Hey everyone! So sorry for the really long gap between this
post and the last one… so much has been going on that I have lost track of
time! I am officially at Kibbutz Yagur, a Kibbutz located on the base of the
Carmel Mountain, and conveniently placed 10 minutes away from one of Haifa’s
central bus stations, and a mall! So far, being on the kibbutz has been great—
low stress and lots of fun. When I first got to the kibbutz, there were only
around 8 other ulpanists here, but slowly more and more arrived each day until
now we have around 35 (I think we are still missing a few!). I think one of
special things about this program is the type of people it draws; people from
not only all over the states, but all over the world! I have made friends from
Switzerland, Panama, Argentina, Peru, Russia, France, England, South Africa,
and others. Each person has their own, amazing and unique story about their
life so far, and why they have chosen to come to Israel for these next five
months. Many are olim chadashim, or new immigrants, and are just trying to
learn the language of their new home. Others are just “tourists”, content on
staying in Israel for just a short period of time. Although it’s funny,
although we have only been here for a week and a half or so, I have heard more
and more of the “tourists” change their answer to the question “so how long are
you staying here?” from “just for five months/a year/ etc.” to “well, only for
a little now, but I think I want to make aliya later on”. If that is the change
already in a week or so, I can only imagine what people will be saying at the
end of the five months!
We have not
officially started classes, but instead had a week full of intro classes, where
basics were covered and the teachers were able to see each person’s level of
Hebrew and understanding, as well as how quickly they can learn. Tomorrow,
however, we start real classes and working on the kibbutz. It will be
interesting to see what happens with each person’s job, and how each person
reacts with the change from leisure to work/study. I think anyone can attain
the level of Hebrew that they want, and “get out of it what they put in”. Each
person has their individual goal that they want to meet by the end of the five
month program, and I hope that they can do that. So at this point you are
probably saying to yourself “yeah yeah, okay dahlia, tell us your goal now”, so
I will (even if you don’t care… you can always stop reading here if you are
bored! :p). My goal is simple: I want to be able to call my dad up, in five
months from today, and have a full conversation with him in Hebrew. I want to
be able to call up one of my friends that lives here in Israel and make plans
to hang out with them while speaking Hebrew. And I want to be able to go onto a
bus or the street and listen in to someone else’s conversation in Hebrew! Just
kidding on the last one… kinda. But anyways, I think that if I can keep these
goal in mind, and I work hard, I can achieve them, and more.
What else
is there to talk about? Not much! I have been into Haifa since I arrived at the
kibbutz 4 times already and Tel Aviv once. I will hopefully be able to see some
more old family friends soon, and reconnect with some of my friends who live in
Haifa. I can’t think of much else to say, other than that im having a great
time here!
Hope to
hear from you all, and miss you all! I’m on facebook/email/any other
communicative device all the time, so feel free to message me! And thanks for
reading!
P.S. I have finally figured out how to navigate the kibbutz
(kinda!). I know how to get to the pool, the bar, the Kol Bo (the kibbutz
grocery store), the laundry, the cafeteria, the main road, the supermarket, and
the bus stop! I really thought it would take a lot longer to be able to learn
my way around, but somehow I’ve figured it out!
A huge accomplishment for me!
