Consider yourself at home

I am starting to feel at home in Jerusalem. On Sunday, I took the bus to the central bus station and got a RAV-KAV (card that allows you to ride buses at a discounted rate). Then my roommate and I walked over to Machaneh Yehudah (the market). Over all, I was very surprised by how expensive food is in Israel. In the grocery store I paid 9.90 Shekels (about $2.48) per Kilogram for grapes. In the market the same amount is about 5 Shekels (about 1.26). There were so many things I would have bought, but in the end I bought fresh, whole wheat pita. This trip was one of the ways I oriented myself in Jerusalem. The neighborhood I live in is one I was not that familiar with. Seeing it on a map is not the same as walking around. Taking the bus showed me how close I am to the city center and the old city. Today, I walked through the German Colony on a tiyul for my ulpan. This is when I realized how close I live  to one of my landmarks, a youth center, which is at the other end of Emek Refaim from where I am currently staying. Knowing where you are in relation to familiar places helps establish connections to new places.

A note on language:
My courage to speak Hebrew, comes mainly from my participation in a Hebrew immersion program at JTS, last summer. Last Spring, I volunteered at a school where I spend several hours a week in Hebrew classes. I did lose some Hebrew during the year. This is why I am very happy to be in Ulpan this month. Ulpan Or, is a great method, with several pieces; part one is a grammer book, two is a book of exercises aimed at increasing vocabulary (reading comprehension, translating, ect.), three is listening to music with a vocab. list. and lyrics, four is tiyulim (trips around Jerusalem). When we meet for class, half the time we work with a teacher and half the time we work individually with mp3s of all the parts mentioned above On occasion, youtube videos and their e-tone a clever play on the Hebrew word for newspaper. If your students are able to deal with being self directed about their work this is a great method to use.

As for me, when I am around town, I try to speak only hebrew if possible. The exception to this has been opening my bank account. While I know the word for account, and atm card, I wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting into. The only way to overcome a fear is to face it head on. Think about it this way, if you make a mistake while ordering food or talking to a cashier you don't need to be embarrassed because you will probably never see them again. Even if you do it is unlikely that they will remember because they deal with novice Hebrew speakers all the time. Most importantly the only way to get better is to practice.