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Published: March 2nd 2007
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Good morning Israel!
Dead Sea at sunrise atop Masada. Prelude: I just posted 2 entries at once, so read the other one as well...sorry been quite busy and no internet in the room kinda kills it.
I'm having a bit of a dilemma.
The problem is this.
I've only been here a week and I'm already feeling bogged down by what I have to do as far as ulpan and work. It's not necessarily the fact that I can't handle it, but I keep having to take days off to do the basic oleh chadasha
(new immigrant) stuff, such as opening up a bank account, going to misrad haklita
(Office of Immigrant Absorption) and such things like that.
I still have to make my way to Tel Aviv and meet up with the people in Misrad HaStudentim
(Office of Student Affairs to get set up with the free tuition I get as a new immigrant. I also have to go to Misrad Harishuy
(Department of Motor Vehicles) to get my liscence transfered over, not to mention sign up for the required driving lessons I have to take.
Then I also have to actually go see my doctor at the Beit Cholim
(hospital) so
Maayan
Only my bestest Israeli friend, Maayan! I can get my prescriptions up to date and choose my other doctors, dentists, chiropractors, etc. It's enough to make my head spin....I mean moving to a different state in the US is usually hard enough, but imagine doing it in Hebrew. Good times.
But through it all....I love it. For real...I may bitch at how much I have to do, but it's great. I still wake up and do all this stuff. It's not as if I wake up and look like a grinning moron, no, in fact...just like in the states...I hate morning and am quite non-coherent. That much hasn't changed!
So there's the dilemma. Do I put off the language training which would help make this process go faster and smoother, or do I put it off and just rely on my basic Hebrew and try my best and get it all done before the time limits on some stuff runs out?
I think the answer is in front of me. I think I put off the ulpan. I am
nowhere near the level I need for reading and writing, and right now, I really only need the conversational skills which I possess somewhat.
Mega Event in Jerusalem
This is what a crazy Purim party would look here in Israel.
This however, was just a concert I went to. I also have my friends who constantly force me to speak Hebrew, even while making fun of me, but they do it nonetheless. Plus I mean I work in an office that speaks Hebrew! Some of it
has to rub off on me right?
Plus I won't feel so bad actually missing so many classes of ulpan. I feel guilty when I don't go, but this stuff has to get done. They're understanding of course, but that's not fair for me to hold up the class because my reading/writing sucks, and then they have to catch me up on what I missed the days I didn't go. That's a disservice to my classmates.
Besides...I have an interview with the one fire department next week. I refuse to miss out on a job opportunity with the job I love to do because I will miss out on medical ulpan. Yes, it's important but so is making money and getting back into firefighting. I am literally miserable without fire and EMS in my life. I miss it terribly and take pictures of Israeli fire hydrants for God's sakes!
Oh and I hung out with Koren last night.
Tel Aviv Beaches
Mmm...be jealous. It's been super warm here everyday. :) Amazing. I'm seriously in lust. He told me he is too. Looks like Ika made a good choice in inviting me to her house for Shabbat dinner. I feel so at home there...and I'm jealous of his bed. For real. As in, actually jealous.
This "bed" I have in the mercaz is really just a slab of wood with a foam pad they think is a mattress. Yaniv made fun of it and said he had a better bed in the army. Now that's just sad.
Yossi's (a guy I work with at Oranim) dad owns a bed store right downstairs from our office and he loves olim
(immigrants) and me, so he's going to give me a good deal on something to make my bed better, if not a whole new mattress. Cause I'm dying. I actually have bruises haha. It's like sleeping on a egg crate foam topper, by itself, on a slab of wood. Comfy huh?
But back to Koren....last night was so fun. I met his friend (whose name I can't remember) who has been his friend since he was 10 and he invited us to his Purim
(It's like the Jewish version of Halloween) party on Saturday and Maayan will be coming with me if she can get to my mercaz on time. I can't wait. I missed the Purim party tonight, so I'd love to go to this one, especially if it's with Koren. ;p
I also have a hot prospect in the form of an English guy named Benjamin. So if Koren doesn't work out...look out world! Besides Koren forces me to speak Hebrew so he'll be the replacement of my ulpan...nice justification right?
Well tomorrow is the Purim parade on the main street of Ra'anana, Rechov Ahuza
(Ahuza street) so I think I might catch it. It'll be interesting pictures at least...
Laila tov!
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