I saw. He confirmed my suspicions- the light rail won't be ready for a long time and those apartments will be very expensive. I began reading the booklet for Jerusalem Film Festival. I had forgotten all about it and wished that I could be in Jerusalem for some of the screenings. It will indeed play Mongol and Wall E with Hebrew subtitles. Tobi showed me an article about the French-Colombian woman who was freed and I read the Times Herald.
When it was finally Shabbat, Nate came to join us and we sat down waiting for Rachel's husband and son to join us for dinner. They would be going to a bar mitzvah nearby the following day so they were staying for the night. We had a nice dinner and a birthday cake for Aaron (that was absolutely positively delicious!). I was seriously exhausted though. Tobi encoraged me to go to bed by offering to help set up the sofa bed. I slept like a baby for the rest of the night for the first time since Monday night, my last night in the US.
I got up so late- 10 AM! I puttered around the apartment, trying to wake up. I wanted to go into the Old City for some cheap ibuprofren but I had no idea when everyone would be back so I just got dressed and worked on some Hebrew stuff. Everyone came back and I helped Tobi again to prepare lunch.
Moshe came for lunch. The Backs "adopted" him and treat him like their son- he's a rabbi from Allentown who was on a visit for some rabbinical convention. He and I got along pretty well- he was a big runner just like me and ran in a marathon. So we had fun talking about running and explaning what we do for training and what we wear. Of course, I put on a little fashion show by showing them my techie shirt and my Garmin GPS watch. Lunch was basically the night before's leftovers.
After lunch, I set out to meet Mor, who was in Jerusalem for the weekend with a Taglit group. I was fine going through a shortcut through the orthodox neighborhoods (I was already wearing a long skirt and my half-length button down shirt) but once I went past the Israel Museum, I got lost! When I finally turned on my cellphone (I try not to use my phone when I'm with Shabbat shomer people), Mor had already texted me that she wasn't sure if she would be able to see me that day. But she texted at 12:30 and it was already after 3. So I called and texted her and she said it was fine to come anyway. So I proceeded to find Moriah Gardens hotel. After I had made a loop (oops), a woman stopped me and asked where I was going. She was going there so she took me down. Thankfully. Then I realized that it was all the construction around the area that was throwing me off and destroying my attempts to use my once-trusty map. (Nate didn't count on potential detours in that area!)
I finally met Mor and we hung out by the pool. We talked and talked and talked. She called her mom while I jumped in quickly to cool off and bought some more water. Her mom was apparently excited to teach me Hebrew. I thought Mor would be stationed down in Tel Aviv near her brother who's also an officer in the Air Force but I was wrong. She comes home every night because she's near Haifa. So I will get to see her quite a bit! She said to take my time with the program and just call them when I have free time. At one point, she DID ask about McCain and Obama...
I made it back to the Backs without any problem. I did make a little detour through the Rose Garden because when I approached it, it looked quite familiar... a sight from my Taglit trip 3 years ago (?!?!?). I smiled when I walked through. I'm always happy when I discover places around Israel that I had been to with my Taglit trip, especially that back then I had NO idea where we were given that we rode the bus all the time. It actually took just under an hour (I'm a very slow walker). As I came down on Gratz, I walked past someone who looked familiar. She and I looked at each other and smiled. I stopped and said, "I must know her... but where from?!" I turned around and said, "Do I know you..?" It turns out that she was one of my spring semester Hebrew teachers!!! Oh weird things can happen in Jerusalem... I told her that i was sorry that I couldn't do ulpan this year at Hebrew U but maybe next time. I wondered if she expected me to come back to Israel at all. I did know that when Mor mentioned to one of the soldiers on her trip that I had been to Israel twice already and this was my third time and my Taglit was in 2005, he did a double-take. I think Mor was pretty proud to show off someone who just keeps coming back.
I reached the Backs' apartment and found Rachel's whole family there. They were waiting aroudn for Shabbat to be over so they could go to the bar mitzvah party. I played rummy with Talia, her daughter, and Tobi. It was fun learning the game. I learned that Tobi uses books to keep track of points "because we don't write on Shabbat." How is writing work?!
I just made myself a light dinner of some leftover challah, an apple, and some cottage cheese. Nate and I talked for a while. Then I went on the computer to check my e-mail and the bus schedule for Haifa.
Being in west Jerusalem for Shabbat certainly kicks butt than being stuck at Hebrew U. I had the roads pretty much to myself when I walked around and the area was so peaceful that I could've gone running if I wanted to.
