Memoirs of winter ulpan....

Hello,

I figured I would start off by making you all jealous by saying that it has yet to rain since I landed the very first day and has been a breezy 50-60 degrees with sun mostly all of the time....

Anyways I know it has been a while but honestly nothing exciting has really been going on the past week.  I was really sick for a while so I mostly went to Ulpan and then came home and slept!  Also no one really wants to go out during our Ulpan week because it is hard enough to get up and be in hebrew class from 8:30-1:30 as it is.

Hebrew is interesting because when you are rested and focused it really is not that hard, however as soon as you cross over a certain point of being tired or disinterested NOTHING will bring you back haha.  If you are not focused on it words that you previously knew look like complete jibberish, hence the 3rd part of ulpan is usually pretty interesting because many of us are totally clueless at this point.

Here is my homework:


One exciting thing is that we are already starting to plan out our Passover vacations.  Everyone wants to go somewhere else which is difficult but we are thinking of hopping around quite a bit.  The countries on our list are Greece, Italy (I am fighting for Italy so I can hopefully see Hannah!), Jordan, Egypt, Cyprus, Turkey, and also there is an organized trip to Poland that I am considering.  We might do Jordan and Egypt seperately in two different long weekends too... the possibilities are endless.  

So as for the culture shock, alot of people are getting to that 2nd stage in which the euphoria of being here has faded and everyone is sick and tired haha... the other day in ulpan the teacher went around asking how we were doing and the responses were like this: "lo tov, lo tov, lo tov, lo tov..." (not good, not good etc.).  Supposedly the next and last stage is when we literally become "Israeli" and start being rude and pushy haha.  That is the funny thing about Israelis, they are the most hospitible people but at the same time they have no patience whatsoever.

Shiri and I planned ahead this shabbat and we signed up to go to the student center for a free dinner, we thought we would give it a try.  We also signed up to go to Tel Aviv/Jaffa next friday!! I will finally have some new pictures and I am sure some new stories!! We are going with the group and then hoping to stay the weekend either with her family or in a hostel.  We (meaning I) can't wait to finally have a cheeseburger!! Tel Aviv is less traditional and much more modern.  The beach will also be amazing!


This is random but I saw this sign and I didn't know what to think.... I think the writers of Lost may have gotten the entire idea for the show right here in Jerusalem.... There are all kinds of magical secrets in this old city.

 This is the view from my bedroom window at about 6 am... The mountains are in the distance but the picture makes it hard to see. 

Lastly, for those of you on facebook I started an album called "Cats doing funny things in Israel" I will be adding to it the rest of the semester.... I will post the best ones on here too, they are just so weird. Last night I was carrying a pizza box and one literally chased me, I just threw some pizza crust and ran. 

Thrifty Cat.

Cat in the student union asking if this seat is taken...

Thanks for reading!!! More to come! 

-B

אני אוהבת ישראל

Hi everyone,

Ulpan is going great so far, its a little hard but I am understanding about 80% of what the teacher says and I am now able to speak much better.  Last night was shabbat and two friends and I had probably the most unorthodox shabbat you can get.  We walked to Dominos and ordered a pizza-- the highlight of the night was that I was able to communicate mostly in Hebrew! We were surprised to find pepperoni available there, which we would soon find out is terrible.

Anyways I met the neighbors on our floor, most of them at least. It is going to be a really fun semester, they are all really friendly and most of them were either here last semester or are Israeli so they can look over my homework! I am really glad I met them!! They might read this so now I can say -- Told you I would put you in my blog!

I also discovered that my Panhellenic sweatshirt from being on the council for all of the sororities might not be the best sweatshirt to wear.... people think that the crest on it is some kind of religion!  I have only been asked about it once but I dont want to risk having to explain it again haha

Thursday we went on a tour of Jerusalem and they took us to a market called the Shuk where you can buy groceries and pasteries and all kinds of things.  I am sorry for the lack of pictures but it is so much more fun to not look like a tourist! I will go back and take some but for now here is one that I found...

