Week Four

So first of all, I'd like to give a big THANK YOU to my dear friend with the precious mind for directing and orchestrating the redesign of my blog. It's gonna to be a work in progress for a while, but I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. In case you can't tell, I'm really diggin' this whole journal thing.

And if I may be permitted, I'd like to also give a shout out to my amazing ulpan teacher. In all my schooling (and I've had alot), I've never encountered a teacher with such patience, knowledge, desire to help, kindess, etc... She'd be so happy to know that I'm actually sitting here tonite listening to Israeli music and understanding some of the words the singer is saying. It's hard to believe how much a difference two weeks can make.

If any of you are planning to come to Israel and are interested in a serious ulpan (in one of the most beautiful spots on this great planet) full of awesome people and outstanding teachers, I definitely recommend the Alon Shvut Ulpan in Gush Etzion. The teachers are extremely patient, talented, kind and funny. They dedicate their lives to helping new olim overcome many of the fears, barriers, and challenges that all new immigrants face.

Anybody that's ever been to Israel knows that this country is the true "melting pot" of the world. In our school alone, there are newcomers from Thailand, France, Russia, Ethiopia, USA, and Argentina sitting together everyday, getting to know each other and learning to speak the same language. Each class has its own uniqueness, and in mine it's got to be the feeling as if we're one big family. This may have something to do with the fact that we've got a woman from France and three of her children (ages 13 - 16) in the class, as well as another mother-daughter combo from Florida too.

It's very exciting to learn about people from so many faraway places, all of whom share many of the same dreams as myself. And I can't describe how much fun it is to watch everybody develop over time. Two weeks ago I met someone who had difficulty with three word sentences, and this morning I bumped into him during coffee break and he's putting together complete questions and answers. Its quite an incredible experience. We're all nervous about whether or not we're actually learning anything, but when I sit back and watch, I see each one of us growing more comfortable with things that only yesterday gave us great difficulty. It's a great feeling to know that one of the biggest obstacles to integrating into society is being overcome before our very eyes. And it's all due to our teachers efforts, our own hard work, and of course, the Big Guy upstairs.

So I mentioned last week that my teacher invited me for Shabbat. What an experience! Her family lives in Maale Chever, which is directly at the edge of Midbar David (David's Desert) and about fifteen minutes from Kiryat Arba and Chevron. I can't even begin to speak of the breathtaking beauty of this area so I hope the picture below will give you an idea of what these people get to wake up to everyday.

The Yishuv consists of fifty-five families and I must have met them all. Everybody seemed geniunely outgoing and happy to have guests over for Shabbat, each with their own individual, warm personality. I picked up a ride from a guy in Kiryat Arba and he spoke very little English. While he had some difficulty understanding that I was trying to find a woman for whom I had no last name, nor home address, he didn't seem concerned or worried in the least bit. I felt totally comfortable that this guy would get me where I needed to go. He even pulled over and let me snap a few pictures of the gorgeous view. Through my broken Hebrew I somehow managed to explain that my hostess teaches at the Ulpan in Alon Shvut and he immediately knew who I was talking about. Not only did he take me directly to her home, he even walked me straight to her door. Turns out that their families are good friends. I found out the next morning that he's also the gabbai of the shul in Maale Chever.

My teacher and her husband have eight beautiful children, all of whom made me feel loved and welcome from the minute I arrived. The three youngest children greeted me with a plate of homemade chocolate-chip cookies (how'd they know?) and cold water, so obviously it took no time at all for us to become fast friends. We all helped set the table and clean up before Shabbat. My teacher and I began conversing in my pathetic Hebrew for a while, and then it was time to go to shul with her husband. He's the head of security for the Yishuv and also the principal of the kindergarten. Very cool. Friday nite davening was extremely spirited - Carlebach tunes, dancing amidst the hordes of children clinging to their abba's, and the feeling that only Shabbat in the shtachim can give you. Oh, did I mention the sunset??? Holy Sabbath!

After a tasty dinner, we went on a short walk thru the Yishuv and then they escorted me to my teacher's brothers home to sleep for the nite. He's got a bunch of chickens and goats in the yard. He also has a bunch of little kiddies running around everywhere and I fell in love with them instantly. The nine year old even goes to Vatikin minyan with his abba at 4:30 AM. I on the other hand went to the late 7:30 AM minyan. We were done by 10:30 and ate lunch and sang till about 12:30. There was a bar mitzva on the yishuv so we went to a nice kiddush for a while. After that it was nap time for the next two hours. At about 4:45 we had an hour and fifteen minute seuda shlishi during which I actually learned many of the songs I should have learned years ago. My teacher's oldest son gave me a ride back to Jerusalem after Shabbat and I sat in a coffee shop working on my Hebrew for a while. Then back to Efrat for a little catching up with my own family.

Right now I'm getting ready to wind down this wonderful Sunday. Sunday's in Israel are not like Sunday's in America. There's no sleeping late, watching football, or whatever....... Everybody gets back to work and of course, I was back at ulpan brite and early this morning. After class I spent the day getting my haircut, doing homework, babysitting for my sisters kids, and voting for the President of the United States.

Lets all pray that Hashem Yitborach spreads his canopy of peace and safety over us in the coming days as the election approaches.

May there be peace within our walls.

Avi

Ulpan


Maale Chever Shabbat


Maale Chever Shabbat


View From Efrat

posted by Avi G @ 21:50