Arabic Final (Finally)

Today was an emotional day at work. I had a near disaster, as one of my wheelchair-bound students started rocking back and forth in her chair while we were bringing the kids in from the garden outside. I was walking back to get her when the chair dipped into a garden bed and tipped over. I caught it with her head literally inches from the pavement. Nearly stroked out. When we came inside, I sat down to catch my breath, when Rola and the kids surprised me with a going away party. Two of the kids were really upset and asked me questions like "why I wanted to go to America", and "who was going to play with them once I was gone?" It's going to be really tough to say goodbye on Wednesday.

My Arabic final exam is tomorrow at noon. I'll be glad to get the damn thing over and done with. If the midterm was any indication, this is not going to be a cakewalk. I do feel a little better prepared than I felt before I took the midterm, and hopefully that will pay dividends. I'll share either way. I'm gonna follow the advice of a wise person in my life, and just go in and tell Yaron what I know. Aint nothing else to do.

One random scrap of oddness before I get back to my studies: The Israel Baseball League has gone belly up. I can't say I'm surprised. The league was a financial catastrophe, to the point that they began deducting money from player's paychecks to recompense the league when they would hit foul balls into the stands. Plus, baseball just didn't have much appeal for the Sabra's. Still, it's really a shame that this league was a one hit wonder in the same mold as the XFL. Maybe someday that IBL T-shirt I have will be a collectors item. But I doubt it.

Singing The Heeby Geeby Blues

I'm ready to come home. Not that I don't love it here. It's just that I'm ready to come home. I've been here since early October and that is a really long time. It hit me Sunday afternoon while I was on a bus on my way down to the beach. I was daydreaming and slipped into my parent's Neon on North Lake Shore Drive. Suddenly, we were at the central bus station at Hof HaCarmel again. The beach was as nice as it always is - perfect weather and all that. Still, I'm ready for the comforts of Chicago again.

School certainly isn't captivating me anymore. I am no longer enjoying my classes, and am very much looking forward to finishing them. I'm not learning much anymore in Hebrew. We read newspapers in class, but go too slow for me and have to spend too much time defining words I'm already familiar with. The grammar work is tedious and focusing on minor turns of phrase that my Israeli friends don't know how to do correctly. Plus, my classmates were a lot more fun last semester. I'm sticking it out, ready to finish my last exam and put an end to my Ulpan days. I got a 99 on my quiz from last week. The class just isn't challenging me anymore.

At the very least, Ofakim is going great. I love working with the kids, even though they are not always easy to work with. I underestimated little kids going into this job. They are not simple in any sense. I've learned how to relate to each child, how to get them to do their exercises and how to get them to participate in activities. It is going to be hard to say goodbye to them.

Getting All Caught Up

Hello again everyone. I know it's been a few days since I wrote so I'll try to give you the heads up on my wheelings and dealings this week. My work at Ofakim is getting more comprehensive as I take more responsibility and require less instruction from the administrators. I worked with one of the girls independently yesterday afternoon during the physical therapy session, which was a first. Usually I have been observing or helping out when I am asked to. It wasn't a total success; the girl had a headache and was pretty intransegient, and we barely got through all the exercises. Even so, we did do the whole exercise set.

Outside of that, it's been a normal, albeit not particularly exciting week. I've been to class and had an Arabic quiz, I hung out with my roommates, got a shawarma near the Horev center and caught a movie in the moadon. I did got a haircut this week, the first such haircut since I arrived in Israel. I feel almost aerodynamic now! You'll get some photos of my new do when I post again next week. After months of waiting I am going back to try again to go to Jordan. The plan is to check out Petra and Amman, and hopefully Jerash if we find the time. I'll let you know all about it next week. Shabbat shalom.

A Moment Of Clarity

My schedule for this upcoming semester is finally set, and since I know you have all been anticipating this for weeks, I won't make you suffer to wait any longer. I am only taking two classes this semester, Hebrew and Arabic. I have Hebrew from 8-10 AM on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and from 10 - Noon on Thursdays. I have Arabic from Noon - 2 PM on Tuesdays and from 2:30 - 4 PM on Thursdays. Arabic will be a little different this go around, as Rina is no longer teaching us. I still have Mina for Hebrew, and as you know, I adore her.

I'll be filling out the rest of my schedule by volunteering at the Ofakim school in Mercaz HaCarmel, a school for Israelis with severe developmental disorders, predominantly cerebral palsy. I'll be there 15 hours a week, filling a number of different roles. I'll know more once I get started (next Monday), but I'm really excited to be doing something new, getting out into the city and helping people.

This photo is totally unrelated to today's post. I just like it.

