Daily Grind

I've hit the wall this week. Hebrew has transformed itself from an engrossing challenge to an all-consuming imperative. The frustration of only being able to understand snippets of Israeli conversations has begun to cause strain among many of the Ulpan students, myself included. It is nearly impossible to speak with someone in Hebrew. I see it as linguistic calculus, where one has to think of what he wants to say, convert it to Hebrew, and then rearrange the Hebrew into proper syntax. Others see this as an exercise in futility.

Lessons are almost entirely taught in Hebrew now. English is becoming a treasured scarcity and usually only follows when one of us asks "Ma zeh...?" (What's this *word*?)

We're already expected to know nearly forty verbs, the infinitives of these verbs, a litany of adjectives, adverbs, and sentence structuring, as well as how to read in both block and script Hebrew. Reading remains a constant struggle for me due to the complete absence of vowels in both block and script. I've asked my teachers, but apparently Israel has no plans to accommodate my shortcomings with a complete overhaul of their language.

Meanwhile, I've found myself reminiscing about certain things back home. Cornbread. Steak. Late night escapes to Daylight Donuts to appease the inner fat kid. Afternoon jogs around the neighborhood. Television. Driving. A quiet breeze. Football season...

There is little doubt in my mind that these bits of nostalgia have been eroding my focus and adding to the strain of the program. Thus far, all attempts to contain these longings have failed. However, it should be noted that despite the sudden wave of nostalgia, I do not regret the decision to come to Israel. It has been and continues to be one of the best experiences of my life. I firmly believe that I'm meant to be here. And I have resolved myself to excelling in the MAMEH program.

Unfortunately, Auburn and mom's cooking couldn't come with me.

We celebrated Dustin's birthday and Ryan's birthday on Friday night. Technically, Dustin's birthday is today, but Sunday is for all intents and purposes a Monday here so we just combined the two together. Everyone had a great time. Ryan and Dominique cooked an awesome meal comprised of baked chicken, rice, homemade Italian salad, steamed carrots, potatoes, and onions. And Liz brought over baclava for dessert.

We had well over a dozen people at the apartment for dinner and then went out to an Israeli "club." This wasn't like a bar back home. The point of this place was not to drink so much as to dance. I can actually hear Chandler's chortle through the monitor. Cody would have been the king of this place, but the Israelis had to deal with our honorable mention of an entourage instead.

That stated, it is with deep regret that I must inform everyone that the police had to be called in to the establishment, because Dustin and I murdered the dance floor. Macarena? Check. River-dancing? Check. Yard-stomping? Check. Dice-throwing? Check. Lawn-mower? Double-check.

Dustin even pulled out the dreaded "Grundy," a horrifying dance move he created and perfected. And I'm pretty certain, based off the reactions of more than a few laughing bystanders, that no one had ever heard a "Rebel Yell" until the precise moment I let one fire at the start of "Cotton Eye Joe."

I figured that I don't really speak Hebrew so much as Hickbrew. Might as well just roll with it.

We spent the better part of four hours at the Tsusman club before going back to the Einstein dorms. Dustin and I looked like we had just finished a set of elevators for Captain Blood. And despite our exhaustion, it was definitely one of the most entertaining nights we have had. Then again anything is more entertaining than writing in Hebrew.

Later this week I'll post about some recent developments in Israeli politics as well as the upcoming trip to Caesarea. I'll try to get some pictures up too.

P.S. I've just been informed that Hamas has fired rockets into southern Israel this afternoon. No word on whether Bibi plans to create a moat of liquid-hot magma around Gaza in response.