Be Flexible

A lot has happened in the last week. Rosh Hashana happened and I spent 4 days in central Israel with super distant cousins but I feel as though they are just family because we get along in that way. I ate really great food and drank and even napped in the afternoons. It was amazing!

Celebrating birthdays with family on RH

Family photos

PITA and HUMMUS

 I learned a lot about Israelis and a lot about myself as an American by hanging out with Israelis. First interesting difference is that it is not uncommon for family to get together for Shabbat dinners and the high holidays and when I say family gets together, it means 20-30 people and sometimes more. I also learned that with family there is no need to be politically correct, you just need to tell the truth and that is all and Israelis listen to everything you say. I learned something about myself as an American, that we like to do things by the book and we tend to be very polite. For example, I bought my train ticket and the machine didn't read my ticket so I went to ask the guard about it and some Israeli stopped me and showed me that I can just walk around through the disability gate. Of course! I bought the ticket so there is no problem.

Tomorrow I am visiting the school where I will be for the next 10 months and I couldn't be more nervous and excited. Today, we reunited with fellows in the other cities to meet the Ministry of Education representatives and our pedagogical mentors to learn about the Israeli public education school system and to get stoked on teaching.

Earlier today I was placed in a secular elementary school with my dear friend/another fellow Anna at a secular school. However, my director, Maor, came to me an hour ago and told me that he would like me to teach at a semi-religious elementary school by myself. I told him, "But I speak in broken Hebrew!" And in the most reassuring and comforting way that only Maor can respond in a situation when I am on the verge of a panic attack, he told me he believes and trusts that I will be great. Anna, my former teaching partner in crime/ confidante, reassured me and said awesomely "You become alive at the end of your comfort zone". The most cheesy, but I laughed and I'm getting more and more excited for the opportunity to be by myself at a school to have the chance to grow as a teacher and as a student of Hebrew.

The school is walking distance from my apartment. I will know more information after tomorrow but for now all I can say is that I have learned that being flexible is a gift to yourself and cheesy quotes help sometimes.