So that anyone interested in how my ulpan is going can find out, I'm going to post whatever diary I keep while I'm here on this blog. Enjoy!
I arrived in Israel yesterday in the late afternoon, and took a sherut (shared taxi) to Haifa from Tel Aviv. I got my room and got settled in. This whole thing is crazy and doesn't really seem real to me yet. I've tried to speak some Hebrew, but it's still coming sooooo slowly (which is why I'm here—to speed that up).
Today was the orientation. Went for a tour of Haifa, though we really just went to two places where there are shops and a market, then took buses back to campus on our own. Learning to use the public transportation is part of the orientation. Had to take the Hebrew placement test again because I forgot to bring my copy. Had a brief oral interview too. Now we've all been placed in classes (though the list doesn't tell what level you are).
They fed us really good felafel for dinner as part of the welcome reception, and then we had a drum circle which was pretty much fun.
It's very hot during the day, and humid. I'm trying to reconcile myself to the idea that I'm just going to be sweaty all the time. Even now that it's dark and cooler, it's still humid. I tried to find a fan today, but did not succeed.
My room is small and the floor is sandy. It kind of reminds me of Long Lake—sandy, kinda dilapidated, not much in the way of kitchen equipment, etc. I do have my own bathroom, though, and I like that.
People in the ulpan program seem very friendly. I've met two other rabbinical students, one from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and one from JTS. I also met someone who studied math and physics at Rutgers, and asked him if he knew Sam Greenfield's dad. He said he sure did, and that Professor Greenfield is everyone's favorite professor. I also fell in for a while with a bunch of Germans who are doing the ulpan here, so I got to speak some German. Of course, whenever I try to speak Hebrew, all I get is German. It happened during my oral Hebrew placement interview today too. That'll switch around in a while.
There are 210 students in the program, I think. 20 are going to be doing intensive Arabic; the rest of us are doing Hebrew. We represent 40 countries, but most are from the US. Though right now there's a group of Italians in the program hanging out right next to me talking to each other in Italian (naturally).
I slept well last night and I'm very tired now again. Classes start tomorrow.
Ya gotta watch out for those calculus students....
Posted by: Sam Greenfield | 08/03/2009 at 01:41 PM