Balloons, Flour & Ketchup, Oh My...

Sunday, January 30, 2010

From 8:30 to 12:15 this morning we had our first Ulpan class. I feel like I am in the right class, I feel comfortable enough but will hopefully be challenged daily. We went through a lot of the basics which was a great review. The teacher seems nice and laid back. After class I went back to the house for lunch and Anna and I set off to explore the city.

We walked through neighborhoods we had not seen yet, passing by some gorgeous apartment buildings and housing complexes. We passed a memorial to a group of Jewish Argentinians who
were killed in a terrorist attack. It was interesting to see who the people of Ashdod build
memorial for and how they go about it. We came across a strip of stores and checked them out. The people in each store asked us our story and were nothing but friendly. They were happy to hear we would be living in Ashdod and asked us about our program and such. (Memorial to the Left)


One man owned a bakery and shared a lot of information with us, his English was great because he had lived in New York and Miami for several years. He advised us to spend a Shabbat in Jerusalem and Tsfat and said that we would "feel the electricity" for a year after such an experience. I’d love to see what he is talking about. I asked him what they did with the pastries and such at the end of the day and they do in fact get donated to those who need the next morning. There are so many bakeries here that I can’t even imagine how much gets donated.

We also passed through a vegetable market and falafel shop. As we continued we found another gourmet bakery. The gentleman working inside was so delightful and interesting, he gave us a sample of their cake and chatted with us for a while. On our way out he gave each of us a free brownie. We are going to have to go back and visit with him again and actually buy something the next time. I cannot wait to try the brownie. One of the ladies commented on our clothing (gym shorts) and asked if we were cold, they don’t understand that 70 and partly sunny is practically summer for us, they are walking around in jeans and sweaters. Next time I’ll have to try and blend in a bit more. Last we headed in to a kitchen supply store. I bought us some measuring cups for the house which I desperately needed. I loved strolling through the store seeing all of the interesting utensils they sell unique to Israel.



Tonight we had a large barbeque at the house. We cooked up chicken, lamb, vegetables, potatoes, pizza and whatever else we had. It was all delicious. I made a beet salad and ate it with chicken and a sweet potato and we all snacked on each others food. Everything was so fresh and tasty. It amazing to be able to sit outside and barbeque on January 31st.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Day 2 of Uplan. I really like my teacher and feel like I will be getting a lot out of the class. We did a major review of verbs, past tense, weather vocab, room vocab and such. I am starting to feel more confident speaking in public and I am catching on to the phrases you hear in the streets and shopping in the stores.

On one of our breaks today we were hanging out in front of the community center and we saw a big commotion in front of the high school, apparently it was a student’s birthday where we saw some unique traditions take place. They gave this girl a ton of colored balloons and then dumped flour, ketchup and water on her. I think there were also some firecrackers involved as well. Quite interesting. (Photo by: Sarah Benditt)

After class we went for another run exploring south of where we live. We found a really nice beach with public bathrooms and the works. The sky looked beautiful, it was an amazing sight, I can only imagine how many people will be on the beach in just a few weeks. They seem to think that 70 degrees is a chilly but everyone in the program is ready for the beach.

(A view of a main street in Ashdod)

This afternoon we went to visit 2 of the possible volunteer locations. In the mornings, after we finish our 2 weeks of Uplan, we will all be working in different schools and then 2-3 afternoons a week we will be volunteering in different community centers or with different organizations. Over the next 2 weeks we will be checking them out to see where we want to work. First we went to a center that assists children who have visually impaired parents and siblings. The volunteers will help them with their homework and do activities with them that would be difficult for their family to do with them. Its incredible to think they have facilities to help these students.

We shopped around the area while we waited for our next visit. We went to an electronics store and bargained for a hair straightener. We convinced him to let us try the demo one and sell is to us for cheaper. Never a dull moment in Ashdod.

After we walked to "Efshar Aheret"- an at risk youth center. It is a place for Ethiopian Israeli youth to come and spend their afternoons to stay out of trouble. We can help them learn English, play games with them and just be positive role models in their lives. The past year I have researched about the immigrant populations in Israel and have come across some fascinating stories. I hope that I will be able to be placed there, it is the kind of place I was hoping to be able to volunteer at while in Israel.