סיבה למסיבה

One thing Israelis are great at is finding any old reason to throw a bitchin' crazy party. Last night we had TWO great reasons to party. Devorah's birthday is later this month, and the family threw her a massive surprise birthday blowout last night. I couldn't mention it on this page earlier for obvious reasons. The party was at a restaurant in the German Colony and it was really fancy. It looked like over 100 people showed up and cramed into an upstairs party room the size of my flat's living room. It was really warm. Amir made a nice movie for Devorah with friends and family wishing her a happy birthday and mazal and happiness and everything that goes along with it.

Shachar parties down with one of his cousins.

The food was fantastic. I had a salmon patty with greens and mashed potatoes that was absolutely to die for. Plus they kept the wine flowing. Devorah was smiling and blushing so much that I thought she was going to just faint. I've got to give big props to everyone who had a hand in planning last night. I wish I could say I did. It was an unmitigated success!

Menachem and Carmit at dinner.

I left the birthday party a little after ten o'clock to roll for my second party of the evening. As I've previously mentioned, the international school semester is over, and last night was our one last chance to go out, celebrate and all hang out together before people start leaving. We went to a put down by the port and near to the German Colony, Eli's Pub. I've never been to any of the bars by the water before (except for the overpriced, watered down beer they hawk at the beaches.) The neighborhoods change quickly in Haifa. I walked about a half block down Yaffo street towards the pub, and all of the sudden I was in one of the rattiest neighborhoods I've seen in Israel. The pub was actually awesome on the inside. A nice atmosphere, chill, with a little room to dance but mostly a place to sit and talk with your friends over a pint. As a bonus, they had a great soundtrack going all night with lots of classic rock.

4 of us sat at the bar until the main group arrived.

If there was one potential drawback to this pub, it's that it wasn't very large. We began to ask the bartender about tables, since I had made a lot of calls and was expecting a large group to show up. They had one huge empty table, but apparently it was reserved. When she asked me how many to expect and I estimated 15, she smiled and offered us the table! Earlier that night when I had been on the phone talking to Anna, she mentioned that she knew the manager at the pub and would call to let him know we were coming. She asked me for a number and I gave her the same estimate, and the manager blocked off the table for us! The bartender's words (translated from Hebrew) were "are you here with the Hungarian girls who called?" Just marvelous!

What a lovely kiss!

I will miss my friends a lot, but I'm looking forward to meeting a whole new group of people soon. In the meantime, my vacation travel begins this morning. I am leaving for Jerusalem in a half an hour, and I'll hopefully be seeing plenty of old friends. I'll update when I return. Shabbat shalom.

The End Of An Era

The semester draws to a close this evening, after one final edition of "Arab - Israeli Relations." It's been a really awesome semester, my recent exam stress notwithstanding. I took my Hebrew exam this morning, my 4th exam in 4 days. It wasn't easy, but I have no doubt that I did well on it either. Arabic was yesterday afternoon, and my anticipation was worse than the test itself. I'm not quite as confident about that one, but we'll just have to wait and see. In the mean time, everyone is steeling themselves for the inevitable goodbyes that come at the end of the semester. We are going to have a lot of turnover between now and the start of the spring term in about 6 weeks. Most of my close friends are taking off for parts unknown, but I'm not worried about that. I will make a new circle of friends next semester. The program will be much bigger next time around, ballooning from around 90 students to somewhere in the 150 range.

Hanging out at our fall semester farewell dinner.

We had a goodbye dinner this week which was really nice. Good food, lots of people showed up, and it was in a nice little room on the absolute top floor of the Rabin building that they must only use for catering. In order to get their, you have to take the internal elevator all the way up, and the elevator doesn't go up to that floor at all unless management punches in an authorization code first. In other words, this was a sweet set up. The best part was the slide show that Oshrat put together of all of us from this fall. It was kind of corny and reminded me a lot of "No Smoking" slide shows of Ramah summers past, but there is certainly a place in my heart for that kind of cheese ball sentiment.


Now that the semester is over, my focus can shift to other things. I finally got the lead out and bought a gym membership this morning (thanks, Dad!) I've got some catching up to do to get back into shape but working out is not a chore for me, so I'll get there. I'm going to say something that many of you may consider blasphemous. Even I have a hard time believing it. I watched a half of a random soccer match between two Spanish League teams while running, and it is a better workout sport than baseball.

