May 29, 2008

I was standing with Moti by Mary’s Spring in Ein Karem.

It was my fourth and final tiyul during my two week intensive Mini-Israel program with Ulpan Or. Mary’s Spring was our first stop on the tiyul. We were splashing water on our faces from this wonderful, small & quiet spring. Two women came along and I asked them to take a photo of us. After feeling refreshed from the spring water and recording the experience on photograph, I was ready to tell Moti the story about Mary’s Spring. The women were about to continue on, when I suddenly decided to invite them to listen to my story about the spring. Of course, I extended the invitation to them Hebrew. They accepted and listened. One of the women who lives just above Ein Kerem, in Beit HaKerem, was nodding along as I told about Mary’s Spring. It was encouraging. I felt like a real tour guide!! Moti was also very excited about me telling the story to an audience. What a thrill!!

I really feel the confidence,
for the first time, to speak Hebrew in public since I began studying Hebrew six years ago. Over the years, I have participated in several ulpanim, but I never felt confident speaking in public. Now, I feel much more confident. This is thanks to Ulpan Or! Ulpan Or feels more like a home than an office. The atmosphere is bright, cheerful and friendly. I say this both about the salon where we sit and do our individual studying and about the wonderful people who work here. Hebrew is spoken both between teacher and student and among staff -but also among the students themselves, even those at a beginner level, as they greet each other in the ulpan salon.

My first breakthrough was on day four. The first few days felt very intense to me (actually the whole two weeks, but especially the first three days). On Wednesday of week one, I had an assignment to write a page in Hebrew about whatever I wanted, using some of the new words I had learned. I was supposed to write it first in Hebrew and then translate my story into English and from that English translation I would then, with my teacher (Osnat!), translate it out loud back into Hebrew. I didn’t manage to finish writing the English translation, so Osnat asked me to read her my Hebrew version instead. Throughout my reading of it, Osnat smiled and offered quiet compliments. After I finished, Osnat continued to compliment it and seemed very impressed with the structure of my sentences and the use of my new words. I was already feeling good about what I had written. Earlier that morning, when I wrote it in Hebrew, I really felt my progress as weaved together some of my new words into sentences. And now, I was feeling even better from the glowing reaction from Osnat! And then later from Orly!

I loved everything about this course!!! I recommend Ulpan Or to everyone who is about to do it. It is worth every shekel! The programs are really made specifically for you and one can chose the pace within each program. For instance, I have decided to continue in a less intensive program, starting next week. Now that I have a comfortable level of confidence to speak Hebrew in public, I don’t want to lose that confidence. So we have put together a program that will meet my specific needs. This is possible for everybody. Don’t think a moment longer–sign up today!!!

Ann Young