A taste of Madonna, Israel-style

Indulging in Hebrew and Madonna...

My boyfriend got us tickets to the Madonna concert here in Tel Aviv last week - which also happened to be the last night of her "sticky and sweet" tour, so it was an extra special night. I had never seen Madonna live before and I'm not sure what I was expecting - some "like a virgin" and impressive dance routines, but I wasn't expecting much more than that. How wrong I was! I left Madonna's concert feeling so inspired. She just came across so human and yet so incredibly accomplished – making us in the audience feel like we can be anything we want to be. It’s always a shock to me when I see celebrities in person – like they suddenly seem so human and regular. Anyway she put on an amazing show and I’m posting here one of the videos I took at the concert for your viewing pleasure. :-)

My days continue to be Hebrew-packed and I’m just trying to swallow up as much Hebrew as I can, as quickly as I can! The ulpan is advancing and extremely tiring, but I have a very good teacher and I’m grateful for that. From five hours of class I move on to my babysitting job for the next five hours of my day, with an adorable Israeli girl who understands English but refuses to utter a word. It can be funny and it can be frustrating (often depending on the mood she’s in). A lot of times my Hebrew bumbling just makes her laugh and we even try sometimes to read books with difficult Hebrew just because it’s so hilarious for her to hear me stumbling through the words. But sometimes she just wants me to understand her and shuts down in frustration when I don’t. And it’s the most frustrating feeling in the world for me, because with everyone else I interact with here in Israel, we can always turn to English when in need. The girl understands English but for whatever reason refuses to speak it. For example, she’ll ask me if I know what a certain Hebrew word means, and I just keep guessing English words until I get it right. And she can correctly identify once I’ve said the right word. But she can’t seem to come up with the English word on her own. Now that she’s started school she has homework every afternoon, and one of my babysitting duties is to sit with her and help her with the homework and check her answers. This is seriously the hardest Hebrew experience I’ve encountered yet!! First of all, I’m helping her with her MATH homework, and for anyone who knows me well, you know me and math! For one thing. For another, math in Hebrew. I have yet to learn the Hebrew words for “integer” or “multiplication” etc so yeah, the whole experience is a little amusing to say the least. I literally sit there with her Hebrew math book and a dictionary and visualize the situation as if from up above looking down on myself, and simply laugh.

some notes on Israeli society...

I learned something new about Israelis during a visit to the post office yesterday. Because Israelis are notoriously incapable of waiting patiently - for anything - Israeli bureaucrats have implemented different systems to make waiting slightly more tolerable. One such example is a new machine at the post office, whereby upon entering one selects from a variety of options (such as sending mail, picking up a package, etc) and then you are given a number according to the service you need. Therefore there are several lines, for the different categories. I went in, selected the service I needed, and received my ticket with the number on it. But after about 10 minutes of waiting, I realized that some people who had come in after me were being served before me. Then I saw a woman go up to the machine and select a ticket for every available service. She held the three tickets in her hand, and whichever number came first, was the one she went with. I couldn't believe it! But I'm a quick learner, so I hurried back to the machine and withdrew more tickets, and as a result was also serviced faster with one of the other tickets. oh, Israel.
I had lunch with an Israeli friend the other day who's part American and part Canadian, so he has an interesting view on the differences between Israelis and North Americans. One little anecdote, he pointed out, is the concept of "free refills" in America. In America, it's not a big deal. You go to papa gino's or wherever and get your pizza and your cup and you drink however much coke or pepsi you want. No one really gets too crazy about it, maybe children get overexcited sometimes, but it's a relatively normal concept. In Israel though, he pointed out, offering free refills would never work. People would practically bring jerry cans to the soda fountain to fill up on a lifetime supply of soda! That's the way Israelis are - milking everything for as much as they can get :-)
and one side comment about my Hebrew studies - I am dyslexic in Hebrew. I have come from being an honors English Literature student to being dyslexic in Hebrew. I literally think in my head of something I want to write, and when I look down at the paper its something else entirely. I invert letters, I write things backward, I mix up letters - you name it. It's quite fascinating to watch my hebrew dyslexia in action :-)
on the plus side of my Hebrew studies, I'm finally beginning to understand the random comments men call out to me when I walk down the street here. I'm thinking maybe it was better when I didn't understand... :-)

New job, new boyfriend - new beginnings!