Before the State Department revokes my U.S. citizenship, allow me to explain myself. Soccer moves very quickly and there is a lot of contact. This is great for when your moving, as it holds your attention. Baseball is a more cerebral game, and you really need to watch it with others and discuss the action in front of you to truly enjoy it. Outside of that, what truly made this a better experience than baseball is that soccer has no whistles and no time stoppages, and that means no commercials. Imagine, 45 minutes of straight action without having to stop and be reminded yet again that you have no interest in the newest razor model with 8 blades. It's just magical! I jogged for 25 minutes until the half rolled around without a single interruption.

Of course getting in shape is not my only winter goal. I also plan on traveling. I will be spending nearly a week in Cairo, Egypt towards the end of January, and I plan to travel for a few days in Jordan as well, possibly as early as next week. Plus there is lots to see and do inside Israel that I hopefully won't find myself sitting around in the dorms. If I do, I will just lose my mind.

Cacti in Haifa are just one of the many cool things I want to see on my travels.

Perhaps it's ironic that today, on the day the international school semester ends, the University strike has now reached the lengthiest work stoppage in the history of the state. All I can say is that if the government insists on putting a gun in its mouth, no one is going to keep them from pulling the trigger.

The Best Silvester Day Ever!

Little did this American son know, but much of the world refers to New Years Eve as "Silvester Day", in honor of Saint Silvester, a Catholic Pope from the third century C.E. It's mainly a European custom, but Israelis have adopted it. Oh yeah, and the dude was apparently virulently anti-Semitic. How quaint. The party got started at noon with my Rabbinic Literature exam! I didn't really know what he wanted from us when I walked in the door, and my feelings haven't changed much the day after the test. It was just one of those exams. I'll keep you abreast of my grades as they roll in of course.

Instead of going to the community center for our normal volunteering project, we celebrated the new year and the last meeting of the semester by going bowling with the kids at the mall in Lev HaMifratz. It was a blast. The bowling alley looked like any alley you would expect to see in the U.S., but as always there were some key differences. One in particular that caught my eye was the claw machine. The prizes weren't dolls or toys or anything like that. Each prize was a pack of cigarettes with a 20 shekel bill taped to the outside! I'd like to make a joke about this, but honestly it is simply a sad reflection of today's Israeli society.

Me with Amit, one of my tutees and a "checkers" hustler. I got whupped by a 12 year old.

I played my usual uninspired round of bowling, checking out somewhere in the mid 80's, but I still managed to win a free round of bowling when I bowled a strike during the special 6th frame. I gave it to one of the kids, since he'll get more use out of it than I would have. We all gathered for pizza afterwards and then had to bounce back to campus so the kids could go home.

Students and tutors chilling at the bowling alley.

I came back for a little pre party with some of the boys on campus, and then a bunch of us went over to the Hungarian's apartment for a new years party/birthday party for Anna. It was a nice, chill get together with some great homemade food and a nice mix of people. We toasted the new year at midnight with champagne and watched fireworks explode over Wadi Nisnas from their living room windows.

I called it a night early and was home by 1 A.M. on account of this still being finals week. I took my "Terrorism and Responses" exam this afternoon - piece of cake. Tomorrow's Arabic exam will be another story. There is just a massive amount of material and it all gets mixed together in what my professor benignly calls a 'salad.' To me, it's more like mixing cold medicine with alcohol. I'm not ready to go yet but I'll be putting in some heavy study hours tonight. Wish me luck!

I Am Going To Catch Tuberculosis From A Classmate

Is it so much to ask that someone who is violently ill not come to class where she can infect the rest of us? Seriously, it's really starting to bother me. There is a girl in my Hebrew class who seemingly comes down with a terminal illness every six hours, but she insists on coming to class, sitting near me and then hacking up a lung all over the classroom! I don't want to catch your flu!

School is almost over for the week and then I have a second weekend with my family in the north. By the way, I'm planning to update all of you on all my travels with the family after exams are finished. Right now I simply don't have the time. My exam schedule is as follows: Monday afternoon I have my Rabbinic Lit exam, and I'm a little concerned about that one. Simply put, my mind does not work the way the mind of a 1st century Rabbi did. This makes it difficult to analyze the text. Even so, I've been studying hard for it all week and I have a basic understanding of the material. My Terrorism and Responses exam is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, and I'm not worried about that at all. I'm a rockstar in that class. Wednesday afternoon is Arabic, and I will be prepared by the time I have to take the test. Thursday morning I will take my Hebrew final exam, thus ending a marathon week of testing. I'll also have some kind of final assignment for Arab Israeli Relations, but our professor hasn't deemed us worthy of learning the details of the assignment more than a week in advance.

As for the weekend to come, it will be a mash of family, studying and goodbyes. Many of my closest friends at the University are only staying in Israel through the end of the semester, and then returning home or to programs in other countries. My hope is that we will all get to go out and spend a last night together chilling as a group. I'm going to miss them. Shabbat shalom.

