Life on the Kibbutz

Sorry for the lack of updates, life on the kibbutz is great but kind of repetitive which leaves me without things to write about, but I’ll do my best here to put you in my shoes. I work in the back of the dining room, basically moving crates around. It’s kind of difficult but at only four hours a day I can’t really complain. My old job in the dining room was stacking the dishes. It was easy, but miserably fucking boring. Even Marx would have been shocked. A plate would come through, and I’d put the plate with the other plates. A cup would come through and I’d put the cups with the other cups. The tray for the cups got full so I’d take down a new one. The cart for the cups was full of trays, so I’d take the cart outside to the main room. Ad nauseam.

My new job is pretty enjoyable though, even if it’s not the epitome of exciting either, because of my boss. He’s a tall Ethiopian that used to be a Hebrew teacher. It’s great because he can not only help me build a vocabulary, he can help me understand confusing concepts with Hebrew grammar and such. All the Ethiopians that I’ve worked with so far have been very friendly, confident, and damn good workers. I say that with admiration. Sometimes when I’m working next to them I feel like I’m shooting free throws next to Steve Nash.

Life on the kibbutz, as an ulpanist, is hard but not too hard. It’s simple and laid back. There’s a few stores to buy food and basic necessities, a post office, the dining room, and a pub. What else do you need? The only complaint is that I don’t feel like I’m learning enough Hebrew, especially with four hours of class a day. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I feel like I’m learning, but the problem is that I’m usually around people who speak English, and who, like me, can’t yet hold a conversation in Hebrew, which leaves us in a stalemate. What’s worse, there are some people here who just want to party and could give a fuck about their jobs or their studying. If you want to do that, fine, but why the fuck do you come in to class hungover and with your eyes bloodshot everyday, and then give the teacher attitude when she wakes you up? Why did you spend thousands of dollars to come to an ulpan if you don’t want to learn Hebrew? I really don’t get it.

My experiences speaking Hebrew have been varied. Sometimes I get it right and can communicate something, often times I screw up and have to ask “do you speak English?” with my tail between my legs. I had a bus driver a few weeks ago think I was on drugs because my Hebrew was so bad. When I do get it right though, even if it’s just saying the most simple of things, (“Give me a bag, please?”) I feel really good after. In general though, I have to learn how to laugh off saying something very awkwardly or in a way that’s completely indecipherable. Whatever, everyone starts somewhere. I feel good in class when I can follow and contribute to the lesson, I feel down when I get lost. My emotions have been going up and down without enough middle ground. I was so apathetic back in NJ that now my mind has trouble keep its emotions in check; the good and bad ones. I knew this was going to hard but I at least thought I’d get a little bit of a vacation before the army started.