First Day of Class

Naturally, I am behind on my blog. I still need to write a trip about my exciting adventures on the way to Israel. Don't worry--pictures of London and stories of intrigue and adventure (as well as all those DC posts!) are coming.

But I just finished my first day of classes (I have class Sunday-Thursday, Friday is like Saturday, and Saturday is the Sabbath here in Jerusalem), and naturally I feel the need to record some thoughts I have about studying intensive Hebrew in Jerusalem.

*I feel so old here. I am in one of the lower levels of Hebrew, along with recent high school graduates and those who haven't yet finished high school. I thought I would be safer by attending an ulpan in September, after school started, but I forgot that the school year starts at different times around the world. I thought maybe I was just being judgmental when I walked through the hall and thought that everyone looked like they were in junior high, but then I found out that one of the guys in my class is 14. 14!!  The rest are 18 or 19, but that doesn't make me feel much better. I'm not ready to go back to high school!

*I have long wondered how to handle harassment in the Middle East. I don't really get harassed in the States, so I never struggled with how to handle it there. But in the Middle East it is almost a given. When I lived in Jerusalem the first time it shocked me. When I lived in Jordan it angered me immensely. I felt proud that I restrained myself and never attacked anyone--I just ignored them unless it was really bad, and then I gave them "the look" (that said, you look at me one more time and I will break your nose. It worked every time). But this time I think I have figured out a solution. Instead of just ignoring them, I think I'm going to call them out on it. Like today, when these two guys were walking next to me in the hall of the university and started harassing me (in English). I'm not so used to native-sounding English harassment (I don't think they were Americans though) and, not knowing what to do, I just ignored them. But if it happens again, I think I'm going to turn to them and say, "Is that really necessary? What are you trying to pull?" or something equally brilliant. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

*I did pretty well in my class, considering that I have never actually taken a Modern Hebrew class and it was all in Hebrew. (I asked if I could test into a higher level because of my Biblical Hebrew and Arabic background and then studied every day on the Metro to get into a higher class. If I didn't, I would have to repeat the level in the Fall, and I really didn't want to do that!) My main problem is speaking, seeing as how I have never spoken Hebrew before. Today was a struggle and I thought about calling it quits (or at least dropping to a lower class level). But I just kept reminding myself that for the first day ever in a Hebrew class, I was doing pretty well!

*I have class for only 5 hours a day, so I was expecting a ton of homework. But I asked the teacher how much to expect, and she said she assigns 30 minutes to an hour each day! This was a shocker to me, since when I took intensive Arabic we did 4 hours of class and 8 hours of homework a day (and I was working 4 hours a day too!). I guess I will have to find a way to fill up all the extra time with my own homework!

*I am studying at the "Rothberg International School" at Hebrew University. Which means that students have come from all over the world to learn Hebrew here. My teacher was shocked because there are 10 Americans in my class. "10 Americans! We should call this the 'American class'! Why are there so many Americans?" The others in my class are from France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Mexico, and then a few Arabs from Jerusalem.

*My roommate (who is kindly letting me sleep on her floor while I search for an apartment) said that I should make a "Chinese-Arabic-Hebrew only" vow while I am here. It sounds a little overwhelming, but yesterday I was typing Hebrew and emailing my friend in Chinese and reading Arabic--all within one hour. My goal for this year is to increase my skills in all three languages. Does anyone think I can do it (without going crazy from the effort)?

*The littlest things have made me really happy here. Like flushing toilets, and drinking fountains, and soap and toilet paper in public bathrooms, and stores (and vending machines!) that take credit cards. It is such a contrast to my last university-in-the-Middle-East experience, and each time I see an amenity like this I get a little bit giddy. "I don't have to buy my own toilet paper? What a dream!"

*I found myself studying in the Asian Studies section of the library today. It's a strange feeling to feel comforted surrounded by Chinese books at an Israeli university...

*I was walking out of my apartment (aka the dorm room at which which my new-found friend is kindly letting me crash until I find a real apartment) the first day I got to Jerusalem and this man gave me a flyer and asked (in English) "Are you a graduate student?" When I responded in the affirmative he said, "I could tell. Where did you do your undergrad?" When I answered "BYU," he almost fell over with excitement. "Are you Mormon? I know lots of Mormons! Do you sing with the choir? I know people in the Mormon choir! There's this black guy..." "Alex Boye?" "Yeah, yeah! I know Alex Boye!"

He then proceeded to pull out his phone and prove to me that he knew several people in the choir because they were in his phone. He was shocked when I didn't know any of the several people he just named. "But they live in Salt Lake! Don't you go to church?"

I had to remind him that there are hundreds of thousands of Mormons in Utah, and there was no way I could know each one. Even after all this, he asked, "Should I tell my friends that I met you?" and asked me to tell them hi next time I see them.

Ok. Next time I see Alex Boye, I'll tell him hello from the man in Jerusalem.

Well, friends, more will come, but my first impressions are that I'm crazy, that studying Hebrew and Arabic at the same time just might kill me, and Hebrew University has a pretty nice campus. And just as a last bit of randomness-I ate a cucumber, tomato, and goat cheese sandwich today, and it was delicious. I've missed Israeli kosher sandwiches.