Strange Happenings At Haifa U

The student strike is well underway as the union promised. There have been demonstrations every day since Monday, and the student union built a physical barrier blocking the interior road that runs parallel to the university. Today they burned car tires. Even so, I've been a little disappointed with what seems to me to be a contrived demonstration by a student base that is not terrifically committed to the stated cause. The end result has been the effective closure of the university without making an effective statement to the professors or the government about their rights and expectations. I've taken part in better protests than this one. If I was the student union, I would be embarrassed. I stopped by the barrier to see the protest in action. There were maybe 20 students there, and they were sitting around eating. Totally pathetic.

The student's "demonstration" on Monday afternoon.

The strike has not canceled my classes, but it has succeeded in making things really inconvenient for me and the other international student types. We've held class in the dorm area for the last few days. We nearly had a full on disaster in Hebrew class Monday. We were given the dorm synagogue as space to hold class, which is not optimal to begin with. It was cold in there so we turned on the radiator. 20 minutes later we began to smell something acrid. The fucking radiator was going up in flames! The class went bananas, running around trying to find a fire extinguisher. Here's what really gets me; there was no fire extinguisher in the synagogue! I just can't believe that. We even found a room in the back filled with hookahs and board games, but no fire extinguisher! It's unconscionable. Thank God the fire burned down on its own. There was a stack of wooden chairs leaning up against it. This could have been a disaster. Clearly, the University of Haifa does not take fire safety seriously.

I've had classes in two different rooms in the moadon, the Federman lounge area where I normally check my email and post to this page, in the synagogue as I mentioned, even in the living room of my apartment! Starting today the union agreed to open one wing of one academic building to us so we could continue with class in an actual classroom. The result is that I stayed in one room for 5 consecutive hours today on a beautiful sunny day. What started out worth a few chuckles is quickly starting to get on my nerves. I really hope that this strike ends soon. Actually, I hope the government will finally sit down to negotiate a fair agreement with the professors, but it'll be a cold day in hell before that happens.

I went to a pub tonight to meet Menachem and Amir and watch the Maccabi Haifa - Beitar Jerusalem soccer match. Apparently tonight's game does not count towards the league standings as it is a game in the separate "Toto Cup" competition, but nobody told the players this. It was the dirtiest game I have seen since I got to Israel. A Beitar player drew a red card less than 5 minutes after we sat down. The refs are probably icing down their wrists tonight after having to reach into their pockets for yellow cards so many times. In spite of (or maybe because of) the dirty play, it was also the most exciting game I've seen all year! In Toto Cup play, there are no draws and if after a 30 minute overtime session the game is still tied, it is determined by penalty kicks. Maccabi and Beitar were deadlocked 2-2 after 120 minutes of soccer and headed to the penalty kick segment of the game. What a finish. Maccabi trailed early but got back back into it and eventually bested their arch rivals by a final score of 7-6. At one point in the extra session, Menachem pointed out the Beitar player lining up for his kick, and told me he was an old Maccabi player who had been their captain for years. I asked Menachem what his name was. Without missing a beat, he responded with "son of a bitch." God love that devotion!

On Strike

As Israel's education woes deepen, the combined student unions for all major universities are about to remind the government and professors that they are also a force to be reckoned with. There is no scheduled class on Sunday, as it is a special day off in celebration of Chanukka. Starting Monday, university students at all 8 major Israeli universities will strike, locking out the professors and any students who would attempt to cross the picket line. All classes would be locked out, including those taught by adjunct professors and other instructors. The strike is in protest to the continued deadlock in negotations over the professors contracts which has robbed them of nearly an entire semester. From what I understand, the university will physically be closed by the student union, with physical barriers including chains and piles of tires. Needless to say, I'm suffering from a touch of culture shock right now.

As far as I am concerned, the whole thing is a damn disgrace. I have supported the professors from the beginning, and I continue to blame the government for an impasse that threatens to cancel the semester. Now the students, who are rightfully pissed off about the situation, are going to exacerbate it with this action. It's just madness. We received a frantic email from the international school office this morning telling us that should the strike be carried out, classes will meet in the moadon of the dorms, or in individual apartments if necessary. At least it would probably entertain my roommates if we held Arabic class in my living room one morning. There's that to look forward to.