If you go on Friday afternoons right before shabbat they sell things for SUPER cheap because they are trying to get rid of everything because it will go bad after shabbat.  Our guide told us you can get a kilo of tomatoes for 1 shekel which is about 30 cents.

We also went down Ben Yehuda street which is where you will find all of the fun shopping, food, nightlife, etc.

Anyways, Geries went home to Bethleham this weekend so I had the apartment to myself, which was weird.  I am looking forward to meeting who else might be moving in soon!  Also for those of you who have been keeping up with me I finally figured out the heating system and for the first time during this trip did not sleep with my winter coat on! I also finally got a pillow....

More later!
Brittany

Ulpan begins...

Hi all,

Yesterday we had orientation where we were told a little bit of history about the school, and also that it is the "most prestigious school in Israel" which was really cool to hear.  Afterwards we went to the mall and I orderd my first falafel of the trip all in hebrew with was amaaazing!  My favorite thing to put on them is chamuzim (a kind of pickle).  SOOO DELICIOUS! I also bought sheets and towels- no more using my t-shirt to dry off!

Today was the first day of Ulpan (intensive hebrew school).  We have class from either 8:30-1:30 or 9:30-2:30 depending on the day with a half an hour break for lunch.  In my ulpan class there are about 15 of us and yet about 7 countries are represented (Brazil, El Salvador, England, Switzerland, Germany, and others). Our teacher only speaks in hebrew and does not allow English, but she is a great teacher and it was a fun class.  After one day I am already learning a ton and we have already used what we learned at the grocery store, which I just got back from.  Fruits and veggies are soooooo cheap here and so I got 4 oranges, lettuce, milk, and some chips all for about $6.

Another food adventure that will probably drain my money is this cafe called Aroma, it is AMAAAAAAAAAAAAAZING. It has the most delicious sandwiches and coffee drinks.  I am making a rule to only stop there like once every other week, its RIGHT on the way to class so its a huge temptation. Everyone says that people gain weight in Israel, but despite the amazing food we walk SO MUCH every day, and up huge hills at that.

Yesterday we wandered around this place we call the secret garden, even though its really not secret.  It has all kinds of cool paths and amazing scenery and it is directly across the street from our class building.  There is an underground tomb in the garden too that is kind of neat. Below are some pictures but to be honest nothing will ever compare to walking through it, a camera just can't capture it.

 These pictures are more from the amphitheater that I had in my last post but they are cool and I can't get over how I can go here EVERYDAY! Shiri and I ate lunch on the steps today, its like a huge concert hall outside and there is never anyone there, although I'm sure come warmer weather it will be really full.

Lastly, one of my roommates is moved in. His name is Geries but he says to call him George.  He is from Israel and has studied in Italy as well and knows about 5 languages.  He wants to be a tour guide so we have told him he can practice showing us around.  I rarely see him but he is a great person to have around, he is like a giant teddy bear haha I will have to post a picture at some point. We will be getting our other roomates when the girls from Denmark leave in the next few days. 

Saturday afternoon I got invited to my first shabbat meal by Rivky, one of the girls I stayed with the first night that I got here. I am excited but I told her if I am going to come she will have to tell me how to get there because I believe the buses are not running in shabbat, and its not like I know how to use them yet either.  We are going on a tour of Jerusalem tomorrow so we are hoping that after that we will be able to get around better, lately we have just been hanging out within a mile of campus.  We wanted to wait to walk around because there are neighborhoods nearby that we got strict instruction to stay away from and we don't want to wander into the wrong part of town!

Anyways some friends are on their way over! So I will post again soon!

Thanks for reading! If anyone has questions about life over here or Israel in general feel free to post em!
-B

Day One!

Hi everyone,

So this morning Yoni dropped me off at campus and I got all settled in to my apartment.  There were two girls from Denmark who are leaving next week and 1 Israeli guy who is staying in the apartment and then we will get 3 more roommates, all of which I am thinking are Israeli.  I moved in while the Israeli was gone so I think he might be surprised to find me here because they were not told I was coming today, it should be interesting!

