The Hebrew Word of the Day is a feature on Haaretz, a major Israeli newspaper. It's all written in English (the Hebrew is transliterated), and traces the history of certain Hebrew words. The words picked by journalists Shoshana Kordova and Elon Gilad are unique, interesting, and quite clever. Many of their journeys begin with Jewish linguists … Continue reading Hebrew Word of the Day – Haaretz
Category: Israel
It's been nearly a year since I moved to Israel, and I'm finally receiving compliments on my Hebrew. The past few months have seen a major improvement in my level of speaking, reading, and writing, which I think is due to my immersion in Israeli daily life. In November I started my paramedic course, and … Continue reading Hebrew Language Resources
For the past 2 weeks, I've been enrolled in a medics' course in Tel Aviv. It took me ages to get here due to bureaucracy in the registration process, but I made it. Volunteering for the Magen David Adom (MDA, like Israel's Red Cross) is popular among both Israelis and tourists. If you want to … Continue reading Becoming a(n Israeli) Medic
My schedule's disappeared, the seasons have stopped changing. I quit my au pair job two weeks back, and since then have enjoyed a stay-cation on the kibbutz, interspersing books with lap swims and waves. Now, even as October stretches on, I feel suspended in June - the last time I lived on the kibbutz, before … Continue reading Time’s Stopped
Once again, absent for a while from the WWW world. This has been because, 1) I'm extremely busy with ulpan, and 2) I'm feeling ambivalent about social media. I'm already a self-critical person, and I'm finally noticing that I doubt myself more when I'm on facebook. And to try to quell that self-doubt, I'm tempted … Continue reading After-Ulpan Plans
On Sunday night, 3 other ulpanists and I drove to a checkpoint near Nablus, then took a bullet-proof bus up to Mount Gerizim to watch the Samaritan's annual Passover sacrifice. The Samaritan people number around 750. They are split between two towns, around 400 in Holon (near Tel Aviv, in Israel proper) and about 350 Kiryat … Continue reading Samaritan Sacrifices
I'm finding it incredibly easy to live in Israel. Compared to other countries I've lived in, Israel is just accessible. 1) There excellent infrastructure, from well-constructed buildings, to an operational government, to (most importantly) good roads. Those of you who know me probably know of my intense love for public transport, born out of an almost … Continue reading Friendly Vs. Hospitable (or, Why It’s Easy to Live Here)
I have been wholly tossed into a new life. Like a kid on a wave, I can just go along with it! After 6 months of unstructured travel extravaganzas, I now have a precise schedule. I even have feeding times. I go to class, work, exercise, and then study. Sometimes I work, then go to … Continue reading My New Routine
I'm on new soil. Planes amaze me - I spend half a day sleeping and watching movies, and when I disembark I'm in another world. I flew out of Chicago, where I visited family for a few days. So in one flight I moved from Polar Vortex Part II (temperatures in the single and negative … Continue reading At Ma’agan Michael
I AM MOVING TO ISRAEL IN FEBRUARY! I applied for an ulpan (intensive Hebrew school), and I received an excellent scholarship. The program runs for 5 months, until July 2014. This particular ulpan is run on a kibbutz, a collective farming community unique to Israel. I'll be studying 20 hours a week, and working 24 hours a … Continue reading Back to Israel
In Mutual Weirdness 