As every new immigrant to Israel sadly learns, the government subsidy only takes one so far... so like all the other olim chadashim in my ulpan class, I too now have a part-time job. I'm babysitting for an Israeli 9-yr-old girl in Tel Aviv every day from 1:30-6pm. Its the perfect schedule and I got really lucky with the pay (according to Israeli standards.) The girl is absolutely adorable (I'll refrain from mentioning her name for the sake of her privacy). but she is unlike any other child I've ever babysat! She brings her dishes to the dishwasher without being told and automatically helps clean up every day after we have lunch. She gets a 10-shekel a week allowance from her mom and saves it up diligently - whenever we go shopping she is constantly asking how much things cost, and calculates which things she wants the most and how long it will take her to buy them. last week, she spent 85 shekels - thats 8 1/2 weeks of saving - on a pair of earrings for her MOM. I was like, did she have a birthday or something? No, there was no special occasion, she just wanted her mom to have these pretty earrings. I was blown away!!! so ya, shes a great kid. she understands english but so far has refused to utter a word in english, so its actually very good for my hebrew. even though im tired after ulpan, i have no choice but to continue my day in Hebrew with her. we read books in hebrew and watch tv in hebrew and she is constantly teaching me new words. i actually find it very helpful to speak with a child because i'm not embarrassed to ask her every stupid little random question I've ever had about hebrew! :-) this girl is actually the only person I communicate with in my life who if I dont understand something, she literally cant translate it into English for me. everyone else eventually will translate so that I'll understand, but she simply cant. occasionally we've pulled out a dictionary (she was trying to describe a ferret and I had absolutely NO idea what she was talking about!) but most of the time, we get by in our own way. so between the ulpan, the new job, and the new Israeli boyfriend (yes thats right, very exciting!) my Hebrew is steadily improving day by day. it feels like i'm filling my brain with all these assorted puzzle pieces, that one day will hopefully all fit together. its almost like there are words buried in the sand and I'm digging through with my hands, brushing and wiping the sand off of them, so that suddenly things will become clear to me. but theres still a lot of effort that must be made... and things become clear slowly and yet suddenly at the same time.
God is being very good to me, and Israel too. I simply can't complain. Just trying to feel grateful for all the wonderful things in my life here, and continue on the journey. "L'at l'at" as they always say here. :-)

A return to routine...

After what felt like a nonstop whirl of fun and quality time with my mother, stepfather, and sister the past 2+ weeks, life for me has resumed to "normal" - or at least quiet. My ulpan studies take up most of my time, especially now that I'm with a new teacher in a higher level class. My new teacher is the polar opposite of my previous one - she hardly smiles, has extremely high expectations, and assigns approximately 2 hours of homework a day. She says we'll thank her at the end of the course for the level of Hebrew she'll bring us to... but I'm telling you, my peers and I are crying every step of the way! :-)
It was wonderful to have my family here with me. They brought me two overstuffed suitcases with more clothes and personal belongings... so that about wraps up what I'll have from back home here with me. It was hard to say good-bye when they left, because it just feels like such a shock to realize how far away we are from each other. It's not easy. But life gets back to normal, you get back into the swing of things, we chat on skype, and look forward to the next visit. What I keep reminding myself when I have sad moments like that is how much I love living here, how complete and peaceful I feel, and I know that missing my loved ones is the one sacrifice I had to make in order to be this happy.
The heat, though, is starting to be too much... I who swore I would never complain about the heat am starting to reach my tolerance limit for the temperatures here. It's just so hot! You couldn't walk at a quick pace outside for more than 5 minutes if you tried. Everyone is sweating, all the time. It's very sticky. But I know how crappy of a summer Boston is getting with all that rain, so I'll refrain from further kvetching! :-)
Last night though was a shocking turn of events for the city of Tel Aviv.. a gunman attacked a gay youth club and killed 2 people and wounded 15. At first everyone's immediate assumption was that it was a terrorist attack, but we know now that it was a hate crime. Today I went by the site of the attack and saw hundreds of Israelis gathered in a support rally, bringing flowers and signs and showing their support for the gay community. It was a very sad and very touching sight. But it's nice that when something this tragic happens, people come together, and mourn together, so that it doesn't feel like a distant event, but something relevant to all of us. We can take a tragedy and use it as an opportunity to express love.
And I love Tel Aviv.

