Uplan-Or

Now that I finished my two-week Hebrew class, I figured I should post a blog about it.  The school was called Ulpan-Or. Or means light.  Their slogan is "Hebrew at the speed of light."  I spent three hours a day, five days a week, at school.  Because of Shabbat, my weeks went from Sunday to Thursday.  On Tuesdays and Fridays, a teacher from the school took me out for a tour in a particular part of the city.  I got a lot out of these two hour sessions because they made me speak as much in Hebrew as I could for the whole time.  My classroom teacher, Osnot, was excellent. She was able to do just the right blend of making me feel comfortable and pushing me.  I was very impressed with the program overall.  On Wednesdays the founder and head of the school has a short meeting with you where she asks you questions in Hebrew and you have to respond, as  a way for her to check your progress.  Thursdays are graduation and everyone in the program has to give a little talk about themselves.  It was a very interesting way to see what levels other people were at.  I was the most beginner.  There was an old Scottish woman who is almost at a native level and was doing things like going to hear live poetry in Hebrew.  She told us one day that even she still makes mistakes, including the time she asked a young orthodox boy, who was a student of hers, to take off his pants instead of his glasses (the words are very similar).  I got along really well with the receptionist, who is also 23, and was born in California. Her English is excellent and one night I went to see her do improv comedy in English.  Anyway, school is over now and I will admit, I'm a little sad.  I miss the folks there.