Back to the Grind

For our first month in Israel, we were all told so many times that things will really start up after the holidays. We all found this to be very true. Ulpan started up with new enthusiasm and we were all given a new list of different volunteering opportunities. Although my schedule was already pretty busy I added a few new ones, such as working in an afterschool program in Nazareth and in an old-age home in Natzrat Ilit.
I went to visit the old age home for the first time last Sunday. A few friends and I sat down with an man who was originally from Gilbraltor but had lived all over the world and knew about 7 languages. He had been a teacher and we talked with him about politics and got him to read our palms. He said I was going to have four children and be financially successful; which is also what the palm reader in India said. There was also an old lady who liked telling me about all her health problems. She asked me if I worked in Carmiel. She said she knew someone who works in Carmiel who also has big cheeks and she thought I might be her.
My favorite volunteer position that I have is the English class we have in the absorption center for the Ethiopians. Twice a week, Adam and I meet with two boys named Amalu and Setkarjew. We talk to them about how life was in Ethiopia compared to Israel and the US. They're both really nice guys and it really is my favorite part of the week when we get to go teach. The classes have also really helped us to get to know the other residents of the center (We also have a class for the people living here from FSU). All the Ethiopians are much friendlier when we see them now and it's a lot more pleasant living in the absorption center when we're not completely isolated by our little American bubble.
Every week, OTZMA gives us a food stipend of $10 a day. We have only a toaster oven and a stove to cook with, so it has led all of us to experiment a little and to polish up our cooking skills. I never had any cooking skills from the start, so this was quite a challenge for me. A few weeks in, I learned how to make my first grilled cheese sandwich. This led me to think that I could survive off eating scrambled eggs, pasta with olive oil and garlic, or grilled cheese for every single meal. That quickly became boring, so I started experimenting. I'm glad to say that my cooking skills are slowly improving. I made a vegetable soup from scratch last week and earlier today, I was part of a joint effort to make apple sauce, which turned out amazing. I'm still afraid of trying to cook meat, but hopefully eventually I'll get there. For part 2 of OTZMA, I'm living in Kiryat Malachi with 5 other people. Four out of the five are really good cooks, so hopefully they'll be able to give me some tips.