busy busy busy!

The life of an American in Tel Aviv in the summertime - or at least my life - can basically be summed up in one word: visitors! I have had nonstop visitors for a straight 3 weeks now. It's the season that Americans come to Israel so I guess it makes sense. Everywhere you go in Israel now you hear English on the street... I think the Israelis are starting to feel outnumbered :-) Upon my brother's departure arrived Ezra and Noah, 2 old friends from Camp Yavneh, followed by Josh, a friend from high school who had just finished a taglit-birthright trip, followed by Erik, a good friend from Boston, followed by my sister Rachel's arrival! Not to mention all the other random visitors I've seen who haven't been staying with me. This also coincides with the start of a higher level ulpan class - an adventure unto itself. But it's all good things.
I was really inspired by Josh's birthright group. Most of them decided to extend their return ticket after the end of the trip so they could explore Tel Aviv for a few days. I took them all out to the most popular club in Tel Aviv and they had the time of their lives. It was so exciting and inspiring to see them and talk to them - you could tell they were so emotional and intimately bonded after their 10 intense days traveling Israel together. For some of them it was their first time in Israel, and they had already made up their minds that they would move here. For others they told me about how they now really care about their Jewish identity and heritage and want to explore the religion more and get more connected to the community. Birthright is really an amazing thing.
While Josh was here we also visited "water war" in Kikar Rabin (as you can see in the video I posted). That was a sight to be seen! Apparently they do this one day every year in the peak of the summer, despite the widespread complaints that it's a waste of water in a country suffering a serious water shortage. Nonetheless, great fun was had and everyone got to cool off for at least a few minutes! It was quite hilarious actually watching how intense people got with the water - some were even filling up garbage bins and dunking it entirely over someone's head. The channel 10 newscasters were there and interviewed my roommate, and in the middle of the interview a sneaky man came up and drenched them. It was shocking and hilarious.
It's getting extremely hot here and the beach is a necessity. Even though the water is as warm as a bathtub, it's simply too hot to be anywhere else. Yesterday the waves were enormous in Tel Aviv, bigger than I've ever seen them. When the waves are like that the water is mostly filled with boys. Rachel likes them but it's too much for me.
Rachel also took me to an Israeli wedding last night, a good friend of hers from New York who married an Israeli (and the couple happened to be a former Birthright participant and a Birthright security guard! a real love story). The wedding was so beautiful it took my breath away. I didn't know the couple very well but everyone was moved to tears, the ceremony was so touching. The wedding took place in a kibbutz north of Tel Aviv at night with all the trees and flowers and gardens lit up in beautiful lights and flame torches along a high stone wall with hauntingly powerful singing from the speakers surrounding the chupa. We danced until 3 in the morning. It was so different from an American wedding - not to mention the fact that half the guests were in jeans and flip-flops - but I loved it.
And tomorrow, my mom and stepdad arrive! More fun to come.

A little panorama on the sand

Water War in kikar rabin - so much fun!

