The first month in the Rothberg International school is dedicated to intensive language study, called "Ulpan". We're all divided by level, with about 12 different classes. Some people come just for Ulpan, since you learn so much. In my opinion, those people are sadists. Ulpan is better than I thought it would be, but it still pretty much sucks, especially since I have the retantion rate of a cabbage. The first day I was in "Aleph 4" and felt panic rising as I realized I had no idea what my teacher was talking about. I quickly asked to switch classes, and they put me in Aleph 2, in which they were throwing a ball back and forth and saying "Ani..." which kind of means "My name is..." but actually translates to the neanderthal version of "I...". I decided to go back and ask why I had skipped level 3, but not before seeing a girl get hit in the face with the ball, which was well worth it.
Now I'm in Level Three, which is just right. We have two teachers named Michal and Shira. Michal is this little Orthodox woman that is only about 30 but has three children and would like to be our mother as well. She is so, so sweet and everything we do is "tov mehod!"- very good! Shira sort of scares me, and I was wary of her until last week. There is a guy in our class who may be the biggest douche ever, and such a brown-noser. Last week he corrected me in front of the class when I misread a paragraph and Shira saw me mouth across the room to Molly what I would like to do to him, and smiled. Now we're friends because I think Shira has similar sentiments toward this particular student.
So every day in Ulpan starts with Michal asking "Ma nishma?"- How are you? It took us about two days of answering "Metsuyahn"- excellent, and "tov" before we realized they had cleverly only taught us how to answer "Good" or other positive synonyms. So on day three, a friend of mine, Michaela asked "How do you say 'I feel like shit?'" Albeit, perhaps inappropriate, it was a legitimate questions, since none of us felt so metsuyahn anymore. Sweet little Michal answered "Al haponim" which translates to "On your face". We are still unclear as to whether that means you have shit or some other bad substance on your face, or if it just means you're lying on your face, but either way it most accurately describes how one feels during Ulpan. I was pretty sure that this would be a favorite phrase of Ian's, so I hope you enjoy it, E, and practice for your visit.
Ulpan hasn't been all bad- I'm learning so much and totally get it (most of the time!). We also get little breaks, like taking a tour of the campus in Hebrew and time off for Tu B'eshvat. Tu B'eshvat is the Jewish Arbor Day, and you plant plants and trees and eat things that come from trees. We ate tons of orange (Tapuz) and huge dates. I got to plant two little shrubs on campus, which required tons of compost and fertilizer, since the ground is mostly an inhospitable clay. If my Mom were Jewish, Tu B'eshvat would be here favorite holiday by far.
Only a little over a week left of Ulpan, and then we have a 5 day break before classes start. Last night, Rachel Brandon (who has become one of my best friends here) and I booked a hotel in Eilat, the southern most city in Israel which features a lovely gulf and is about 20 degrees warmer. I'm looking forward to relaxing and laying in the sun (it has been cloudy and rainy here!) after Ulpan.
Now I'm in Level Three, which is just right. We have two teachers named Michal and Shira. Michal is this little Orthodox woman that is only about 30 but has three children and would like to be our mother as well. She is so, so sweet and everything we do is "tov mehod!"- very good! Shira sort of scares me, and I was wary of her until last week. There is a guy in our class who may be the biggest douche ever, and such a brown-noser. Last week he corrected me in front of the class when I misread a paragraph and Shira saw me mouth across the room to Molly what I would like to do to him, and smiled. Now we're friends because I think Shira has similar sentiments toward this particular student.
So every day in Ulpan starts with Michal asking "Ma nishma?"- How are you? It took us about two days of answering "Metsuyahn"- excellent, and "tov" before we realized they had cleverly only taught us how to answer "Good" or other positive synonyms. So on day three, a friend of mine, Michaela asked "How do you say 'I feel like shit?'" Albeit, perhaps inappropriate, it was a legitimate questions, since none of us felt so metsuyahn anymore. Sweet little Michal answered "Al haponim" which translates to "On your face". We are still unclear as to whether that means you have shit or some other bad substance on your face, or if it just means you're lying on your face, but either way it most accurately describes how one feels during Ulpan. I was pretty sure that this would be a favorite phrase of Ian's, so I hope you enjoy it, E, and practice for your visit.
Ulpan hasn't been all bad- I'm learning so much and totally get it (most of the time!). We also get little breaks, like taking a tour of the campus in Hebrew and time off for Tu B'eshvat. Tu B'eshvat is the Jewish Arbor Day, and you plant plants and trees and eat things that come from trees. We ate tons of orange (Tapuz) and huge dates. I got to plant two little shrubs on campus, which required tons of compost and fertilizer, since the ground is mostly an inhospitable clay. If my Mom were Jewish, Tu B'eshvat would be here favorite holiday by far.
Only a little over a week left of Ulpan, and then we have a 5 day break before classes start. Last night, Rachel Brandon (who has become one of my best friends here) and I booked a hotel in Eilat, the southern most city in Israel which features a lovely gulf and is about 20 degrees warmer. I'm looking forward to relaxing and laying in the sun (it has been cloudy and rainy here!) after Ulpan.
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