I took my Arabic exam this morning and I think it went pretty well. With that out of the way, midterms are officially behind me. I earned an "86" on my midterm assignment in Arab-Israeli Relations. Not too shabby. Frankly I'm not sure how he reached that number, since some classmates of mine got 85's, while at least one guy got an 87. I seriously doubt he used a rubric to grade these exams, so I have to wonder what made the difference in the grades there. Personally, I think he just assigned a number to each paper based on his gut reaction. Exams went pretty well for me this time around.

It's a cold and rainy day outside so I'd like to make weekend plans, but I don't really know what to do. I am going to a dinner party tonight and then hopefully out to the pubs. Some friends invited me over at some point this weekend to play cards so that may or may not happen. My only solid plans are spending part of Saturday night at Carmit and Shani's place for candle lighting and hanging out with the family. I'm sure I'll pull things together in the end. I always do.

Icky Sticky נקיון

My bedroom is immaculate. I gave it a complete wash this afternoon, complete with dusting, soaping, rinsing and squeegeeing. I threw out all the junk that had accumulated and picked up everything that got gotten strewn about and put it all away. Kiss my ass, entropy! The laws of physics have nothing on me.

It was an otherwise tame day. My only class today was Hebrew Ulpan, and we were in the language lab. I hate the language lab. It's the most boring class I have that is not called "Arab-Israeli Relations." It's worse in Hebrew though because I generally enjoy the class. On the days we have to sit there with those head phones on listening to 'kol Israel' news broadcasts, I feel like something positive has been stolen from me.

I missed the concert this afternoon because I was submitting a list of words to Rina for tomorrow's Arabic exam. I still got my recreation in though. I went to the gym with a couple of guys and played pick up basketball for an hour. It was uneventful except for one thing: I cursed in Hebrew during a game without even noticing! Nimrod heard and called me on it. I must say, part of me is pleased. Not that I need to start cursing in Hebrew like I do in English, but I think it adds an element of realism to my speech.

Everyone got lazy this week for the cooking club, so instead we ordered pizza. I'm glad we did it. Once you start feeling that you have to do something when you don't really want to (like cooking tonight), then it stops being fun and becomes a chore or a responsibility instead. This will help to preserve the integrity of the club. I did make a suggestion for changing the name. Up until now we have been calling it "מועדון בישול", literally "cooking club." During my zoned out private musings in class the other day, I came up with a much better, military inspired name! From now on, the club will be known as "חיל חטיף", or "snack force." It sounds like a candy commercial that the networks would air during Saturday morning cartoons.

Happy Chanukka!

I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy Chanukka this year. It's very nice being in Israel for Chanukka. For one, there is a being difference between saying נס גדול היה פה and נס גדול היה שם. I walk outside my friend door and I can just picture Jewish guerrillas wasting Syrian war elephants. It's pretty awesome! What's even better about being in Israel for Chanukka is that I am not party to the shameless commercial bastardization of a holiday that Chanukka has become in the U.S. Here, it is a fun and happy, albeit minor holiday. Exactly how I want it to be.

You like donuts? Well how do you like dem donuts?!

I did hit up two different holiday parties tonight. I started at a friends apartment for a private get together with a half dozen people. We lit the Chanukkiot, and then dug in to mountains of homemade latkes and sufganiot. She actually made the donuts from scratch. It was heaven. Afterwards we headed to the dorm moadon for the dorm party. There was music, arts and crafts, and more food, including chocolate and spiced wine. I'm feeling a little heavy and sleepy right now. Anyone else think we should be frying the chocolate coins in deference to the holiday?

Just a few notes about midterms before I shuffle off to sleep. My grades are coming back and I am doing extremely well. I earned an A on both my "Hebrew Ulpan" and "Terrorism and Responses" midterm exams. I'll be taking the closest approximation to a midterm in Arabic on Thursday, and presumably my "Arab-Israeli" relations exam should be returned then as well. Stay tuned.

יהיה בסדר

It means "it will be alright", but more than that as well. My friend Nimrod taught it to me a few days ago, over something that seemed important at the time and feels more superfluous now as I mourn Sparky's death. Even so, I am starting to make peace with it and move on a little bit. It comes and goes. Last night I couldn't fall asleep because I was focused on him, and I ended up sleeping through Hebrew this morning as a result. Still, the smiles are returning. It's been a little while so I'll get you up to speed on my life this past week.

This past Tuesday morning, Nimrod and I went jogging along this path that runs through the Carmel National Park, adjacent to the road that runs down the mountain from the University. The scenery is beautiful and the course is challenging, with hills and sharp curves as you wind around the upper Carmel. I always jog with my mp3 player in hand, and I slip my ID card and my bedroom key into the rubber case around my mp3 player. When we finished our jog, I glanced down and realized that my key was missing. It had fallen out somewhere along the road. I was ready to panic, but Nimrod mentioned that he had heard the sound of metal falling towards the beginning of our run but didn't think much of it. He assured me we would find the key, telling me "יהיה בסדר." As skeptical as I was, I will never doubt him again. He found it! It was laying in the middle of a parking lot. I was just stunned. I had a midterm exam at 3 that afternoon, and I didn't quite feel like going to my exam stinking and covered in dried sweat while I waited for my new key. I'm sure my classmates would have been just as appreciative if they had known.