A word about ulpan

There is no better word to describe ulpan than balagan. It’s like being in kindergarten, a soap opera, and a comedy routine all at the same time. I understand now how people survive the 5 hours a day, 5 days a week, 5 month Hebrew class – it’s because ulpan is a hilarious scene. My teacher doesn’t just teach us Hebrew, she puts on a show for us. Probably she might have been an actress in a different lifetime. She uses all tactics possible to keep us engaged in the Hebrew lesson, hour after endless hour. I don’t know if it’s just our teacher or if all of the teachers are like her (I certainly hope so because I’m moving into a higher level class next week, and I couldn’t bear to be with a teacher less entertaining than my current one!) Our teacher is addicted to chocolate and stuffs her face with it all day long. It’s probably how she gets all her energy. She sniffs empty chocolate wrappers and whiteboard markers and takes food from people’s desks without asking. For no reason at all she’ll open the window and stick her head out or momentarily leave the classroom and come back. She’s always playing tricks on people and making inappropriate jokes to get us to laugh. Humor and silliness are definitely her approach to getting us to learn Hebrew. If we want to understand why everyone is laughing, we have no other choice! It’s the best motivation. Also, it’s good because learning Hebrew can be so hard and frustrating and exhausting, that ultimately there is nothing else you can do but laugh. Or cry, which happens from time to time. Or fall asleep, which is a daily struggle for all of us. No one survives a day in ulpan without coffee. Sometimes a student will fall asleep in class and my teacher will throw a paper airplane at them or send them out to buy her a coffee. She’s one of the best teachers I’ve ever had; we all love and adore her.
Every individual in my class lends a certain stock character to the group dynamic. There are about 25 of us, from all over the world – France, Argentina, Uzbekistan, Canada, Belgium, Russia, Greece, etc – roughly between the ages of 20-40. It’s a conglomeration of personalities in a setting that would make anyone turn ADD. My friend Aliza pointed out that Israel should make a TV series about ulpan and she’s right, it would be the funniest show on television. But back to the group dynamic – so we have the Frenchies (it seems that half the Parisian Jewish population up and transplanted to Ulpan Gordon, but anyway) who speak Hebrew with such thick accents that if I’m not paying close attention it sounds like they’re speaking French. (due to all the translating going on I’m actually learning quite a bit of French simultaneously). There is a Belgian pothead in my class who hides joints in the bushes outsides ulpan and gets high during the breaks (I only discovered this when I found him searching anxiously through the bushes one day and I asked him why; his joint had gone missing into nature); there is the apathetic Canadian who comes to class exactly one hour late every day and endures word-for-word the same scolding every morning; there is a Russian girl who is always randomly laughing and most of the time no one really knows why; and of course the American party boy who comes into class 20 minutes before the end of the day wearing shorts, a tank top, sunglasses and sun hat, holding a fresh fruit juice, strolling in like a movie star. The teacher shouts that she would kill him except that he’s going into the army to defend and protect her so she won’t say anything. Oh, the army boys get away with everything…
I'm definitely the quiet one in the class. When I do speak, my teacher yells at me to speak louder. We're basically encouraged to yell. There's no such thing as "classroom voices" in Israel! Sometimes my teacher raises such a commotion in the classroom that even she gets overwhelmed and starts screaming for quiet, when in fact she's the only one really making all the noise! It's quite amusing.
There is really no way to illustrate the extent of ridiculousness in my class. Literally, we laugh all day long. I never know what trick my teacher is going to pull out of her sleeve next. She is something special.

(Oh and by the way, we’re actually learning Hebrew too) :-)

