A week of Special Days

Week 2 of Ulpan was not as exciting as week 1 unfortunately since the novelty was not there anymore and it turned into more of a routine without excitement. Granted I was still happy every single morning I woke up in this amazing country. However, outside of class time things were very different. The guys on the trip decided to get together and play basketball daily. It was a great way for us to bond and play a game that we all loved. I met 3 great guys on my team that I am very fortunate to play with. Alex and Max are roommates from Colorado, who happen to be sophomores which have yet to be a deterrent factor for them. They are good people that I enjoy not only playing ball with but also getting to know better. The third is Ari Solomon who apparently lives in West Hills right by A-Lev. He went to El Camino and has been here for the year. He is a nice guy who I see becoming a good friend of mine. Also I had the pleasure of meeting my roommates as they returned from all sorts of adventures. Micah is doing a gap year here, he is from Kansas City and Rafael just made Aliyah and is in the mechina getting ready to take the exams necessary to be here. Josh and Bennie(the 4th roommate freshman from Chicago) are still on their European Adventure but will be back soon.

I have also had the pleasure of being what I like to call the “Love Helper” since Adam and Sarah have both asked me for assistance in making their year anniversary special. I helped Adam find the perfect location(Yemen Moshe a lookout over the old city) and prepare a picnic for her with all her favorite dishes. The following day I helped sarah with her scavenger hunt clues to get adam to spend the day going from person to place to finally arrive at her place ready for a wonderfully prepared meal. It was a lot of fun to help those 2 rascals express a beautiful love for each other. Then excitement came in the form of Birthdays. It was first Talia Gilboa’s b-day on Thursday and then Danielle Natelson’s on Sunday. The celebrations began with midnight balloons and streamers calling the day into order. Then following a joyous singing Ulpan class the trek to Tel Aviv began. The girls went out and partied in the city that never sleeps. We then came together and had a shared potluck dinner with great food, party hats, noise makers, and even took it back to our roots and lifted the birthday girls on a chair whilst singing Jewish folk songs. It was a fun time had by all that really brought the group together in festivities. It was an epic time that will soon not be forgotten.

Shabbat this week was not something I had expected but turned into a remarkable time spent with a new friend. At first I had planned on visiting family in Haifa but while discussing these plans with Jason I learned that he had nowhere to go and would spend a second week at the cfar by himself. So I called up my family and found out that it was a tough weekend to come anyways so I decided that I would show Jason what an Jerusalem Shabbat is. I spent the day cooking and cleaning getting everything ready for the holy day. While shopping I ran into my ulpan buddy Rachel who invited me to Shabbat dinner that she was throwing and I said of course but I had plus 2 to bring. She said no problem and I was excited to have a nice Shabbat dinner with some other students. Sruli(new friend from Maryland) decided to join me and Jason at the dinner. I cooked some stir-fry and rice with peanut sauce. The dinner turned into a hit with 13 people there having fun and enjoying each other’s company. I took Jason in the morning to one of my favorite shuls(Yemen Moshe). Then we made our way to the Kotel since he had still not been. Then we walked back to the cfar and just relaxed in the beautiful day. We talked about life and I really got to know him which was a great thing. Another satisfied week in Israel :)

Let the ULPAN begin

The first day of Ulpan is kind of like being a kid in a candy store (it is actually nothing like that but I really wanted to use that analogy). A more accurate assessment is that it is like the first day of school. I was excited for everything the day held. I got placed into a good Hebrew class, I was able to meet a lot of new friends right away, and I was in one of the most beautiful sites of the country. However there was absolutely no time for me to think or breathe. Every day was jam packed with intense studying. I had 5 hours of Hebrew every morning bright and early that just took all my focus. We would learn new concepts and grammar each day so to miss one thing meant falling behind which was not an option. Even though I was done relatively early every day(1:30) I somehow had no time to myself. Afternoons were filled with some sort of learning provided by the school, then working out, followed by preparing dinner, doing homework, and then hanging out with people before bedtime. I was on a tight schedule every moment with something new going on. Even though everything was happening so fast, the electricity in the air was too strong to miss.

Being friendly seems to be quite easy for the people studying abroad at Rothberg. No matter who you run into they want to get to know you and establish a friendship. Needless to say, I was ever the outgoing personality and met people from all walks of life. I don’t really like to play the jewish geography game since I know that 99% of the time that I will know someone in common with a complete stranger as long as they are jewish. Unfortunately, I seem to be alone in this thought process since everyone I met decided to play the game. Some of the people I met have been great friends already. I met a crowd of girls from Canada that don’t think they have an accent but we bust their chops for it. I met people from Chicago, Maryland, and Indiana that had heard about me from some of my old Nativ friends. I finally met the infamous Ramah California contingency that sticks with each other like white on rice. I made an interesting guy Jason from Binghamton that I really enjoy hanging out with and showing him around. As well as spending time with the people I knew coming here Leslie, Adina, and Adam. It was a lot of fun to do some new fresh acquaintance interactions since I have been hanging around the same people back in Zona. The week was filled with fun, friends, and activities for all.

