Humble Pie

Living in a new country presents a myriad of challenges that I just don't face in the U.S. I've had humbling experiences before related to the culture gap, but this may be the most sobering of them all. This afternoon I made a package of preseasoned rice and vegetables. The instructions are on the package. I bet you know where this is going; I had a fork in one hand and a Hebrew-English dictionary in the other.

Such is life while I learn Hebrew. I now recognize the verbs for actions like 'stir' and 'cover.' A little bit at a time, right? At least I know that I am advancing in my Ulpan. Our tests were returned to us this morning and I got a 98 on mine. I knew I had done well but I didn't see that coming. Of course I'm thrilled. If I was still in Champaign, Steven would have put my exam under a magnet on the refrigerator!

I connected a little bit with my roommates last night. I walked back to my room around 11:45, and I fully intended to go to sleep. Instead I sat down at the table with Hamza, Samer and one of their friends and we ate and chatted until 12:30. Or more accurately, they chatted in Arabic while I smiled like an idiot. Every few minutes they would back up and explain in Hebrew what was going on. I only caught a few words in Arabic, but even that was nice and they tried to explain the words and phrases they were using. I didn't get enough sleep last night, but I did do some intra-apartment bonding, which is more important to me anyway.