Monday, August 3: Left Jacksonville on route to Tel Aviv. The plane ride to both Newark and Tel Aviv were fine. I sat in one of the bulkhead seats on the 12 hour flight to Tel Aviv which meant that I could move my legs a bit which was nice. I put my backpack underneath my legs like a footstool, took an ambien, and passed out for much of it. I was rather emotionally exhausted and had a difficult time getting on the plane in Newark. Don't get me wrong, I love Israel (and now that I'm in classes I'm pretty settled) but I still haven't gotten over wishing that when I'm sick or having a hard time that I can just go home. Knowing that life at home is moving on and going forward, without me ... it's very difficult. I want to be a part of everything that is going on at home. It was hard leaving my grandmother. It was hard not having even seen Justin when I flew back for the funeral ... it's all just hard.
Tuesday, August 4: I arrive in Tel Aviv and take a cab to the Regency Jerusalem (thank you, Mimi!!!!!!!). I check in to the hotel and call up the spa and ask if there was still space for a massage and that a male masseuse was fine with me. I made the horrible mistake of asking for a deep tissue massage ... boy did that hurt like hell, but felt good at the same time. I had room service (AMAZING pasta). I had a great night just relaxing but was a little unsettled by the fact that I was developing a cough (stupid airplanes, they are illness incubators).
Wednesday, August 5: FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! I head over to campus and get my first taste of what security is like: I need to present my passport to the security guard who goes through all of my personal belongings before allowing me to enter the campus. The problem is this: I was dropped off at the start of the Social Sciences building ... I need to get the Boyar building ... which is nice and tucked away ... on the other side of campus. So not good. So I lug my stuff all over campus trying to figure out where I'm going and finally run into these two nice Israeli girls who are going the same way. They inform me that "you know, it's not a requirement to bring all your belongings to school every day. All you need are your books!" Helpful, these two were. Whatever. They help me lug the bag to Boyar and I try to figure out where I'm going to check in. I follow the signs for reception down to the first level and leave my bag in the "luggage room"and follow MORE signs up to the 4th floor (or was it the 5th??) either way, I sign in, fill out some paper work and wait to be called. Then they ask if anyone will need to check into housing. I do, so I raise my hand and I get to cut to the front of the line. SWEET. I get my ID card via the webcam on her computer (wasn't THAT what the 8 passport size photos I had SHIPPED HERE WERE FOR??????? Ugh, and they were so much more flattering, too) and she tells me that I should hustle downstairs and take the shuttle to campus and then hurry back for classes. Uhhhh whaaaat??? So I jump on the shuttle and make it to Kfar HaStudentim (student village) and check in, get my keys and make my way to my assigned room. I unlock the door to the bedroom and ... someone elses stuff is in there. Crap. So I go back out ... and the elevator's have stopped working. Double crap. So I decide to leave my stuff in the apartment and go ask what's going on ... perhaps I was supposed to be in room 5, not 4??? So I go back to the housing office and tell them what's happened and they assign me a new room in a new building. Craaaaaaaap. So i walk back UP the 9 flights of stairs, get my belongings, go DOWN the 9 flights of stairs and get to my new building. The internet office happens to be downstairs so I pop my head in and tell them that my room number has been changed. They write it down and tell me it should be set up in 24 hours. HA-HA-HA. I go BACK to housing, hand them the old keys and ask for directions back to campus. Seriously, it's mile walk ... and it IS uphill both ways. Stupid hills. So, I make the mile hike, back to Boyar and go back to where I started. They look surprised to see me "But you're supposed to be in class." "well, Yes, but I don't know what class I'm in, or where it would be ..." "Ah, talk to Gila." "ummm, where would she be?" So I go off to find Gila ... and she informs me that I'm in Alef Advanced-14 which will finish Alef in a few weeks and then finish Bet by the end of Ulpan. Ummm REALLY??? She writes me a note admitting me to the class, tells me where to go and I'm on my way. I get into class and find a seat ... and realize I have no idea what is being said. By anyone. I try to explain this fact to the professor who tells me that it's fine, i'll be ok. Um ... NO I WON'T!!! I find the person in Humanities building who is charge of moving people around ... and she says to come see her first thing in the morning. I wander BACK over to Boyar to wait for the bus trip to the mall (I am in DIRE need of shampoo and conditioner ... and a pillow). I find what I need in about 20 minutes and decide to go to Pizza hut with the rest of my time. BTW: Pizza Huts in Israel are nice establishments not little fast food joints. I have dinner and make my way back to meet the group and head back to campus. I meet my roommate, Dvora (she's AMAZING) and head to my room to unpack. Dvora is in Level Gimmel (Alef, Bet, Gimmel) so she can EASILY help me with my homework and tells me that yeah, I should switch levels, but that my Hebrew is much better that I think it is *:D*