Aaron and I talked for a while while Tobi got herself ready. He briefed me on those new developments that I saw. He confirmed my suspicions- the light rail won't be ready for a long time and those apartments will be very expensive. I began reading the booklet for Jerusalem Film Festival. I had forgotten all about it and wished that I could be in Jerusalem for some of the screenings. It will indeed play Mongol and Wall E with Hebrew subtitles. Tobi showed me an article about the French-Colombian woman who was freed and I read the Times Herald.
When it was finally Shabbat, Nate came to join us and we sat down waiting for Rachel's husband and son to join us for dinner. They would be going to a bar mitzvah nearby the following day so they were staying for the night. We had a nice dinner and a birthday cake for Aaron (that was absolutely positively delicious!). I was seriously exhausted though. Tobi encoraged me to go to bed by offering to help set up the sofa bed. I slept like a baby for the rest of the night for the first time since Monday night, my last night in the US.
I got up so late- 10 AM! I puttered around the apartment, trying to wake up. I wanted to go into the Old City for some cheap ibuprofren but I had no idea when everyone would be back so I just got dressed and worked on some Hebrew stuff. Everyone came back and I helped Tobi again to prepare lunch.
Moshe came for lunch. The Backs "adopted" him and treat him like their son- he's a rabbi from Allentown who was on a visit for some rabbinical convention. He and I got along pretty well- he was a big runner just like me and ran in a marathon. So we had fun talking about running and explaning what we do for training and what we wear. Of course, I put on a little fashion show by showing them my techie shirt and my Garmin GPS watch. Lunch was basically the night before's leftovers.
After lunch, I set out to meet Mor, who was in Jerusalem for the weekend with a Taglit group. I was fine going through a shortcut through the orthodox neighborhoods (I was already wearing a long skirt and my half-length button down shirt) but once I went past the Israel Museum, I got lost! When I finally turned on my cellphone (I try not to use my phone when I'm with Shabbat shomer people), Mor had already texted me that she wasn't sure if she would be able to see me that day. But she texted at 12:30 and it was already after 3. So I called and texted her and she said it was fine to come anyway. So I proceeded to find Moriah Gardens hotel. After I had made a loop (oops), a woman stopped me and asked where I was going. She was going there so she took me down. Thankfully. Then I realized that it was all the construction around the area that was throwing me off and destroying my attempts to use my once-trusty map. (Nate didn't count on potential detours in that area!)
I finally met Mor and we hung out by the pool. We talked and talked and talked. She called her mom while I jumped in quickly to cool off and bought some more water. Her mom was apparently excited to teach me Hebrew. I thought Mor would be stationed down in Tel Aviv near her brother who's also an officer in the Air Force but I was wrong. She comes home every night because she's near Haifa. So I will get to see her quite a bit! She said to take my time with the program and just call them when I have free time. At one point, she DID ask about McCain and Obama...
I made it back to the Backs without any problem. I did make a little detour through the Rose Garden because when I approached it, it looked quite familiar... a sight from my Taglit trip 3 years ago (?!?!?). I smiled when I walked through. I'm always happy when I discover places around Israel that I had been to with my Taglit trip, especially that back then I had NO idea where we were given that we rode the bus all the time. It actually took just under an hour (I'm a very slow walker). As I came down on Gratz, I walked past someone who looked familiar. She and I looked at each other and smiled. I stopped and said, "I must know her... but where from?!" I turned around and said, "Do I know you..?" It turns out that she was one of my spring semester Hebrew teachers!!! Oh weird things can happen in Jerusalem... I told her that i was sorry that I couldn't do ulpan this year at Hebrew U but maybe next time. I wondered if she expected me to come back to Israel at all. I did know that when Mor mentioned to one of the soldiers on her trip that I had been to Israel twice already and this was my third time and my Taglit was in 2005, he did a double-take. I think Mor was pretty proud to show off someone who just keeps coming back.
I reached the Backs' apartment and found Rachel's whole family there. They were waiting aroudn for Shabbat to be over so they could go to the bar mitzvah party. I played rummy with Talia, her daughter, and Tobi. It was fun learning the game. I learned that Tobi uses books to keep track of points "because we don't write on Shabbat." How is writing work?!
I just made myself a light dinner of some leftover challah, an apple, and some cottage cheese. Nate and I talked for a while. Then I went on the computer to check my e-mail and the bus schedule for Haifa.
Being in west Jerusalem for Shabbat certainly kicks butt than being stuck at Hebrew U. I had the roads pretty much to myself when I walked around and the area was so peaceful that I could've gone running if I wanted to.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Ein Gedi
Another night of waking up every hour led to a sleepy arousal at 7:20 AM. Meredith woken up a little before that but I took a snooze. Then she came back in the room to wake me up again and asked if she could make lunch for me. I said yes and proceeded to get ready.
