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