Shalom,
its been a while! So, what happened the last 14 days. The past 2 weeks weren't full of travels, big plans, much impressions as in the month before. That is because we just quit having vacations every weekend. But it was full of little happy moments! I hope I will get them all together. As I told, the next week we just had our last days of lesson. It was weird to have a five-days-week after all the traveling.
To resume the lesson a little bit: We learned vocabulary, that will help us in the daily life and especially in the hospital. We learned how to talk in past and in present, how to introduce our family, how to ask for ways and places and we exercised every kind of small-talk. By the way, we will never get in situation like the ones we simulate in the Ulpan. Well some of us learned and some of us just sat beside. I do not want to the say, that they are differences between French and German people, because that would be kind of racist....but sadly the French guys weren't as motivated and punctual as the germans. I must admit, that my motivation at the end wasn't as high as in the beginning. After a while you felt like in a daily school routine and was kind of bothersome. In the end the ulpan was very very good! Our teacher Ditza was very patiently and an awesome teacher. After the four weeks I am possible to communicate with other Israelis in Hebrew. No big conversations, but it is enough to get know a little bit to each other.
In the afternoons we made nothing special. We went "boulder/climbing" a lot, went to the beach and to the supermarket...We get kind of a routine now! On evening I went to a music store and bought myself a keyboard....I can't survive one year without playing the piano ;). Luca seemed to be very happy about the piano too and want me to teach him a little bit!
On Friday I went to a Synagogue near by. Yaarit, our coordinator, told me, that they were very nice to strangers. I went there in my Jeans and my shirt, Mum you have to bring me my suit, I am terribly underdressed, and I met an Orthodox Jew. I was early, so we talked a while, he spoke a bit English and I spoke a bit Hebrew, so I explained him, what I am doing here.
Samuel: "Ani Shmuel. Ani midnadew be beit cholim Carmel. Can I join you?"
Rabbi:" Shalom! Me eyvo at?" Samuel: "Ani mi Germania!"
Rabbi:" Welcome! Eyvo ata gar?"
Samuel:" Ani gar be Leon Blum"
That is how nearly every conversation starts. It says:
S:" I am Samuel, I am volunteering in the Carmel Hospital. Can I join you?"
R:" Hello, where are you from?"
S:" I am from Germany"
R:" Welcome! Where do you live?"
S:" I live in Leon Blum street!
After that the conversation was nearly over. Of course he asked me, if my mother is jewish too and after that he showed me a place, where I can sit. I waited a long time and I got a lot of weird looks, but some kind jews showed me where we are (in my siddur) and what to do. Even though I know how Shabbat works in the synagogue, I felt like a little child, who has now idea, what to do. From the outside you wouldn't recognize the building as a synagogue. It is just a normal building with few apartments and in the first floor is the Synagogue. From the inside, it reminded me of the synagogue in Mainz we used to go, when I was a child. (Not the big green one). So on the one side it was kind of feeling home, but on the other side I got a strong homesickness. It is funny, when you think about a place, where you feel at home and at the same time you feel so far away from it...
After praying, some jews asked me, if I could do the kiddush. It is like a special kind of dinner on shabbat. I said "no" and with that word I gained a lot of invitations. Nearly everybody wanted to take me home, because for them it is not possible to even think of not doing the Kiddush. I went with the rabbi I spoke to at the beginning.
His apartment is small but pretty. When you go in, you stand immediately in the living room. Straight is the kitchen and on the right the bedroom. Thats all. Everything, really everything, the living room, the bedroom and even the kitchen had been full of books. Well, when the meaning of live is studying the Thora, I think then you have to have this much books. It was beautiful sitting in the middle of written mountains. His wife was not really surprised by me. It nearly seemed, that she knew, that I will come, because she cooked al lot. A way to much for themselves. My mother uses to say, that a jewish mother always cooks to much. I do not know if just the jewish mothers are cooking that much, but the jewish ones I met definitely do. She do not speak English, but that was a good way for me to practice. We ate and drank a little bit and with the time the conversation got philosophical. The rabbi explained me a lot about jewish habits and rules. About their history, about the songs we are singing and why we do what we do, the way we do.
He started to speak about the universe. I was suprised, why he skipped the topic but I listened. He said: " You know that the sun is a big, yellow and hot globe which gives us the light to see in the day and the heat to survive on earth. You know that the earth is circling the sun every year. You know that if we would be a few kilometers away from our position, it would be to cold for us and if we are a few kilometers near to the sun, we would burn. We are at the exact right position to live in. You know, that we go to sleep, when the moon is up and we wake up, when the moon is down. Another big globe, that circles the earth everyday and which makes the sea moving, right?! You know all that. You can say that happened by accident? No, their is someone who made this, who gives us the chance to live!
The conversation was not that fluid and way longer, because of language-problems, but it was really beautiful to see, how honestly he spoke. You really felt how strong he believes in god. He smiled the whole time, because he was just so happy about speaking how grateful god may be. The made me happy too. You believe or you do not believe, but it is always impressive to see somebody who is fully into his religion.
That was a very good experience and with a full belly and a lot of thoughts I went home.
The weekend was not so special. Well a week ago we had been starting a Harry Potter session and the last Saturday we watched 3 movies...yeah we needed that...
On Sunday we had ulpan again. After that we went to the cinema and watched a movie in Hebrew. Just kidding it was in English with Hebrew subtitles. The cinemas here are as expensive as in Germany but way better. Nearly every cinema has a Dolby Atmos sound system! My brother would love it. (We watched Venom).
Monday afternoon, we had our “Nursing skill” lesson. We learned how to wash a patient, how to help them from his/her bed to the wheelchair, how to make beds etc. It was interesting but not that special.
On Tuesday was our last day of lesson! We made a little present for our teacher (flowers, cake and a card) and learned a bit about the imperative in hebrew. At the end Ditza teached us some typical gestics and memes from the Israelis. I must admit, our concentration was low, because of the fact, that the next day we would know in which department we are finally gonna work.
Then finally THE DAY. We went to the hospital and sat together in a room, waiting for the big announcement. In the end I got what I wanted.
I WORK IN THE CHILDREN DEPARTMENT!!!
Part of the others are happy with their department, the other part not, but I do not want to talk about the others;).
A very kind woman received me. She is the head nurse of the department, what means, that she is the chef of the nurses and the manager of the department. She is very nice and a very happy person! We get along very well!!!!
About the department and the first days I will tell you in the next blog.
Until then,
Lehitraot,
SK
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