I am trying to adjust to this Israeli weekend schedule of going out super late, staying out super late, and then just getting up at a normal time…when do these people sleep??
I started my fairly sleepless weekend after my first day at my school and my first day of Ulpan. I was so excited to go to my school for the first time but it was fairly uneventful. The school itself was HUGE with separate buildings for each of the three high school grades, and a courtyard in the middle where the students hang out when they have free time. Since today was the teacher’s first day with the students they asked for the other intern and me not to observe so that they could get some time alone with their students. So, after our tour of the school we went with our mentor teacher to the English room to look over the Bagrut testing that the 11th and 12th graders have to take. However, instead of looking it over she had the two of us take the test! Not something I was expecting….
Since there was not much else for us to do we went home at 11:00. At this point I went right back to sleep (Not quite adjusted to this whole 6am wakeup business). I got up later and hung out before making the trek to Ulpan. It seems like learning Hebrew in this class will be quite an adventure. As of right now I actually know what I am doing (woohoo) because we are just writing out the letters and sounding out vowels. I have been helping the poor guy sitting next to me who just looks like someone just stole his puppy. I am just excited to know what is going on in a Hebrew class for once, especially since I know it will not last very long. Though the material is boring right now, our teacher is a bundle of pure quirkiness so she will at least keep us entertained throughout the year.
By the time we got out I ended up practically running home since I had like half an hour to get ready before Motti picked me up for the night. My poor roommate almost got knocked over (ok not really, since he is 6’3) as I ran to the shower. After Motti, Hallie and Alon arrived we drove over to the Namal to meet some of the girls from our program for a much deserved night of fun. We went in two separate cars which in hindsight was just plain dumb, especially because it took Hallie and Alon an entire hour to find a parking space while Motti and I chased people down in the parking lot to try and get a spot for them. Once we finally made it to the bar a couple of people had made their way through quite a bit of alcohol. Thursday was the night that I received complete confirmation that no matter how drunk they are, British people still sound incredibly proper and adorable. If only the same were true for Americans….
I went to bed at around 4:30am and said I would not do the same the next night, but who was I kidding. Friday was a fantastic day. I met one of Allie’s friends and we went to his BEAUTIFUL apartment in north Tel Aviv. While there I got a wonderful surprise. His roommate is one of my friends from Indiana! I haven’t seen him in years but it was so exciting! I love how I can come all the way to Israel and still connect with old friends. Life never ceases to amaze me.
That night Allie and I went to a Shabbat dinner that was absolutely delicious. It was nice to sit around a table and have a home cooked meal. The food was amazing and the people were so nice. They were so friendly and welcoming and I hope to spend more time with them in the future. After dinner a few of us went out to celebrate the birthday of one of our new Israeli friends. I did not spend too much actual time with Or the birthday boy but it was still a lot of fun! There was talking, laughing and lots of dancing around like dorks. Not to mention a lot of time spent staring at the green sequined mannequin with the matching thong, only in Tel Aviv. Also only in Tel Aviv would a guy try to pick you up by winking, nodding his head and saying “good Shabbos” in the same way that Joey would say “How YOU doin?” on Friends. So as always things remain entertaining in the Holy Land….
