Sunday is Yom Rishon

Today was my last day of Ulpan for 2 weeks because, let me tell you, Israelis take their Sukkot very seriously. There were very few people in class today. They didn’t miss very much, minus a pretty intense conversation (in Hebrew) about how people in modern society don’t read books like they used to.

I spent the afternoon preparing for my 5 PM meeting with Mara and Neil (Dorot staff.) Every month or two, we have advisory meetings with Neil and Mara to check in, plan for the year, discuss where we’re going in life. Everyday conversations, right?

My last meeting with Mara and Neil was not so smooth. I had only been in the country a week or so, and I had been woken up the previous morning at 4 am by a phone call. I was stressed and all over the place. This meeting, however, was much better.

I was asked to come prepared to discuss my strengths and weaknesses, which is not as easy feat. It’s really difficult to look a person in the face and say, “I am good at …” and “I really struggle with …” in a way that is genuine and real and not job interview jargon.

I was surprised to hear that I have been in Ulpan long enough now that if I feel it is not the best use of my time, I can opt for a different method of learning Hebrew. Perhaps a private tutor. I hadn’t even considered the possibility and I’m not sure what I think. I have complaints about Beit Ha’am, sure, but I really enjoy the diverse atmosphere and the community of Hebrew learners. I think I’m going to enroll in a 1 or 2 hour a week Conversational Hebrew course at another Ulpan. We’ll see where I go from there.

We discussed my options for volunteering, and Neil and Mara were very supportive of my current interest: Carmei Ha’ir. Carmei Ha’ir is a soup kitchen disguised as a restaurant which attempts to restore the lost dignity of tens of thousands of impoverished individuals in Israel and to establish a network that can provide comprehensive assistance those in need. Check them out at www.carmeihair.org.il.

The most exciting part of the meeting was our discussion of the Jewish learning component of my year. I am in the process of developing a self-direction project that will allow me to study Jewish life cycle events. Judaism provides such a rich and beautiful framework for everything from birth to death, and it’s something I would like to learn more about. More details to come.