First Days in Israel

Coming from Bangkok, I had easy flights and travels, but I did get to spend 6 hours in the Tel Aviv airport by myself.  I explored every floor and area.  I spend almost a half an hour just reading the departure board in hebrew, trying to understand it and translate the cities into English.  This is also the same board that doesn’t change until a flight leaves, but it was too early for any flights to actually depart.  Yea, I was bored.  I eventually met up with the group.  I kept looking at the bookstore where we were meeting and I saw one lady walking around and staying there.  Then a man joined her.  I wasn’t sure if they were part of the group.  It never occurred to me that this ulpan was not just for students.  I was talking to them and eventually a madricha finally approached.  Unlike in Melbourne where the staff was wore matching clothes and had red balloons that they had previously told us to look for, there was nothing to distinguish her from any other Israeli.  I was a little confused and shocked but more excited.  My semester was beginning!!  or something was beginning, not really the semester.  I eventually met the rest of the gang.  Put the stuff down in my room, lunch at Aroma (the yum coffee place), and went to the store for ‘essentials’ (granola bars, cereal, yoghurt, and soap/shampoo).  My room.  hmm.  well, let’s just say it’s a dorm room.  I live with three other people, but I have my own room (that’s all I care about).  We share the kitchen, bathroom, and little common area.  It’s a lot more, umm, crappy than my room in Australia.  The bed is a little mattress (that will be replaced by the uni soon).  When I first put my bag down onto the bed, a cloud of dust emerged.  So I made sure that my sheet completely covered it.  I have a little desk, squeaky chair, and such.  I finally decorated my room (as opposed to last semester in which the walls were blank the entire time.  I put my postcards up from 3 countries and my oz friend’s polar bear paintings from a class project.  There is art and colours, so it’s really nice.  Also, my heater did not work for the first week that I was here.  It was slightly unbearable.  The first night I slept with my blankets and then piled on top of that towels and sweaters.  I ended up not freezing to death.  Then I borrowed a friend’s sleeping bag and kept warm that way.  The ‘old’ couple that is here learning in the ulpan (grandparents from NY) are actually cousins (or grandparents) to the Jaffers.  I indirectly know them!  Tell that to the Glossers for $10!

The second day we went to Kibbutz K’torah to spend Shabbat.  I stayed there during Seminar, so I kept having blasts from the past.  I enjoyed nice Shabbat services and food.  Since that weekend, I've been living on my own, learning to cook for myself, going to class, and making experiences out of life.