Coffee, Tea, Vodka, & Guinness: Winter Ulpan: Check! Blog...oh yeah!

As Lindsay so eloquently explained, it is really hard to figure out what to say in a blog. Shortly after my last entry, my ulpan (Hebrew classes) went from 10 hours a week to 30, and all thoughts of what to write in my blog went out the window. As I discovered during the last few weeks, my Hebrew grammar is a lot better than I thought it was, but I have the vocabulary of an eight year old with a learning disability (since I was eight when I lived here). When I discussed this with the ulpan coordinator, she suggested trying to test into a higher level. So I did. I'll find out how I did when I start my classes on Sunday *fingerscrossed*

I met my new roommate a few weeks ago. Her name is Noam. She is from Tel-Aviv, but she lived in Holland for a few years, and she's an English Literature/Psychology double major, which means she and I can both help each other by speaking in our native languages. So we agreed to alternate between English days and Hebrew days. She and I get along pretty well, and our first weekend together, she invited me to stay with her in Tel-Aviv. Her little sister, Roni, is my age and is a medic in the IDF. And her boyfriend, Ben, does something in intelligence. The four of us went biking (something I hadn't done in a really long time) in downtown Tel-Aviv. Roni pointed out to me some historical sights, and Noam pointed out to me the best stores in which to shop. We went to a poster shop, where Noam and I discovered we have the same taste in movies including The Rocky Horror Picture Show so we decided to go see it together that night. It was mostly the same as the U.S. except the intro was in Hebrew, and since elections were coming up, there were a few cracks about the top three politicians running for prime minister...I think. We also watched the first season of my new favorite television show: M'rachak N'giah (A Touch Away) about a Russian immigrant family living in an extremely orthodox neighborhood. In the show, the son (who is quite the hottie) falls madly in love with his next-door neighbor, whose marriage is being arranged. Drama ensues.

The following weekend, some family friends invited me over for Shabbat dinner. That night, their son brought some interesting guests: Three doctors who had come to evaluate the humanitarian situation in Gaza and a nun who had been translating for them. The doctors had worked in various countries. They told us about the situation and the non-Jewish ones asked questions about the Jewish customs we did for Shabbat (blessings for the meal, drinking wine, etc.). It was really interesting to talk to them.

That week, I went to the Israel Museum. Most of the exhibits are currently under construction, but I went to the Shrine of the Book (where the Dead Sea Scrolls are displayed), the sculpture garden, and the history and art sections of the museum. I hadn't been to the museum since 1998, and I was startled to find that things were smaller than I remember. On the other hand, now that I know more about Israel's history, the documents that I saw (which included a record of what the leaders of the country thought would happen right before the Yom Kippur War, the speech that was in Yitzchak Rabin's pocket when he was shot (complete with borderline-creepy blood stains), and the Declaration of Independence) seemed much more interesting. .

That weekend, my friend Ari, who is here on the freshman program, turned 18 so we all celebrated by going out to dinner and then a bar. She started jumping when she got carded for the first time.

This Sunday, I will start my classes in the international school. If I get what I want, I will be in "Revolution and Reaction: East European Jews in the 19th and 20th Centuries," "Biblical Figures and Stories in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Art," and Hebrew. In March, I will start my class at Hebrew University on English lit in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, which I will be taking with my roommate. In the meantime, I will enjoy my last few days of class-less freedom before Passover break in April when I will see all of you.

P.S. I promise to update more often from now on. Here are some pictures to make up for my lack of posting.