Ulpan and On and On

"Jewish Holiday Scheduling and Laziness Makes for Irregular Blog Posting" -Confucius


I would explain the tardiness of this post, but thankfully I don't need to thanks to an incredibly helpful quote from everyone's favorite philosopher of the Far East. It's been a busy few weeks, my radiant readership. My time has mainly been taken up by Ulpan classes in a recent attempt to improve my Hebrew speaking, comprehension, and accent skills. Due to the all-consuming nature of Ulpan, the section titles will be "What's an Israeli Pirate's Favorite Letter?," How to Lose a Language in 10 Days," as well as another "Things I Like" section.

What's an Israeli Pirate's Favorite Letter?
Roughly a month ago, I was fortunate enough to begin my Ulpan (Hebrew language) classes. As I have been placed in the advanced class at our Ulpan, we spend most of our time reading advanced (i.e. Eighth Grade reading level) Hebrew texts, learning academic Hebrew words, and writing  with enough passive voice to enrage the calmest of English teachers. I have been also working on a pet project of my own: the proper pronunciation of the Hebrew letter "ר'' ("Reish", or "R"). To all of my well-dressed readership who may be unaware, a native Hebrew speaker rolls his R's whilst saying a Hebrew word containing the letter Reish (it's something of a combination of the Spanish and French pronunciations of "R"), whereas my Reishes sound like an eight year old imitating a race car. Despite my best efforts, I have left the realm of "American Hebrew Speaker" to "American Speaker with a Speech Impediment;" I now sound as if I am gargling water while speaking Hebrew. That being said, I truly have learned a lot in Ulpan, and I am beginning to be able to express myself in Hebrew. This is a major improvement, and I look forward to the day when I can speak to Israelis without leaving them confused and/or scared.

 The average reaction of any and all Israeli babies I have spoken to.

How to Lose A Language in Ten Days
However, Ulpan - in addition to constant conversation with the Hebrew speaking staff on my Kibbutz - has left my English in less-than-stellar condition. I often find myself peppering my English conversations with Hebrew words, and am occasionally possessed by the urge to shout "ME TALK ENGLISH GOOD, YES?!" from our Kibbutz rooftops. I am taking this as a good sign, as it means that my Hebrew continues to ingrain itself into my mind. I look forward to being able to successfully negotiate with Israeli cab drivers soon.

Things I Like

Viva La Nostalgia

"Calvin and Hobbes" is one of the few things I have read in my childhood that I consistently come back to. I still remember my Dad reading it to me as a 6 year old and learning the valuable life lesson that such as life is all a matter of perception as well as crying from laughter from the use of the expression "Potty-Mouth". From waxing philosophical to the "Happy Hamster Dance," this comic is recommended to everyone. That means you, handsome.

Side note: Sorry about the recent delay everyone, I really do not have an excuse other than a nasty case of what the French call "procrastination." I hope to get back on a weekly posting schedule soon.