Everyone says that Israelis are always rushing, and now I fit the bill, so I guess I am so Israeli. Between ulpan, babysitting, seeing friends, and having sucky internet in my apartment, I haven't been posting much. I have decided instead of worrying about writing a consistent blog, I am going to take a bit of a hiatus. I will probably be posting about once a month. I thought I'd just give a heads up.
Things are going well, and I am really pushing myself to speak Hebrew. My weekends have been relaxing. I have been doing a lot of cooking, and I try and see friends most nights after work. I am applying to a couple of grad school programs, and I am just trying to figure out where I want to be next year. My roommate moved out on Friday (she finished her internship at the prime minister's office and is moving in with family in Tel Aviv, so someone new will be moving in tomorrow or the next day. Aside from that, I have settled into a good routine. I bought a printer (I guess I'm staying for a while), and I went on a cleaning/organizing spree in the apartment yesterday. I am really enjoying myself here and I am keeping busy! I'll be sure to update when something beyond the routine occurs, but until then, plan a trip, book a ticket, and come for a visit!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
...my bus driver...
I know it has been a while since I last blogged, but have no fear, Israel is just as Israeli as ever.
I have been getting into a pretty consistent routine now that I have a new place to live. I wake up every morning to this:
I have been getting into a pretty consistent routine now that I have a new place to live. I wake up every morning to this:
I leave for ulpan around 730, and my mornings are then consumed by Hebrew immersion. From 1245, when class ends, until 2, I transport myself to my babysitting job (either by foot or by bus) and eat lunch (either with a friend, on the bus, at a park, or in a cafe). Then I babysit from about 2-6 for a 7-month-old. Her mother teaches piano in the house, so we usually take a walk in the neighborhood for an hour or two. I also get to practice my Hebrew between lessons, which is a huge help too. While I still hang out with a lot of Americans and other English-speakers from ulpan, I have really been trying to speak Hebrew here and there--I have a lot more to learn before grad school. Evenings are typically spent with friends. Activities range from dinner parties to movie nights to cooking adventures to nights out in the city. I make it to bed every night (or at least I try to) by midnight, and the cycle continues. Weekends are relaxing, as always. Two weekends ago, I had a bunch of friends over for Shabbat dinner. I made a delicious soup that lasted the rest of the week, chicken, salad, and rice. A friend from ulpan stayed over and we just relaxed and read the day away. This past weekend, I went to Hebrew University and stayed with friends. We had a big dinner Friday night, and after eating way too much, I passed out. I slept from 8:15pm-9am. It was great. I spent the rest of the day in jammies just hanging out and eating.
Some highlights of the week--deviations from the routine:
I was walking to the bus stop and saw mine pulling up. I started to run to try and catch it, but I was too late. Another bus was pulling up too. He asked me where I needed to go, and I responded. His bus was not the right one for me, and we both knew that. It was so Israeli when the driver told me (in Hebrew) to hurry hurry so we could catch the other bus at the next stop. I got on; he didn't even ask for a ticket. He proceeded to speed up and pull in behind my bus at the next stop. I was able to switch over without a problem, all thanks to my spunky driver.
I took a day off of ulpan last week to run some errands. My errands included changing my address on my ID card and at the bank, buying a cell phone, and getting my Arnona tax discount. I can say that at least most of my errands were successful. The one that wasn't really wasn't, though. I had the biggest problems getting my tax discount. The whole situation was so Israeli. The first time I went to the municipality, I was told i needed to be living in my apartment for at least 6 months in order for the tax bill to be switched to my name and for me to receive my discount. Of course my lease was only for five months, which just didn't cut it. Luckily, my landlord was willing to work with me. We wrote up a second lease and an external agreement and I went back to the municipality. This time, I was told that the name on the lease (my landlord's) differed from the name on the tax bill. I assumed that this was fine because the landlord and the owner of the apartment have an agreement; I assumed it wouldn't be hard to get a copy of their agreement. Little did I know that this would be a huge problem. It turns out that the owner of the apartment (the gentleman who now resides in Florida) is not the same person as the name on the tax bill. The name on the tax bill is that of a women who passed away. Apparently when she passed away and her son sold the apartment, the tax bill never got changed. When I asked for a notarized letter from the owner in Florida explaining this situation, I was told that there isn't significant proof for him to change the name in the bill to his, so there definitely wouldn't be significant proof for me to add my name to the bill. What a balagan ("craziness").
I have a couple other stories too. Lots of craziness everywhere. Say "hi" on skype or send me an e-mail, and I'll fill you in.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
...my landlord said...
