אני ישראלית. I am Israeli

And one month passed…one of the many to come.
I’ve been having a really hard time keeping up with writing here as most of you noticed and also a lot of you complained. But this is something good in a way. It means my life is very full. And it really is. And I totally enjoy it. A lot of new things in my life (a post will be only about that), and new very nice and good people. I have a feeling that I have so many in common with the people from the ulpan. Young (most of them younger than me, oh well) but all feeling that this is the place for them. Most of them coming from countries where they left something behind and where life might have been easier if they stayed. But they chose not to. They chose to make it big in Israel. And they have all the prerequisites to accomplish it. I met smart people, funny people, beautiful people, arrogant people, people with a high self esteem and people that want to volunteer in the army even if they don’t have to. People that have considered this as their home before landing here. Amazing!
There are so many things to tell that I don’t know how to begin.
Let’s talk about life in the Merkaz Klita and the ulpan classes: First, I’ve been promotedJ. We had another exam in the first day of classes and I was sent in Bet 2. There are: Aleph 1, 1+, 2,3,4, Bet 1, 2, Ghimel and Dalet. About my class: I have some nice classmates that I enjoy talking to and enjoy making jokes with (even in Hebrew, imagine that). I honestly wasn’t really expecting the level to be so intense. I do keep up with the teacher but after 4 hours of studying I’m exhausted and feel all my energy has been taken away (what if our teacher is a Dementor? Neah, I doubt it:P). But I have to admit that the teaching feels a bit disorganized. We do all kind of things in a day from reading the newspaper to grammar, to reading stories about lemmings committing suicide (I’m telling you, this story will haunt me for the rest of my ulpan together with the question as to why in our SECOND day of classes we had to learn words like lemmings, to whelp, cubs, committing suicide, jumping off the cliffs, all in hebrew), to listening to the news (the real news of Israel, with the buildings crises (masber metzukat hadiur) and the doctors strike (shvita) ), from making competitions among ourselves about the new vocabulary learned during the week, to going to the computer lab to do online tests or to the “listening room” to hear Hebrew spoken or to having an open debate in class on the hot topic of buses on Shabat in Jerusalem (this should deserve a separate post. Those of you who know me should be able to imagine what side I was on:P). So yeah, pretty intense it is. And it’s good that it is. Although a bit more organized wouldn’t hurt.
About the Merkaz Klita itself: I like it. Almost everything but my bed. It’s an army (more like a prison) bed and it’s sooo hard that I got myself two bruises from only sleeping on it. But besides this, most of the things are nice. We have a club where each week there is a movie screening. There’s a ping pong table (guess who among the girls you know that live now in Merkaz Klita and are amazingly beautiful smart and cute beat three cocky guys in ping pong? Me, me, pick meeee!!!:)) To respect the truth, I lost once too, but who are we to count it allJ) My room that I’m sharing with a girl from New Zeeland is spacious (maybe because I didn’t get to unpack YETJ) we have our own bathroom and little kitchen. Our neighbors are from Spain and Venezuela, and looove loud Spanish music J But they’re cool guys.
There are always extra curricular programs like trips to the surroundings or baking challa or jewish talks with Rabbi Sterne so there is always what to do. Oh, and anyway there are lessons to be done. Daily. From one day to the other. Geez, it feels like 4th grade all over again. But it’s pretty exciting to see everybody’s studying. Together, everywhere, in the garden, on the halls, on the floor, under the chairs and wherever you find a free place to sit. Uf, and there were so many funny things I wanted to remember to tell you and because I don’t get down to writing often enough if forget them. If it’s for any of you reliefs, I’m always thinking “Oh, I should mention this in my blog”.
Now, how was my program so far? Both weekends I left on Thursday after classes to Tel Aviv, went to salsa parties and/or Israeli dance sessions, met friends, stayed with Iulia and Rina, went to the beach, was impressed at the beach by the…scenery (unbelievable what Tel Aviv has to offerJ))..wink wink), and came to Ra’anana to spend some time with my beloved Eytan, Taliah and Sorana. I am the Juif Errant, The Wandering Jew, Evreul Ratacitor, always carrying a backpack and not really having a home of my own. But having an unbelievable great time doing it. But a lot of fun was in the weekdays too. A big group from Ulpan Etzion went to the Balabasta festival in Machane Yehuda Shuk last week. Great experience. All the shuk open, packed with people (really packed!), live instrumental and singing performances at each corner, all kind of art display on the street, on the roofs (!!) behind the counters, salsa dancing (of course) on the street. The fact that people I used to know and haven’t seen in a while bumped into me and that I got to meet some new fun people (that live in the dorms) made this Balabasta festival even more appreciated (not to say about the group getting lost and having to find eachother a couple of times…oh, the beauties of being a large group).
Ufff..and there are still a lot to say. But I really need to close this post as tomorrow starts the most hectic week since I’ve been here. This week I’ll be more time in buses than off them. I thought about the possibility of working as a part time ticket controller if I’m anyway so much time aboardJ. It looks like: Raanana-Natania-Raanana-Tel Aviv-Jerusalem-Tel Aviv-Jerusalem-Raanana-Jerusalem-Tel Aviv-Jerusalem all in a week.
So last thing: Two days ago I FINALLY got my Teudat Zehut – The Israeli ID. I’m an official Israeli citizen with full rights. In fact not me, cause they misspelled my name. Oh well, what can one really expect from the Ministry of Interior? I am so disappointed of them. Over and over again…So a bit more running around to do but I’m happy. I finally got a nice ceremony where those of us who didn’t have an Israeli ID received it in the Ulpan, from the director who shook our hands and gave a pretty emotional speech about how important this ID is for our new identity in Israel and what it stands for. Of course, as usual I got all goose skin and could only think about the responsibilities that come with this ID. I feel more important, I feel like I owe something to the country already, and as much as I felt I belong here, now I feel even more that I’m here to stay.
So, I didn’t get to talk about anything I promised to in the last post, and even more I have to publish some pictures and to tell you how Rina and me got thrown out of the taxi at 2 am in the weirdest area of Tel Aviv possible, or how I crazily danced on house/dance music till 2 am as nothing out of the dance floor counted and then walked in the center of Jerusalem breathing in and out and telling myself: “This is my city now”. Also, I’ve been asked about my decision to make Alyia, how did I get t it and what led me to making alyia. I will develop this subject in the next posts too so stay tunedJ
Lastly, I had the song “Israelit” by Ilanit in my head all that time during the ceremony of the IDs. And then, funny enough, in the exact same day, going to dance Rikudei’am In Tel Aviv University among other 800-900 people, they played this song. It gave me shivers. I filmed it. Will upload it here. Meanwhile, here are the lyrics, really beautiful (If you don't understand it, please read the English translation) and the song.