Thursday, August 6: I am Goldilocks and the Ulpan. I go to see the level changing lady first thing and she decides to put me in Alef Advanced-13. Oh yeah, that should be LOADS different from 14. Brilliant. Aaaaand it's not. The teacher is quite nice, but thinks that I'm a complete IDIOT and sends me back to change levels again. This time they put me in Alef-Intermediate 6. I was talking CIRCLES around them and the teacher kicked me out. Again. So I go back and get places in Alef 10. PERFECT. The teacher is amazing, it's the right mix of "I know that!" "I don't know that!" I'm happy. Then Gila walks in and tells us that there are too many people in this class and that we are going to be split into 3 the next day. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I go back to the room after class, and decide to chill out for a little bit. I open my window to let in the breeze ... and am attacked by a pigeon. So not ideal. I run around the apartment screaming and waving a pillow at the damn bird until it wanders back out. I decide that I've had quite enough nature and chilling and walk to the supermarket. Ok, shopping in a new grocery store is intimidating. You never know where things are, they have different brands ... it's kinda 1000000 times worse in a foreign country. Where the labels are in a completely different language. I know enough Hebrew to kinda guess what most things are (and there are pictures which help. Note to food producers: ALWAYS PUT PICTURES ON THE LABEL) but it's hard to know what cheese is what, what type of milk that is ... is that yogurt, or sour cream?? After being scared in the dairy isle, I decided to stick with veggies and obvious things. I got humus, cucumber, tomato, water, bread, and chocolate spread. And TP. And walked back to my apartment.
Friday, August 7: The only Friday that we will have class. I walk over to the Humanities Building, where we meet, and see that I've been moved to another class. Again. Major bummer. I head over and the teacher is COMPLETELY confused to see us. She normally teaches level 7 ... but we are not level 7 ... and we don't know where they've gone. So she teaches us until the break when we ALL have to walk over to Boyar to sing songs for Shabbat. Interesting. I stay to register for the Shabbat dinner that night and make it back to class just in time. But the people in the room are completely different ... WTF? So I go BACK to the room I was in YESTERDAY and see my name on the door there. Seriously? So I go in. The teacher calls roll ... and I'm not on it. Rather than have me go outside with the other people who are clearly confused, she just tells me to sit and she'll add me so we don't waste time. But but but but but ... FINALLY Gila comes in and says that she has the list of people who are supposed to be in this room and if we could please come outside with her if we're not on the list. I'm not on the list. She takes me to a NEW room where the rest of my class is waiting. With a new teacher. Again. We have a test on the first 110 pages of the text book. No problems there. And I head back to the village to unwind before dinner. I pick out a nice, conservative outfit and, at 7:50pm head down to the gate to meet up with everyone. Dinner is AMAZING ... but not at all traditional ... except for the food. The food is STUPENDOUS and traditional. I get back wait to speak to Justin ... that mean 1am here. And he doesn't answer. Again. And I'm sick ... so I call mom and dad to cry and bitch and then pass out.
Saturday, August 8. Shabbat. I observe it in the most literally way: I SLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP into the afternoon. Mom calls me around 1pm my time to tell me that Justin called her the night before to tell her that he's been trying to get hold of me but that his phone isn't cooperating. GRRRRR. I then spend a lovely Shabbat afternoon reading and just generally unwinding. I finally manage to get hold of Justin and find out that his grandfather's beloved dog had been put down the night before :(. For a day in which I didn't do much, it really went by fast!
Sunday, August 9: Back to school! We got our tests back that we had taken on Friday. I got a 91. I think this means that I should TECHNICALLY move up to Alef-12 ... but I'm not moving! I understand what's going on and there is a bunch of vocabulary that I am just now learning ... or had learned and COMPLETELY forgot ... and with all the other changes going on, I'm perfectly happy staying where I am and having an easy start to the Ulpan. It will be plenty tough later on! Plus, I have a year of more Hebrew. The cold that started when I got off the plane is getting worse with this really irritating cough so I decide to hit the sack pretty early.
And now we're to today! Still not feeling so hot ... I really just want to get over being sick and be healthy so that I have the energy to explore! I have plenty of time during the day to get away from Mount Scopus and down to the Old City ... or the New City ... and I'm really excited to get started. Actually ... that has to happen soon ... because the bank on campus and the bank down the street don't accept my card ... and I have 20 NIS left ... lo tov.
No comments:
Post a Comment