The exam went alright. The structure of the test was a little loopy. I'm not sure how else to phrase it. A lot of my friends were upset with our professor over the test, although I didn't think it was terrible. Some of his questions were vague and some needed clarification, but overall I didn't think there was anything wrong with the test. I'll put up the results when I have them. My last midterm was a take home in Arab-Israeli relations, which I will hand in at 3 PM today.

Having supportive friends has definitely helped to soften the blow of losing my dog. Meredith has called me a few times, and I also spoke with Eli and Marc over the phone. Several other people have left me messages on facebook and on this page, and I thank you all for your well wishes and support. It's been important that I have that support network here in Haifa as well. I really started to feel a little bit better yesterday afternoon after Hebrew class. I went with a group of people to this week's featured Wednesday concert. "Monica Sex" were performing and they gave a nice show. The sun was shining, and everyone grabbed a glass of beer and just talked and listened to the music.

Culture Wednesday at the university: Things are improving.

My roommates have also been very supportive, especially Samer and Hamza. I don't know them very well, but I am going to make an effort to change that. They are both great guys who have made a point of talking to me and comforting me. I've been eating with them more and I hope to make this a habit from now on.

Last night at מועדון בישול, we made pasta bolognese. The club has really grown. We had about a dozen people last not, and that gave us logistical problems that we didn't have when there were only 4 or 5 people. Still, the meal turned out quite well. The meat was nicely seasoned and we made an interesting salad with fruit and pecans. Needless to say everyone went home as full and drowsy as usual. I felt like I usually feel after thanksgiving dinner last night.

This weekend I will be away from Haifa on tiyul. We are going to Ein Gedi and the Dead Sea, and finishing our weekend with a hike up Masada. By the time I get home on Sunday night, I expect to be exhausted and be badly in need of a shower. I'll put up lots of photos and stories when I get home. I love to see Israel on foot, so this weekend should be great for me. Shabbat shalom.

Midterms

I'm in the teeth of midterm exams right now. All of the Hebrew Ulpan classes held exams this morning. I didn't find mine to be particularly difficult, but the 6th level (who I share a teacher with) almost unanimously found their exam to be brutal. I don't know if ours was just easier, or if I was better prepared, or if I should be worried that I bombed it. I don't think I will worry; its not really my nature to come unhinged over grades.

Posts will likely be few and far between for the rest of the week. My "Terrorism and Responses" exam is tomorrow afternoon, while my take home exam in "Arab-Israeli Relations" is due on Thursday. I really don't like take home exams. I feel like so much more is expected from me on every answer because I have no time limit and I can make use of all my papers and notes. I'd rather just take a standard test. Plus this means the class will be meeting regularly this Thursday, and I really can't stand "Arab-Israeli Relations." The professor is the worst lecturer I've ever listened to. No exam in Arabic (and I don't know if we will ever have one), and we only have a project and a final exam in Rabbinic Lit. I guess 3 exams in a week isn't terrible.

Turkey Day Love From The Land Of Shawarma

I want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving and I hope you are all enjoying your time at home with the family. Thanksgiving is probably the only major American holiday I really enjoy, so it is also probably the only major American holiday I will miss. Independence day always means crowds and bees and humidity at Navy Pier, and New Years day was always just a part of my winter break from school. Of course I do not even want to mention the wretched 3 month Christmas season in the U.S., and does anyone outside of Chicago even know what "Pulaski Day" is? Thanksgiving is different though. Thanksgiving means eating and hanging out with the family, arguing about football with my dad and enjoying the fact that we get three days to sleep off the meal before everyone goes back to work on Monday. In my absence, I request that everyone eat even more turkey and stuffing, watch even more football, and fall into an even deeper after dinner coma. Remember guys: This is one for you plus one for me, and no one has to pour a 40 on the ground.

On to my wheelings and dealings of late. My presentation in Terrorism and Responses went quite well. We were eloquent and thorough and probably earned an A on the whole thing. That night in the moadon, there was a class on how to make hummus and shakshuka. About 20 people showed up and we made a big dinner for everyone, complete with salad and pita, fresh tehina, red wine and chocolate balls for dessert. I made tehina.

