I love Ulpan

Michal is great (she teaches the beginner Ulpan).  I greatly enjoy our ulpan teacher, there is this dry underlying humor that creeps into her teaching at times, a little wit that you catch when you listen closely. 

Ulpan at 8:30 this morning.  When Nir decided to show up and interrupt, Michal sat down looking frustrated that he was taking up our time.  I got Nir's attention and asked him to come back when the lesson was done, he was interrupting our study time.  I had mentioned to him the day before that the Ulpan was really important to us, for me it is the most important part at this juncture.  He said yes, but it is also a time when he can speak with the whole group.  In retrospect, that's not a valid point since a portion of the group is in the other class for advanced speakers.  But Ulpan is not a time for announcements, it's a time for Hebrew, doing anything else during that time would be an abuse of the system in my opinion.

Off to Ahva school, where I was asked to work with kids on English - another lord of the flies experience, Arielle was a natural - when we left they almost tackled her with a group hug.  I stood alone as one student kept coming over and giving me high fives between joining in on the group hug.  Arielle and I haven't spent much time together, so we went for lunch at the Burrito place.  It was good, I just wouldn't call it a burrito.  It's the old analogy, if you told me you were giving me chicken, but it tasted like good chocolate cake, I might be disappointed.  I went in with the mentality of trying something entirely new, and left pleased.  On the way back, we talked about things after like jobs, and travel during Pesach - it's the big question for everyone, where to during the break.

I ran into Alisabeth and Nicole coming from the post office with a package receipt.  It was closed, so I agreed to meet them back there at 3:30 when it opened.  In the meantime, I went to the library.  En route, I stopped for chocolate milk, which comes in little bags.  You bite off some of the plastic, and suck out the milk.  I stopped outside the grocery store as a white truck swerved through, followed in hot pursuit by a few cop cars.  They drove up on the sidewalk, spun through the light, and kept following the truck as it weaved it's way towards the school.  I asked someone on the street, and they said they didn't know what had happened, but that there were gun shots earlier down the street.  Very exciting, later, I saw the police drive back much slower, with a few people cuffed in the back of the car.

I went into the Library.

Hadeel and Noor have been looking for you, Mira told me, the librarian in the children's section.  They were my friends from the first week.  I decided to wait and see if they would come today, and did some work in Hebrew while I was waiting. 

My phone arrived!  I am reconnected with the world, I have google maps.  It's very exciting, no longer carrying around dead weight.

Back to the library, and then Hadeel showed up, with a different sister.  We worked together on things (there was some confusion, angry parents because we said we couldn't translate english to hebrew for their kids in the middle) and they taught me some arabic.  I should study arabic like I study hebrew the kids told me.  I tried to say I want to, but my hebrew is still not that great.  Arabic is their first language, Hebrew their second and English their third.  In some respects the education here in Israel is far more intense and superior in nature to what is offered in the states.

Walked home with Dan from the other group, mentioned the party and talked about playing some cards later.  We shall see.