9/25 to 9/26 | The End of Ulpan and a Trip to the Zoo

Monday saw the conclusion of my time in ulpan.  After 18 days--a total of 90 hours--in Hebrew class, I am slowly becoming more proficient.  I am to the point where I can begin to pick of snippets of people's conversations and can even read parts of Hebrew language newspapers, like HaAretz (The Land), Yisrael HaYom (Israel Today), Ma'ariv (Evening), and the newspaper designed for students, Sha'ar LaMat'chil (Gate to Begin).  I've set a goal for myself: by the time I'm done with level "bet" I want to be able to read a whole article without any sort of assistance.  In ulpan, we read a number of long passages and even heard a few lectures in Hebrew, but those were tailored towards those still beginning their Hebrew studies (I have to say, though, that sitting in on a lecture in a foreign language that I understood was one of the greatest experiences so far).  There is still a long ways to go until I am fluent, but I can safely say that ulpan gave me a fantastic head start.

On Sunday, we had our last day of class.  The first half was spent reviewing all of the main concepts in the latter half of the book.  This included going over all six types of past tense and their breakdowns, in addition to words that convey ownership, who you are with, etc.  Fortunately, I have been good at studying over the course of the month, so there was nothing new for me to learn at the last minute.  After we finished reviewing, Chaya and Yochi allotted time for a small party, or mesibah in Hebrew.  Everyone brought something to munch on while we said our goodbyes to one another.  Most of the people in my class had been together for two months, not one, so it was more meaningful for them.  I had a great time, though, and I will not soon forget my time in ulpan.

Monday saw the culmination of ulpan in the form of the level exam.  This was broken in to two parts: a written half and a reading half.  The writing section featured three prompts to choose from.  I chose to write about a "place I want to live."  This was not too hard; I just compared home in Gaithersburg to the hustle and bustle of big cities, like Vohsheengtohn and Yerushalayim.  The reading part was much longer, but not too much harder.  There were passages with questions, fill in the blanks, multiple choice, and an exercise in which you had to choose whether to put a verb in past, present, or the infinitive.  Only a 65 percent is needed to pass, so I know I'll be moved up to the next level!

After the ulpan exam, Esther, Rachel, and I decided to go on a celebratory trip to the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens, better known as the Biblical Zoo, on the outskirts of Jerusalem.  This zoo is unique in that is features every type of animal mentioned in the bible, making it a must see attraction.  It took us about an hour to get from Mount Scopus to the park.  When we got there, it was so empty we thought it was closed.  Fortunately, the zoo was open and we got to enjoy the animals all to ourselves.  Apparently, people do not have time for the zoo on a Monday afternoon.  Here are the pictures from our day trip:

The sign that welcomed us to the zoo.  Every sign in the park was listed in three languages: Arabic, Hebrew, and English. This zoo was truly designed for any and everyone.  It is nice to be in a place devoid of politics, especially in Jerusalem.

The front of the zoo is centered on a lake.  The middle of the lake features an island with different kinds of monkeys, or kohfim in Hebrew.

The next exhibit we saw was that of the squirrel monkeys.  They seemed like fun, playful creatures.

From the front of the zoo, we took a train to the very back so we could make our way forward.  At the very edge of the park is a giant model of Noah's ark (my Torah portion).  Here is a picture of Esther and I--a pair of humans--boarding. 

From the ark, we walked on a raised boardwalk that crossed through an enclosure featuring a number of animals.  Apparently, this zebra thinks he is a giraffe!

 Oryx.

 Rhinoceros.

 Ostrich.

 Zebras.

Gazelle.  This one only had one antler.

 Elephant, or peel in Hebrew.

Baboon.  This one looks like Rafiki from The Lion King.

Some sort of large cat.

 Jaguar.  How often can you come face-to-face with a jaguar?  This one was actually missing a leg.

 Lion.  This one looks like Mufasa from The Lion King.

Bear.

 Parrots.

Tortoises.

The trip home from the zoo was nightmarish.  First, the bus we needed to get back to Mount Scopus stopped running so we waited around for about a half hour oblivious to this fact.  Then, when we finally gave up and got on a bus to the Jerusalem Central Bus Station, we ended up with a lunatic driver.  Every time he pulled up to a stop, he would end up on the sidewalk.  He also drove way too fast.  He drove so fast that he knocked an old lady to the ground, causing her to get a huge gash in her arm, and then had the audacity to yell at her!  We got off ahead of schedule because we were so uncomfortable, taking the light rail back to Mount Scopus instead.  At this point, though, I was running late for Hillel and had to dash through the Student Village up the street to campus to make it to my study session with Ben.  I have mentioned this program in a previous post, but every Monday I study with my chavruta, which is kind of like a study buddy for learning religious texts (from the Tanakh, the Talmud, etc.).  Fortunately, we still had an hour and a half, so we managed to get through the structure of the Rosh HaShanah prayers with good, lively discussion.  He also gave me two books to read, my favorite being For the Love of Israel and the Jewish People by Nathan Lopes Cardozo.  I have not read it yet, but I love Israel and I love the Jewish people so it promises to be a good read!

Tomorrow, I'm off to Ramat Gan to be with my family for the holidays.  The plan is to take a bus from Jerusalem to the Tel Aviv train station with Esther, who has family in Givatayim.  It should be a good trip!