Stirring the fresh tehina.

I am starting to feel like my days and nights revolve around food. Wednesday night was מועדון בישול (cooking club) as usual. We went southeast Asian this week. I made chicken stir fry and a huge pan full of vegetable fried rice. I've never made fried rice before and I didn't bother to check a recipe or even look at directions. I just winged it, as I am wont to do. It actually turned out pretty well, which will just reinforce my laissez faire approach to following directions in the kitchen. Late last night, some of the guys in the dorm threw an apartment party, so I was there for a few hours last night. I still love pubs, but house and apartment parties can really be a lot of fun, especially if you are there with friends. I had a great time.

There is a 40-something couple in my Hebrew class. The husband, Shlomo gave a presentation today on the carob tree. There were a few fun moments I would like to share. First of all, I got to class a few minutes early this morning, where Shlomo was setting up. For those who haven't experienced it firsthand, the male carob tree has a very 'distinct' smell. To put it lightly, this 40-something professional biologist smiled at me as I walked in, and told me he was doing his presentation on the 'sperm tree.' The laughs didn't end there though. He handed out carob fruit in class for people to try. Eva, the girl sitting next to me bit into hers, shrieked in horror and ran out of the room. Apparently, she looked at the bite and saw half a bug inside. Even our teacher Mina was laughing. Eva took it in stride once she came back so no real harm done. Needless to say, people stopped eating the carob after that.

Ecstasy From A Toaster Oven

I have a new roommate. Haven't met him, don't know his name or even his face, and yet he is my new favorite roommate. He brought us a new toaster oven! It's brand new and it works beautifully and it is sitting in our kitchen opposite the counter! Honestly, this is definitely another one of those instances where you are forced to get used to being without. I haven't had an oven or a microwave all semester, and I had basically stopped pining for either. What a sucker I was. I used it for the first time this afternoon. Nothing really complicated, I just broiled some chicken sausages I had in the freezer. Even so, it was magic!

Today may be my most significant day of the semester to date. I have two presentations scheduled for today, in Hebrew and in Terrorism and Responses. I already delivered my Hebrew presentation this morning, while Terrorism and Responses isn't for another few hours. I can only hope that project goes as well as the one this morning did. As you may recall, my topic is the relationships between Hebrew and Arabic (היחסים בין עברית לערבהית.) I chose this topic under the assumption that linguistics would bore my classmates and they would ignore my presentation, thus undermining their ability to ask additional questions at the end. I was dead wrong, and I'm glad I was. They were paying rapt attention the entire time, asking questions throughout. With the formal Q & A section after the presentation, I spoke for about 40 minutes. I definitely aced the project, and I had fun while doing it too.

I would prefer to keep this page relatively apolitical, for everyone's sake. However, I am compelled to say something political today. I read in the newspaper this morning that the continuing faculty strike in the University sector is about to complete its fifth week. The Universities are about to cancel the break between semesters and may need to dip into the summer break as well in order to make up for the lost time. The students are already in an awkward position because their professors are on strike, but adjunct instructors are still teaching, meaning that University students have those classes taught by a TA, but do not have those classes taught by a senior faculty member. This has led to serious crowding issus in the classes that do exist, and because adjunct instructors need permission from a professor to give an exam, some classes may not even have their midterms.

Meanwhile the secondary school strike reached its 36th day this morning, with no real progress to speak of. There was a massive protest at Kikar Rabin in Tel Aviv over the weekend in favor of the teachers, but it looks to have accomplished nothing. What does this all mean? Education in this country is not a priority. The government is sitting on its hands with both the high school teachers and the university professors, and that is indefensible. The government keeps trotting out the same line about money and working conditions (including class size and teaching hours) but is totally unwilling to come to the table and compromise. Education should be a priority always, especially here in Israel. If the government can't pony up the cash to pay their instructors a fair wage, then perhaps it is time to reexamine where their money is going.

100,000 protesters couldn't convince this shitty government to act.

On a lighter note.... We had a thunderstorm that raged all night last night, and we've had intermittent rain all day. It's cold, wet and generally unpleasant outside today. What this means of course is that everyone back home who is praying for rain in the holy land is doing a bang up job! I wish I could thank you all personally for this miserable day. I bought an umbrella from the university store so as not to melt on my walk to class. Enough for now, I've got to go practice for my presentation this afternoon. I hope everyone is enjoying their Thanksgiving breaks.

Classes And Such

My Terrorism and Responses professor is a little bit nutty, which is just fine with me. He gave my class an experience this afternoon that I don't think can be topped. He taught the entire class with a handgun tucked into his jeans. No holster or anything. My professor was packing like he was a Latin King. It's certainly become my favorite class.

