In Haifa

I’ve been in Haifa now for a few days. It’s getting better. Tomorrow we start the ulpan program, which is 5 hours of class and 2-3 hours of Hebrew a day (Sunday-Thursday). It’s the equivalent of a semester of Hebrew per month. Craziness. I just submitted my placement test this morning, and tomorrow we see how much Tsipi has paid off. There was supposed to be an oral section of the exam as well, but it doesn’t exist. Strange.

Gave them my check this morning, then felt the money drain out of my checking account. Again, I have enough to take care of everything, but very little else, which is hard.

I’ve met some nice people, and seen some people that will probably be nice. There are about 250 of us in July, and less in August. I’m excited about classes starting so that I can meet the people I’ll be spending all my time with this summer (or at least July). There are a surprising number of Christians that are here. One is doing Middle Eastern studies, but the 60 year old couple with the missionary daughter…they’re nice, but now I’m suspicious…

Before I left, I joked that it’d be funny if I got an Argentine roommate. I DID. How crazy is that? Her family came after the, ahem, economic problems that Argentina had a few years ago. She seems nice, so far, but those damn Argentines are a handful. Maybe she’s a lesbian and will fall in love with me. That’d be deliciously ironic. There is another girl in the apartment from Argentina, but I don’t know her story. I think they are: 2 native born Israelis, 1 Russian born Israeli, and 2 Argentine born Israelis. So I get to practice my Hebrew and my Spanish J. They will speak to me in English, I will try to speak to them in Hebrew. Again, I am excited about classes starting so that I can learn. Yay learning. I’m such a huge nerd. Everyone thinks it’s weird that I have no other ulpan students as roommates, but I’m ok with it. I mean really, I don’t even like American kids….

The University is on the top of the mountain. I think I knew that. However, I didn’t really realize that there was nothing else on top of the mountain. We went on a “tour of Haifa” today. Let me explain, we got on the bus, rode 30 minutes, got off at the market. Worst. Tour. Ever. I thought we’d actually go places. Nope, just to the market. Grr. The other day there was a tour of the Bahai Gardens, but I didn’t go, since it was Shabbat (whatever, I’m not paying money to go on a bus on Shabbat, the Jerusalem kids brainwashed me too much).

On Tuesday, we have a trip to Acco, and then next week to Nazareth, then Galilee. There are a lot of cool trips. It should be good. There is a guy who tried to fake-hug me today. I resisted. It was one of those, I’ll pretend to give her a hug and see if she responds. I didn’t. Then he wrote something on his arm and pretended to write on mine too. Homeboy got nowhere. It was cute that he was trying. Then he and a couple of people went to the mall and to the beach with this really cute, young girl. I think he’s forgotten about me. It’s ok. I’ll self-console.

Other stories to tell: Arab boy nearly breaking my nose, Rabbi Bortz.