Friday came zipping around and I was psyched for it to begin. So far I had only spent Shabbat with family and now I was able to have some free time. I got in touch with Josh Goldberg(Nativ 26) who happens to also be studying abroad here again and asked him if I could stay by him for Shabbat. He was more than happy to have me over(he lives in Baka). I was invited for Friday night dinner to my old madrich Matan Gold’s house for dinner. Everything was falling into place. I went to the Shuk Friday afternoon and purchased some Challah, wine, and Rugalach. I made my way to josh’s and dropped off all my stuff before getting ready to go to shul. It was my first time back at synagogues in Israel and I decided to start off with a bang at Shira Hadasha. Services were amazing and I ran into David Helfand there which is always a present surprise. Afterwards, I ate dinner at Matan’s and met all his friends who happen to be the funniest group I have experienced. We talked about Israel Zionism to American National Parks. It was a wonderful time that I can’t wait to do it again. Shabbat was restful with more meaningful davening followed by lunch with Josh and his roommates. They go to Pardes and happen to be so nice. It was truly a wonderful time and I appreciate him opening his home to me. I could not have asked for a better Shabbat and now it is time for another week of Hebrew to begin and I am ready!!!

The Final Days of Break

Now that the week is once more done, I still have no clue as to where time went. Hey it’s okay though since my journey has still just begun. I am now off to my cousin leah’s house again but this time I am bringing Kaylee along for the ride. I can’t wait to spend some quality time with her. Our relationship has been a roller coaster ride for the past 18 years. I love her to death but she used to drive me crazy, so when this weekend proved to be not only a fun time but also a chance for us to bond and share things about our lives a huge smile crept unto my face. Leah loved having us over and meeting more of the family. I was able to get Reuven on the phone since he just came back to Israel but unfortunately it was brief since he had to run to the hospital to visit his daughter Anat who just had a baby. Once again family proved to be an unbelievable place that I was lucky to have here in Israel. I was even lucky enough to have my laundry done there and then hoped back on a bus to Jerusalem with Kaylee to complete the full circle of our adventure. As we parted, we both knew that our relationship had taken a turn for the better.

The setting was Jerusalem during Motzi Shabbat, the time was 10:00pm, the date was January 23rd, the importance was my 21st birthday was commencing. Needless to say I was pretty stocked for another important marker in my life to be celebrated. It began with the ritual eating of dinner, fortunately for me I was not alone and actually accompanied by sweet friends. Shosh, Molly, Adina Rosen and her roommate Alana were all there to support me. We went out and got the some sushi at a local restaurant and I had my first drink at the stroke of midnight. It was a momentous occasion to say the least. I felt as though the celebration was more than just a turning point of time but more a rite of passage that accompanies with the age. The rest of the night was just a rush of excitement and fun. I went hopping from place to place running into new people that I literally met for less than 24 hours since the program had just begun. I ran into Leslie on Yaffo and she was so stocked to see me for the first time that she almost peed in her pants. Of course we had to take a picture the 3 of us together to show our mini wheels staff reunion. The night progressed super quickly and before I knew it I was up at 9:00 the next day to official register as a student at the Hebrew University.

The day was long and filled with tedious information that I needed to remember. It was the most hectic time ever trying to figure out what needed to be done. Starting on the first floor to check in, then going to the 3rd floor for paperwork, sent back down to the 2nd floor to get approval, then to the 5th floor to get rooming assignments, finally ending up where I started at the Cfar to get my room keys. I hate Israeli bureaucracy but I guess for the next 5 months I will have to get used to it. Finally dropping all my stuff in my new room I wanted to pass out and take a nap but unfortunately that was not a possibility since I had orientation that was a mandatory event. I sat through the next 2 hours of the vice-provost telling all the facts of the school that no one cared about with absolutely zero interest. Finally freedom came to me around dinner time and I of course took the moment to have a nice dinner with my friends. We all went out to grab some pizza (seriously American but not even close to as good as they make it in the states). Afterwards, I just came back to unpack the rest of my possessions and relax. Of course my birthday was not complete without Adam coming to see me. I could not have asked for a more meaningful day. I don’t feel older but now I am at the tier of adulthood that I am excited to see what happens up here. Tomorrow I finally start learning and can no longer just slack off..wish me luck!!!!