My room is actually really nice and I think that it will work out great, it overlooks a courtyard which is nice.  I already have met TONS of people and we walked around all day together.  Campus is AMAAAAAZING, and the dorms are only about a 10 minute walk away.  On campus there is an amazing area that kind of reminds me of a secret garden with paths that wind around and with all kinds of water streams and plants.

 Here is a flower that I found... 

This was my salad from the first dinner here, its a blurry picture but it was AMAAAZING and super fresh!

Israel has such pretty colored money... 

 This is what I see from my dorm but I am on the 4th floor so I can overlook it better, this was from the ground. 

 From campus this is one view...

This is an amazing area that overlooks Israel and has some very special meaning.  Many famous people were present at the opening of this area including Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein.

On our campus tour my new friends Shiri and Dana and I were joined by a man from Switzerland, a man from France, and a women from Austria.  They aren't staying the semester, only for ulpan (hebrew school) but it was a cool experience talking to them and I will see them around the next 3 weeks.

Security is probably the biggest difference between here and the U of M.  Campus and the Dorm areas are located in different areas and both are built so that you have to go through certain gates to get in.  You must show I.D. to enter both areas and before entering campus you go through a metal detector and they look in your bags.  Also guns are everywhere you go, its a little strange but you get used to it quickly.

Lastly I had the most hilarious moment when I first arrived.  So for those of you who know Israel, you know that there are cats EVERYWHERE!!! There are at least 20 around the dorms, kind of like our squirrels in MN.  Anyways I left my apartment and locked it up and I turn around and there is a cat, which really startled me, but then it proceeded to follow me onto the elevator and ride down with me haha... it was so bizzare.  People leave milk and bread outside of their apartments and the doors to our buildings are always propped open and the cats just wander around. It is so odd...

 

Cats 

Anyways I am going to go have dinner with some friends and then I will probably hang out in the apartment for the night!  Everyone is still so sleepy.

I made it to Jerusalem!

Hi everyone,

After MANY LONG hours of travel I am finally here! The plane ride from New York to Israel was long but not terrible. I met so many interesting people at the airport and on the plane.  Everyone is so eager to talk and help with learning hebrew!

On the way here I thought of my other lovely AOIIs who are also abroad as I read through the in flight magazine and saw many of their destinations featured in it.... Cat according to Sky Magazine London is "the place to be".  haha

Also trying to explain a sorority is actually impossible.   I am pretty sure there is a poor Israeli man out there who still is very confused, but I did successfully teach him the term "chatterbox" referring the other girl in our row....

It is about 55 degrees and it was super gloomy and rainy when I arrived and probably will be for the rest of the week but it is worth it because after the rainy season it will be WONDERFUL!

When I got through customs my friend Yoni picked me up and we went out to dinner in the middle of Jerusalem.  It was a small really good restaurant in the middle of an outdoor shopping mall which had many of the same stores that we do in the states. I am staying with his friends Chippy and Rivky tonight! They are super sweet girls a little older than me who are also American but live here now!

I've already noticed several small cultural differences.  For instance the waitresses at the restaurants come over when you first sit down but everytime after that you wave them over instead of them coming to check on you when you need something.  Also the driving here is INSANE. There are lanes, however rarely do the Israelis stay in them.  People drive up on sidewalks, stop in the middle of the road, and do all kinds of other road shenanigans.  Half of me thinks its hilarious, the other half wonders how there are not more accidents....

I had so many more mental notes on what I wanted to write but I have been travelling for like 25 hours and can no longer function.  I have orientation tomorrow though! Then I will settle in and try and write again!

Welcome to my Blog!

Hi everyone,


Thanks for checking out my blog! I will be leaving for Israel on January 15th and returning on June 1st and between then I am hoping to document as much of my trip as I can for all of you to keep up with what I am doing over there.  For those of who you don't speak hebrew the title of my blog means "Israel where have you been all of my life?" Its a phrase we learned on my trip in May 2009 and is printed on the back of our group's sweatshirts.  I thought it was quite fitting :) 


Anyways seeing as I have about a million things to do before I leave I am going to leave this post short, but check back frequently! 


-B