End of summer Ulpan

At last the summer ulpan is over, not that that is the end of my studying modern Hebrew, and I will in fact miss my Ulpan teachters Tammy and shelly. In the end my overall score was 90%, which was made up from attandace and participation in class, homework, quizes, tests, and the final examination. I am happy with my overall result as i can now go on into the accademic year proper.
Yesterday we had a serisis of seminars on aspects of the yomim norim. (the High Holy Days), which were, at least for the most part interesting. Now i have to clean the flat and get ready for shabbat. And then we get a nice if short hoilday and i may actually get the oppintunity to explore Jerusalem. I am also pleased to say that it is cooler in Israel than it has been.

Another weekend

Well, its almost shabbat which is nice but I have quite a busy one this week. At least all my homework is behind me. which is great and sort of got the odd jobs we needed doing done. Just about to head off to Har El synagogue. But it is just too hot here in Jerusalem today. I find it almost unbearable. Its something like 108 today which is just horried. I am hoping that it will cool done soon. Apart from that there isn't all that much to report on.

Hebrew, and Hebrew and Hebrew oh My.

So we have finished the 5th week of Ulpan, which is good...but there is the 6th week to go. Today we had accademic orintation which was a bit intense, and our time table looks a bit full. I don't think that it will has hard as it seems at least I hope it wont be. There is lots and lots Hebrew, Classical Hebrew and Biblical Hebrew and Prayer Book Hebrew so lots and lots of Hebrew (oh My)...I am a bit behind with my Hebrew but I am going to have a really push forward with it tonight. (Its not actually that bad as I have only got two bits left to do.) Plus some flash cards to make.

I had a nice date with Laura yesterday we had pizza on Emek and then we went to her house and did lots of study.

I am quite glad that as a class we will do soming else other than modern Hebrew. But studying Modern Hebrew with Laura is much more fun than studying it my own. Anyway I had better go and get on with studying.

Exciting times

Well another Jerusalem Shabbat is over, and another week of kita alef is about to start. I am now hafeway though my Summer Ulpan course and i think that it is going really well. This week a group of us went to Sir Hadasha (a Modern Orthodox) synagogue in Emek. I really really enjoyed it and think that i will probably go back there to do Kabalat Shabbat. We had a really nice Shabbat dinner at our flat.
I feel that I am getting the hang of being in Israel in general and in Jlem in particular. But it does have a habit of fooling me into thinking that I am back in western Europe and then reminding me that No I'm not I'm in the Middle East.

But i don't know why I am going on about this when the big news is that I am now going out with a wonderful young woman called Laura. She is in my kita (class) for modern Hebrew and is going to be a Cantor. Its early days, but it certainly makes being away from home in a strange place much nicer.
We have only had a couple of dates (0ne was for sushi). But its great and exciting and I'm really happy. :)

We are having a heatwave here so it was 104 degrees F. Today which didn't make for a great shabbat shalom. Hopefully I blog more oftern, but cannot make any promises.

Almost there

So hey my first fall week as an HUC student is behind me and I have almost been here twenty days although not quite and I am almost there with getting things sorted out. There are still a couple of outstanding things, some of them quite improtant to get sorted out ASAP, but maybe with a little bit of luck it will all be done and dusted by the end of July most of our year are off to Tel Aviv. I don't really have the time or the money to go so me, Naomi and Emily are hosting a shabbat dinner here in our flat for a few of the people from our kita, (go kita Alef!), I also had my first extra Hebrew lesson to today and was told I am a solid Kita Alef student which is nice. I am really looking forward to shabbat but have a tone of homework for Sunday and lots of Tropping notes to learn.
So Shabbat Shalom from Jlem

Ulpan and HUC

So Hey I had my exam, and i am much improved not quite there yet but I am now on the main HUC Ulpan programe, which is great but I kinda miss Ulpan Or, and I really miss Reut my teacher there. Orintation was really intense at HUC but we have started the summer Ulpan and i am settling in okay, still not used to being anywhere so hot or working so hard so I am really tired nearly all the time. Its nice in the flat and most of the things i need to get sorted are getting there albeit slowly, but then i haven't been here long yet just over two weeks.
I really like almost everyone on the various programs here, and there is nobody i actaully dislike. Tomorrow we are having a mini-Jerusalem day as our ti'al (trip) and i am going on one that involves rock climbing, not that i have done that in a long time. But generally things are fun here.

Getting to Isreal, and lots of Hebrew

So I am now in Israel! The flight was ok and after a longish taxi ride I reached the apartment Naomi and Emily where already there. I was feeling rather ill after all the travelling and the heat here. The flat is lovely though and I think that Abu Tur is fantistic. The next morning I had six hours of Ulpan starting fritst thing so I headed off feeling sharted. Reut is a fantastic teach and I have made lots and lots of progress in just the few days Tuesday, Wednesday and Thrusday...tomorrow is Friday and I only have lessions in the morning. In addition to lots and lots of Hebrew I have had meetings both at HUC and elsewhere. So things are really busy and I am so tired!
But it is totally briliant to be in Jerusalem...it is so lovely...and even in the midist of my business I have found time for a few moments of enjoyment (Maybe 35 in total) but even that small amout makes me want to stay here for as long as possible. I have also been so lucky with my flatmates...Naomi and Emily are simply the loveliest people that you could ever want to meet. And I am sure that we are going to surport one and other and become amazing friends.