Wait till next year Braves and Cubs fans

So just a quick update on the latest and greatest from The Holy Land. Ulpan is really exciting and uplifting. Exciting because I know that learning the language is probably the most productive thing I can do right now, and uplifting because the Ulpan is filled with immigrants from France. It's good to see people finally waking up.

When I began ulpan I was in the lower of the three levels. Yesterday I was moved up to the middle level and the workload has suddenly increased ten-fold. Most everyday so far has consisted of waking up at 6:45, davening, and riding with my sister to ulpan. Her office is located only 50 meters from the my ulpan so I get to stop in and say hello during breaks. This is one of the benefits of living in the Gush. I haven't lived within 1500 miles of my oldest sister since I was a kid and now I'm living in her home, eating dinner with her and her husband and the kids, riding with her to ulpan, etc.... I even helped my niece with her homework this evening. This is all very special to me.

So anyway, ulpan ends at 1:00 PM and I usually hitchhike or take the bus to Jerusalem for the afternoon. Sometimes I walk around all day and other times I sit in a sidewalk cafe drinking coffee and working on my Hebrew studies. The people here have been surprisingly friendly, helpful, and willing to assist with my Hebrew, especially when they find out I just moved here only a couple of weeks ago. I don't think there's a country in the world where the people are as happy to meet someone who has decided to make this their home. Whether religious or not, most everybody seems to realize that we're all in this together and that being here makes a difference.

I try to get in atleast one adventure every day, whether it's discovering hidden parks, shtiebels, shortcuts, neighborhoods, etc... By the time I catch a bus and make my way back to Efrat, it's usually time for a late dinner and then relax till bedtime.

So that's my daily routine right now. I'm trying to take ulpan very seriously so it consumes most of my time. I have to keep telling myself I'm not on vacation. Otherwise, I may find myself taking a weekly tiyul, eating falafel and schwarma at every meal, and just generally being distracted by all that this wonderful country has to offer. Most importantly, I can't forget that I'm on a mission to actually build a life here. There will be plenty of time for all that other stuff later on, especially when you all come visit, but right now the most important thing for me is to be able to speak the language of the people, by the people, and for the people. I'm even reading this really old (1967-ish) book called How the Hebrew Language Grew. It's got a lot of etymological roots and metathesized words from interchanged letters. Did I just say that?

I did get to go to Tel Aviv for a great Shabbat last week. My friend has a rooftop balcony over Dizengoff St. which can hold about 30 people comfortably. He moved here about four months ago and yet he has made many new friends. We had a really nice lunch with about ten people from all over the world. There was a girl from Germany who converted to Judaism only two months ago, another girl from Germany with German-Hungarian descent, two or three folks from England, an Australian, and even an Israeli or two at the table. And of course, you can't beat Israeli challah and chumus. The wine's pretty good too, and cheap! I'm trying to put together a trip to Gaza for this coming Shabbat which should be fun and provide lots of writing material later.

So tomorrow (no ulpan on Tuesday) I'll be making my second attempt at getting the ball rolling to establish A-1 status, which will allow me to get National Insurance and a work permit until I officially declare Aliyah. I plan on being on the 6:25 AM bus so I can be near the front of the line. Otherwise, the Israeli Administrative Office can be a real baalagan. Wish me luck.

Oh yeah, by the way, my ex-Colgate colleague got himself a real nice job working for another Consumer Products company. Lets all wish him great success and happiness.

Peace.

This picture is right near Tzomet HaGush, where I usually catch a tremp to Jerusalem....

posted by Avi G @ 22:16