Aaron's visit

My dear younger brother Aaron came for a whirlwind 48 hour visit which was so fun it felt like he was here for 4 days. Him and his friend Jason concluded their vacation in Greece with an extended "layover" in Tel Aviv to visit me and have some fun in the holy land. It made me so happy to see him, but also sad because it really hit me how hard it is to be so far away from my family. I love having my brother around. But I try to focus on the positive; I'm fortunate to have such a wonderful brother and that he supports my aliyah and comes to visit me and we have such a great time together. Not everyone who makes aliyah is so lucky.
Of all the things Aaron and Jason loved about Tel Aviv, I have no doubt that the Tel Aviv women had the strongest impression on them of all. They couldn't get over the fact that all the women here are Jewish, and how beautiful they are! After struggling to find a Jewish girl their whole lives in the diaspora, going out in Tel Aviv is like a child's visit to the willy wonka chocolate factory. They were simply in heaven! I am the same way; I absolutely love the fact that every guy I talk to here I could potentially date (in terms of the religion issue.) It's such an exciting, freeing feeling. The world is your oyster! Well, Tel Aviv certainly was for Aaron and Jason for 2 long, wonderful days. :-)
It was a little heartbreaking to see them go but I felt happy at the same time, because we had such a great time together. I wouldn't have done a single thing differently. Love you Aaron!

My first poem in Hebrew! so proud of myself :-)

שיר על עלייה

שלום אני עולה חדשה
אני בישראל פחות משנה
כל איש ברחוב שואל אותי למה
עלייתי לארץ איפה אין לי משפחה
האמת בגלל היא מקום מיוחדת
הלב שלי פה, פה אני מרגישה מושלמת
כן אני מתגעגעת אל אמריקה
אבל המזג אוויר אין השוואה
אני מאחלת שיום אחד יהיו
כל האנשים אהובים שלי גם פה
כי זאת האדמה לכל היהודים
אין מקום יותר טוב אנחנו יודעים

More gay pride

Gay Pride Parade - Tel Aviv June 12

Layla Lavan (white night) celebrating Tel Aviv

In my new home!

I write this first blog post from my new apartment and I couldn't be happier :-)
I'm living now with 2 girls, one American-Israeli and one Belgian-Israeli, in a gorgeous duplex in the center of Tel Aviv, 2 minutes from the beach. (pictures to come once it's all set up!) we have a view of the ocean from our balconies (one on each floor) and watched the sun set over the sea last night from the comfort of our home. Living here feels too good to be true.
In talking to my sister Rachel this week, she pointed something out to me that's really amazing and I hadn't quite formulated for myself yet - I am like an emissary of Israel to so many diaspora Jews. Between all the friends from different stages of my life, family friends, and random acquaintances, for many people I am the only person they know who lives in Israel. In just a month here I've gotten several messages from people wanting to know if they can visit me or if I can help them visit Israel. It's nice to know that I can be like a port of support for so many Jews who don't have a strong connection to Israel themselves. I have a feeling my apartment is going to be like an international hostel! But it's a wonderful thing.
My friend Zeev also made an interesting insight to me this week - when we look at the past 2,000 years of history and under what circumstances Jews moved to Israel, the vast majority of Jews came to Israel as a safe haven from persecution. The number of Jews who actually chose to leave a safer "better life" (such as America) to come struggle in Israel for no reason other than that it's the Jewish homeland, is an extremely small number. I'm like a "statistical anomaly" Zeev said. And it's true - after 2,000 years of praying to God to be able to return to Israel, it's like a metaphorical slap in God's face to not follow up on our prayers. I don't know how so many religious Jews in the diaspora justify it to themselves. But, we all can make Israel stronger in our own way.
When I was out buying paint 2 days ago for my apartment, there was a man standing beside the salesman staring at me while I was explaining what I needed in broken Hebrew. He was making me very uncomfortable. After the salesman walked away he asked me where I was from. I said Boston. He said, what are you doing in Israel? I said, I made aliyah! He responded, why? I said, "because I'm Jewish, this is my home!" and he responded, "no, not exactly." I was caught off guard - my stomach just went cold - and my friend pulled me aside and told me he was Arab. I would have responded to his last comment but the moment had passed. It made me sad though. Especially when I walked outside and I saw a band set up on the street playing music and people dancing, and a huge banner behind them read: "Rotzim Shalom". (We want peace). It seems like it's impossible to get that message across sometimes.
Anyway - off now to a Shabbat lunch and then the beach.
Shabbat Shalom!