This past weekend was a really nice one. I spent it in Kiryat Gat with my host family from this summer. A friend from the summer who is studying abroad in Jerusalem also came to Kiryat Gat to stay with her host family. Between the two families, I spoke a ton of Hebrew and ate even more food! My host family only speaks Hebrew, and when you put the whole משפחב, family, in one room (aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, etc.) a ton of Hebrew is spoken. It was nice to be back with my family. I know the aunts and uncles and cousins, and I can (surprisingly--at least to me) understand about 85% of the conversations. It was comforting to be back in my old room from the summer, and having my friend at her host family down the block was great. For both Friday night at Saturday lunch, I had delicious, homemade food not once, but twice. I was of course eating with my host family, but I was also invited to my friend's family. Most people would have to choose one or the other, but I am not most people. Lucky for me, my family ate both dinner and lunch earlier and more quickly than my friend's family. Thus, marathon eating. The food was delicious; I only wish I could have fit more of it into my tummy. All in all, it was a great weekend filled with Hebrew, food, and a bit of much needed sleep.
I headed back into my routine, but it was thrown off slightly by the rain. In the morning, I realized there was a leak in the roof of my closet. I left a note for my roommate to call the landlord (I had not yet signed the lease) and went to class as usual. Ulpan all week has been good--we've been following the happenings in Egypt in Hebrew! And I feel like I am learning a lot. After class, I did a bit of grocery shopping in the rain. Not the most fun, but doable.
When I got home, though, the rain was more than a bit annoying. My roommate called the landlord, and it was so Israeli when he said that the "closet" is really a "sukkah" whose roof is not supposed to be permanent. Thus, the roof is "supposed to leak" and he will not be fixing it. Well that compounded with the fact that our power went out last week, there is the start of mold in the bathroom, there is a wet interior wall in my roommates bedroom, and the apartment is not registered with the city for taxing purposes made me decide to find something new. Sunday was the 30th. I told my roommate and the girl who used to live in the apartment that there were too many problems with the apartment and the landlord and that I would be moving out on the first of the month because I did not feel comfortable signing a lease.
So Sunday began the apartment search. The first ad I responded to ended up being the final one as well. The girl who placed the ad (she had moved out) called me within three minutes of sending the email, I called her roommate ten minutes later, and 6 hours later (after already having packed up my old apartment), I went to see the apartment and have a cup of tea. I loved the place and the roommate. I came back again the next night and met the landlord's liason. The next day, I moved in, and tonight I am signing my lease. While I am not sure if everything happens for a reason, if it does, then this was meant to be. The space is bigger, better kept, and more fully furnished than my previous apartment, and the price (before taxes--for which I get a 90% discount) is less! There are also rumors of discounts for young adults who live in the City Center, and this apartment fits the bill! I will be looking into that next week!
Things seem to be falling into place quite well. And I finally took some pictures. Enjoy!
I headed back into my routine, but it was thrown off slightly by the rain. In the morning, I realized there was a leak in the roof of my closet. I left a note for my roommate to call the landlord (I had not yet signed the lease) and went to class as usual. Ulpan all week has been good--we've been following the happenings in Egypt in Hebrew! And I feel like I am learning a lot. After class, I did a bit of grocery shopping in the rain. Not the most fun, but doable.
When I got home, though, the rain was more than a bit annoying. My roommate called the landlord, and it was so Israeli when he said that the "closet" is really a "sukkah" whose roof is not supposed to be permanent. Thus, the roof is "supposed to leak" and he will not be fixing it. Well that compounded with the fact that our power went out last week, there is the start of mold in the bathroom, there is a wet interior wall in my roommates bedroom, and the apartment is not registered with the city for taxing purposes made me decide to find something new. Sunday was the 30th. I told my roommate and the girl who used to live in the apartment that there were too many problems with the apartment and the landlord and that I would be moving out on the first of the month because I did not feel comfortable signing a lease.
So Sunday began the apartment search. The first ad I responded to ended up being the final one as well. The girl who placed the ad (she had moved out) called me within three minutes of sending the email, I called her roommate ten minutes later, and 6 hours later (after already having packed up my old apartment), I went to see the apartment and have a cup of tea. I loved the place and the roommate. I came back again the next night and met the landlord's liason. The next day, I moved in, and tonight I am signing my lease. While I am not sure if everything happens for a reason, if it does, then this was meant to be. The space is bigger, better kept, and more fully furnished than my previous apartment, and the price (before taxes--for which I get a 90% discount) is less! There are also rumors of discounts for young adults who live in the City Center, and this apartment fits the bill! I will be looking into that next week!
Things seem to be falling into place quite well. And I finally took some pictures. Enjoy!
Is it a closet...
...or a sukkah?
MY NEW PLACE!!
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