Ulpan is over!! My four weeks of intensive hebrew learning has come to an end.
- Unfortunate conclusions: Sixty (seisheim) and thirty (shloshim) sound suspiciously similar when cab drivers are telling you prices, salesmen at the market (shuk) have no patience for helping you practice your speaking skills, and hot guys think it’s hilarious when you try to order a drink at the bar.
- Happy Conclusions: I feel way more confident traveling by myself and with others, I can ask for an English menu, and I can have small chitchats with new friends on the beach.
All in all, I’d say it’s been an awesome experience…but I definitely have a lot more to learn. Good thing I’m continuing Hebrew all semester….at 8:30am Monday-Thursday! What a great time of day to be awake and struggling to speak another language. Sadly, it looks like I won’t be able to continue studying Arabic this semester like I wanted because of class conflicts and credit priorities. Time to buy Rosetta Stone, I think.
Regular classes will start on March 8th, so I have a whole week off to go on adventures! For day 1 my roommate Danielle and I rented a car and drove north. First: I do not recommend driving in Israel to anyone, at all. Israelis make New Yorkers look tame, and that’s coming from a born and bred Jersey driver. But it was definitely more convenient than a 3 hour bus ride, so Dani was a trooper and braved the crazy drivers to bring us safely to and from Caesarea.
It’s the first time I’ve been able to really explore a city on my own terms again like I did throughout Europe, and it was a blast. It was a beautiful day, almost 80F. Not only did we get to wander around the ruins, we got to dip our toes into the stunningly blue Mediterranean sea, and we watched a fisherman go diving for his phone. It was a great reminder of why I’m really here…Not to have a set routine and never sway from my class/gym/eat/sleep schedule, although it has gotten very comfortable…but to see the land I am living in, and to explore the magical places that I have access to for such a relatively short time.
I can’t wait to see how the rest of my week off goes!! Until next time friends….keep your toes pointed <3 