Apple for the teacher and moving day

Hey everyone!

Today was my first official class that was planned and run by me. It was a mess getting started because getting in a classroom and getting kids there and getting materials and such when working with israelis isn't easy, but the class itself was great. Since the jewish holiday of purim is on saturday, and happens to be my favorite of all holidays, I decided to take the group of younger kids and have them make paper crowns and decorate them in honor of the holiday (you dress up in costume. Learn more about Purim!) I think they had a great time. They got to cut out the points of the crown, draw jewels and clowns and hamataschen, and then wear them! I tried to teach them the word "crown" and they said it a few times repeating after me, but then couldn't really remember it later. Oh well, it's a step, right? We also danced around the room to purim songs. It was so great! One girl asked if she could go show her mom and then came back with a big smile saying that her mom said it was very beautiful (יפה מאוד). All in all it wasn't a bad first day.

So now, I have to run...I'm moving! Ok, not really. But I realized that I am growing frustrated with going to Ulpan and advancing so much in four hours, and then coming home and speaking English all day and taking backwards steps. So I talked to Chava and asked if it would be possible to take a sort of הפשקה, a break, and just live with Israelis for a week or two, just to be immersed in the language. As an experiment. I figured it couldn't hurt, right? And things in the house are getting kind of tense, so getting away wouldn't suck, either. She liked the idea and called one of the host families (I never asked my WONDERFUL host family, but I didn't want to impose, so maybe after this first shot I'll get braver...). So today I am going to stay with an Israeli family until Wednesday. I am scared and nervous but excited. I think it's going to be the quietest 4 days of my life...