Arabic is getting crazy. The difficulty level has increased exponentially since the start of the semester. We get about 40 vocabulary words per week, which is simply too many to commit to memory. Doris is getting very frustrated. I'm keeping my head above water right now, but it's a struggle. Rina pushes us harder than any other teacher I've ever had. I'm looking at this as good prep work for law school. Better to get used to the workloads now.

There is a Hebrew flick in the moadon tonight so I'm gonna go meet some friends and watch. Tomorrow is my short day (only Hebrew at 10 A.M.), and I am going to a pool hall tomorrow night for a birthday party. I'm looking forward to the late morning, although usually when I get to sleep in I feel about the same getting out of bed as I do on the days when I get up at 7. Go figure.

Nes

Today was an average Monday. Getting out of bed took a tremendous deal of effort, and I was pretty drowsy all the way through Arabic this morning. I grabbed a cup of Nes before Hebrew Ulpan, much to my embarrassment. For those who don't know, Nes is local slang for instant coffee. This is because the Nescafe' brand ran ads making a play on the Hebrew word נס, meaning miracle. In other words, Nescafe' is the miracle of coffee. Except it's garbage. I can't believe I am drinking this swill. Finding a real cup of coffee in this country is all but impossible so it's all I have. There is a coffee machine in the Terrace Building that serves Nes like its real coffee; cappucino, mocha, lattes and espresso. It's really quite impressive, and at 1.10 Shekels per cup, it's seductive. The worst part is that I'm actually starting to not hate the taste.

How humiliating.

One thing this stuff is good for is warming me up when it's chilly outside. I'm really not a superstitious guy. I'm just aware of the coincidences that superstitious people would attribute to some omen. That said, the last time I complained about the cold weather, it got nice and warm again and stayed that way for quite a while. It's getting cold here now and I don't much care for it. It's a different cold from back home too. It comes from a general attitude around here that winter doesn't really happen, so it seems colder than it is. That's the best way I can explain it. None of this is really rational, but I'm not always entirely rational either.

Schadenfreude

I want to get this in writing while I still can: With 7:40 remaining in the second quarter, the Fighting Illini football team is tied at 14 with undefeated Ohio State, the top ranked team in the country. I'm thrilled that Illinois is a respectable team again, and very bitter that they didn't qualify for a single bowl game in my four years in Champaign. On to tonight's post...

We had a nice barbecue at the dorms this afternoon. A group of international students got together and we made ourselves a feast. Kabobs, turkey dogs and roasted veggies, pita, salads and hummus, tea and Turkish coffee. I nearly ate myself into a coma. Normally I prefer not to eat until I don't feel well. It was an especially poor decision today because I went over to the Mor's house around 5 to watch the M. Haifa - Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv soccer match. Devorah seems to worry that I am wasting away, and she wants to stem the hemorrhaging by making sure I eat a lot when I visit. I know she does it because she cares, but I just can't eat that much, and she doesn't take no for an answer.

American men performing our birthright: grilling.

The game was a blowout. Maccabi crushed Bnei Yehuda 3-0, which is the soccer equivalent of telling someone your going to punch them in the mouth, and then going ahead and doing it. Shani and Carmit came with baby Shai around halftime. I spent much of the inconsequential second half playing with Shachar on the porch. God help me when I have kids. I don't have the energy to keep up with Shachar now, and I'm theoretically in my physical prime. After about 25 minutes, Shani came in out of the bullpen and I went back inside to rest. We chatted and I talked with Shai a little, and then everyone left but myself and Menachem. He and I watched a second soccer game, Beitar Jerusalem - Ironi Kiryat Shmona. This game ended in a 0-0 draw, but it was fascinating to talk to Menachem during the game; his schadenfreude was off the charts. The game had only a passing affect on Maccabi's standing in the league, but Menachem's hatred for Beitar is pure, and comes not from standings but from a deep conviction in the true and correct state of his fandom. I both admire and empathize with this particular strain of learned insanity. I am, after all, a Cubs fan.

I did a nice big load of laundry tonight at the Mor's. Devorah uses fabric softener, so my clothes are softer and sweeter smelling than they have been since I arrived. It's just wonderful. Tomorrow I am leaving the University at around 8 A.M. for a day trip in the Galilee. I'll update tomorrow evening with photos and stories. By the way, it's now halftime and Illinois is actually LEADING Ohio State by a touchdown. 21-14 Fighting Illini! I bet those OSU pricks are choking on their own pretentiousness right now. Honestly, "THE" Ohio State University?! Shut the fuck up.

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.