We took the bus to the station and I led Meredith and Katie up to the ticket offices where they were supposed to meet their friend, Alexandra, who organized this day hike. We arrived a little early so I ran downstairs to grab some ice Aroma (yes!!!) and some bureka tr
eats from Neeman's. We bought our tickets at the window and hopped on the bus. The ride was about 90 minutes from Jerusalem to Ein Gedi. West Bank didn't look as pretty as it did when my family and I went through it in spring 2007- it was very parched.We arrived at Ein Gedi around 10:15 and slathered on sun-screen. I changed into my cool techie t-shirt from my Buffalo half-marathon to keep me cool (wicked Cool-max type fabric). We made our ascent on this moderate trail. We saw some little wild animals along the way. Alexandra and Meredith took turns helping me on difficult parts of the trail.
Ein Gedi is a natural reserve park that's very well known for its fresh spring waterfalls. It's a bit of a desert oasis with lots of faunas and floras- yes, GREEN. It also hosts a kibbutz that's on far left side of the mountain and an ancient synagogue (that I didn't ha
ve time to go to). The trails aren't too bad and can range from 2 to 7 hours, depending where the hikers want to go. Summertime, as it seems, is the best time to visit as the streams and waterfalls tend to flood in rainy seasons and can make for dangerous hikes. It has been mentioned in the Bible and rumored that David hid here from Saul (which is why one of the waterfalls is named "David's waterfall").
At one point, we stopped at one of the waterfalls and swam in the pool. It was too cool- swimming in cool water in the middle of the desert!!! The views around me were breath-taking. I wondered how come I had never been here... had I known how much fun this would be, I could've skipped some beach days in Tel Aviv and gone here instead. Alexandra and another girl (I forgot her name) jumped off from some rocks. I didn't want to take the risk... We had to share the pool with some tour group of teens, ugh. When they posed for the camera, they encouraged their guard to come in the water with them and he did- with his clothes on! I guess he figured that the dry heat would dry off his clothes.... eventually.
After swimming for a while, we moved to another fall and found a shady spot to eat our lunch. My sandwich was all mashed up but whatever. Food is food. I was starting to get nervous about trying to catch the 2:30 bus (the LAST bus to Jerusalem of the day) so I told the others that we'd better get moving. The walk back to the main entrance where we had come from wasn't too bad but not as scenic as the ascent path.
We made it down with time to spare so some people grabbed ice cream and used bathrooms (I insisted that those who didn't right away that they'd better go or they needed to drink more water). We went across the street to start waiting for the bus.
The girl who accompanied us began talking about the situation in the Gaza. Her talk of how poor the people were and she felt so bad that they had no food or water, etc. Then I said, "Well, these people wanted democracy right? They wanted autonomy from Israel so Israel gave it to them and these people voted in elections. They asked for Hamas. That's their problem if they're unhappy with the leadership. They asked for all this!" Unknowingly, I was saying all of this in front of this girl who happened to be a Palestinian with American citizenship who still had relatives in West Bank. After I realized where she came from, I took the opportunity to ask her questions about West Bank -what is Ramallah really like? How are the relations between the soldiers and the residents? It became so clear that we were standing on two very different sides and I somehow seem to tune out the fact that there are people out there who still believe that Palestine exists. I only believe in the State of Israel and its occupied terrorities and couldn't imagine Israel being broken up into two states. Anyway, I kept things non-political between us and shut up when I hear enough even though her views on Gaza really bothered me that I wanted to change the topic. Then I saw why Isrealis get so uncomfortable with this.
Fortunately, our bus back to Jerusalem dropped us off in Ramat Eshkol. Lucky for us! We didn't have to go ALL the way to the central station and then take a bus back. Phew. When we returned to the apartment, I got ready to start getting into the shower and pack for the Backs'. Only then I discovered that I dropped my keys at that stop in Ein Gedi. Having been there already, I instructed Meredith on how to call the maintinence that's on call 24/7 and explained that they'd charge it on someone's account and I would pay that person back. Seven months in Israel can bring all kinds of situation imaginable.
Eventually, I was let into my room and got ready to leave for my Shabbat weekend with the Backs. Aside from the key part, it had been a great day and I'm glad that I went to Ein Gedi- with a bunch of people! One less thing for me to do during my traveling period. But I will come back for the ancient synagogue and some more hikes!
(I don't know why this pic came out like this but Blogger didn't rotate it as it was supposed to... pretty cool!)
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